Debates of May 27th, 1996

Point Of Order

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to get into a debate with the hon. member who has just spoken or on the Speaker's ruling. It is clear that the Chair has settled the matter.

Once the Speaker has made a ruling, I think it is inconsistent with our parliamentary traditions to question or otherwise comment on the quality of this ruling. The Speaker presides over this House and I think he does a good job.

From time to time, members on both sides of the House are not always complimentary toward one another. A few moments ago, I heard a member across the way accuse my colleague, the Minister of Human Resources Development, an Acadian, of being assimilated. I do not think he appreciated these comments either. The hon. member has just left the room.

A few days ago, similar charges were levelled against me. Nonetheless, Mr. Speaker, whenever we as parliamentarians are involved in a dispute, we should come to you for a ruling. You did settle this matter and I think it is unacceptable for members to question your judgment.

[The Speaker]

I understand that in the heat of debate on what goes on in the House certain expressions and words are sometimes used. As your Speaker, in debate I give you all the leeway possible.

However, when a decision is made by your Speaker it is made with the House in mind. I hope hon. members would accept these decisions in the spirit with which they are made in the hope that true debate can occur.

I hope any remarks after I made my decision were not directed at the Chair. In my view this would be unacceptable. I ask members that after a decision has been made it be accepted as such and that we move on.

We have debates in front of us today and I propose we move to the debates at this time. If there is reason for me to come back to the House after I review what has been said in Hansard and on television, I will do so.

However, like members, I hold the office of the Speaker in the highest regard. We must if we are to operate in the House.

At this point at least, until I have information to the contrary, I believe we should get on with the work of the House which is debate.

Order In Council Appointments

[Paul Zed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table in both official languages a number of order in council appointments which were made by the government pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1).

These are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of which is attached.

Government Response To Petitions

[Paul Zed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table in both official languages the government's responses to 36 petitions.

Petitions

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table in this House a petition signed by 2,000 residents of Saint-Pie-de-Bagot and Saint-Damase, or half the households of these two municipalities.

The people of Saint-Pie and Saint-Damase are asking Bell Canada to modernize its network, which is totally obsolete in terms of security and competitiveness. The petitioners are asking the Canadian Parliament to intercede on their behalf with the CRTC to urge Bell Canada to modernize the Saint-Pie and Saint-Damase telephone networks so that citizens can enjoy adequate service.

I therefore table this petition and thank the mayors of the municipalities and parishes concerned as well as the economic development corporation for their support in this large scale operation.

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

Mr. Speaker, these petitioners seek no change to the constitutionally acquired rights of minorities in Newfoundland without the consent of those minorities.

They point out that if an amendment is needed it should be one that meets the hopes, aspirations and dreams of all of those minorities. They ask that the changes to education be tried and if subsequent to that an amendment is required, then one could be brought forward. They fear the impact of this amendment on other sectors of education and perhaps other rights such as minority language rights.

[Beryl Gaffney, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two sets of petitions with 211 signatures dealing with amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act.

The petitioners oppose any amendment to federal legislation that would provide for the inclusion of the phrase sexual orientation. As we know, that amendment passed last week.

[Beryl Gaffney, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition with 50 signatures which deals with zero tolerance.

These petitioners call on Parliament to proceed immediately with amendments to the Criminal Code that would ensure that the sentence given to anyone convicted of causing death by driving while impaired is a minimum of seven years and a maximum of

fourteen years, as outlined in private member's Bill C-201, sponsored by the member for Prince George-Bulkley Valley.

[Randy White, Reform, Fraser Valley West, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions, two of which are on the same issue.

The first two petitions ask that Parliament not amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to include in the prohibited grounds for discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

So much for that request.

[Randy White, Reform, Fraser Valley West, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition asks Parliament to support the development of a victims bill of rights.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege for me to rise today to present 45 petitions signed by 1,233 concerned Canadians primarily from the provinces of Saskatchewan and Ontario.

The petitioners draw to the attention of Parliament that over 100,000 therapeutic abortions are performed each year in Canada at a cost of over $50 million per year. Since Canadians deserve a say in how scarce health dollars are spent and which health care procedures they consider essential, these petitioners call on Parliament to support a binding national referendum to be held at the time of the next general election to determine whether or not Canadians are in favour of federal government funding for abortion on demand.

[Morris Bodnar, Liberal, Saskatoon—Dundurn, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition asking that Parliament amend the Criminal Code so that sentences given to individuals who drive while impaired or who cause injury or death while impaired will be reflected by the severity of the crime and that there be zero tolerance in Canada toward this crime.

[Ovid Jackson, Liberal, Bruce—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table a petition on behalf of my constituents.

The petitioners pray and request that Parliament not amend the human rights code and the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the human rights code to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

[Alex Shepherd, Liberal, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two petitions today. The first deals with a concern of 48 of my constituents who wish Parliament to refrain from passing into law any bill extending family status or spousal benefits to same sex partners and specifically prohibiting amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to include the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

[Alex Shepherd, Liberal, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from 52 of my constituents who are concerned that the Government of Quebec, the Parti Quebecois, which has the intention of separating the province of Quebec from Canada, threatens the citizenship, livelihoods and properties of all Canadians living in that province by denying their constitutional and basic human rights and by promising to reject any move by those Canadians to remain in Canada after a unilateral declaration of independence by Quebec.

The petitioners request that Parliament take the necessary measures to guarantee that their properties and territories will remain within the Canadian confederation, and make its intention to do so known to the PQ government prior to any unilateral declaration of independence and/or the next referendum on separation.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present two petitions from Canadians opposing the recent amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act.

I believe it is an insult to these Canadians and to the concerns of many others the way the government shut down debate in the recent treatment of Bill C-33.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and honoured on behalf of constituents in Terrace, British Columbia to present the following petition. Whereas the legislature of Newfoundland passed a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to remove the rights of denominational classes of persons to operate their own schools following a provincial referendum, and whereas if the Parliament of Canada accedes to the proposal to amend the Constitution at the request of one provincial government, it would set a precedent for permitting any provincial government to suppress the rights of a minority.

Therefore the petitioners pray and request that Parliament not amend the Constitution as requested by the Government of Newfoundland and refer the problem of education reform in that province to the Government of Newfoundland for a resolution by other non-constitutional procedures.

[John O'Reilly, Liberal, Victoria—Haliburton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise under Standing Order 36 to present a petition from people in the Bobcaygeon Dunsford area of Ontario calling on Parliament to embrace a zero tolerance to the sentencing of impaired drivers and that sentencing must reflect the severity of the crime.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I present two petitions which have been circulating all across Canada.

The first petition has been signed by a number of Canadians from Nepean, 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 values to our society.

The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families that decide to provide care in the home for preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill or the aged.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition comes from Canadians from Brampton, Ontario. The petitioners bring to the attention of the House that consumption of alcoholic beverages may cause health problems or impair one's ability, and specifically that fetal alcohol syndrome and 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 that health warning labels be placed on the containers of all alcoholic beverages to caution expectant mothers and others of the risks associated with alcohol consumption.

[John Bryden, Liberal, Hamilton—Wentworth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition today which calling on Parliament to support a binding national referendum at the time of the next election on whether Canadians are in favour of the funding of abortion on demand.

Questions On The Order Paper

[Paul Zed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 5 and 18.

Question No. 5-

[Ted White, Reform, North Vancouver, BC]

With respect to the unemployment insurance program, for the calendar years of 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 ( a ) how many cases of fraud were reported each year ( b ) how many convictions for fraud were secured each year ( c ) how many frauds were there as a total of overall claims?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, in so far as Human Resources Development Canada is concerned the reply is as follows:

Question No. 18-

[John Duncan, Reform, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Of the 633 Indian bands in Canada: ( a ) how many are covered by aboriginal policing agreements, ( b ) what is the total cost for aboriginal policing agreements for fiscal year 1993-94; fiscal year 1994-95; and the estimated final cost for fiscal year 1995-96, and ( c ) of these agreements in question ( b ), what is the federal government financial component of these aboriginal policing agreements for fiscal year 1993-94; fiscal year 1994-95; and the estimated final cost for fiscal year 1995-96?