Denise Savoie

DENISE IN THE COMMONS: Bills and Motions Seconded

BILLS AND MOTIONS SECONDED – 39th Parliament

Although you’ll rarely hear about it in the news, a lot of good ideas are discussed in the House of Commons.

Here are the major legislative proposals I have proposed over the past several months (“M” denotes a motion – an expression of the will of the House of Commons; “C” denotes formal legislation):

C-302 Prohibit the use of pesticides for cosmetic (non-essential) purposes
C-303 “The Early Learning and Child Care Act” – Create a national system of early learning and child care
C-397 Change our riding name from “Victoria” to “Victoria – Oak Bay”
C-398 “The Canada Postsecondary Education Act” – Guarantee stable federal funding for accessible, quality postsecondary education
M-173 Implement a “triple-bottom-line” policy with equal weight to economic, social and environmental considerations to ensure the greatest public good in the management and divestiture of all federal properties
M-174 Reduce the federal blood alcohol limit to 0.03%
M-232 Ban unsustainable groundfish bottom trawling
M-276 Make postsecondary education more affordable and accessible with stable federal funding, better student financial assistance, and more funding for summer jobs
M-277 Ensure that funding for the expiring Millennium Scholarship Foundation be allocated purely to non-repayable student grants
M-348 Create a Clean Cruise Ship Act to regulate discharge and fuel content at standards equal to or better than those of our American coastal neighbours
M-354 Re-affirm the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling in BC, and impose a moratorium on tanker traffic in BC’s inside waters

Here are the legislative proposals I have seconded during the 39th Parliament. Many are by my NDP colleagues but I am always very happy to support good ideas by MPs from other parties.

For students, learners and their families
C-228 Reduce the ban on bankruptcy protection for student loans from ten years to two
C-229 Remove GST from all books or pamphlets
C-276 Remove GST on all literacy materials
M-111 Allow medical students to complete residency before repaying student debt

For seniors
C-261 Establish a pension ombudsman
C-262 Ensure a guaranteed monthly income for seniors
C-336 Full retroactivity for pensions beginning at age seventy
C-432 Establish the first Sunday in February as Seniors’ Day
M-96 Eliminate the 10-year residency requirement for OAS
M-120 Half-price passports for seniors
M-135 Create a dedicated federal department for seniors to implement the NDP’s seniors charter

For caregivers
C-209 Allow deduction of expenses, and expand definition of caregiver beyond family members
C-240 Extend duration of compassionate care benefits under EI
C-434 Introduce a tax credit equal to home-care subsidy for personal in-home care of relatives
M-342 Allow caregivers to accrue credit and disability coverage for CPP
M-344 Allow caregivers to voluntarily pay into CPP

For the vulnerable in our community
C-326 Include gender identity and expression in the Canada Human Rights Act
M-44 Adopt a harm reduction strategy to combat drug addiction and HIV
M-45 Set national standards for social programs, so that no one goes hungry
M-53 Require financial institutions to provide “no frills” bank accounts for low-income persons
M-54 Require that no one be denied banking because of income
M-191 Create a tax-free income supplement for low-income Canadians
M-201 Create a plan to realize full wheelchair accessibility in Canada
M-207 Make federal student grants tax-free for those on EI and social assistance
M-215 Create a national mental health care strategy

For our troops, veterans, and their families
C-226 Provide a commemorative cross to the surviving parent, spouse or common-law partner of a member of the Canadian Forces (CF) who has died in service of her country
C-231 Create a special service medal for RCMP involved in domestic emergency relief operations
C-237 Lower flag to half-mast on Remembrance Day
C-238 Remove the exclusion of second spouses from CF pension benefits
C-363 Give Remembrance Day the same legal status as Canada Day
C-379 Increase death benefits for spouses and children of CF and RCMP
C-440 Provide free postage for members of the Canadian Forces
M-118 Provide free passports for veterans
- The NDP’s Veterans First Motion was passed by Parliament on November 7, 2006. For more information, see www.ndp.ca/veterans.

For new Canadians
C-394 Allow “once-in-a-lifetime” immigration sponsorship of a non-family-class relative
M-220 Eliminate all application and processing fees for citizenship
M-221 Eliminate the fee for right of permanent residence
M-336 Better help newcomers integrate into the workplace

For workers
C-224 Lower the flag at half-mast for Workers Mourning Day (Apr. 28)
C-236 Ban the use of replacement workers in federally regulated industries
C-270 Prioritize pensions in cases of employer bankruptcy
C-364 to C-371 Fix the EI system, related to benefits and eligibility
C-375 Re-establish the federal minimum wage at $10 / hour
C-390 Provide an income tax deduction for travel and accommodation of tradespeople
M-72 Use EI surplus to improve benefits
M-182 Ensure fair wages and working standards through a federal minimum wage, pension protection, and pay equity
M-241 Review and fix seasonal agricultural workers program to stop abuse and exploitation

For affordable housing
C-242 Enshrine the right to affordable housing in Canadian Human Rights Act
C-382 Create a national affordable housing strategy
M-43 Remove GST on affordable rental and non-profit housing
M-98 Invest CMHC profits into affordable housing
M-154 Create a dedicated government department for housing

For our communities
C-268 Protect heritage lighthouses
C-306 Early pension entitlement for police officers and firefighters
C-406 Require offenders to give restitution to their victims
C-427 Ban Internet use to distribute child pornography, hatred, violence against women
C-452 Fully exempt school boards from GST
M-65 Establish February 29 as national working holiday – community day
M-316 Hire 2,500 police officers across the country
M-345 Allow judges to designate a dangerous offender any time after sentencing
M-350 Make assault of transit operators subject to the same legal weight as assault of police officers

For all of us
C-250 Establish standards for safe drinking water throughout Canada
C-328 Ban trans fats content above 2% in our food supply
C-373 Increase maximum penalties for cruelty to animals
C-414 Protect children against exploitative advertising
C-436 Remove GST from funeral arrangements
C-437 Create a National Sustainable Development Strategy / Green Fund
C-439 Prohibit the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in certain products
C-456 Require labelling of all genetically modified (GM) foods
M-15 Ban the mining, production, sale and export of asbestos
M-38 Phase out the production and import of PBDEs (a toxic flame retardant)
M-80 Apply the precautionary principle to all biotech foods
M-85 Create a Local Community Arts and Artists Sustainability Fund
M-112 Ban tobacco investments by our shared Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
M-148 Create a national composting program
M-185 Require warning labels on alcohol regarding pregnancy
M-189 Increase passport duration from 5 to 10 years
M-225 Create a national public transit strategy
M-330 Create a multi-stakeholder task force on life-work balance choices

For Canada’s role in the world
C-243 Make poverty reduction the priority objective of Canada’s foreign aid
C-331 Extend legal duty to Canadian individuals and corporations around the world
C-448 Ban terminator seeds (V-GURTs)
M-5 Work toward reform of the United Nations to better address human rights and genocide prevention
M-7 Address human rights abuses toward members of Falun Gong
M-10 Work toward worldwide abolition of the death penalty
M-36 Create a sweat-free and ethical procurement policy for federal government departments
M-47 Create a national child-labour-free label
M-60 Provide no more funding to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) until it is reformed to work in the best interest of the world’s poor
M-74 Provide core funding for women’s groups working against violence against women
M-75 Provide core funding for women’s groups working toward gender equality
M-140 Work at the United Nations to eliminate the use of child soldiers in the world
M-200 Sign and ratify the United Nations Optional Protocol on Torture
M-222 Implement the Declaration of Montreal on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Human Rights
M-224 Support adoption of the United Nations Convention on Indigenous Rights
M-265 Ban the use of cluster bombs through the United Nations
M-285 Declare that water is a human right and oppose water privatization around world
M-299 Work at the United Nations toward realizing the goals of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty
M-307 Allow individuals to borrow $40,000 from their RRSP to purchase a first home
M-308 Ensure that Canada enters into only ethical trade treaties

Other
C-251 Require warning labels on alcohol regarding impaired driving, pregnancy and health risks
C-259 Prohibit water exports by interbasin transfers
C-267 Better standards for training and apprenticeships
C-275 Remove GST on feminine hygiene products
C-296 Apply a child-first principle to resolve jurisdictional disputes over the care of First Nations children
C-319 Create an Energy Price Commission to regulate motor fuel prices
C-349 Reduce the extent of patent protection for medicines
C-403 Establish February 15 as Flag Day
C-418 Ban business deduction for CEO salaries over $1m
C-420 Extend EI for illness, injury, quarantine from 15 to 30 weeks
C-429 Ban ATM fees
C-431 Decriminalize marijuana possession under 30 grams
C-442 Establish an office of the Oil and Gas Ombudsman to monitor prices
C-460 Permit those who object to military spending, for reasons of faith or conscience, to direct their share of income taxes for military spending into a special peace fund
M-4 Recognize the events at Srebenica in July 1995 as genocide and a crime against humanity
M-6 Recognize September 21 as World Alzheimer Day
M-8 Ban the use of hazardous single-pronged display hooks
M-35 Establish a Made in Canada policy for Canadian symbolic and promotional materials
M-82 Establish stricter guidelines on approval of transgenic animals
M-86 Provide relief to victims of leaky condos
M-102 Formally recognize Sikh festival of Vaisakhi
M-103 Recognize the contribution of Filipino Canadians
M-164 Support the department for the Status of Women
M-230 Reinvest taxation from child care benefit into child care
M-252 Fight HIV/AIDS around world
M-272 Provide funding for green refurbishments to Parliament Hill
M-290 Phase out incandescent light bulbs
M-309 Support the Yogyakarta Principles on sexual and gender identity rights
M-312 Protect and preserve Ottawa River
M-326 Ban misleading labels that falsely advertise “whole wheat”
M-328 Implement full pay equity
M-333 Establish June 5 as National Hunger Awareness Day
M-335 Regulate and monitor the safety of pet food
M-337 Establish June as National Aboriginal History Month
M-340 Improve home care
M-343 Create guidelines for the care of the chronically ill
M-349 Amend the deductibility of mortgage interest to provide proportionately equal benefit to low- and high-income people
M-352 Declare universal health and drug care as a basic human right

For more information about these and more bills and motions, click here.