House of Commons Hansard #222 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was species.
Alfonso Gagliano LiberalSecretary of State (Parliamentary Affairs) and Deputy 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 10 petitions.
Don Boudria Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian section of the Assemblée internationale des parlementaires de langue française (AIPLF), as well as the financial report concerning the meeting of that organization's political and general administration committee, held in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 20 and 21, 1995.
Joe Comuzzi Liberal Thunder Bay—Nipigon, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation to the 36th annual meeting of the Canada-United States interparliamentary group which was held this past May.
The meeting, like many before, has once again demonstrated the very valuable conference between Canada and the United States and reflected those areas on which we agree and those on which we disagree. I am happy to report the conference was very successful once again.
Charles Caccia Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development, on the statutory review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
The report, entitled It's About Our Health! Towards Pollution Prevention in English and Notre santé en dépend! Vers la prévention de la pollution in French, contains 141 recommendations and is the result of 12 months of lengthy hearings held in Ottawa and all parts of the country.
The report perhaps could be summarized as urging Parliament and the government to adhere to the fact that the protection of humans and ecosystems requires strong federal leadership, including national standards and mirror legislation in close co-operation with provinces and territories.
I thank the members of all parties for their co-operation and full commitment in the production of this report. I thank the witnesses who appeared before us and in particular the staff which was very helpful during the entire procedure.
Bob Speller Liberal Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food which deals with Bill C-92, an act to amend the Canadian Wheat Board Act, without amendment.
Doug Peters Liberalon behalf of the Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development- Quebec
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-100, an act to amend, enact and repeal certain laws relating to financial institutions.
(Motion deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-101, an act to continue the National Transportation Agency as the Canadian Transportation Agency, to consolidate and revise the National Transportation Act, 1987 and the Railway Act, and to amend or repeal other acts as a consequence.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that I move for referral of the bill to committee before second reading.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
John Finlay Liberal Oxford, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-335, an act respecting the use of social insurance numbers.
Mr. Speaker, I stand today to introduce a private member's bill entitled an act respecting social insurance numbers.
In introducing this bill, I would like members of the House to note the federal government has never placed controls on the use of the social insurance numbers by other levels of government or by the private sector. The private sector may currently deny a service to an individual who refuses to divulge his or her social insurance number.
This bill would require other levels of government and the private sector to state exactly why this information is needed and will give an individual an opportunity to refuse to divulge his or her social insurance number unless required by federal statute to do so.
The bill would also impose penalties on groups, individuals, agencies or businesses which divulge another person's social insurance number without that person's consent.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Alex Shepherd Liberal Durham, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-336, an act to appoint to a taxation ombudsman and to amend the Income Tax Act to establish certain rights of taxpayers.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce this private member's bill which I have called the taxpayers bill of rights. The actions of Revenue Canada are often consistent and fair but from time to time the administrative practices get out of hand, so much so that one of my constituents actually suffered a heart attack over some of the actions taken by Revenue Canada. Things like rights of seizure without proper notice and arbitrary change of collection arrangements are only some of the aspects which the bill deals with.
Most important, it creates an ombudsman who will act as a buffer between taxpayers and Revenue Canada.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-337, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning on alcoholic beverage containers).
Mr. Speaker, in the interests of the health of all Canadians we often use warning labels on items such as cigarettes, antihistamines, cleaners, bags and other items which may affect the health of Canadians. This does not apply to alcoholic beverages and this bill seeks to have a warning label, particularly with relation to the problem of foetal alcohol syndrome and the ability of all of us to operate machines and cars while under the influence of alcohol.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Lee Morrison Reform Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia, SK
Mr. Speaker, I have one petition to present from residents of my riding, pursuant to Standing Order 36. It has been duly certified by the clerk of petitions.
The petitioners state that since the Bloc Quebecois has publicly dedicated itself to a disloyal objective, since it is comprised solely of members elected from one province and since the Reform Party represents constituencies in five provinces and has constituency associations in every province of Canada, the current situation is a travesty on the institution of Parliament. The petitioners therefore call on Parliament to preserve Canadian unity, parliamentary tradition and protect the rights of all Canadians by prevailing on the Speaker of the House to recognize the Reform Party of Canada as the official opposition.
Jay Hill Reform Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am presenting today petitions on behalf of the constituents of Prince George-Peace River.
The first petition asks Parliament to recognize the Reform Party of Canada as the official opposition during the remainder of the 35th Parliament. The petitioners feel the rights and interests of all Canadian citizens cannot be adequately protected by the Bloc Quebecois.
Jay Hill Reform Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second and third petitions ask Parliament not to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or homosexuality by amending legislation to include the undefined phrase sexual orientation.
Ed Harper Reform Simcoe Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to present on behalf of the constituents of Simcoe Centre.
The first petition concerns the use of the legal defence that has become known as the drunk offence. The petitioners believe that in committing the act of choosing to consume alcohol, the individual must also accept all the responsibility for his or her actions while under the influence.
Ed Harper Reform Simcoe Centre, ON
The second petition is about the subject of the family.
The petitioners request that Parliament oppose any legislation that would redefine family, including the provision of marriage and family benefits to those who are not related by ties of blood, marriage or adoption where marriage is defined as the legal union between a man and a woman.
Ed Harper Reform Simcoe Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, the third petition involves section 718.2 of Bill C-41. The petitioners are extremely concerned about including the phrase sexual orientation for the first time in federal legislation.
They believe that this sets a very dangerous precedent for society.
Ed Harper Reform Simcoe Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, the final petition is on the subject of sexual orientation. The petitioners request that the Government of Canada not amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to include the phrase sexual orientation.
The petitioners fear that such an inclusion could lead to homosexuals receiving the same benefits and privileges as married people.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition that is circulating across Canada.
This petition comes from Alberta and also from Windsor, Ontario. The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that managing the family home and caring for preschool children is an honourable profession that has not been recognized for its value to society.
They also state that the Income Tax Act discriminates against families that make the choice to provide care in the home to preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill or the aged.
The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families that decide to provide care in the home for preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill or the aged.
Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions this morning. The first reads: "We, the undersigned residents of Canada draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: That members of Parliament have recently made hateful comments which contribute to a climate of intolerance, fear and violence for the lesbian, gay and bisexual community.
Therefore, your petitioners call upon Parliament to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation".
Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON
Mr. Speaker, my second petition indicates that the undersigned residents of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following: Whereas law-abiding citizens deserve protection, especially the most vulnerable in our society, therefore we, the petitioners, humbly pray and call upon Parliament to recognize the public threat of dangerous offenders and to amend the Criminal Code to have such offenders detained indefinitely on warrant expiry when it is believe that they may cause serious physical or psychological harm or death to the person.
Pat O'Brien Liberal London—Middlesex, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to present a petition from a number of young Canadians, constituents of mine, students at the White Oaks Public School in the riding of London-Middlesex.
These young petitioners call on Parliament to have the image of Terry Fox running his marathon on the new $2 coin. I am very pleased to present this petition to the House on their behalf.
Alfonso Gagliano LiberalSecretary of State (Parliamentary Affairs) and Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, may I suggest that all questions stand?
Doug Peters Liberalfor the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
moved that Bill C-86, an act to amend the Canadian Dairy Commission Act, be read the third time and passed.