Debates of April 26th, 1995

Petitions

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have several petitions, pursuant to Standing Order 36, from many people from the lower mainland of British Columbia and some from Alberta saying that they are concerned about the fact that Canadians are overburdened with taxation. The petitioners are asking the federal Parliament to not consider tax increases and in fact implement a taxpayer protection act to limit federal spending.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Second, Madam Speaker, there are many constituents from Beaver River, from Radway and Smoky Lake who are asking, pursuant to Standing Order 36, that the government not implement Bill C-41 and specifically section 718(2), which would give special provision based on sexual orientation. The petitioners say that the behaviour people engage in does not warrant special consideration in Canadian law.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Finally, Madam Speaker, also pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have another petition signed by many people in the constituency of Beaver River, Bonnyville, Plamondon, Mallaig, and various towns, who are asking also that physician assisted suicide or legalizing euthanasia not be considered in the Canadian Parliament.

The petitioners are also praying that Parliament continue to reject euthanasia and physician assisted suicide and that the present provisions of section 241 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which forbid counselling, procuring, aiding or abetting that person to commit suicide, be enforced vigorously, and finally that Parliament consider expanding palliative care that would be accessible to all dying persons in Canada.

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I would like to submit a petition signed by people on the west island of Montreal, including people from my riding of Pierrefonds-Dollard, with respect to their approval of the proposed amendments to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

They ask that Parliament amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to include the undefined term "sexual orientation" in the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination.

[John Finlay, Liberal, Oxford, ON]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I present a petition signed by 514 constituents. The petitioners call upon Parliament to oppose any amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act or any other federal legislation which provides for the inclusion of the phrase "sexual orientation" or any other approval of homosexuality.

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

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to present three petitions pursuant to Standing Order 36.

The first petition is signed by people from the lower mainland. The petitioners humbly pray that Parliament will not repeal or amend section 241 of the Criminal Code in any way and will uphold the Supreme Court of Canada decision of September 30, 1993 to disallow assisted suicide or euthanasia.

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

Madam Speaker, in the second petition the petitioners are calling 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".

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

Madam Speaker, in the third petition the petitioners call upon Parliament to 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.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have three petitions to present.

The first petition is signed by 485 Canadians primarily from the Trenton, Ontario area but also from various other locations. It calls upon Parliament to act immediately to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have another petition bearing the signatures of almost 800 Canadians primarily from my riding and surrounding ridings in the Scarborough area. They are asking Parliament not to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way which 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".

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Madam Speaker, finally I have a petition signed by approximately 900 Canadians on the issue of euthanasia.

They 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.

[Janko Peric, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have a petition bearing approximately 140 signatures signed by constituents of my riding of Cambridge.

The petitioners believe that all Canadians are equal in the eyes of the law and that section 718(2) of Bill C-41 excludes some groups by naming some. As a result, the petitioners pray and request that Parliament delete section 718(2) from Bill C-41.

[Bob Ringma, Reform, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I would like to present a petition on behalf of six of my constituents and a number of other citizens calling on Parliament to amend federal legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise with another petition in the Leonard Peltier case. This petition is from 150 people in the Peterborough area and other parts of Ontario.

The petitioners say that the paperwork surrounding Mr. Leonard Peltier's extradition from Canada to the United States was falsified by the U.S. authorities. Key witness Myrtle Poor Bear who signed the falsified affidavits now publicly admits that she lied on the paperwork as well as at the trial. The U.S. courts refuse to put her on the stand, labelling her as mentally incompetent.

The petitioners point out that since that time various information has surfaced which indicates that Leonard Peltier is innocent but still remains in prison after 18 years.

Under the U.S. freedom of information laws it was found that the FBI had withheld certain evidence that would have been helpful in Mr. Peltier's case.

Therefore, the petitioners request that Parliament lobby and advocate on behalf of Mr. Leonard Peltier to obtain a prison transfer to Canada.

[Ovid Jackson, Liberal, Bruce—Grey, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to table two petitions on behalf of residents of my riding of Bruce-Grey.

The first petition calls 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".

[Ovid Jackson, Liberal, Bruce—Grey, ON]

Madam Speaker, the other petition requests that Parliament ensure that present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no change in the law which would sanction or allow the aiding and abetting of suicide, active or passive euthanasia.

[Anna Terrana, Liberal, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise to present six petitions from the province of British Columbia.

The first petition deals with the issue of Canada's social programs. The petitioners say that along with other Canadians they have certain basic rights and that deep cuts to social programs will hurt all Canadians and will have a profoundly negative impact on the four million adults and children living below the poverty line.

The petitioners therefore request that Parliament maintain and enhance Canada's social programs.

[Anna Terrana, Liberal, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, the second petition signed by 308 individuals deals with euthanasia. They say the majority of Canadians respect the sanctity of human life. They request that Parliament ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously.

[Anna Terrana, Liberal, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, the final petition deals with the issue of sexual orientation. The petitioners say that more than 80 per cent of Canadians believe that gays, lesbians and bisexuals are subjected to discrimination. They call upon Parliament to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia, SK]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition signed by 54 Canadians including three resident in my riding.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to maintain the single desk selling monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board. They further request steps be taken to expand the powers of the wheat board so that more grains and oilseeds can be placed under monopoly control.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition that has been circulated across Canada. This particular petition has been signed by a number of petitioners from the Surrey and Delta regions of British Columbia.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that managing a family home and caring for preschool children is an honourable profession which has not been recognized for its value to our society.

They also state that the Income Tax Act discriminates against families who make the choice to provide care in the home to preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill or the aged.

Therefore, the petitioners pray and call upon Parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families who decide to provide care in the home for preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill and the aged.

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have before me three petitions signed by members of the Peace River riding.

The first petition is signed by 127 people who call upon the Parliament of Canada to oppose any amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms which provide for the inclusion of the phrase "sexual orientation".

I agree with that petition.

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Madam Speaker, the second and third petitions deal with the issue of gun control.

The petitioners call upon Parliament not to enact any further firearms control legislation, regulations or orders in council. They are also opposed to any laws that put more restrictions or a prohibition on legal firearms ownership.

[Rose-Marie Ur, Liberal, Lambton—Middlesex, ON]

Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to present this petition signed by 25 petitioners. They are calling upon Parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families who decide to provide care in the home for preschool children as well as for the disabled, the chronically ill and the aged.

[Roseanne Skoke, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I present six petitions containing 1,848 signatures. It calls upon Parliament to reconsider the passing of legislation on the new gun control measures as tabled in the House. They are hopefully requesting amendments.