House of Commons Hansard #65 of the 35th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was board.

Topics

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Don Boudria Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON

Madam Speaker, under the rules the Chair has to be satisfied on a number of issues. First, notice has to be given to the Chair describing briefly the essence of the point of privilege. The Chair will decide whether that has been properly done. The exception is if the event occurred as a result of something that was going on during the current deliberations of the House, in other words, immediately prior to the raising of the question of privilege.

As I understand it, this is an event which occurred in a committee. We do not have before the House a report from that committee in which the committee itself alleges that there was a contempt. None of that was produced before the House, except a long speech by a member before the House and before Madam Speaker today, without satisfying in a brief way and in the customary manner, what the question of privilege was.

Citation 114 of Beauchesne talks about raising a point of privilege and citation 865 tells us the procedure to be utilized when such a point refers to the proceedings of a committee.

If something is generated from a committee, it seems to me that we should have before the House a report from that committee which attests to the fact that there has been such a breach and then the House can judge on the contents of the report which makes that allegation.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

George Baker Liberal Gander—Grand Falls, NL

Madam Speaker, I will be very brief. Standing Order 48(1), which covers this question, states very clearly that a written statement shall be given to the Speaker one hour prior to making the point of privilege, which was done, as I understand it.

The rest of the procedure is contained in the custom of this Chamber. The custom of the Chamber is that the statement must be brief when it is presented to the House. I presume that the hon. member would be brief in presenting the statement.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Ringuette-Maltais)

I will go back to the question of privilege from the hon. member, requesting for a

third time that from the start she demonstrates how her privileges were breached; from the start.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Reform

Val Meredith Reform Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC

Madam Speaker, are you asking that I start over? You said from the start.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Ringuette-Maltais)

I am reminding the hon. member for the fourth time this afternoon that when she rose on a question of privilege that from the minute she starts talking, she points out immediately how her privileges were breached.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Reform

Val Meredith Reform Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC

Madam Speaker, my privilege was breached when information was provided to a committee of the House of Commons that was incorrect. That information is documented and I will provide written copies of what I would have said so that the Speaker can go through it for the evidence.

The information that was provided to the committee a year ago was contradicted by the same individuals one year later. The information that they provided to the committee showed that the report which has just been tabled in the House of Commons is inaccurate, that it deliberately has information in it that is not true, that documents have been changed and falsified to support the report that is in the House.

It is a breach of my privileges and is a breach of the privileges of all members in the House of Commons when the information that is provided to us as members of Parliament is not treated with the respect that is due.

I would like permission of the members of this House to table the comments I would have made had I been given the time.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Ringuette-Maltais)

Do we have unanimous consent of the House for the tabling of the documents?

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

No.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Ringuette-Maltais)

We do not have unanimous consent.

The statement just made by the hon. member contains pretty serious charges. The Chair will accept clear documents to prove her point. The Chair will consider these documents and come back to the hon. member. You have 30 seconds to wrap up your case.

PrivilegeRoutine Proceedings

3:55 p.m.

Reform

Val Meredith Reform Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity for me to at least provide this information to the Table and to the Speaker for their review. I am very disappointed that this House has denied me the opportunity to present my position, my concern and what should be the concern of the total House.

I want to go on record as being outraged at being prevented from giving my side of the story.

Whistle Blowers Protection ActRoutine Proceedings

3:55 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre De Savoye Bloc Portneuf, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-318, an act respecting the protection of whistle blowers and to amend certain other acts in consequence thereof.

Madam Speaker, the bill I am introducing today has two objectives. The first is to encourage federal public servants to disclose any actions or institutional practices which would constitute an offence under a public service act or directive or would represent a risk to health, safety or the environment, or a significant waste of public funds.

The second objective, which sets the framework for the first, protects federal public servants against reprisals by their employer for any whistle blowing that takes place under this bill.

(Motion deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed).

Consumer Packaging And Labelling ActRoutine Proceedings

3:55 p.m.

Reform

Daphne Jennings Reform Mission—Coquitlam, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-319, an act to amend the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (recombinant hormones).

Madam Speaker, basically this bill states that no prepackaged food product shall be sold that contains an ingredient derived from an animal to which a prescribed recombinant hormone has been administered unless that product has applied to it a label containing a declaration of this information.

Recombinant growth hormone or rBGH is a genetically engineered hormone sold by Monsanto Chemical Corporation. Dairy cows injected with rBGH every two weeks produce 10 to 20 per cent more milk than untreated cows.

Since Canadians have yet to be assured that the use of the recombinant growth hormone injections into dairy cows is safe for humans and animals, it is up to elected legislators to make sure laws protect the consumer.

Therefore, if Health Canada issues a notice of compliance to Monsanto, Canadians must know if the milk and milk products they are buying contain the recombinant growth hormone. It is with concern for all Canadians, especially women and children who are major milk drinkers, that this bill is put forward.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)

Committees Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Milliken Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Madam Speaker, the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct has not been able to complete the work that was expected of it by the end of this month. Accordingly, there have been discussions and I believe you would find consent for the following motion:

That, in relation to the order of references adopted by the Senate on March 21, and by the House of Commons on March 12, 1996, the House extends the reporting date of the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct to Friday, November 29, 1996, and that a message be sent to the Senate requesting that House to unite with this House for this purpose.

Madam Speaker, I should say that in this respect the committee is in the course of preparing a draft of its report. I fully anticipate that a rough draft of its report will be available for distribution to members of the committee before the end of August so that in autumn caucus meetings the matter may be discussed further. We then anticipate meeting, completing the work and tabling a report in the House in due course and before November 29.

(Motion agreed to.)

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

Marlene Catterall Liberal Ottawa West, ON

Madam Speaker, I have the privilege to present on behalf of constituents in Ottawa West and other ridings throughout this region a petition opposing the inclusion of sexual orientation in the Canadian Human Rights Act.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

Marlene Catterall Liberal Ottawa West, ON

Madam Speaker, I have a further petition to present on behalf of people primarily from British Columbia who point out that the wartime merchant navy was the fourth arm of the armed services. They call upon Parliament to consider the advisability of extending benefits or compensation to the veterans of the wartime merchant navy equal to that enjoyed by veterans of Canada's World War II armed services.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

Marlene Catterall Liberal Ottawa West, ON

Madam Speaker, I have a final petition calling on Parliament to eliminate tax discrimination against those who choose to provide care in the home for preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill and the aged.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

David Iftody Liberal Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, I too have a number of petitions which I would like to present today.

The first petition is from constituents in Steinbach and St. Pierre. They call to the attention of this House that the current laws do not prohibit criminals from profiting through crime from such things as copyright, books and movies. They pray and petition Parliament to enact Bill C-205 presented by the member for Scarborough West.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

David Iftody Liberal Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, the second petition is signed by constituents of my constituency from the community of Tolstoi. They draw the attention of the House to the fact that the full utilization of the port of Churchill will improve the life of rural Canadians, particularly western Canadians and that the Russians want this port utilized. They call upon Parliament to exercise its rights in transportation to include 5 per cent of the transported wheat out of Canada through that port.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

David Iftody Liberal Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, I also have a petition from a number of constituents regarding mining. They call to the attention of this House the need to increase the investment and tax rules to make mining and exploration more profitable in Canada.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

David Iftody Liberal Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, the final petition, having to do with sexual orientation, is signed by a number of my constituents in Niverville. They call upon this House not to pass any amendments to the human rights act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in this respect.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Bloc

Osvaldo Nunez Bloc Bourassa, QC

Madam Speaker, I have the pleasure of submitting a petition signed by 480 constituents in my riding of Bourassa.

The signatories raise the issue of the serious hold ups which occur when retired persons apply for the guaranteed income supplement, or for its renewal. They suggest steps the government could take to solve these problems, which impact particularly on those whose retirement income is lowest. I support this petition.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4:05 p.m.

Reform

Bob Ringma Reform Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Madam Speaker, I have a petition with 439 signatures. The petitioners observe that since Canadian law does not now prohibit convicted

criminals from profiting from the sale of books, movies and videos, et cetera, they therefore ask the House to support Private Members' Bill C-205, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Copyright Act, to ensure that these criminals do not profit from their crimes.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4:05 p.m.

NDP

Svend Robinson NDP Burnaby—Kingsway, BC

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition which is signed by residents of my constituency of Burnaby-Kingsway. The petition was co-ordinated by Step by Step Enterprises of Kingsway and voices concern about the federal policy of mandatory supervision. It notes concern about high risk violent offenders and that the protection of our citizens must be the highest priority of Parliament and Canada's criminal justice system.

The petitioners urge that Parliament change the law to ensure high risk offenders are detained past the end of their sentence where protection of the public requires such action; that we extend BC's dangerous offender tracking system across the country, ensuring such offenders are monitored coast to coast; that we set longer sentences for criminal harassment or stalking. Finally, the petitioners urge that violent young offenders be tried in adult court.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON

Madam Speaker, I have a petition from citizens of Peterborough who are concerned about the resolution that the House received from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to change the denominational school system in that province.

The legislature of Newfoundland passed a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to remove the rights of denominational classes of persons to operate their own schools following a provincial referendum. These petitioners pray and request that Parliament not amend the Constitution as requested by the Government of Newfoundland and refer the problem of educational reform to that province and back to the Government of Newfoundland.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON

Madam Speaker, I have two petitions which I will summarize together, also from the citizens of Peterborough, concerning the profits made by criminals.

Currently Canadian law does not prohibit convicted criminals from profiting financially from writing books, setting up 1-900 numbers and producing videos, et cetera. Therefore, the petitioners pray that Parliament enact Bill C-205 introduced by the member for Scarborough West at the earliest opportunity so as to provide in Canadian law that no criminal profits from committing a crime.