Debates of Nov. 19th, 1997

Veterans Affairs

[Fred Mifflin, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member in the sense of the sacrifice the Hong Kong veterans made. Efforts have been made for extra contribution but up to now they have not been successful.

Hong Kong veterans are compensated by the Department of Veterans Affairs in a fair manner. Depending on the circumstances of their involvement in some cases they can get up to almost $60,000.

Department Of Citizenship And Immigration

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

Mr. Speaker, we read today in La Presse that the Department of Citizenship and Immigration apparently misled 430 of its Quebec employees by providing documents containing false information about work reorganization.

How can the minister justify the questionable practices, which have no precedent in the illustrious Canadian public service, of her senior officials with respect to Quebec public servants?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, like many other federal departments, has undergone a profound restructuring of its services on a nation-wide scale, and each of the regions has gone about attaining the objectives of this restructuring in its own way.

That having been said, certain employees dissatisfied with the approach taken by the Montreal office have appealed to the Public Service Commission and we intend to respect its decision.

[The Speaker]

Dear colleagues, that marks the end of Oral Question Period.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I would like to draw members' attention to the presence in the gallery of the 1997 recipients of the Governor General's literary awards.

These awards celebrate the achievements of our writers, illustrators, translators and publishers and our testimony to their talent.

I am going to introduce them by calling out their names. I would appeal to you, my colleagues, to wait until I have finished all their names and then I would like you to receive them on behalf of the people of Canada.

My colleagues, the 1997 Governor General's literary awards recipients are Jane Urquhart, Aude, Ian Ross, Dionne Brand, Pierre Nepveu, Rachel Manley, Roland Viau, Howard Scott, Marie José Thériault, Kit Pearson, Michael Noël and Barbara Reid. These are our literary award recipients.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

My colleagues, following question period, I am going to host our laureates in my chambers. I invite you all to come and meet them at an informal reception.

Point Of Order

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order that arises out of question period. The Minister of Industry said in regard to a question asked by my leader that he wondered why the question was in order.

In your wisdom, you did not rule the question out of order. That is only appropriate seeing that the question that my leader asked was exactly the same question that the current Prime Minister asked on April 1, 1993—

[The Speaker]

I thank the hon. member for his information.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Sheila Finestone, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian group of the Interparliamentary Union which represented Canada at the International Conference on Governance for sustainable growth and equity held at the United Nations headquarters in New York July 28 to July 30, 1997.

Petitions

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first petition concerns the family. The petitioners would like to bring 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 point out that the Income Tax Act does not take into account the real cost of raising children.

The petitioners therefore pray and call upon Parliament to pursue tax initiatives to assist families who choose to provide care in the home for preschool children.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition concerns the issue of alcohol consumption and misuse.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that the consumption of alcoholic beverages may cause health problems and, specifically, that fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol related birth defects are 100% preventable by avoiding alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

The petitioners therefore pray and call upon Parliament to require health warning labels to be placed on the containers of all alcoholic beverages.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have several petitions which I wish to present to the House.

The first petition totals 12 pages and contains over 300 names. It has to do with the definition of marriage. It calls upon Parliament not to change the definition of marriage in future legislation.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is 23 pages in length and comes from the lower mainland. It deals with the age of consent.

The petitioners ask that Parliament raise the age of consent from 14 years of age to 16.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition is made up of 403 pages and contains some 9,000 signatures from people in British Columbia.

The petitioners ask that the government stop giving herbal, alternative medicine people a hard time. They ask that they be allowed to do their work. They have been doing it for thousands of years so the petitioners request they be left alone.

I agree with these petitioners and it is a pleasure to present these petitions on their behalf.

[Eric C. Lowther, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by Calgary residents regarding the upcoming Kyoto conference on greenhouse gas emissions.

A local newspaper gathered 6,500 signatures from people who reject any tax that will drastically affect Alberta's energy industry.

The petition which I am now presenting exhibits similar concerns. It calls for a further review of this issue so that effective solutions and a better definition of cost obligations might be accomplished.

The petition urges the government not to sign any agreement until these concerns are addressed.

[John Duncan, Reform, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition containing 350 names from Quadra Island and the nearby area in my riding.

The petition states that despite the UN resolutions affirming the rights of the East Timorese people to self-determination, the Indonesian military has continued to occupy East Timor, inflicted violence and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of East Timorese.

The petitioners ask that the government support a UN referendum for an independent East Timor, impose a ban on the sale of military equipment to Indonesia and end all government funding for the promotion of trade with Indonesia as long as it continues to illegally occupy East Timor.

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present to the House.

The first petition is from residents of the Yukon territory.

Our weather station, the only weather station in all of northern Canada, has been operating for 50 years and is being closed. The weather station is essential for extreme weather warnings, which we need from November through March, for flood warnings and for fire warnings.

Unfortunately, because the minister deemed it not necessary, it is being closed.

The citizens of the Yukon are protesting that decision.

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

The other petition has over 1,300 names on it and it is from the people from Alberta as well as the Yukon. We are asking for the abolition of the use of provocation as a defence.

The history comes from the middle ages, where men of equal class were allowed to challenge each other to a duel and use provocation as an excuse. It in no way fits in our society today and it is unfairly and disproportionately used to defend in spousal homicide.

I present this petition on behalf of the residents of the Yukon and Alberta.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I am pleased and proud to present a petition on behalf of my constituents in Winnipeg North Centre and on behalf of other concerned Manitobans.

They petition this government with their concerns regarding current and proposed changes to Canada's retirement system. In specific terms, they petition this government to rescind Bill C-2 because it imposes such serious massive premiums hikes while reducing benefits and because of concerns for the establishment of an investment fund which will mean a loss of dollars in this country and benefit to stockholders and bond dealers.

They also petition that this government call for and put in place a national review of the retirement income system in Canada in order to ensure the adequacy of Canada's retirement system today and tomorrow.

Questions On The Order Paper

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

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

[The Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Motions For Papers

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all notices of motion for the production of papers be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker]

Is that agreed?