M-84 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should promote a national tax policy for the arts which would support and enhance the ability of individual artists to pursue careers in the arts and introduce income tax legislation that would: (a) deem artists to be independent contractors for income tax purposes; (b) permit income averaging for artists income; and (c) implement a tax credit for parents who enrol their children in arts programs.

M – 85- That, in the opinion of the House, the government should recognize the value and contribution of artists in local communities by creating and providing adequate funding for a Local Community Arts and Artists Sustainability Fund.

M-86 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should enact guidelines under the Treasury Board Contracting Policy that will ensure appropriate and necessary compensation that reflects travel costs for bidders outside of the National Capital Commission area.

M – 87 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should require Canada Post to print Canadian postage stamps within Canada.

M – 88- That the House urge the government to follow the recommendations from the Report of the Standing Committee on Health (December 2010) entitled, “An Examination of the Potential Health Impact of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation,” which calls on the government to provide funding for studies by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on the health effects of cell phone towers over long periods of time, due to the current scarcity of data (especially regarding the effects on children).

M -89 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should commission an inquiry under the Inquiries Act into the policing methods in use in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia.

M- 90 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately restore and increase ongoing funding to the National Crime Prevention Centre to support the delivery of community-driven crime prevention programs, with a special focus on youth crime prevention.

M-91 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should commission an inquiry under the Inquiries Act into the policing and policies surrounding the missing and murdered women of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and British Columbia’s “Highway of Tears”.

M-92 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately introduce comprehensive legislation, regulations and policies to address human trafficking, including child trafficking, in both its international and domestic manifestations and that such measures should include: (a) establishing a special investigation task force linked to provincial, federal and international agencies involved in preventing and prosecuting human trafficking, with a mandate to investigate, track and prosecute traffickers and locate the victims of trafficking; and (b) ensuring high quality and comprehensive support services to victims of human trafficking by locating victims, providing culturally competent services, and establishing coordinated reintegration services and programs for those who have been trafficked.

M-93- That, in the opinion of the House, the Minister of Health should take the lead in responding to the identified public health crisis of HIV infection among intravenous drug users by adopting a medical approach to drug use and drug addiction with the goal of reducing harm associated with obtaining drugs on the street.

M-95 – That the House urge the government to consider the positive results obtained through the implementation of policies in several countries, which involve harm and risk reduction, in particular through the administration of substitute substances, the decriminalization of the consumption of certain substances, the partial decriminalization of the sale of cannabis and its derivatives, and the medically controlled distribution of heroin.

M-96 – That the House call on the government to take action in order to make the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking more effective, by establishing a system for the legal control and regulation of the production, sale and consumption of substances which are currently illegal.

M-97 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should recognize that harm reduction programs continue to produce positive social and economic results for communities and are an integral part of any approach to addressing drug use; and should entrench harm reduction as part of Canada’s National Drug Strategy.

M-98 – That, in the opinion of the House, the Minister of Health should: (a) recognize the successes of Canada’s only safe injection site, Insite; (b) allow it to continue to operate with a permanent exemption under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; and (c) work with all interested municipalities to adopt similar programs across Canada.

M-99 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should give the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, or some other appropriate federal agency, the ability to investigate hazardous work sites and enforce workplace safety rules.

M-100 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should consider establishing a federally-funded Canadian public safety officer compensation fund payable to the survivors of a firefighter, police or public safety officer killed, or permanently disabled, in the line of duty.

M-101- That, in the opinion of the House, the government should use the surplus of the Employment Insurance Fund to increase benefits, to provide longer payment periods and improved access to employment insurance, as well as improve maternity and family benefits.

M-102 – That, in the opinion of the House, this government should establish the office of a Job Protection Commissioner, whose responsibilities would consist in: (a) enhancing economic opportunities for federally regulated industry sectors; (b) preventing workplace closures; (c) mitigating the effects of job losses in federally regulated industry sectors; (d) conferring with labour groups, federal industry groups and business enterprises; (e) promoting the development of economic plans; (f) making policy recommendations to various levels of government; and (g) providing mediation services.    
    
M-103 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) acknowledge the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling protecting the collective agreement of health care unions in British Columbia; (b) recognize that freedom of association and the right to free collective bargaining are fundamental human rights; and (c) ratify the International Labour Organization’s Convention No. 98: the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining.    
    
M-104 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should consider making employer-provided transit passes an income tax-exempt benefit.

M-105 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) establish a mechanism and process for independent third-party investigations of fire fighter line of duty deaths to determine, without laying blame, the specific cause of fire fighter fatalities; (b) make recommendations that would prevent similar tragedies; and (c) make the collection of all data available to all fire services and public safety stakeholders including local, provincial and territorial authorities.

M-106 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should set up an independent agency to study genetically modified foods, and that the scientific rationale behind the agency’s decisions be made public.

M-107 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should ensure that the approval for new transgenic organisms for environmental release and for use as food or feed, should be based on rigorous scientific assessment of their potential for causing harm to the environment or to human health, and that such testing should replace the current regulatory reliance on “substantial equivalence” as a decision threshold.

M-108 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should ensure that the design and execution of all testing regimes of new transgenic organisms be conducted in open consultation with the expert scientific community.

M-109 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should ensure that the primary burden of proof be upon those who would deploy food biotechnology products to carry out the full range of tests necessary to demonstrate reliably that they do not pose unacceptable risks.

M-110 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should impose a moratorium on the rearing of genetically modified fish in aquatic net pens.

M-111 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should direct the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to develop detailed guidelines describing the approval process for transgenic animals intended for food production or other non-food uses, and that such guidelines should include a rigorous assessment of: (a) the impact of the genetic modifications on animal health and welfare; (b) an environmental assessment that incorporates impacts on genetic diversity and sustainability; and (c) the human health implications for those with altered metabolism of producing disease-resistant animals.

M-112 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should ensure that the research data from experiments conducted by industry on the potential environmental impacts of genetically modified plants used in Canadian Environmental Protection Agency assessments should be made available for public scrutiny.

M-113 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should establish a national research program to monitor the long-term effects of genetically modified organisms on the environment, human health, and animal health and welfare.

M-114 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should introduce tax incentives to support and encourage the use of car sharing co-operatives and programs, in local communities, based on the principles of sustainability and the reduction of harmful emissions and congestion.

M-115 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should consider the advisability of implementing a multi-year plan which would see 1.5% of projected Gross Domestic Product go to supporting families with children.

M-116 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should monitor closely the progress of the February and December 1997 agreements on access to account and cheque cashing services for low income individuals and act to legislate the terms of these agreements.    

M-117 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should work with financial institutions and social interest groups to develop a common basket of services included in a standard basic account to be offered by all deposit-taking institutions, as recommended by the Task Force on the Future of the Canadian Financial Services Sector.

M-118 – That, in the opinion of the House, the Department of Finance should immediately undertake a survey to investigate the extent and nature of the problem of access to banking services for low income people to ensure financial institutions are accountable.

M-119 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should act to ensure financial institutions offer “no-frills” bank accounts that provide a basic minimum of services for a nominal fee with no minimum monthly balance.

M-120 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should work with community groups and financial institutions to change the culture and attitudes of financial institutions towards low-income people, and make it unlawful for someone to be denied access to banking services as a result of their income.

M-121 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should conduct a nation-wide study of the impact of the use of the 32% debt-to-income rule on access to mortgages by people with low incomes in order to assess if this ratio leads to discrimination and, if so, to urge financial institutions to develop non-discriminatory methods of assessing credit worthiness.

M-122 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should require banks and other financial institutions to track and publicly disclose their investments in relation to the demand by businesses, community development projects and individuals seeking home mortgages on a branch by branch and neighbourhood by neighbourhood level.

    
M-123 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should extend to public school districts the same exemption from the Goods and Services Tax as that provided to the municipalities.
    
M-124 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should permanently index the Home Buyers’ Plan withdrawal limit to inflation and extend the plan to all homebuyers for two years.

M-125 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should promote and monitor the inclusion of child-labour-free labels on products produced overseas to ensure that no children are exploited in the production of goods.

M-126 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately seek ways for Canada to bring about a full and independent investigation of the acts of brutality against ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, including the rape of women.

M-128 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should institute at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) a fair trade coffee policy, whereby CIDA would provide only TransFair Canada licensed coffee at all agency functions and at its headquarters.

M-129 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should introduce a formula for sharing the security costs for visiting former heads of state and dignitaries when these visits take place at the invitation of for-profit organizations or for for-profit events, and that the majority of the costs be assumed by the organizations or individuals organizing the event.

M-130 – That, in the opinion of the House, the report entitled “Human Rights in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories: Report of the Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict” (The Goldstone Report) published on September 15, 2009, is the product of an exhaustive and non-biased fact-finding mission that fulfilled its mandate and that the government should support the Goldstone Report and its recommendations.

M-131 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should create a national “Chance for Life Fund” to be designated for therapies for rare disorders requiring specialized therapies and support.

M-132 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should recognize firefighters as part of Canada’s critical infrastructure and ensure that firefighters have priority access to vaccines and antivirals during an influenza pandemic.

M-133 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should formally adopt the National Highway System endorsed by every province and territory.
    
M-134 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should meet its financial obligations to British Columbia for highway improvements to offset the inequity between the $3 billion paid out by British Columbians in fuel excise taxes and the $30 million in federal spending on British Columbia highway improvements.

M-135 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should support steps to recognize February 29, leap-year-day, as a day dedicated to community revitalization by declaring it a national working holiday, thereby setting aside one unique day in every four years as a day for individuals, organizations and businesses to serve their communities.

M-136 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should recommend the reinvestment of profits accrued by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation into social housing programs and into affordable housing initiatives.

M-137 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should establish strong national standards for social programs to ensure that no Canadian goes hungry or homeless because her or his income has been pushed below the poverty line.

M-138 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should declare the leaky condo disaster in British Columbia as a disaster and provide urgent relief to prevent further social and economic devastation.

M-139 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should seek the co-operation of all levels of government to establish a set of clearly defined and enforceable rights concerning housing that include provision for temporary emergency housing and shelter in the event of disasters or crises, a standardized level of maintenance for existing housing stock, and appropriate health, security and safety standards for new housing stock.
    
M-140 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should introduce legislation and programs so that each Canadian has the right to secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disabilities, family status, level of education, sexual orientation, employment status or social condition on welfare.

M-142 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should introduce legislation to exempt affordable rental and non-profit housing from the GST, as part of an overall policy to encourage the development of affordable housing for every Canadian.

M-144That, in the opinion of the House, the government should, building on the social union framework, conduct consultations with housing stakeholders and provincial and territorial governments to establish national objectives and standards for the development and maintenance of affordable non-profit housing.

M-145 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to include “social condition” as prohibited grounds of discrimination.    

M-146 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should negotiate with the individuals affected by the Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Immigration (Expulsion) Act, as well as with their families and their representatives, a just and honourable resolution which includes the following framework: (a) a parliamentary acknowledgment of the injustice of these measures; (b) an official apology by the government to the individuals and their families for the suffering and hardship caused; (c) individual financial compensation; and (d) a community-driven anti-racism advocacy and educational trust fund for initiatives to ensure that these and other historic injustices are not repeated.

M- 147 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should consider the advisability of allocating $50 million to front-line, independent, feminist, women-controlled groups committed to ending violence against women, such as women’s centres, rape crisis centres and women’s shelters.

M-148 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should adopt national standards that guarantee the right to welfare for everyone in need and ban workfare.

M-149 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should consider the advisability of providing $30 million in core funding for equality-seeking women’s organizations.

M-150 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) act swiftly as part of the international community to end the 20 month blockade of Gaza; (b) follow through on its promise for aid and assistance to the people of Gaza; (c) exercise its responsibility under international law to condemn the use of force and violence; and (d) begin the process for normalized relations to attain a Palestinian State and peace for the region, including the ongoing control of Gaza’s border.

M-151 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should implement progressive immigration reform to provide domestic workers with full immigration status on arrival, abolish the head tax on all immigrants, and include persecution on the basis of gender and sexual orientation as grounds for claiming refugee status.

M-152 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) support the strengthening of the current Canadian Aviation Regulations so that firefighters stationed at Canada’s busiest airports will have the ability to rescue trapped passengers with the appropriate staffing, response times and equipment to do so; and (b) implement new regulations for Canada’s smaller airports to establish a minimum standard for aircraft firefighting.

M – 154 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should require Industry Canada to change current regulations so that telecommunications companies seeking to install cell phone towers must: (a) Require municipal consultation on all towers being installed and public consultation within 500 metres of any tower being installed; (b) Allow communities to develop their own regulation/consultation rules to prevent impacts on residential and school areas; (c) Require review every 5 years to make sure that statistics are kept on the number, height, and frequency of cell phone towers in Canada, and; (d) Require regulations for ongoing scheduled site surveys are conducted of all cell phone towers to ensure ongoing compliance with Safety Code 6, and that an appeal process is open to the public if sites violate any regulations.

M-290 — November 16, 2011 — Ms. Davies (Vancouver East) — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should work with the provinces and territories to develop a national strategy to address bed bug infestations that: (a) identifies those groups at risk of suffering from bed bug infestations; (b) implements best practices for preventing and eliminating bed bug infestations; and (c) supports those individuals experiencing adverse health and socio-economic outcomes due to bed bug infestations.

M-292 — November 22, 2011 — Ms. Davies (Vancouver East) — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) review the National Building Code of Canada to ensure that it contains the necessary provisions for firefighter safety with respect to lightweight building materials and new construction techniques in residential structures; (b) specify that firefighter safety in residential structures can be used as the basis of a code change request in the National Building Code of Canada; and (c) ensure that firefighter safety in residential structures is written into the National Building Code of Canada as a core requirement in the 2015 code review cycle.