House of Commons Hansard #119 of the 35th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was agriculture.
Ken Epp Reform Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have several petitions.
The first petition has to do with the rights of grandparents and access to grandchildren. The petitioners ask that the Divorce Act be amended so that in no case may a father or mother without serious cause place obstacles between the child and grandparents. For the sake of brevity I will not read the whole thing.
Ken Epp Reform Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions that in essence ask Parliament not to amend any acts that would give special rights and privileges to homosexuals.
Ken Epp Reform Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition that deals with a local issue. There is a very famous national park in my riding called the Elk Island National Park.
The petitioners ask that full access be maintained to that park and that the roads be kept open. There was a threat the roads would be closed.
Ken Epp Reform Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have two more petitioners that deal with taxes, a very hot subject.
The petitioners ask Parliament not to increase the federal excise tax on gasoline. There is another budget coming and they are concerned.
Ken Epp Reform Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition which very emphatically asks the government not to tax reading and to remove all GST from reading materials.
Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal York North, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a number of petitions. The first petition deals with the fact that the percentage of Canadians over age 65 will almost double over the next 40 years from 12 per cent today to 23 per cent by the year 2030. The petitioners call on Parliament to work toward fair and sustainable income programs for seniors, ensuring those in need receive adequate and stable support.
Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal York North, ON
The next petition, Mr. Speaker, deals with the fact that police and firefighters are required to place their lives at risk in the execution of their duties on a daily basis, but the employment benefits of police and firefighters offer insufficient compensation to the families of those who are killed while on duty.
The petitioners therefore call on Parliament to establish a fund known as the public safety officers compensation fund for the benefit of families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty.
Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal York North, ON
Mr. Speaker, the final petition deals with the fact that although Canada's crime rate fell again in 1995, its fourth annual drop following 30 years of almost constant increase, the petitioners call on Parliament to continue to take a tough line on crime and enact laws that will provide Canadians with the safe home and safe streets they so rightly deserve.
Stephen Harper Reform Calgary West, AB
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 it is my duty to present two petitions.
The first petition is signed by 138 residents almost exclusively from the city of Calgary. They ask Parliament to zero rate books, magazines and newspapers under the GST and under the proposed harmonized sales tax, and they ask the Prime Minister to carry out
his party's repeated and unequivocal promise to remove federal sales tax from books, magazines and newspapers.
Stephen Harper Reform Calgary West, AB
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by 28 residents of the city of Calgary. It calls on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with the provincial governments to make the upgrading of the national highway system possible beginning in 1997.
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville—Milton, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to present two petitions which have been duly certified by the clerk and forwarded to me by the residents of Oakville-Milton.
The petitioners call on the government to conduct a public inquiry into the relationship between lending institutions and the judiciary and to enact legislation restricting the appointment of judges with ties to credit granting institutions.
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville—Milton, ON
The second petition, Mr. Speaker, calls on the government to proceed 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 truly reflects the severity of this crime.
Sharon Hayes Reform Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my pleasure to present a petition from people in my riding and in neighbouring ridings that draws to the attention of the House the fact that 38 per cent of the national highway system is substandard.
The petitioners call on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with provincial governments to make the upgrading of the national highway system possible.
Dick Harris Reform Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present three petitions.
The first petition is signed by a number of Canadians who are concerned about the criminal justice system. The petitioners say it is not fair and does not demand that criminals pay for their crimes.
The petitioners pray and request that Parliament recognize the need for change within the justice system and work to put the victims' rights ahead of those of the criminals.
Dick Harris Reform Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition prays and requests that Parliament proceed immediately with amendments to the Criminal Code that will ensure that sentences given to people who drink and drive and anyone convicted of impaired driving causing death would receive a minimum sentence of seven years.
The petitioners pray that Parliament consider that particular amendment to the Criminal Code.
Dick Harris Reform Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the third petition urges all levels of government to demonstrate their support of education and literacy by eliminating sales tax on reading materials.
The petitioners pray and ask Parliament to zero rate books, magazines and newspapers under the GST.
Daphne Jennings Reform Mission—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present this morning.
The first petition, along with many others in the House this morning, is an appeal to governments to not tax reading and to remove the GST on books.
I present these petitions on behalf of myself and of the member for Lethbridge.
Daphne Jennings Reform Mission—Coquitlam, BC
The second petition is from constituents around British Columbia who are bringing to the attention of the government the substandard national highway system.
The petitioners pray that the government would join with the provincial governments to make the upgrading of the national highway system possible.
Daphne Jennings Reform Mission—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is on behalf of residents from all over British Columbia as well as some residents in my riding.
The petitioners state that the gay and lesbian people want their families to be self-supporting, free of government interference and to be valued for being active tax paying members of Canada. Therefore, they request Parliament to amend the current definition of spouse to include same sex couples so all Canadian families can be treated equally.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions today. The first one is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that our police and firefighters place their lives at risk on a daily basis as they serve the emergency needs of all Canadians. They also state that in many cases the families of officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty are left without sufficient financial means to meet their obligations. The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to establish a public safety officers compensation fund
to receive gifts and bequests for the benefit of families of police officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, the second petition comes from Oshawa, Ontario.
The petitioners 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. The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to pursue initiatives to assist families that choose to provide care in the home for preschool children, the chronically ill, the aged or the disabled.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from Kentville, Nova Scotia.
The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that the consumption of alcoholic beverages may cause health problems or impair one's ability and specifically that fetal alcohol syndrome or other alcohol related birth defects are 100 per cent preventable by avoiding alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to enact legislation to require health warning labels to be placed on containers of all alcoholic beverages to caution expectant mothers and others of the risks associated with alcohol consumption.
John Nunziata Liberal York South—Weston, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.
The first petition is with respect to section 745. There are several hundred signatories to be added to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have submitted petitions. The petitioners from Richmond Hill and Woodbridge are asking that the Government of Canada immediately repeal section 745 of the Criminal Code, the provision that allows convicted killers to apply for early release.
John Nunziata Liberal York South—Weston, ON
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is with respect to the Young Offenders Act and is signed by constituents in the city of Cornwall, Ontario. They call on this government to immediately bring in a new Young Offenders Act empowering the courts to prosecute and punish the young law breakers who are terrorizing our society by releasing their names and lowering the age limit to allow prosecution to meet the severity of the crime.
Lee Morrison Reform Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia, SK
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by residents of Swift Current, Saskatchewan and district.
The petitioners state that whereas 38 per cent of the national highway system is substandard and whereas Mexico and the United States are upgrading their national highway systems, the petitioners call on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with provincial governments to make the national highway system upgrading possible.