Journals of the Senate
1st Session, 41st Parliament
Issue 145
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
2:00 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Ataullahjan, Batters, Bellemare, Beyak, Braley, Brown, Buth, Callbeck, Carignan, Champagne, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, Duffy, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Enverga, Finley, Fraser, Furey, Gerstein, Greene, Harb, Hubley, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, MacDonald, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, McCoy, McInnis, McIntyre, Mercer, Merchant, Meredith, Mitchell, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ngo, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oh, Patterson, Plett, Poirier, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Robichaud, Runciman, Seidman, Seth, Sibbeston, Smith (Saurel), Stewart Olsen, Tardif, Tkachuk, Unger, Verner, Wallace, Wallin, Wells, White, Zimmer
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
*Andreychuk, Ataullahjan, Batters, Bellemare, Beyak, Braley, Brown, Buth, Callbeck, Carignan, Champagne, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, *De Bané, *Downe, Duffy, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Enverga, Finley, *Fortin-Duplessis, Fraser, Furey, Gerstein, Greene, Harb, Hubley, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, MacDonald, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, McCoy, McInnis, McIntyre, Mercer, Merchant, Meredith, Mitchell, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ngo, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oh, *Oliver, Patterson, Plett, Poirier, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Robichaud, Runciman, Seidman, Seth, Sibbeston, *Smith (Cobourg), Smith (Saurel), Stewart Olsen, Tardif, Tkachuk, Unger, Verner, Wallace, Wallin, Wells, White, Zimmer
The first list records senators present in the Senate Chamber during the course of the sitting.
An asterisk in the second list indicates a senator who, while not present during the sitting, was in attendance to business, as defined in subsections 8(2) and (3) of the Senators Attendance Policy.
PRAYERS
SENATORS' STATEMENTS
Some Honourable Senators made statements.
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
Tabling of Documents
The Honourable Senator Carignan tabled the following:
Revised Government Response to the fifth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and
International Trade entitled: Intensifying Strategic Partnerships with the New Brazil, tabled in the Senate on May 29,
2012.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41-1510S.
(Pursuant to rule 12-24(4), the report and the response were deemed referred to the Standing Senate Committee on
Foreign Affairs and International Trade)
Presenting or Tabling Reports from Standing or Special Committees
The Honourable Senator Braley, Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, presented its seventh report (Amendments to the Rules of the Senate).
(The report is printed as an appendix at pages 2016-2017.)
The Honourable Senator Braley moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Runciman, that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Government Notices of Motions
With leave of the Senate,
The Honourable Senator Carignan moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tkachuk:
That, on Wednesday, March 20, 2013, the Senate resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole in order to receive Mr. Graham Fraser respecting his appointment as Commissioner of Official Languages; and
That the Committee of the Whole report to the Senate no later than one hour after it begins.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Tabling of Reports from Inter-Parliamentary Delegations
The Honourable Senator Munson tabled the following:
Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas respecting the Bilateral Visit to Guatemala City, Guatemala and San Salvador, El Salvador, from January 19 to 26, 2013.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41- 1515.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Bills — Third Reading
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Third reading of Bill C-27, An Act to enhance the financial accountability and transparency of First Nations.
The Honourable Senator Patterson moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wallace, that the bill be read the third time.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Dyck moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Chaput, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Bills — Second Reading
Second reading of Bill S-17, An Act to implement conventions, protocols, agreements and a supplementary convention, concluded between Canada and Namibia, Serbia, Poland, Hong Kong, Luxembourg and Switzerland, for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes.
The Honourable Senator Greene moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Brown, that the bill be read the second time.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Tardif moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Fraser, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Second reading of Bill S-16, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in contraband tobacco).
The Honourable Senator White moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Maltais, that the bill be read the second time.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Cordy moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Harb, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 3 to 5 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Second reading of Bill C-42, An Act to amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts.
The Honourable Senator Lang moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Smith (Saurel), that the bill be read the second time.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Tardif moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Hubley, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
OTHER BUSINESS
Commons Public Bills — Third Reading
Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Senate Public Bills — Reports of Committees
Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Senate Public Bills — Second Reading
Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ringuette, seconded by the Honourable Senator Jaffer, for the second reading of Bill S-215, An Act to amend the Payment Card Networks Act (credit card acceptance fees).
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Tardif moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Munson, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Order No. 4 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Commons Public Bills — Second Reading
Orders No. 1 to 5 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Reports of Committees — Other
Consideration of the tenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights (Supplementary budget— study on cyberbullying in Canada), presented in the Senate on March 7, 2013.
The Honourable Senator White moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Maltais, that the report be adopted.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 2 to 6 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Motions
Resuming debate on the motion, as amended, of the Honourable Senator Cools, seconded by the Honourable Senator Comeau:
That this case of privilege, relating to the actions of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, be referred to the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament for consideration, in particular with respect to the consequences for the Senate, for the Senate Speaker, for the Parliament of Canada and for the country's international relations;
And on the motion of the Honourable Senator Tardif, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cowan, that the question be referred to a Committee of the Whole for consideration.
Debate.
A point of order was raised with respect to the acceptability of the motion.
After debate,
The Speaker reserved his decision.
Orders No. 143, 147, 75 and 128 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Inquiries
Orders No. 62, 56, 19, 57, 22, 44, 35, 59, 45, 9, 18, 60, 50 and 40 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Cordy, calling the attention of the Senate to those Canadians living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), who lack access to the "liberation'' procedure.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Harb moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Hubley, that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
INQUIRIES
The Honourable Senator Brown called the attention of the Senate to more of the physical science and less of the meta-physics of climate change.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Neufeld moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Marshall, that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 14-1(7):
Summaries of the Corporate Plan for 2013-2017 and of the Capital Budget for 2013 of the Royal Canadian Mint, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4). —Sessional Paper No. 1/41-1512.
Report of the Blue Water Bridge Authority, together with the Auditor General's Report, for the year 2012, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 150(1). —Sessional Paper No. 1/41-1513.
Report of the Canadian Polar Commission, together with the Auditor General's Report, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, pursuant to the Canadian Polar Commission Act, S.C. 1991, c. 6, sbs. 21(2).—Sessional Paper No. 1/ 41-1514.
ADJOURNMENT
The Honourable Senator Carignan moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Poirier:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
(Accordingly, at 6:02 p.m. the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.)
Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 12-5
Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
The Honourable Senator Meredith replaced the Honourable Senator Demers (March 19, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Munson replaced the Honourable Senator Campbell (March 18, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Sibbeston replaced the Honourable Senator Hubley (March 18, 2013).
Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
The Honourable Senator MacDonald replaced the Honourable Senator Johnson (March 14, 2013).
Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
The Honourable Senator Beyak replaced the Honourable Senator MacDonald (March 14, 2013).
Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
The Honourable Senator Finley replaced the Honourable Senator Duffy (March 14, 2013).
Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
The Honourable Senator Charette-Poulin replaced the Honourable Senator Fraser (March 18, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Johnson replaced the Honourable Senator Stratton (March 14, 2013).
Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
The Honourable Senator Buth replaced the Honourable Senator Frum (March 15, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Boisvenu replaced the Honourable Senator Rivard (March 7, 2013).
Standing Senate Committee on National Finance
The Honourable Senator Wells replaced the Honourable Senator Black (March 19, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Plett replaced the Honourable Senator Finley (March 14, 2013).
Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
The Honourable Senator Day replaced the Honourable Senator Dawson (March 18, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Munson replaced the Honourable Senator Campbell (March 18, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Boisvenu replaced the Honourable Senator Manning (March 18, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Nolin replaced the Honourable Senator Boisvenu (March 7, 2013)
Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
The Honourable Senator Fortin-Duplessis replaced the Honourable Senator Rivard (March 14, 2013).
Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
The Honourable Senator Dyck replaced the Honourable Senator Campbell (March 18, 2013).
The Honourable Senator Eaton replaced the Honourable Senator Raine (March 14, 2013).