House of Commons Hansard #24 of the 35th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was million.
Francis Leblanc LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the conduct of Canada's foreign policy is the responsibility of the Government of Canada. The minister responsible is working with members of Parliament, including the parliamentary associations. He is giving his support in this regard in the interests of all Canadians.
Grant Hill Reform Macleod, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Krever report is stalled by government lawyers who are looking at, in the justice minister's words, narrow grounds of procedural fairness. This guy is a judge, a supposed expert in the area of procedural fairness.
Does the justice minister not recognize that he is calling into disrepute the competence of this judge?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I have professional and personal knowledge of the skill and ability of Mr. Justice Krever. He is a person of extraordinary ability.
The reason government lawyers are in the federal court is that notices were given to certain individuals in circumstances in which we contend there was not fairness shown as required by law. It is a procedural matter.
In no way do we quarrel with the commission's authority to make findings against people if that is what it chooses to do on the evidence. In no way do we wish to slow down the inquiry. We have asked the court to expedite the hearing and it has agreed. It will be heard on May 22.
Without departing at all from the respect we have for Mr. Justice Krever or the anxiety we have that he finish his work and make his findings, we want to take the points, which we think are important and have to do with fairness in the process, before the court for a quick determination.
Grant Hill Reform Macleod, AB
Mr. Speaker, the health minister faces quite a challenge. We have a justice minister looking at procedural fairness for fat cat politicians. We have a health minister who should be looking after procedural fairness for the victims, victims like Lynn Kamph from Pickering who is infected and ill, victims like Chris Taylor of Duncan, B.C. who is sadly already gone.
Would the health minister take off his lawyer's hat, put on the health minister's hat, a compassionate hat, and let Justice Krever speak and tell everything he knows?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, implicit in the hon. member's question is the suggestion that by resorting to court we are somehow trying to stop the commission or Mr. Justice Krever from making findings or from making recommendations, which is simply not so.
The anxiety we have about seeing this commission complete its work and make findings so we can improve the system of blood storage and control is reflected in our agreement to extend the
commission's life, to provide it with additional funding when requested.
We are in court but we are there on questions which we think are important for the fairness of the process. We are not there to interfere in any way with the judge's powers to make findings as soon as possible. We have asked the court to hurry up the case and it has agreed to do so. We hope we can get these matters resolved quickly so we can get on with the commission's report.
Shaughnessy Cohen Liberal Windsor—St. Clair, ON
Mr. Speaker, the people of Windsor know firsthand the value of Canada's medicare system because they see the alternatives every day across the river in Detroit. They have concerns that the North American Free Trade Agreement might open medicare to competition from U.S. companies.
What assurances can the Minister of Health give Windsorites and all Canadians that our health care system is being protected from U.S. corporate competition?
David Dingwall LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, as the member and the House will know, when we signed NAFTA there was protection, particularly annex II.
However, due to the fact that Canadians had some anxieties and due to the fact that we as a government wished to reassure those Canadians that medicare in this country is protected, we have been able to negotiate an agreement in principle with the United States, Mexico and us which will further give assurances to Canadians that our health care system, which is the best in the world, will be protected for Canadians for generations to come.
Morris Bodnar LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to three petitions presented during the first session.
Val Meredith Reform Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-254, an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Criminal Code.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is identical to Bill C-240 which was introduced in the first session of this Parliament on April 22, 1994.
Pursuant to the order made on March 4, I am requesting that this bill be reinstated to the same position it was prior to prorogation.
The bill seeks to amend both the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. It would allow for post-sentence detention orders. Currently a dangerous offender designation can be sought only at the time of sentencing, which occasionally requires our justice system to release offenders who are deemed high risk to commit further serious offences.
The bill would permit the authorities to seek a dangerous offender designation against these individuals in the last year of their sentence. I humbly request that it go back where it was before prorogation.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Corrections And Conditional Release ActRoutine Proceedings
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)
The Chair is satisfied that this bill is in the same form as Bill C-240 at the time of prorogation of the first session of the 35th Parliament.
Accordingly, pursuant to order made Monday, March 4, 1996, the bill is deemed to have been read the second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs.
Peter Milliken Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-255, an act respecting the beverage containers.
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to provide for a minimum deposit on all beverage containers made in whole or in part of plastic, metal or glass and that contain beverages for the purpose of sale.
The purpose of the bill is to ensure that these containers are not thrown by the roadsides and into the countryside of Canada, and to keep our environment cleaner. A deposit system will achieve that.
I am pleased to introduce this bill, which I had introduced not in the previous session but in the previous Parliament.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Peter Milliken Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-256, an act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda).
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to amend the Criminal Code to include in the definition of identifiable groups those identified by sex, sexual orientation or mental or physical disability and include them for the purposes of prohibiting those who wish to promote hate propaganda against specified groups from doing so.
Those groups would now achieve the same protection others now have under the law if this bill were adopted by the House. This bill had also been introduced by me in the last Parliament. It is being reintroduced now but it was not in the last session.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I was expecting to introduce a few bills today. I had been told that I could introduce them at noon.
Criminal CodeRoutine Proceedings
The Deputy Speaker
Do I have the unanimous consent of the House to revert to introduction of bills?
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-257, an act to amend the Unemployment Insurance Act.
Mr. Speaker, this bill would change certain functions with regard to insurability of UI claimants. At present, there is a very serious backlog of files to be reviewed in terms of insurability. The purpose of the bill is to decentralize administration to the employment centres to make sure the backlog problem is resolved.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-258, an act to amend the Public Harbours and Port Facilities Act.
Mr. Speaker, this bill, which had been introduced during the previous session, would insure more fairness in the appointment of harbour masters. In the present legislation, there is an old practice harking back to early Confederation days that lends itself to a lot of political patronage.
The purpose of the bill is to make sure that appointments are made as a result of a selection process based on merit.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-259, an act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act (membership of Board of Directors).
Mr. Speaker, the objective of this bill is to ensure that the board of directors of the Canada Post Corporation includes representatives from each and every province in Canada so that there is a balance and the specific character of each region can be respected, and to set up committees so that, when decisions are made at the regional level, the people from the regions affected are consulted to ensure that the economic impact of those decisions on regional development is taken into account by Canada Post Corporation.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Andy Scott Liberal Fredericton—York—Sunbury, NB
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to lay upon the table of the House a petition signed by approximately 200 constituents of Fredericton-York-Sunbury and neighbouring ridings.
Basically the petition calls on the House to amend the current legislation to exclude convention refugees from having to pay the right of landing fee.
Georgette Sheridan Liberal Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present two petitions, one from the residents of the city of Saskatoon and the second from the rural portion in my riding, including communities such as Annaheim, Naicam, Muenster, Humboldt and St. Gregor, urging this government not to increase the federal excise tax in the 1996 budget.
Of course the petitioners were pleased with the minister's announcement on March 6 not to raise any taxes, but they will be pleased to remind him of this for next year's budget.
Osvaldo Nunez Bloc Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by constituents from Montréal-Nord, in my riding, and from several other cities in Quebec and Canada.
These petitioners are opposed to the $975 immigration tax. They say it is offensive and discriminatory, particularly for immigrants and refugees from poor countries. Needless to say, I totally support this petition.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, I want to present a petition signed by more than 200 people who criticize the inequity of the new Canada-U.S. tax treaty on American pensions paid to Canadian residents.
The petitioners call on the Canadian government to deal with this problem either by changing the way these pensions are taxed by the Americans or, if that is not possible, by finding a way of making sure these people are not penalized by the new tax treaty signed by Canada.
John Williams Reform St. Albert, AB
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present a petition from citizens in Edmonton who draw to the attention of the House that since 1926 the opposition in Westminister Parliaments have been known as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition; that the Bloc should be moving over; that the Reform Party should be taking its place.
They call on Parliament to implement a means by which it could be determined democratically whether the leader of the Bloc Quebecois should continue as Leader of the Opposition.
George Baker Liberal Gander—Grand Falls, NL
Mr. Speaker, it pleases me to present 52 petitions to the House from Newfoundland. One is from over 400 employees of Revenue Canada. They all deal with the same subject.
The petitioners are demanding the reinstatement of about 50 employees of Revenue Canada who are being laid off today. Because these people process the child benefit cheques and the GST tax credit cheques, the layoffs will lead to delays throughout Atlantic Canada for millions of people.
We look forward to a response from the Government of Canada to this petition. The layoffs do not make any sense and I agree with every single person who signed these 52 petitions.
Ken Epp Reform Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have five petitions to present today.
The first petition is signed by about 2,300 people in my constituency urging the government to forget about increasing taxes. They ask specifically that gasoline taxes not be increased in the next federal budget. Already they are planning for the next one.