Opposition Unites to Pass Bills, Motion
Opposition legislation on foreign investment, apology for Italian-Canadian internment, compassionate leave for workers pass as final Climate Change Bill debate concludes
OTTAWA – The three opposition parties united in the House of Commons Wednesday night to see the passage of legislation to allow leave in cases of a death of a spouse or child, to officially apologize for the Italian-Canadian interment during the Second World War, and on government reviews of foreign takeovers. The votes preceded a heated final House debate on Thunder Bay–Superior North MP Bruce Hyer’s Climate Change Accountability Act, which faces a final vote in one week.
New Democrats used an Opposition Day to pass a Motion, 144 to 136 votes, on foreign investment in the wake of troubled foreign takeovers of Nortel, Stelco, and Northern mining employers such as Inco and Falconbridge. Thousands of workers remain locked in long-running strikes against Brazilian-owned Vale Inco and Swiss-owned Xstrata, the new owner of Falconbridge. The adopted Opposition Day Motion:
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lowers the threshold for public review of foreign takeovers
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requires publication of reasoning behind government decisions on takeovers, and conditions to be met by approved foreign owners
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ensures public hearings are held in affected communities
Of the Motion, Hyer said “After several disastrous foreign takeovers, Canadians need accountability and transparency when it comes to foreign investment. In some cases, foreign companies have agreed to employment and other commitments as conditions for takeover approval, only to violate those conditions at the earliest opportunity. The government has not stepped in to make sure these firms are accountable.”
“We welcome foreign investment in Canada, because it makes good business sense.” Hyer continued “This Motion will not hinder responsible investment in Canadian companies, but it will mean foreign takeovers will have to demonstrate a “net benefit” to Canada – that the resources that belong to Canadians are not merely pillaged. Other countries are raising minimum thresholds that trigger government reviews of foreign takeovers, and Canada should stop heading in the opposite direction.”
Montreal-area Liberal MP Massimo Pacetti’s private member’s legislation, Bill C-302 the Italian-Canadian Recognition and Restitution Act, also passed a final vote in the House by 147 to 134. The bill asks the federal government to officially apologize to Canadians of Italian origin interned during World War II.
Bloc Bill C-343 also passed a first vote with support of the three opposition parties, 144 to 137. It amends the Canada Labour Code to allow employees to take unpaid leave in cases where their minor child disappears, in cases where their child or spouse commits suicide, or for the death of their spouse.
Hyer also delivered his concluding speech on his private member’s bill, C-311 the Climate Change Accountability Act, before a heated debate in the House on climate change. His bill faces a final vote in the House of Commons at 5:30pm on Wednesday, May 5.
Links in this document provided courtesy of www.OntarioNewsNorth.com
Video below added to this Press Release by www.OntarioNewsNorth.com it is May 29, 2009 — Sudbury MP Glenn Thibeault tells the story of Dr. Luigi Phillipo Pancaro, a Sudbury doctor who practiced at the Sudbury Regional Hospital. The day Italy joined the second world war, Dr. Pancaro was taken from the hospital to an internment camp, along with hundreds of other Italian-Canadians, deemed by the government to be “enemy aliens”. Bil C-302 proposes redress for this action and Mr. Thibeault supports the bill.
