Debates of June 22nd, 1995

Competition Act

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Ontario, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-347, an act to amend the Competition Act.

Madam Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to afford consumers protection against sudden, unexpected and unexplained increases in the retail price of gasoline by providing a set notice period in advance of any significant increase at the pumps.

The bill would not regulate gas prices or infringe on the ability of oil companies and retail gasoline distributors to conduct business. It would, however, provide consumers with the means to be made aware through the notification provision by the oil companies to the Minister of Industry within 30 days of the an impending increase in the price of gasoline over the 1 per cent current price, when the increase will take effect and the reason or reasons for the increase.

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

Petitions

[Stan Keyes, Liberal, Hamilton West, ON]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour and the privilege to present to the House a petition certified correct by the clerk of petitions.

My constituents humbly pray and call upon Parliament to do two things: to immediately direct available moneys toward the funding of agencies and services to provide assistance to the increased number of people coming forward whose lives have been affected by sexual abuse or assault; and second, to immediately undertake a thorough review of the court and judicial processing of crimes involving sexual violence.

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is with confidence that I table today a petition signed by some 1,600 voters, mostly of Armenian origin.

The petitioners request that now, eighty years after the genocide of the Armenian people, the Government of Canada, like the legislative assemblies of Quebec and Ontario, officially condemn the atrocities committed against their people early in this century. On their behalf, I therefore ask Parliament to show leadership in defending democratic principles and human rights.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have three petitions to present today on behalf of the people of Medicine Hat.

The first calls on Parliament to support laws that severely punish all violent criminals who use weapons in the commission of a crime and to support new Criminal Code firearms control provisions that recognize and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to own and use recreational firearms.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Madam Speaker, the second petition calls on Parliament to oppose legislation that would directly or indirectly redefine family, including the provision of marriage and family benefits to those who are not family as designated in the petition.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Madam Speaker, the third petition calls upon Parliament to preserve Canadian unity, parliamentary tradition, and to protect the rights of all people of Canada by prevailing upon the Speaker of the House of Commons to recognize the Reform Party of Canada as the official opposition during the remainder of the 35th Parliament.

In this they have my wholehearted concurrence.

[The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Maheu)]

I would ask members to be brief. We have only 15 minutes allocated to petitions. Forming personal opinions is part of debate.

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

Madam Speaker, I wish to table a petition signed by the constituents of Lambton-Middlesex, duly certified by the clerk of petitions pursuant to Standing Order 36.

The petitioners call upon Parliament not to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way that would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Madam Speaker, I have the pleasure of presenting three petitions.

The first one calls upon Parliament to request the federal minister responsible for Canada Post to consider bringing in legislation requiring all unsolicited mail and flyers to use recyclable materials and amend the Canada postal act so that Canada Post will have to comply with no flyer signs at personal residences.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Madam Speaker, my second petition calls on Parliament to amend the Divorce Act to include a provision similar to article 611 of the Quebec civil code, which states that in no case may a father or mother, without serious cause, place obstacles between the child and grandparent, and failing agreement between the parties the modalities of the relations are settled by the court.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Madam Speaker, the third petition is very large, collected by the UTU, and calls on Parliament to be fully aware that they are strongly opposed to any initiatives to sell or merge CN or CP Rail or to dismantle CN Rail by way of the disguise of the commercialization of CN Rail.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by over 1,000 persons in the constituency of Gaspé. The member for Gaspé is absent because there has been a death in his family.

This petition is a foretaste of a general outcry because it is strongly critical of the government's current reform of Canada Employment Centres, and urgently requests an overall evaluation of the repercussions of that restructuring on the regions, as well as implementation of that restructuring to reflect specific regional characteristics.

[Derek Wells, Liberal, South Shore, NS]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to table five petitions signed by people from the counties of Lunenburg, Queens, and Shelburne in my riding of South Shore in Nova Scotia.

Two petitions containing a total of 131 signatures oppose the inclusion of the term sexual orientation in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the extension of the privileges heterosexual couples enjoy to same sex couples.

[Derek Wells, Liberal, South Shore, NS]

I have two petitions containing a total of 92 signatures opposing assisted suicide.

[Derek Wells, Liberal, South Shore, NS]

The final petition, Mr. Speaker, contains 35 signatures and supports the protection of human life at the pre-born stage.

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton—York—Sunbury, NB]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have two petitions.

The first calls upon the House to amend the Divorce Act to include provisions similar to article 611 of the Quebec civil code and to amend the Divorce Act to give grandparents who are granted access to a child the right to make inquiries and to be given information as to the health, education, and welfare of the child. This petition is signed by roughly 100 constituents.

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton—York—Sunbury, NB]

The second petition calls upon Parliament not to amend the human rights code or 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, including amending the human rights code to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation. This petition is signed by approximately 100 constituents.

[Maurice Dumas, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau, QC]

Madam Speaker, allow me, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to table petitions from the constituency of Argenteuil-Papineau, the constituency of the Prime Minster, and the constituency of many citizens of the province. These petitions contain 835 signatures and come from two groups: the Association féminine d'éducation et d'action sociale (AFEAS), and the Association des retraités de l'enseignement du Québec (AREQ). These petitioners are opposed to the introduction of voice mail for senior citizens.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have three petitions.

The first one is signed by a number of residents from the community of Don Mills, Ontario, which is in Toronto. It calls upon Parliament to prohibit the importation, distribution, sale, and manufacture of killer cards and to advise producers of killer cards that their product, if destined for Canada, will be seized and destroyed.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

The second petition, Madam Speaker, is signed by people in the communities of Trenton, Belleville, and Frankford, Ontario. They call 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 on television to provide quality entertainment.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Finally, Mr. Speaker, from residents of the community of Simcoe, Ontario, I have a petition calling upon Parliament to pass legislation that would remove section 745 from the Canadian Criminal Code.

[Sharon Hayes, Reform, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, today I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of residents of the Vancouver area. This petition reflects the deep concern of a great number of Canadians.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to oppose any amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that provide for the inclusion of the phrase of sexual orientation.

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, St. Boniface, MB]

Madam Speaker, I have here a petition of which I am very proud. The petitioners are young people from three schools in my constituency: École Lavallée, Windsor Park Collegiate, and Nelson McIntyre Collegiate.

These young people recognize that Quebec is a founding partner of Canada, that Quebec is unique in several regards including language, culture, population and size, and that Quebec enriches the lives of all Canadians.

They also recognize that, despite the divergent views we have heard for years, we have always been able to accommodate each other. They recognize that a separation would diminish the quality of life for all Canadians, including young people, and could jeopardize their future. They are therefore asking parliamentarians to work very hard for a united Canada. They do not want adults to make decisions that would be harmful to them.

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, St. Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is with respect to violence.

The petitioners recognize that there has been some gain in this area, but that unnecessary violence and abuse of all forms, be it verbal, physical, or other, in society in general has become a growing concern to all Canadians. They believe that abuse and violence is not necessary to educate, inform, or entertain. These petitioners ask government, by way of the CRTC or other mechanisms, to regulate it on television and in other situations. These petitioners applaud the gains but they want more.

[Jean-Paul Marchand, Bloc, Québec-Est, QC]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to table in this House a petition from a group of over 500 readers of the magazine Vie et Lumière indicating their opposition to the introduction of recombinant bovine somatotropin, a hormone.

In addition, I am personally opposed to the introduction of this hormone, which, in my opinion, should never-