House of Commons Hansard #150 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was claims.

Topics

Members' Expenditures Report

10:05 a.m.

The Speaker

I have the honour to lay upon the table a document entitled “Public Disclosure of Members' Expenditures Report” for the fiscal year 2002-03.

Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Geoff Regan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to nine petitions.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Liberal

Paul Steckle Liberal Huron—Bruce, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour this morning to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, entitled “The Investigation and the Government Response Following the Discovery of a Single Case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy”. Also, in presenting the report, we request that the government, within the normal 150 days, respond in its usual way to the committee.

I might say that this single case of BSE, which is what we more commonly know it as, has certainly forever changed the beef industry in Canada, but because of the transparency and our identification systems we were able to have the countries with which we normally do business, because we are an integrated industry, allow us to get back into the export market.

Because of this very commitment we have made, we as a committee put forward recommendations that I think will mitigate against these kinds of situations in the future, not necessarily to keep them from happening but certainly for us to be able to accommodate in the way we have this time and certainly encourage other countries to do the same.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Liberal

Derek Lee Liberal Scarborough—Rouge River, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the ninth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, entitled “Matters Related to the Review of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner”.

The report was adopted unanimously and relates to an earlier report, the fifth report, of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and deals with a matter of privilege. I will be rising later today on that matter of privilege.

Food, Drugs and Natural Health Products ActRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Bloc

Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC

moved for leave to introduce C-465, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (natural health products).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today my private member's bill amending the Food and Drugs Act so that, once and for all, the real value of natural health products will be recognized.

This bill would include natural health products as a separate class in the Food and Drugs Act.

Five years after the tabling of a report by the health standing committee, this bill is a response to the report, which suggested in its 53 recommendations that natural health products be recognized in our legislation, because they are neither drugs nor food.

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

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Cheryl Gallant Canadian Alliance Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pembroke, I present a petition to keep the traditional definition of marriage as that being between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. The petitioners maintain that marriage is an institution which pre-exists the state because it is based on a profound human need for having children and continuing the family from generation to generation and because marriage is a unique social institution that provides a supportive relationship between a woman and a man who together create the most successful environment for the rearing of children. The petitioners also maintain that marriage is an institution so basic to the human condition and common good that its nature is beyond that of the civil law to change.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

NDP

Svend Robinson NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC

Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour of presenting a petition signed by 55 signatories from across Canada. Signatures were collected by Common Frontiers and represent over 61,000 Canadians who have voiced their grave concern about the upcoming FTAA.

They suggest that it could pose a threat to the right of citizens across Canada and the Americas to health, an internationally recognized human right that includes the right to affordable medical care and the right to a healthy environment. They are concerned that the FTAA could jeopardize universal medicare and the laws and regulations that protect public health through environmental integrity. They have called upon Parliament to stop negotiation of the FTAA and all trade agreements that put profits before public well-being, and to remove chapter 11 from NAFTA, which allows investors to sue governments for public policies that curb profits, even those policies that protect public health or the environment. They point out as well that next month Common Frontiers will join all of its signatures with millions collected from across Latin America and present them in Miami at the FTAA ministerial meeting.

The signatories represent people such as executive vice-president Barb Byers and Sheila Katz of the Canadian Labour Congress, Ken Luckhardt of the Canadian Auto Workers, Molly Kane of Inter Pares, and Tony Clarke, director of the Polaris Institute.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Liberal

Pat O'Brien Liberal London—Fanshawe, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am in receipt of petitions signed by 25,000 people from London, Ontario, and across southwestern Ontario, and am in the process of certifying these petitions. Today I would like to present some 3,500 signatures from the petition. These petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to reaffirm the traditional definition of marriage. They note that Parliament is on record several times, including in legislation, as defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, and they call upon the Government of Canada and the Parliament of Canada to uphold its previous commitment to take all necessary steps to defend the traditional definition of marriage. I am most pleased and honoured to present these petitions.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Peter Goldring Canadian Alliance Edmonton Centre-East, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to rise today to present petitions signed by many Canadians from all across the country. They are calling upon Parliament and Canada to give continued support to the allied effort that is helping the people of Iraq to be free.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Philip Mayfield Canadian Alliance Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have petitions from my constituency, particularly Williams Lake. The petitioners are asking Parliament, particularly the Standing Committee on Health, to fully examine and study a report of Parliament on whether or not abortions are medically necessary for the purpose of maintaining health, preventing disease, or diagnosing or treating an injury, illness or disability in accordance with the Canada Health Act, and the health risks for women undergoing abortions compared to women carrying their babies to full term.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Liberal

Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two petitions today.

The first petition is in regard to the notwithstanding clause in relation to the issue of marriage. The petitioners simply want to draw to the attention of the House the fact that they disagree with the Ontario Court of Appeal decision that the definition of marriage is unconstitutional. They also want to point out that the Constitution provides for an override, referred to as the notwithstanding clause, section 33, and therefore the petitioners call upon Parliament to invoke the notwithstanding clause and pass laws so that the definition of marriage will be the legal union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others.

The second petition is with regard to the June 1999 position of Parliament on the matter of the definition of marriage. The petitioners want to remind the House that on June 8, 1999, by a vote of 216 to 55, the House did ratify and reaffirm the definition of marriage. The petitioners therefore would again call upon Parliament to take all necessary means to maintain and support the above definition of marriage in Canada.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

NDP

Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House today to present two petitions.

The first petition is signed by residents of East Vancouver and Vancouver who supported the NDP motion in the House to call for a referendum to see if Canadians want to change the electoral system. The petitioners call upon the government to hold a referendum within one year to establish if Canadians wish to replace the current system with a system of proportional representation.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

NDP

Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by residents of Vancouver who are very concerned about the star wars missile defence program. They call upon Canada to not participate in this program and to strongly condemn George W. Bush's destabilizing plans. They call upon Parliament to work with our partners in peace for more arms control to peacefully bring an end to the production and sale of weapons of mass destruction and any material used to build them.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Liberal

Murray Calder Liberal Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I would like to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Elgin—Middlesex—London, whereby they want to see the definition of marriage remaining as that between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

NDP

Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a number of petitions. The first two are signed by Canadians concerned about the state of our health care system. They were pleased to see the recommendations of the Romanow commission report and are disappointed that those recommendations have not been turned into action. They call upon the government to see the Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care as a blueprint for Canada's ailing health care system and for this government to move immediately to ensure that we maintain a non-profit public health care system.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

NDP

Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, the other five petitions are petitions signed by hundreds of Canadians concerned about the lack of movement by the government on fetal alcohol syndrome. They express concern that the government has chosen not to move on the motion passed by Parliament almost unanimously in April 2001, a motion that would require labels to be put on all alcohol beverage containers warning that drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects. They call upon the government to enact that motion immediately.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

James Lunney Canadian Alliance Nanaimo—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, today I have three petitions here on the same subject. The petitioners are calling on Parliament to defend the traditional definition of marriage as a bond between one man and one woman; it is a serious moral good. They call marriage a lasting union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others and say that it cannot and should not be modified by a court of law. The petitioners would like Parliament to defend that traditional definition of marriage.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Geoff Regan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker

Is that agreed?

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Specific Claims Resolution ActGovernment Orders

10:15 a.m.

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario

Liberal

Don Boudria LiberalMinister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

moved:

That in relation to Bill C-6, an act to establish the Canadian Centre for the Independent Resolution of First Nations Specific Claims to provide for the filing, negotiation and resolution of specific claims and to make related amendments to other acts, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the stage of the consideration of Senate amendments to the bill;

and fifteen minutes before the expiry of the time provided for government business on the allotted day of the consideration of the said stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.

Specific Claims Resolution ActGovernment Orders

10:15 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker

Pursuant to Standing Order 67(1), there will now be a 30 minute question period. The hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.

Specific Claims Resolution ActGovernment Orders

10:15 a.m.

Bloc

Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, this motion reflects a confrontational strategy and is antidemocratic. It is a betrayal of history, a repudiation of the spirit and the letter of the long-standing treaties signed by our ancestors and the aboriginal nations. The government should be ashamed of itself. It should be ashamed to keep on trating the first nations like children, as it has been doing for 130 years with the infamous Indian Act.

I have a question for the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. How can he live with himself after doing this, after shoving a bill the first nations do not want down their throats?

Specific Claims Resolution ActGovernment Orders

10:20 a.m.

Kenora—Rainy River Ontario

Liberal

Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, what we do know about Bill C-6 is that this is the third attempt since the 1950s to bring forward a tribunal and a commission process, an independent body that will allow first nations to bring their specific grievances, which are legally binding agreements that we as the crown have signed over the last 100 years or so, to a process where there is fairness.

The fact that there has been debate in this place for the last year about whether Bill C-6 is perfect, whether it is completely independent or whether it meets all the needs is a legitimate debate. However the time has come to put a process in place that will be more acceptable than the one we have in place today.

At the present time the backlog is significant. The reason is that we do not have a process in place where we can sit down and use the modern tool of management, of negotiation and discussion to bring this to a conclusion and decide on what the government would owe to a first nation based on a past grievance.

This is a unique process to Canada. There are no commissions or tribunals like it in the world. The Human Rights Commission is the only commission that is close to being like it. We have said on numerous occasions that no one in the House can predict the success of it but we believe we must find ways to work together and negotiate instead of litigate, which is the objective of the exercise.

We have had over a year of debate and that is a significant amount of time. Good amendments have been made by the Senate and we agree with those amendments. We want to move on with the implementation of Bill C-6.

Specific Claims Resolution ActGovernment Orders

10:20 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

John Duncan Canadian Alliance Vancouver Island North, BC

Mr. Speaker, I understood that we had a minute and the minister had a minute to respond. Am I incorrect?