Debates of Nov. 20th, 2002
House of Commons Hansard #28 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was workers}.
Topics
- University of Guelph
- Senate of Canada
- Human Rights
- Science and Technology
- National Child Day
- Vanessa Bilodeau and Catherine Mongeau
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier
- Young Offenders Act
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier
- National Child Day
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier
- Employment Insurance
- Kyoto Protocol
- Terrorism
- Taxation
- North American Free Trade Agreement
- Book Publishing Industry
- Health
- Financial Institutions
- Goods and Services Tax
- Budget Surplus
- Goods and Services Tax
- Budget Surplus
- Criminal Code
- Africa
- Health
- Correctional Service Canada
- Goods and Services Tax
- Immigration
- Securities
- National Defence
- Multiculturalism
- Coast Guard
- Iraq
- Infrastructure
- National Defence
- Presence in Gallery
- Public Safety Act, 2002
- Supply
- Privilege
- Points of Order
- Office of the Ethics Counsellor
- Government Response to Petitions
- Committees of the House
- Criminal Code
- Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
- Official Languages Act
- Fishers' Bill of Rights
- Health Information Privacy Act
- Petitions
- Appendix to
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Question No. 24
- Question No. 27
- Question No. 28
- Motions for Papers
- Request for Emergency Debate
- Parliamentary Reform
- Canada Labour Code
The House resumed from November 18 consideration of the motion that Bill C-17, an act to amend certain Acts of Canada, and to enact measures for implementing the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, in order to enhance public safety, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
Public Safety Act, 2002
Government Orders
3:05 p.m.
The Speaker
It being 3:05 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at the second reading stage of Bill C-17.
Call in the members.
(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)
Public Safety Act, 2002
Government Orders
3:15 p.m.
The Speaker
I declare the motion carried. Accordingly, the bill stands referred to a legislative committee.
(Bill read the second time and referred to a committee)
The House resumed from November 19 consideration of the motion.
Supply
Government Orders
3:15 p.m.
The Speaker
Pursuant to order made on Tuesday, November 19, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division relating to the business of supply. The question is on the motion.
(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)
Supply
Government Orders
3:25 p.m.
The Speaker
I declare the motion carried.
Privilege
Government Orders
3:25 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. The Chair has received notice that the hon. member for Saskatoon--Humboldt wishes to make some submissions to the Chair with respect to a question of privilege that was raised yesterday by the hon. member for Acadie--Bathurst.
Privilege
Government Orders
3:25 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Jim Pankiw Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Mr. Speaker, I rise in response to the point of privilege made by the member for Acadie--Bathurst on November 19.
I will not debate the policy matter involved but, by way of summarizing my past comments in the House, I will respond to the content of his remarks.
Yesterday the member in question made a factually incorrect and misleading statement about my tireless effort in the House to champion the cause of equality of opportunity and merit based hiring. It was an attempt to intimidate those who justly oppose the discriminatory impact of forced bilingualism on unilingual Canadians and the discriminatory effect of race based hiring.
Clearly the member for Acadie--Bathurst is evading the fact that we cannot discriminate in favour of someone on the basis of race or language without unfairly discriminating against someone else because of their race or language. He should withdraw his question of privilege and apologize to me and to all Canadians for his attack on and specious attempt to silence defenders of equality.
For the record, I stand solidly behind my legitimate criticism of the government's race based hiring scheme and discriminatory language laws. The truth of the matter is that those who support state sanctioned racism by hiding behind politically correct rhetoric instead of a white sheet can indeed be deservedly characterized as modern day Klansmen.
Privilege
Government Orders
3:25 p.m.
The Speaker
I am not sure I need to hear further from the hon. member for Acadie--Bathurst at this time. I have the submissions he made the other day. I do not think the hon. member for Saskatoon--Humboldt has added significantly to the debate. He has repeated really what he said before.
As I indicated in the House at the time, I will examine the matter and get back to the House if necessary.
I have notice of another point of order from the hon. Leader of the Opposition.
Points of Order
Government Orders
November 20th, 2002 / 3:25 p.m.
Calgary Southwest
Alberta
Canadian Alliance
Stephen Harper Leader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, I am rising with respect to the incident that occurred yesterday on Parliament Hill. Members of this party, and I hope all members of the House, were appalled and quite disturbed by the security breach that occurred when a protester was able to come so close to former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney during our ceremony yesterday and, for that matter, was also in some proximity as well to our current Prime Minister.
I understand the Board of Internal Economy intends to look into this. Obviously, we urge it to do that. However I would point out that the Board of Internal Economy meets and reports in secret.
I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our party, and I think probably on behalf of many other members, that you commit, as our presiding officer, to provide the House with a timely and full public report on whatever is learned from both internal and external agencies on precisely what occurred yesterday.
Points of Order
Government Orders
3:30 p.m.
NDP
Bill Blaikie Winnipeg—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, as one who was present yesterday at the same event, in fact I sat beside the hon. leader of the official opposition, I would just like to second in public his concerns about what happened yesterday.
Before we knew it, someone had entered the room and was able to run right up and have his hand right over the head of the former prime minister having just passed by the current Prime Minister. It seems to me that this should have been prevented.
I too would like to know why it was not prevented and why someone was able to proceed along that corridor, which had been cleared. There was no crowd between where the barrier of the people was and the wall where the former prime minister and the current Prime Minister had come in. Presumably somebody was at the doorway to prevent a person from rushing in the way he did.
I would like to register my own concern and hope that this is being looked at so nothing like this can happen again because it could have been a whole lot worse than somebody waving a flag.
Points of Order
Government Orders
3:30 p.m.
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Ontario
Liberal
Don Boudria Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, we are all very concerned and extremely distraught to hear what happened. The Prime Minister of Canada was immediately beside the right hon. gentleman as well, and we are all equally concerned. However I want to be cautious with something that was said earlier and that was about the public reporting of what Mr. Speaker might discover.
We have spokespersons for the board, two who can answer questions in the House. There may very well be information which Mr. Speaker has to reveal to the board but for reasons of security, our spokespersons for the board will not be able to reveal that publicly.
I want the House to be cognizant of that as well so that our spokespersons for the board, namely the chief whip for our party and one representative from the opposition, are not made to say things which could be to the detriment of enhancing security measures around here. I recognize that is not what we want.
That is the only concern that I have.
Points of Order
Government Orders
3:30 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Elsie Wayne Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, I also was there yesterday, as were you. It was the most nervous time in the 10 years I have been in the House of Commons. It was the most frightening time I have ever experienced in the House of Commons. One did not know what would happen.
We were looking at all three of you, Mr. Speaker, you, the Prime Minister and the previous prime minister, wondering exactly what this man was trying to prove.
The security here is so very important, Mr. Speaker. You will be getting a letter which I wrote to you today. All of us in the House have to know exactly what happened. The person who was in the picture, which appeared in the paper today, looked like he may have been a civil servant because of what he was wearing. I pray to God that he was not.
Points of Order
Government Orders
3:30 p.m.
Haliburton—Victoria—Brock
Ontario
Liberal
John O'Reilly Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to interject in this conversation because I was there yesterday also. As the House is aware, I was under a death threat at one time in the House. I studied security in the House. I looked at the parliamentary precinct we work in.
I want members to know that I do not think it is any secret that there are over six security systems that work within the House and the other place. We have House of Commons security, the Burns type security that run the groups that go into parliament and the PMO has security. If 9-1-1 is called, the Ottawa police cannot respond to the House because there are so many security systems here.
I would suggest that it is time the House take action and form one security service for Parliament Hill. I have asked for this since 1998. Do members realize that plain clothes people can carry guns but uniformed people cannot. They are not in the same union. They do not have the same radio bands. They cannot talk to each other from one side of this House to the other side of the Hill.
Yesterday's incident was appalling to me because I have been through that. It is time Mr. Speaker that you and the House acted on this and that we finally have a security system that is a Parliament Hill precinct security system. If anyone objects to that, I would be glad to talk to them about it, but it is time.
Points of Order
Government Orders
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Catterall Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is obviously a very serious concern that somebody who should not have been in the room was able to approach so close to both the Prime Minister and a previous prime minister, as well as numerous cabinet ministers, the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament and a number of dignitaries. Obviously that is unacceptable.
In this case there was no risk. The gentleman had been through two screenings, first, on entering the building and, second, before entering the public galleries of the House.
It is for this reason that I wrote to you, Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Board of Internal Economy and asked that it be on the agenda of the board, which includes members of all parties, later this day and that the board be thoroughly briefed and address any problems that the situation raises.
I repeat the caution of the House leader that discussing security in public is not always a good idea. The commitment should be to ensure that the issue is addressed, but not jeopardize security further by discussing our security arrangements publicly.