Debates of June 7th, 1995

Committees Of The House

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[An hon. member]

No.

[The Deputy Speaker]

There is not unanimous consent.

Petitions

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have in my hand two petitions I would like to table, pursuant to Standing Order 36.

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two more petitions I would like to table.

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I too have some petitions I would like to table today, and with your permission I will read from one of them: "That because the inclusion of sexual orientation in the Canadian Human Rights Act will provide certain groups with special status, rights and privileges; that because these special rights and privileges would be granted solely on the basis of sexual behaviour; that because inclusion will infringe on the historic rights of Canadians, such as the freedom of religion, conscience, expression and association; therefore your petitioners call on Parliament to oppose any amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which provides for the inclusion of the phrase sexual orientation".

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence I will table petitions from my constituents on gun control: "That the proposed amendments to the firearms control legislation by Justice Minister Rock are unduly harsh and will waste dwindling financial resources while attacking the rights of law-abiding citizens; therefore your petitioners request that Parliament separate these two issues, proceed to strengthen the borders and strengthen measures to deal with criminal firearms but not proceed with the proposed enhanced controls on legal ownership of firearms".

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition in due form under House regulations which was signed by 83 citizens.

The petition reads as follows: We, the undersigned residents of Canada, would like to draw to the House's attention the following: That some hon. members recently made hateful statements which contribute to the climate of intolerance, fear and violence in which lesbians, gays and bisexuals live; that more than 80 per cent of all Canadians feel that gays, lesbians and bisexuals are the victims of discrimination and that many gays and lesbians are harassed, beaten and even killed in the violent expression of that discrimination.

The petitioners also note that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees all people the right to protection against discrimination, including, as recognized by the Government of Canada, discrimination based on sexual orientation; that the courts have ordered that we consider that the Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination founded on sexual orientation; and that this act should be amended to clearly show all Canadians that Parliament is truly in favour of equality for one and for all.

Consequently, the petitioners would have Parliament amend the Canadian Human Rights Act in order to protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation. I would like to add that this would bring the rest of Canada up to par with Quebec, which took that step back in 1978.

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present another petition in the course of action that has been undertaken on behalf of constituents who wish to halt the early release from prison of Robert Paul Thompson.

The petitioners are from all over Alberta and 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.

[John Murphy, Liberal, Annapolis Valley—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to present a petition signed by constituents of Annapolis Valley-Hants.

The petitioners call on Parliament to put an end to discriminatory treatment in Canada by amending the human rights act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from a large number of my constituents on Bill C-68 respecting firearms.

The petitioners believe that the legislation does not put enough emphasis on controlling those who illegally use firearms, whereas it puts too many controls on individuals who legally use firearms. In particular, the petitioners do not believe it is appropriate to introduce mandatory and universal registration.

[Paddy Torsney, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present some 500 signatures of petitioners who pray that Parliament will ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code prohibiting assisted suicide are enforced vigorously, and that Parliament will make no changes in the law that would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of a number of people who point out that women and children are becoming increasingly fearful of walking on our streets and in our neighbourhoods. The petitioners believe that many violent sex offenders are being paroled prematurely and are being released without proper treatment and rehabilitation.

They simply ask the Minister of Justice to take whatever steps are necessary to amend Canada's Criminal Code and parole system to ensure that safety and peace are returned to our neighbourhoods.

[Len Hopkins, Liberal, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition with respect to Bill C-68 that is signed by many members of my constituency.

The petitioners state that the proposed gun control legislation by the federal government is not directed at the criminals causing unrest but rather at innocent sportsmen, hunters and gun collectors, and that the problem with criminals using illegal guns for crime is a critical issue that must be addressed, especially in Canada's large urban centres.

Therefore the petitioners request that the current proposed federal gun measures be withdrawn and that they be replaced with measures that deal directly with criminal offenders.

[John Nunziata, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present two petitions to the House today. The first one deals with the Young Offenders Act.

The petitioners recognize the serious flaws within the Young Offenders Act. They call on the Government of Canada to make some serious changes to the act, including the lowering of the age limits which define a young offender to include children between the ages of 10 and 15.

They also call on the government to amend the act to allow for the publication of the names of young offenders after a second indictable offence.

[John Nunziata, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition deals with section 745 of the Criminal Code which allows those convicted of first degree murder to apply to a court to have their parole ineligibility reduced to 15 years.

My private member's bill that would repeal the section is presently before committee. Nonetheless I am pleased to present the petition today.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I wish to present a petition which has been circulating across Canada. It has been signed by a number of petitioners from Calgary, Alberta.

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 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 and the aged.

The petitioners therefore pray and call on 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.

Questions On The Order Paper

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order to ask the government House leader when I can expect to receive an answer to Question No. 137 which has been on the Order Paper since February 6, 1995.

I requested an answer from the government within 45 days. As of today, 121 days have passed. I have been more than patient. I have asked for the number of staff involved and the total cost of administering the current firearms control legislation.

It is absolutely vital that we have this information before report stage debate in the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member appreciates the difficulty in obtaining information such as he has requested when the information no doubt has to be acquired from sources across the country.

I know the government officials working on this answer have been working on it diligently ever since the hon. member put it on the Order Paper. I have every confidence I will be in a position to provide an answer to the hon. member soon.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Are members agreeable to letting the other questions stand?

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

I need the information by Thursday.

[The Deputy Speaker]

I am sure the parliamentary secretary heard that.

[Peter Milliken, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.