Debates of Oct. 19th, 1998

Canadian Human Rights Act

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order because it seems to me that the motion had been accepted and should be debated in this House. First, you—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

With respect, the motion was not accepted. It would have had to have been accepted unanimously.

Petitions

[Jacques Saada, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by thousands of Canadians who want to draw attention to the major problems faced by Indonesia's Chinese community, a minority which is subjected to various forms of abuse and whose physical safety and economic security suffer as a result.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first petition has to do with the family.

The petitioners would like to 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 also agree with the National Forum on Health that the Income Tax Act does not take into account the true cost of child care expenses for those who provide care in the home for preschool children.

The petitioners therefore call on parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families who decide to provide care in the home to preschool children.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on the subject matter of alcohol.

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

The petitioners therefore call on parliament to mandate the labelling of alcohol products to warn expectant women and other persons of the dangers associated with alcohol consumption.

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to submit two petitions signed by individuals in my constituency, as well as by people from across Canada.

The first petition calls on parliament to significantly amend the Young Offenders Act. There are hundreds of petitioners calling for this.

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition requests that it be enshrined in the Marriage Act and spelled out very clearly that marriage is a voluntary union of a single, unmarried male and a single, unmarried female.

[Norman E. Doyle, Progressive Conservative, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I want to present a petition signed by 32 residents of St. John's East.

The petitioners are requesting that parliament initiate and conclude by the turn of the century an international convention which will set out a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

The petitioners wish to state that the continuing existence of nuclear weapons is a terrible threat to the health and survival of the human civilization and the global environment and that the surest way to eliminate the threat is to do away with nuclear weapons. The petitioners are requesting parliament to initiate and conclude by the year 2000 an international convention that will set out a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

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

Mr. Speaker, through petitions, many residents of Saint-Méthode, notably Fernand Lachance, say they oppose Bill C-68.

They suggest that the federal Liberal government spend the hundreds of millions of dollars put aside for firearms registration on more efficient measures to reduce violent crime and enhance public safety, for example by increasing the number of police officers.

[John Richardson, Liberal, Perth—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by 70 of my constituents regarding Bill C-225.

[Howard Hilstrom, Reform, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition with thousands of names with regard to the release of violent criminal offenders.

Petitioners are asking for changes to the Bail Reform Act to make this a safer country. They basically request parliament to amend legislation to impose harsher penalties for crimes of violence and that release not be quite so quick.

[Howard Hilstrom, Reform, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition with regard to Bill C-225, an act to amend the Marriage and Prohibited Degrees Act and the Interpretation Act.

The petitioners want to maintain that a marriage is a voluntary union between a man and a woman.

[Howard Hilstrom, Reform, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the last petition is with regard to the convention on the rights of the child, a United National convention. The petition is with regard to abortion.

The petitioners request that parliament support a binding national referendum at the time of the next election and that the decision as to whether this should be state funded be put to voters.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by a few thousand people from right across Canada who are in opposition to the multilateral agreement on investment.

That the government is back at the table today in Paris and not taking the lead of France and walking away would, I am sure, upset these folks. They point out 101 reasons the government should be walking away from these MAI negotiations.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition individuals from Quebec are concerned that although there are a lot of grave offences caused against animals, there has been no record of any court ever taking them seriously.

The petitioners are calling for serious penalties for people who cause pain and harm to animals and they suggest an educational program to help judges understand the seriousness of this offence.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table a petition signed by 50 constituents from my riding. The petitioners ask that Parliament repeal Bill C-68 and redirect the hundreds of millions of tax dollars being wasted on licensing responsible gun owners and registering legally owned guns.

They ask that the money be applied instead to such measures as more police, more crime prevention programs, more suicide prevention centres, more women's crisis centres, more anti-smuggling campaigns and increased resources for fighting organized crime and street gangs.

Questions On The Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, Question No. 118 will be answered today. .[Text]

[Philip Mayfield, Reform, Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC]

With respect to pressure-treated lumber: ( a ) what chemicals are approved for use in treating pressured lumber/wood; ( b ) what are the accepted levels for each of these chemicals used to treat this lumber; ( c ) what testing procedures has the federal government established to ensure companies use satisfactory levels; and ( d ) what has the government done to ensure there are ample health safeguards from these materials both before and after installation?

[The Hon. Allan Rock (Minister of Health, Lib.)]

Chemicals considered to be pesticides are used in the pressure treatment of wood products, such as telephone poles, railway ties and consumer lumber products. Scientific information is reviewed to determine whether risks for a wood treatment chemical are acceptable or unacceptable. If risks are acceptable, the wood treatment product is registered, with an approved label, under the Pest Control Products Act.

In addition, Health Canada also has the authority to undertake the periodic reassessment of all registered products and to conduct an up to date safety assessment. The result of this assessment is to decide if continued use is acceptable. Wood treatment products used for pressure treatment are presently undergoing such a safety reassessment in a joint project with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This reassessment is targeted for completion in 1999.

(a) At present, there is a variety of chemicals used for wood preservatives or treatments which are registered and, therefore, approved for pressure treating lumber. They include pentachlorophenol, creosote, copper chromated arsenicals, borax based products, and products based on the common household disinfectant active ingredients called quaternary ammoniums with copper. These chemicals vary in how effective they are in protecting wood and are selected for use according to the intended use of the wood product.

(b) Acceptable levels of use are determined as part of the assessment of risk and performance conducted by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency in Health Canada before a product is approved for use. As part of the performance assessment process, Health Canada determines the lowest amount of chemical that can be used to effectively protect the wood. The selection and verification of the lowest needed amount helps to ensure that risk of exposure is, in turn, the lowest possible. In considering the appropriate level of use, Health Canada also relies, in part, on Canadian Standard Association standard 080, which outlines the amount of chemicals used in order to maintain the structural integrity of certain wood products, for example, telephone poles. The Pest Management Review Agency reviews product performance data against this standard as part of the assessment process. Specific values for use are contained on the product label and in the Canadian Standard Association standard 080.

(c) 1. Provincial regulatory programs have the authority and regular opportunity to monitor activities related to wood treatment.

1. Environment Canada and Health Canada have worked co-operatively in the development of technical recommendation documetns, TRDs, that would foster a best practice approach to the use of wood treatment chemicals.

2. Federal regulatory activities are largely based on complaints and incidents requiring investigation.

(d) Before a wood treatment chemical can be used in Canada it must be registered, or approved for use, under the Pest Control Products Act. In order for it to be registered, the chemicals undergoes a safety assessment that includes considerations of possible effects and exposure to the chemical. These effects are considered for those involved in the treatment process as well as those using the treated wood. Furthermore, health risks are considered for all new products as well as those that are currently being reassessed.

Labels on registered products include information regarding personal protection, to be observed in the handling of treated wood at the time of treatment as well as the time of post treatment. Additional labelling information includes prohibitions specific to the handling, use and disposal of treated wood. For example, it is not permitted to burn treated wood due to the possibility of releases of toxic materials during burning.

Health Canada is responsible for protecting the health of Canadians who use wood treatment chemicals and the resulting treated wood. These chemicals undergo an extensive safety assessment process prior to being made available to the wood treatment industry. As part of the safety assessment process, the safety of those involved in the treatment industry, as well as users, both industrial and consumer of treated wood products is considered. Health Canada is currently engaged in a reassessment of these products with its U.S. colleagues which will address health safety considerations associated with these products.

Questions Passed As Orders For Returns

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

Mr. Speaker, if Question No. 126 could be made an order for return, the return would be tabled immediately.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed. .[Text]

[Reed Elley, Reform, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

With respect to cancer and cancer research in Canada, what has the government determined to be: ( a ) the incidence and fatality rates for breast cancer within the female population expressed as a percentage of all Canadian women; ( b ) the incident and fatality rates for prostate cancer within the male population expressed as a percentage of all Canadian men; ( c ) the total amount of federal tax dollars put towards breast cancer research in the last five recorded fiscal years; and ( d ) the total amount of federal tax dollars put towards prostate cancer research in the last five recorded fiscal years?

Return tabled.