Debates of Dec. 11th, 1996

Corrections And Conditional Release Act

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Ontario, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-362, an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (cumulative sentences).

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to introduce this bill providing that a person serving a sentence of imprisonment for life who has been convicted of first degree murder or for more than one count of second degree murder is not eligible for parole until he or she has served, in addition to the portion of the sentence that must be served for murder, one third-up to a maximum of seven years-of the sentence imposed in respect of another offence arising out of the same event.

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

Patent Act

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-363, an act to amend the Patent Act (investigations regarding the making of medicines available at no charge to the seriously ill).

He said-Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to introduce a bill that amends the Patent Act and will give additional powers to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, in order to monitor, on an annual basis, the availability of urgently needed medicine to the seriously ill.

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

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, and I suggest this motion be concurred in without debate, I move that the first report of the Special Joint Committee on A Code of Conduct, presented to the House earlier this day, be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to.)

Petitions

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure and privilege to present to the House a petition signed by over 10,000 Canadians from across the country.

May I, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, acknowledge and pay tribute to the McLeod family who are with us today to witness this. On their behalf I would like to present this petition.

The undersigned citizens of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following: that public safety is the number one priority of the criminal justice system; that no convicted felon while incarcerated in a federal institution will profit financially due to any monetary awards; that any money awarded to a felon must be given to his victim and if the victim is not living, the money will go to the registered victims' rights groups.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, your petitioners request that Parliament support legislation which will prevent monetary gain for convicted felons.

[Eleni Bakopanos, Liberal, Saint-Denis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table in the House a petition signed by over 11,000 Canadians asking Parliament to allow Portuguese citizens to visit Canada without a visa.

The Conservative government passed legislation in 1986 requiring Portuguese citizens to obtain a visa when visiting Canada. This measure, which was intended to be temporary, has lasted ten years.

I join with the representatives of the Portuguese community here in the gallery today and the people who signed this petition in the hope this government will resolve a situation that has gone on too long.

[Jean-Guy Chrétien, Bloc, Frontenac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present four petitions by voters in my riding of Frontenac.

The petitioners are asking the government to undertake proceedings to abolish the Senate as soon as possible. I fully support their request and I encourage the government to give serious thought to

this progressive measure, which will mean an annual saving of over $43 million. Candu=wordwatch

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a two petitions to present under Standing Order 36.

Several people from western Canada have signed a petition which states that the application of the 7 per cent GST to reading material is unfair and wrong. It is certainly not the first time we have heard that in the House. Education and literacy are critical to the development of our country and this is a regressive tax on reading and hampers the development of literacy.

The petitioners urge all levels of government to demonstrate their commitment to education and literacy by eliminating sales tax on all reading materials and not just the way the government is trying to weasel it through.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a second petition under Standing Order 36.

Several residents of Canada are drawing to the attention of the House that whereas this nation is in danger of being torn apart by regional factions, they pray that the Prime Minister and the Parliament of Canada declare and confirm these things immediately. First, that Canada is indivisible and second, that the boundaries of Canada, its provinces, territories and territorial waters may be modified only by a free vote of all Canadian citizens as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or through the amending formula as stipulated in the Canadian Constitution.

That would be good news to us all and I say Merry Christmas.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table petitions signed by the constituents of Lambton-Middlesex and surrounding areas, each of which has been duly certified by the clerk of petitions pursuant to Standing Order 36.

The petitioners request that the House of Commons enact legislation or amend existing legislation to define marriage as the voluntary union for life of one woman and one man to each other to the exclusion of all others.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present two petitions from constituents.

The first petition is signed by 50 residents of Fredericton-York-Sunbury and requests that Parliament proceed immediately with amendments to the Criminal Code that will ensure that the sentence given to anyone convicted of driving while impaired or causing injury or death while impaired reflects both the severity of the crime and zero tolerance.

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by 137 constituents who request that Parliament amend the Divorce Act to include a provision similar to article 611 of the Quebec Civil Code, and to further amend the Divorce Act to give a grandparent who is granted access to a child the right to make inquiries and be given information as to the health, education and welfare of the child.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling today a petition signed by Quebecers who are very concerned by the sale of Candu reactors to China. These people are therefore asking the government not to finance or subsidize the sale of the reactors to this country or any other and to withdraw immediately from any arrangements for financial and technical assistance to China.

Although I am aware of the economic consequences of the sale of the Candu reactors, I consider the fears of those opposed well founded. We must not be blinded by the economic benefits of such projects, which, in the end, could have disastrous consequences.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two petitions today. The first petition is from 140 individuals from across British Columbia.

The petitioners urge all levels of government to demonstrate their commitment to education and literacy by zero rating books, magazines and newspapers under both the GST and the harmonized sales tax.

They also ask the Prime Minister to carry out his party's repeated and unequivocal promise to remove the federal sales tax from books, magazines and newspapers.

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from individuals in the lower mainland area.

These petitioners humbly pray and call on Parliament to keep dangerous sex offenders and pedophiles locked up for life; eliminate statutory release; impose stiffer sentences for violent offenders; have criminals serve their full sentences and have time added for bad behaviour; have a central registry for names and addresses of violent offenders; give more powers to legal institutions to keep dangerous criminals even after their sentence is served; give police authority in apprehending and interrogating violent offenders, including the ability to take blood and saliva samples; eliminate the

insanity or drunk defence; impose stiffer laws and sentences for stalker criminals; and reinstate capital punishment for first degree murderers if there is not doubt of guilt.

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Ontario, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present a petition signed by scores of constituents from the Ontario riding.

If the hon. members in the Bloc Quebecois would give me a moment they might actually learn something.

The petitioners call on Parliament to amend the Divorce Act to include a provision preventing a father or mother from placing, without legal cause, obstacles between the children of the marriage and their grandparents.

The petitioners also ask that the Divorce Act be further amended to allow grandparents the right to access, make inquiries and be given information as to the health, education and welfare of their grandchildren.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from scores of citizens of Peterborough who are opposed to the recent announcement that Canada Post get out of economy ad mail.

They point out that a recent article in the Peterborough Examiner suggests that Canada Post is making money out of ad mail. As Canadians, they also point out that they are shareholders in Canada Post. They support the recommendations in the Canada Post mandate review that door to door service be expanded, especially in rural areas.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition signed by 260 citizens of the Peterborough riding who are concerned about the taxation of reading materials.

They urge all levels of government to demonstrate their support of education and literacy by eliminating sales tax on reading materials. They ask Parliament to zero rate books, magazines and newspapers under the GST.

As the provinces and Ottawa consider harmonizing their sales taxes, reading materials must be zero rated under the provincial sales taxes as well as the GST.

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions. The first petition contains 26 names on behalf of the Canadian Automobile Association.

They call on the government to join with provincial governments to make a national highway system upgrading possible beginning in 1997.

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition contains 139 signatures on behalf of the Don't Tax Reading Coalition.

They call on the government to demonstrate its commitment to education and literacy by eliminating sales tax on reading materials under the proposed harmonized sales tax.

[Daphne Jennings, Reform, Mission—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present petitions on behalf of two of my colleagues from Capilano-Howe Sound and from Fraser Valley West.

The petitioners ask the government to eliminate sales tax on reading materials. Further, they ask that as the provinces and Ottawa consider harmonizing the sales tax, reading materials must be zero rated under the provincial sales taxes as well as the GST. Education and literacy are critical.

[Herb Grubel, Reform, Capilano—Howe Sound, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table two petitions signed by constituents of Capilano-Howe Sound, wherein they urge Parliament to amend existing legislation to define marriage as the voluntary union for life of one woman and one man to each other to the exclusion of all others.

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by 2,740 Canadian citizens asking the House to take note of the recent actions in Cyprus resulting in injury and loss of life of innocent, unarmed people and urging support for President Cléridès' proposal for the demilitarization of the Republic of Cyprus; and also urging the Government of Canada to use Canada's influence in pressing for all parties to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions and to contribute to a peaceful settlement of the issues.

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I also have the pleasure to submit three other petitions. The first one has been signed by 28 citizens of Canada with regard to the condition of the national highways.

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition has been signed by 25 citizens on the question of child custody.

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition has been signed by 36 citizens asking that convicted criminals not be allowed to profit from the publication of their memoirs.