Debates of Dec. 9th, 1994

Gun Control

[Dick Harris, Reform, Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. Minister of Justice.

The Minister of Justice has stated that any new firearms legislation will apply equally to all Canadians. On the other hand, the Minister of Justice and the government have also made assurances that special gun control provisions will apply to Indians living in self-governed areas of Canada.

Will the Minister of Justice today clear the air and tell this House if the government indeed is considering special firearms provisions for Canadian Indians?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I can say in response that we emphasized in the material tabled last week that there will be principles which govern firearms in Canada. They will be universal, invariable and will apply to all. We also emphasized that in their application we shall demonstrate a flexibility which reflects the unique circumstances in various regions of this country, including aboriginal communities where for example some people hunt for sustenance.

[Dick Harris, Reform, Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, just as background, Bill C-34 permits self-governing bands in the Yukon to control or prohibit the possession and use of firearms. On October 4 the hon. Minister of Justice did say he would consider special legislation and will show respect to the Indian nations. Canadians are confused about the justification of statements like this when they consider themselves as responsible firearm owners as anyone else in the country.

Would the minister clarify the issue today and tell Canadians if there will in fact be equality in the application of the new firearms legislation, or will special legislation regarding the use of firearms be extended to Canadian Indians in Canada?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the principles will be universal and invariable.

I visited the Northwest Territories to speak to the residents about firearms. I visited a remote community and was told that there are eight official languages in that territory, 75 small communities, some of them hours apart. It became clear to me, as it should be to all of us, that the universal principles in their application to such communities must be flexible. We are not proposing special legislation but flexibility in the application of universal principles to the reality of local circumstances.

Immigration

[Georgette Sheridan, Liberal, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

Yesterday Canadians were distressed by reports in the Toronto Sun that the department of immigration is browsing for technology to produce the new permanent resident's card in the United States. Say it ain't so. C'est incroyable. Surely it cannot be true that our hon. minister has become a cross-border shopper.

[Mary Clancy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I rush to reassure the hon. member that it ain't so. Indeed the minister is not only not cross-border shopping, he has been browsing and shopping where he should, in Canada.

Two contracts have already been issued to Canadian companies. The first was awarded to Datacard Canada Inc. of Mississauga in the amount of $3,209,714 over a three year period. The other was awarded to Security Card Systems Inc. of Markham, Ontario in the amount of $1,608,500 over a three year period. I thank the hon. member for the chance to clear up this base canard.

Gliding School

[Gilbert Fillion, Bloc, Chicoutimi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.

In September, cadet staff asked for a feasibility study on moving the Saint-Honoré gliding school in the Saguenay region to Saint-Jean. At a meeting on Wednesday, cadet leadership confirmed to me and to the safeguard committee that the requested study had been completed and that it could be sent to us if permission was given.

Since a decision on this move must be made in the next few days, can the minister declare an appropriate moratorium, ask the department to provide a second assessment of the two sites, especially with respect to safety, from the Department of Transport so that the best possible decision can be made, and have the feasibility study sent to us?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of the specific case the hon. member has outlined this morning. I will certainly get him the details.

The hon. member should know that as a result of the white paper, with the reduction of the reserves from 29,000 to 23,000 there will be some major changes as to how the reserves work in Canada. This may affect a number of communities across the country.

No decisions have been taken. We are working on a plan of action to be fair to the cadet movement which we want to enhance and also to the reserves in general. Certainly we believe decisions that are taken must make operational sense.

I will get an answer for the hon. member and will communicate with him directly.

Gun Control

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, domestic violence is a serious problem in need of remedy, but increased gun control is not the answer. Less than half of all spousal homicides are committed with guns, whether they are registered or not. Domestic violence has been studied for over 20 years. It has been studied to death and there has been no action.

My question is for the justice minister. What specific plan does he have to address the root causes of domestic violence other than ineffective gun registration?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, every six days a woman is shot to death in this country. Seventy-five per cent of the female victims of homicide are killed in their home by somebody they know. By a margin of two to one the weapon of choice for such murders is a firearm. In 80 per cent of those cases that firearm is a rifle or shotgun legally owned. I cannot accept the premise of this question that gun control does not at least in part address the tragedy of domestic violence.

Human Rights

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice on the eve of International Human Rights Day.

For over eight years, since March 1986, a series of justice ministers have stood in the House and solemnly affirmed their deep commitment to amend the human rights act to end discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In view of the fact that this minister has promised repeatedly to table this amendment by the end of the year, this month, how does he explain to lesbians and gay men that he may join previous Conservative ministers in breaking this promise and giving in to the Neanderthal McTeague 46 in his own caucus.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I regret the hon. member's reference to the Liberal caucus. The commitment of the government to the implementation of that amendment is unquestioned.

Just the other day in the House I had the opportunity to reaffirm it. The Prime Minister, the deputy Prime Minister and this party stand firm with that commitment.

As I also said the other day, the question of timing is not the one that should be central. The question is one of principle and on that we are firm.

Bausch And Lomb

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recent newspaper articles state that the company Bausch and Lomb has been misleading buyers of contact lenses. It appears that the company's short, medium and long term use contact lenses sell for $10 for the short term to $200 for the long term. The problem is they are all the same contact lens.

What can the Minister of Industry do to protect consumers against such deceptive marketing practices?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, first may I assure the member that I am very concerned with the published reports that were in the newspaper this week.

I have been advised that the Ontario College of Opticians is ensuring that their customers are aware of this. It is important that opticians make sure their customers see clearly the difference between these types of lenses and their cost.

The bureau of competition policy, which administers the laws with respect to misleading advertising, dealt with over 10,000 complaints of various sorts last year. As yet it has not received a complaint concerning this matter. They are very attentive to the situation and will deal with it accordingly.

Government Response To Petitions

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 19 petitions.

Committees Of The House

[Marlene Catterall, Liberal, Ottawa West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 53rd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding amendments to the standing orders.

I also have the honour to table the 54th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs on how to promote more direct involvement by citizens. This report is a follow-up to the order of reference tabled in this House on February 7, 1994.

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a point of order. I rose during the item of presentation of Private Members' Bills. I have a bill.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is there unanimous consent to revert to presentation of Private Members' Bills?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have given notice to the table that I seek to introduce a bill that would repeal the provisions of the Criminal Code in section 43.

[The Deputy Speaker]

If members will be kind enough to give us a moment, we will get the correct forms.

Petitions

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have several petitions I wish to table this morning. The first one is a petition signed by a group of Canadians asking that the serial killer board game be banned.

With this new tabling today, the total number of petitioners is now 118,756.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I also have a petition signed by 861 people who would like to state their disagreement with any provision to remove portions of the Criminal Code that would permit assisted suicide.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a number of petitions from Canadians asking that Canada not consider amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to include the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a number of petitions urging Canadians to set aside their differences and to work toward the betterment of the economy and the future of all Canadians.