Tax cuts, crime and Schreiber on the agenda
Romeo St. Martin
Politics Watch ® News Services
November 22, 2007, updated 5:50 p.m.
http://www.politicswatch.com/leg-update.htm

OTTAWA — The Conservative government will continue to push through its criminal justice agenda in the House next while the opposition parties expect to hear from Karlheinz Schreiber at committee. 

Government House Leader Peter Van Loan said Thursday the government plans to deal with two major crime bills in the House. 

Bill C-2, The Tackling Violent Crime Act, returned from a special legislative committee this week without amendment. The bill is an omnibus bill made up primarily of criminal justice bills left over from the last session of Parliament and is a matter of confidence. 

The government will also move forward with Bill C-27, the bill dealing with identity theft that was introduced this week. The issue of data protection has become a hot topic after the British government admitted it lost two discs containing the private information of hundreds of thousands of its citizens. 

The government also plans to deal with another confidence motion, the budget implementation bill for last month's mini-budget. That bill contains $60-billion in tax cuts, including another one-point cut to the GST. 

The opposition Liberals are expected to once again abstain on this bill when it comes to a vote in the House in order to avoid forcing an election. 

At the committee level, the access to information, privacy and ethics committee is pressing ahead with its probe of the business dealings between former prime minister Brian Mulroney and businessman Karlheinz Schreiber. 

NDP MP Pat Martin's motion calling Schreiber to appear before the committee passed on Thursday. Schreiber, who is in custody in Toronto, is scheduled to to appear before the committee on Tuesday and Thursday. Mulroney is scheduled to testify the following week. 

Martin told reporters after question period that the opposition parties have indications that both Schreiber and Mulroney will volunteer to appear without a subpoena. 

"We've had early indications that Mr. Mulroney, if called, will come willingly as well," Martin said. "I think Mr. Mulroney is eager to tell his side of the story and perhaps the parliamentary committee is the appropriate place to do it."

Meanwhile the Commons public safety committee voted unanimously Thursday to launch its own examination of the recent death of Polish national Robert Dziekanski.

Dziekanski died after RCMP officers Tasered him at Vancouver International Airport last month. The incident has received worldwide attention after amateur video of the confrontation appeared on television and YouTube. 



The Legislative Update is posted every Thursday afternoon when the House is sitting. To stay informed on all the political events read PoliticsWatch's  Morning Briefing updated at 9:30 a.m. noon and 5:00 p.m. ET Monday to Friday and the Daily Agenda updated at 6:00 p.m. ET Monday to Friday.
  
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The House will deal with the following next week.

Bill C-2 Report stage of the Tackling Violent Crime Act 
Bill C-26 Drug dealers
Bill C-28 Budget implementation bill
Bill S-2 Canada-U.S. sales tax convention act
Bill C-27 Identity theft

 
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Committee Highlights

Tuesday

> The access to information, ethics and privacy committee begins its examination of the Mulroney-Schreiber affair. 

> CBC president Robert Rabinovitch, and executive vice presidents Sylvain Lafrance and Richard Stursberg appear before the heritage committee, which is continuing its study of the role of the public broadcaster in the 21st Century.

> Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser appears before the Commons official languages committee. 


> Full Schedule


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Bills the Conservative government  tabled in this session of Parliament 

C-2 — The Minister of Justice — An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts C-2 

Status: Returned without amendment from a special legislative committee — November 21, 2007 

This is the government's omnibus crime bill which Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has declared a matter of confidence. 

C-3R — The Minister of Public Safety — An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (certificate and special advocate) and to make a consequential amendment to another Act 

Status: Referred to the public safety committee — November 20, 2007 

C-4 — The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities — An Act to amend the Pilotage Act

Status: Introduced and read the first time — October 26, 2007 

C-5R — The Minister of Natural Resources — An Act respecting civil liability and compensation for damage in case of a nuclear incident 

Status: Referred to the Standing Committee on Natural resources — October 30, 2007

C-6R — The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform — An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (visual identification of voters) 

Status: Referred to the House affairs committee — November 15, 2007

This is the government's bill that would effectively ban veiled voting.

C-7R — The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities — An Act to amend the Aeronautics Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts 

Status: Debated at third reading — October 30, 31 and November 2, 2007 

C-8 — The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities — An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act (railway transportation) 

Status: Referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities — October 29, 2007 

C-9 — The Minister of Foreign Affairs — An Act to implement the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (ICSID Convention) 

Status: Referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee October 29, 2007

C-10R — The Minister of Finance — An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, including amendments in relation to foreign investment entities and non-resident trusts, and to provide for the bijural expression of the provisions of that Act 

Status: Passed in the House October 29, 2007

C-11R — The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development — An Act to give effect to the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement and to make a consequential amendment to another Act 

Status: Passed in the House October 29, 2007

C-12R — The Minister of Labour — An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, the Wage Earner Protection Program Act and chapter 47 of the Statutes of Canada, 2005 

Status: Passed in the House October 29, 2007


C-13 — The Minister of Justice — An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal procedure, language of the accused, sentencing and other amendments) 

Status: Passed in the House October 29, 2007

C-14 — The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities — An Act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act

Status: Second reading — November 20, 2007 

C-15R — The Minister of Natural Resources — An Act respecting the exploitation of the Donkin coal block and employment in or in connection with the operation of a mine that is wholly or partly at the Donkin coal block, and to make a consequential amendment to the Canada--Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation 

Status: Passed in the House — November 20, 2007 


C-16R — The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform — An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (expanded voting opportunities) and to make a consequential amendment to the Referendum Act 

Status: Referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs — November 1, 2007 

C-17 — The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration — An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act C-17 

Status: Referred to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration — November 1, 2007 

C-18 — The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform — An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (verification of residence) 

Status:  Referred to the House affairs committee — November 16, 2007 

C-19 — The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform — An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Senate tenure) 

Status: Second reading — November 16, 2007 

C-20R — The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform — An Act to provide for consultations with electors on their preferences for appointments to the Senate 

Status: Introduced and read the first time — November 13, 2007 

C-21 — The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development — An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act 

Status: Referred to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development — November 13, 2007 

C-22R — The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform — An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Democratic representation) 

Status: Introduced and read the first time — November 14, 2007 

C-23R — The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities — An Act to amend the Canada Marine Act, the Canada Transportation Act, the Pilotage Act and other Acts in consequence 

Status: Introduced and read the first time — November 16, 2007 

C-24 — The Minister of Public Safety — An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (non-registration of firearms that are neither prohibited nor restricted) 

Status: Introduced and read the first time — November 16, 2007 

C-25 — The Minister of Justice — An Act to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act

Status: Debated at second reading — November 21, 2007 

C-26 — The Minister of Justice — An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts 

Status: Introduced and read the first time — November 20, 2007 

C-27 — The Minister of Justice — An Act to amend the Criminal Code (identity theft and related misconduct) 

Status: Introduced and read the first time — November 21, 2007 

C-28R — The Minister of Finance — An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 19, 2007 and to implement certain provisions of the economic statement tabled in Parliament on October 30, 2007 

Status: Introduced and read the first time — November 21, 2007 

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