Debates of Feb. 13th, 1995

The Budget

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, following the budget we

discuss each and every one of the budgetary items. We will explain them all. It would not be incumbent upon me to make any reference to any matter that may or may not be in the budget.

It is interesting, I must say however in response to this questioner, that one of the most concrete suggestions for mass transfers of power from the federal government to provincial governments which she seems to take some objection to was one made by the premier of British Columbia, a member of her own party.

Research And Development

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development.

In these difficult budgetary times I am deeply concerned about the risk of erosion of national institutions and processes. One example is our ability to do research and to train researchers in our national centres and ministries and in our colleges and universities.

Can the minister assure us that he will nurture Canada's capacity to conduct creative research and to train young researchers?

[Jon Gerrard, Liberal, Secretary of State (Science]

Mr. Speaker, in this age of doing more with fewer resources, our government has already provided leadership in launching initiatives like the Canadian technology network, the Canadian medical discovery fund, the technology partnerships program, the environmental industries initiative, phase II of CANARIE and PRECARN. These initiatives use very limited government resources to lever very substantial efforts in science and research and technology; efforts which meet the needs of Canadians, which provide exciting careers for young Canadians.

I want to reassure the hon. member that even if our federal government resources are constricted in the short term, we shall not flag or fail in our efforts to be innovative, in our efforts to work with all Canadians to ensure a strong future.

Public Service Staff Relations Board

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 27th annual report of the Public Service Staff Relations Board covering the period from April 1, 1993 to March 31, 1994.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Milliken, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

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

Petitions

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise before this House on day six of this initiative to present petition No. 6 on behalf of constituents who wish to halt the early release from prison of Robert Paul Thompson. His date for parole hearing is set for April 11, 1995.

The petitioners I represent are concerned about making our streets safer for our citizens. They are opposed to the current practice of early release of violent offenders prior to serving the full extent of their sentences.

The petitioners pray that our streets will be made safer for law-abiding citizens and the families of the victims of convicted murders.

[Philip Mayfield, Reform, Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to present 11 petitions signed by over 2,000 people from several communities in my constituency of Cariboo-Chilcotin.

My constituents are of the opinion that existing controls on law-abiding, responsible firearms owners are more than enough to ensure public safety. They therefore call upon Parliament to support laws which will severely punish all violent criminals who use weapons in the commission of a crime and support new Criminal Code firearms control provisions which recognize and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to own and use recreational firearms; support legislation which will repeal or modify existing gun control laws that have not improved public safety or have proven not to be cost effective or have proven to be overly complex so as to be ineffective or unenforceable.

These petitions are presented with my concurrence.

[Alex Shepherd, Liberal, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today I am honoured to present two petitions from my constituents, the first being from 25 who call upon Parliament to oppose any amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Canadian

Charter of Rights and Freedoms which provide for the inclusion of the phrase sexual orientation.

[Alex Shepherd, Liberal, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition includes 82 names. This petition basically requests that this House amend the the laws of Canada to prohibit the important, distribution, sale or manufacture of killer cards in law and to advise producers of killer cards that their products if destined for Canada will be seized and destroyed.

[Patrick Gagnon, Liberal, Bonaventure—Îles-De-La-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions, one of which calls upon Parliament to act quickly to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to adopt all necessary measures to recognize the full equality of same sex relationships in federal law.

[Dianne Brushett, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today pursuant to Standing Order 36 on a petition with 44 signatures from my riding.

The petitioners in my riding request that under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms we guarantee that everyone has the right to protection against discrimination and that the Government of Canada has recognized this including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present a petition on behalf of my constituents who are concerned about the proposal to put forward legislation embodying sexual orientation in the Human Rights Act.

I concur with them in their opposition to that.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is my great honour today to table in this House a petition bearing 1,080 signatures from my riding.

This petition denounces the government's proposal with respect to voice mail boxes. I am pleased to join with these many petitioners in the conviction that services must be adapted to users and not to bureaucratic machinery.

Thus the people of Quebec City wish to draw the attention of Parliament to the following: Whereas senior citizens are naturally less experienced with the technology of voice mail; and whereas senior citizens are entitled to appropriate service, particularly in response to their income security inquiries, these petitioners call upon Parliament to ask the government to abandon its plan to install voice mail for senior citizens.

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it pleases me to offer three petitions today. The first two come from in and around the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba with 300 signatures on pink paper from women who would like to draw to the attention of the House that the proposed amendments to firearm control legislation by the justice minister are unduly harsh and will waste dwindling financial resources while attacking the rights of law-abiding citizens without affecting crime.

They request that the provisions be separated and that Parliament proceed to strengthen border patrols and strengthen measures to deal with the criminal use of firearms but not proceed with the proposed enhanced controls on legal ownership of firearms.

There are 300 signatures on this petition from the women of Manitoba and I have an identical one with nearly 900 signatures from men.

The third petition from Calgary requests that Parliament support laws which will severely punish all violent criminals who use weapons in the commission of crime, support new Criminal Code firearms control provisions which recognize and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to own and use recreational firearms, and support legislation which will repeal and modify existing gun control laws which have not proved public safety or have proven not to be cost effective or have proven to be overly complex so as to be ineffective or unenforceable.

I concur with these petitions.

[John Cummins, Reform, Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present two petitions.

The first states that the majority of Canadians respect the sanctity of human life and the majority of Canadians believe that physicians in Canada should be working to save lives, not to end them.

Therefore the petitioners pray that Parliament ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no changes in the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

[John Cummins, Reform, Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition, with which I do not concur, calls upon Parliament to

amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two quick petitions.

One is calling upon Parliament to ensure that the CRTC recognizes that Canadians do not need to be shocked to be entertained and that foul language, excessive violence and explicit sex are not necessary to provide quality entertainment.

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the other petition calls upon Parliament to act immediately to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code.

[John Maloney, Liberal, Erie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have a petition representing the views of over 290 constituents which I wish to present to the House.

The petition states that public safety is the number one priority of the criminal justice system and that the target for all gun control laws in the Criminal Code of Canada must be that criminals are a danger to that public safety.

These petitioners make three requests to Parliament. They ask Parliament to support laws that will severely punish all violent criminals. They ask Parliament to recognize the right of all law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms. They ask Parliament to support legislation that would repeal or modify existing firearms legislation that does not improve public safety.

[Glen McKinnon, Liberal, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise with two petitions representing views of constituents in Brandon-Souris.

The first petition calls on the government to enforce the existing provisions in the Criminal Code prohibiting assisted suicide. It also asks that no further changes be made in the law which would sanction the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

[Glen McKinnon, Liberal, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls upon Parliament not to amend the human rights code, the Human Rights Act or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way that would indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or homosexuality.

[Bob Speller, Liberal, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on the two same subject matters, the first one regarding assisted suicide. The petitioners call upon Parliament to make no changes in the law that would sanction assisted suicide.

[Bob Speller, Liberal, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the other set of petitions is regarding same sex benefits and the amending of the Canadian Human Rights Act. People in my riding in these petitions are suggesting that the government should not amend the Human Rights Act.

[Jack Frazer, Reform, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 it is my duty and honour to rise in the House to present a petition duly certified by the clerk of petitions on behalf of 32 constituents of Saanich-Gulf Islands and surrounding area.

The petitioners humbly pray and call upon Parliament to enact legislation providing for a referendum of the people binding upon Parliament to accept or reject two official languages, English and French, for the government and for the people of Canada.

[Randy White, Reform, Fraser Valley West, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present several petitions to the House.

The first petition requests that Parliament not amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way that would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation. I table that with my approval.