Translation of "Investissement volontaire " (French → English) :

95. Notes that, although in 2010 the value of the assets of the Voluntary Pension Fund increased by 13, 3 % as the investment markets continued to recover from the global financial crisis of 2008, the voluntary pension fund had a deficit as at 31 December 2010 of EUR 178 960 000, which raises concerns about the possible default of the fund; reminds that Parliament is guaranteeing the payment of pension rights for all former and some current Members of this voluntary pension fund, when and if this fund is not able to meet its obligati ...[+++]ons; would like to be informed how and from which budget line Parliament will meet its obligations in such an eventuality;

97. Notes that, although in 2010 the value of the assets of the Voluntary Pension Fund increased by 13,3 % as the investment markets continued to recover from the global financial crisis of 2008, the voluntary pension fund had a deficit as at 31 December 2010 of EUR 178 960 000, which raises concerns about the possible default of the fund; reminds that Parliament is guaranteeing the payment of pension rights for all former and some current Members of this voluntary pension fund, when and if this fund is not able to meet its obligatio ...[+++]ns; would like to be informed how and from which budget line Parliament will meet its obligations in such an eventuality;

(Return tabled) Question No. 422 Ms. Kirsty Duncan: With respect to nutrition in child and adolescent populations in Canada: (a) does government policy include recognition and acceptance of the principle that Canada’s children and adolescents are entitled to nutritious food (i) regardless of where they live, (ii) regardless of their family income, (iii) particularly when economic forces undermine efforts by parents and caregivers to ensure healthy eating; (b) given that the 1992 World Declaration on Nutrition, to which Canada was a signatory, states that access to nutritionally adequate and safe food is a right of each individual, what specific actions have the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Health Canada undertaken for ...[+++]children and adolescents in order to fulfill this commitment; (c) what percentage of children and adolescents in Canada is food insecure, (i) do disparities exist, including, but not limited to, disability status, ethnicity, gender, geography, socio-economic status, (ii) if so, specify; (d) what percentage of children and adolescents lives below the poverty line, (i) do disparities exist, including, but not limited to, disability status, ethnicity, gender, geography, socio-economic status, (ii) if so, specify; (e) what percentage of children and adolescents has, as a result of living below the poverty line, (i) poor nutritional status, (ii) poor health outcomes due to their poor nutritional status; (f) what percentage of members of each of the following groups is food insecure, (i) child and adolescent newcomers, (ii) children and adolescents who live in poverty, (iii) children and adolescents who live in priority neighbourhoods, (iv) Aboriginal children and adolescents; (g) what percentage of children and adolescents (i) involuntarily misses meals, (ii) lacks healthy variety in its diet; (h) does the government have information, and, if so, what is that information, concerning (i) how (g)(i) and (g)(ii) impact the caloric a ...

Elimination of the per vote subsidy contained in Bill C-13 is obviously of particular interest, but there are many other laudable initiatives contained in this legislation, including: a new family caregiver tax credit, as well as removal of the limit caregivers can claim on eligible expenses related to caring for infirm dependant relatives; a new volunteer firefighters tax credit to recognize and assist the hundreds of Canadians who provide a vital service to their communities on their own time and at their own risk, an initiative presented to our government by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs as their top priority during last ye ...[+++]ar's pre-budget consultations; a tax credit to encourage children's participation in the arts, which builds on the successful tax credit our government has already introduced for children's sports and physical activity; a student loan forgiveness program to encourage students in the medical field, both doctors and nurses, to settle in rural areas where they are most needed; an expansion of the tuition tax credit to include apprenticeship examinations, encouraging Canadians to enter into trades; a temporary hiring credit for small business to promote job creation; an expansion of the highly successful tax credits for clean energy generation to induce investments and help our environment, including the extension of the popular ecoEnergy Retrofit program; and an extension until 2013 of the accelerated capital cost allowance, as supported by the Canadian Labour Congress, for investment in machinery and equipment.

13. Recalls that CSR is a concept whereby companies voluntarily incorporate social and environmental concerns into their business strategy; notes that the implementation of CSR practices can rebuild trust in business, which is vital for Europe's social market economy; notes, however, that the heterogeneity of the concept of CSR, whereby different companies have developed different standards regarding social accounting, auditing and reporting, raises the issue of comparability; acknowledges the efforts made by the EU to apply more general guidelines for the definition and use of CRS; points out, however, that the diversity and heterogeneity of the concept still remain; urges the EU to take concrete action in international fora to move CSR away from ...[+++] a purely voluntary approach and to identify clear legal obligations on corporations as regards human rights and CLS, along with effective ways to hold them accountable in the event of breaches; considers for instance that, when Member States are asked by multinational companies for investment guarantees, they should bind those guarantees to the implementation of the official CSR guidelines;

I refer, in particular, to investment in research and development, to investment – which has to be substantial if it is to have any effect – in lifelong learning; a policy which is inseparable from the promotion of job flexibility. I refer, once again, to investments which could encourage, which could facilitate a policy of active ageing based on the voluntary choice of employees and on the retraining of older workers so as to ensure the endurance of a collective pensions system. I refer, lastly, to investments in integrated infrastr ...[+++]uctures of networks and services which can lead, with the commitment of the States, with the commitment of private individuals and with the support of the European Investment Bank, to the immediate recovery of employment.