Debates of June 14th, 1994

Rex Crawford Kent, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions on behalf of my constituents pursuant to Standing Order 36.

The first is signed by several dozen residents of Walpole Island, First Nation, who call upon the government to maintain at all times their no GST status on or off the reserves for any purchases they might make.

Rex Crawford Kent, ON

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by hundreds of my constituents of Kent who call upon the government to support a domestic ethanol industry in light of the fact that a $170 million plant for Chatham is in jeopardy without federal involvement and since legislative support of ethanol is Liberal policy. The petitioners want it to become government policy.

Also, in Chatham on Friday there was an Ethanol rally sponsored by the city of Chatham in the county of Kent. It was an outstanding day with enthusiasm and high spirits.

Ronald J. Duhamel St. Boniface, MB

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from business men and women who point out that some progress has indeed been made by government and the private sector with regard to access to more capital to provide more growth and therefore more jobs.

They also point out that there is a need to continue to work hard to eliminate the red tape which is often an impediment to conducting business in Canada. They see the current goods and services tax as cumbersome, as wasteful and as burdensome. They want the GST replaced and while doing so they want government and those who are working with government on an alternative not to forget the small and medium size business men and women.

Elsie Wayne Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 it is my honour to present two petitions signed by several thousands of constituents.

The first petition which has 2,343 signature wishes to draw to the attention of the House that the incidents of sexual abuse directed toward children are becoming more and more frequent; that each incident of paedophilia harms the public and that there would be fewer such incidents if such persons were immediately taken off the streets for the protection of our children and the safety of our communities.

Therefore the petitioners call upon Parliament to enact legislation that would remand to custody any person charged with the act of paedophilia and that such person be denied bail until such time as this person has been proven innocent or until they have served the full length of sentence imposed upon them.

Elsie Wayne Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, the second petition has some 465 signatures and draws to the attention of the House that the senior citizens of New Brunswick are outraged at the amount of taxation imposed upon them by the government.

Therefore they ask the House of Commons to oppose the taxation measures directed at Canadian seniors in the last federal budget.

Peter Milliken Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by numerous residents of Harrowsmith, Sydenham, Glenburnie, Belleville and Kingston. That pretty well covers the communities that have signed, all of which are objecting to changes in the human rights code of the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms dealing with same sex relationships and approval thereof.

Most of the constituents are from the neighbouring riding of Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington but for whatever reason the petition was forwarded to me by them. I present it to the House on that basis.

Peter Milliken Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition dealing with the issue of changes to the Criminal Code regarding assisted suicide.

The petitioners who signed this are from the same communities. They ask that the prohibition against assisted suicide be retained without changes and that the current law be enforced so that Parliament is not seen to be aiding or abetting assisted suicide.

Peter Milliken Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 49 and 50.

Question No. 49-

Sheila Copps Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment

Environment Canada accepts these criticisms and is modifying its process. In the future, the process will involve early consultation with all stakeholders and partners (provinces, parliamentarians, industries, NGOs) in the development of options for a particular environmental issue.

Accordingly, Environment Canada has committed itself to implement a process that will fulfil the principles of: public participation, openness and transparency in the decision-making process; exploring options beyond traditional command and control regulations such as: market-based tools (trading programs, taxes and charges, financial incentives, environmental liability and deposit/refund systems); voluntary actions (guidelines and multistakeholder protocols); information provision (environmental labelling, technology development and transfer, government reports/inventories, citizenship); and regulations/guidelines/environmental quality objectives; and cost effectiveness, flexibility, and harmonizing environmental management regimes among federal and provincial governments.

Question No. 50-

Sheila Copps Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment

The Department of Environment will continue to ensure that the regulatory impact analysis statements (RIAS) fulfil the Treasury Board requirements in terms of providing clear and concise information on:

1. the rationale for the environmental measure (regulations or economic instrument);

2. an assessment of alternatives to the selected environmental measure;

3. evaluation of both costs and benefits (quantifiable where possible);

4. the comments received in the course of the consultation period; and

5. how the environmental measure will be enforced.

Since the RIAS is a summary of technical and economic studies, any economic related information or questions could be answered by providing interested parties with these studies. These are available upon request and upon the publication of the RIAS in the Canada Gazette , Part I.

If any additional information needs to be clarified, the resource persons identified in the last section of the RIAS may be contacted.