Debates of Dec. 10th, 1998

Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present one petition on behalf of my constituents from the riding of Bruce—Grey. This petition is signed primarily by constituents in Owen Sound and relates to the proposed expansion of the waste disposal area at the Bruce nuclear development site.

The petitioners request that parliament intervene and that it ensure that the expansion be refused until a permanent solution for the disposal site is found.

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of my constituents in Parkdale—High Park, especially small business owners in my riding and throughout Canada. They are urging that the parliament of Canada do everything in its power to ensure the creation of a new bank to serve small business interests.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Saint-Eustache—Sainte-Thérèse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table a petition calling on parliament to form a parliamentary committee with the main objective of considering Canadian parliamentarians' ability to narrow the gap between rich and poor in the new context created by the globalization of markets, and suggesting specific solutions.

I particularly wish to thank my constituents in the riding of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, many of whom signed this petition set in motion by my colleague, the member for Lac-Saint-Jean.

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to present today. Three of them bear a total of 259 signatures and are identical in form and content.

The petitioners draw our attention to the MacKay Task Force on the Future of the Canadian Financial Services Sector which recommends that banks be allowed to retail casualty and property insurance from their branches. The petitioners state that these recommendations would have a very negative impact on Canada's independent insurance brokers and would result in thousands of lost jobs. Therefore they call upon parliament to totally reject the recommendations of the MacKay task force report pertaining to the entry of banks into the casualty and property insurance markets. They strongly urge parliamentarians to not give in to the pressure of the banks on this matter.

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the fourth petition bearing 50 signatures of residents of my riding is with regard to the funding of public interest groups.

The petitioners state that the funding of public interest groups is partially responsible for creating the current public debt. They say it is wrong because through this system many Canadians have to subsidize causes that they do not agree with. Therefore they call upon parliament to eliminate all funding of public interest groups in each and every forthcoming budget of the Government of Canada.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I present two identical petitions from citizens of the Peterborough area. They point out that disability pensions are a key part of the Canada pension plan, and recognize that there have to be criteria and due process for the awarding of disability pensions. They say the approval process has become overly bureaucratic. They pray that the Parliament of Canada consider reforms to the CPP disability program to make people who become disabled because of cumulative injuries or illness eligible for pensions.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I present another petition from citizens of the Peterborough area. They are concerned about the incidence of drinking and driving. They urge the federal government to do all it can to prevent such behaviour.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from many, many citizens in the Peterborough area who point out that merchant navy veterans do not receive full post-war veterans benefits. All of them served under full military command. Many of them served under the most anxious circumstances. Their causalities were often worse than in other theatres of war.

The petitioners call upon parliament to act now to compensate merchant navy veterans for their service and hardship after serving on Canadian or allied ships in World War II and in the Korean war.

[Walt Lastewka, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table two sets of petitions from constituents in St. Catharines and the Niagara area.

In the first set of petitions the petitioners say they are alarmed and deeply disturbed by the further victimization of the families of Kristin French and Leslie Mahaffy by reason of the use of the Bernardo video tapes. They petition the Parliament of Canada to amend section 486(1) of the Criminal Code by enacting a specific exemption to the open court rule by excluding evidence of child coerced pornography.

[Walt Lastewka, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second group of petitions relates to the definition of marriage.

The petitioners feel it is the duty of parliament to ensure that marriage as it has always been known and understood in Canada be preserved and protected. They call on this House to enact legislation to define in statute that marriage can only be entered into between a single male and a single female.

[Paul Forseth, Reform, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition representing the constituents of New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby and the surrounding area of the lower mainland of British Columbia. They pray that parliament will provide disaster relief for what is commonly known as the leaky condo crisis in British Columbia.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I am pleased to present a petition signed by a number of Canadians, including from my riding of Mississauga South.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that human rights violations continue in many countries around the world, including Indonesia. They also acknowledge that Canada is internationally respected for its defence of universal human rights.

The petitioners therefore call upon the government to continue its efforts to speak out against countries which tolerate violation of human rights and to do whatever is possible to bring to justice those responsible for such abuses.

Questions On The Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of the table, because of the dates on the documents, Question No. 145 which was yesterday's question will be answered today. Therefore, Questions Nos. 32 and 145 will be answered today. .[Text]

Question No. 32—

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

With regards to Canada's involvement in APEC: ( a ) how much funding in total has been budgeted by the federal government for all the official APEC events and related APEC activities taking place in Canada; ( b ) which departments are financially responsible for which APEC events; ( c ) how much will each individual department spend on APEC; ( d ) what is the amount budgeted for direct and indirect costs incurred during the APEC leaders meeting in Vancouver; ( e ) how much is APEC itself contributing toward APEC related events; ( f ) how much revenue are these events expected to generate; and ( g ) what is the total contribution made by corporations to the financing of APEC, broken down by amount and name of corporation?

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

I am informed by several departments as follows: a ) The total Canadian government expenditures for the APEC summit and related APEC events including contributions of various government departments which helped organize the Vancouver APEC summit, as well as the five separate APEC ministerial and four senior officials' meetings held in Victoria, Edmonton, Quebec, Montreal, Banff, Toronto and Ottawa in 1997 were $55 million. b ) A list of departments and events follows: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, responsible for APEC economic leaders meeting, AELM, and trade ministers meeting in Montreal; Environment Canada, responsible for the APEC environment ministerial meeting in Toronto and the environmental affairs program at the AELM in Vancouver; Health Canada, responsible for medical services at the AELM in Vancouver; Industry Canada, responsible for the APEC small and medium enterprise ministerial meeting in Ottawa; National Defence, responsible for the provision of ground transportation, communications, ceremonial guard and other support at the AELM in Vancouver; Natural Resources Canada, responsible for the APEC energy ministerial meeting in Edmonton; Public Works and Government Services Canada, responsible for provision of office space and assisting in obtaining goods and services in respect to the AELM in Vancouver; Revenue Canada, responsible for the subcommittee on customs procedures, SCCP, meetings in Victoria, B.C., Quebec City and Banff, the customs-industry symposium in Montreal and support for the AELM in Vancouver; Solicitor General Canada, responsible for security at the AELM in Vancouver; and Transport Canada, responsible for the APEC transportation ministerial meeting in Victoria. c ) Amounts spent by the departments on APEC follow: Foreign Affairs and International Trade spent $25 million on APEC. Environment Canada spent $1,165,400. Health Canada spent $384,000. Industry Canada spent $1,670,990. National Defence spent $3,200,000. Natural Reources Canada spent $1,185,048. Public Works and Government Services Canada spent $1,575,000. Revenue Canada spent $1,995,900. Solicitor General Canada spent $17,300,000 and Transport Canada spent $1,595,401. d ) Amounts budgeted for the APEC leaders meeting in Vancouver are as follows: Foreign Affairs and International trade budgeted $27.6 million; Environment Canada, $30,000; Health Canada, $384,000; National Defence, $4,300,000; Public Works and Government Services Canada, $1,575,000; Revenue Canada, $408,400; and Solicitor General Canada, $17,300,000. e ) The APEC Secretariat in Singapore does not contribute to the cost of APEC events per se. With the exception of APEC economic leaders and ministers, all APEC delegates and media covered their own costs. f ) The Vancouver Tourism Office conducted in the spring of 1997 a study which showed that the APEC Leaders is expected to generate $23 million in direct revenue. g ) Private sector sponsorship for the APEC summit in Vancouver amounted to $7,160,602 in cash and in kind. A total of $8.95 million was raised from corporate sponsors, with the agreement that 20% would be devoted to events associated with Canada's year of Asia Pacific, CYAP(1). The names of corporations and amounts are:

Presenters, Diamond sponsors, $500,000: BC Telecom Inc., official telecommunications provider for APEC '97, $500,000; Canadian Airlines International Ltd., official airline for APEC '97 and CYAP, $350,000; Export Development Corporation, EDC, $520,000; Federal Express Canada Ltd., official courier of APEC '97 and CYAP, $500,000; General Motors of Canada Ltd., official vehicle supplier of APEC '97 and CYAP, $500,000; IBM Canada Ltd., official computer suplier of APEC '97 and CYAP, $500,000; Nortel, official telecommuications equipment supplier of APEC '97, $500,000; and Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, $337,230. Toronto-Dominion Bank, $500,164.

Benefactors, platinum sponsors, $250,000: Bell Canada, $200,000; Corel Corporation, official software provider for APEC '97 and CYAP, $250,000; National Glass Ltd., $259,108; Panasonic, Matsushita of Canada Ltd., official provider of electronic security equipment for APEC '97 and CYAP, $250,000; Power Corporation of Canada, $250,000; Royal Bank of Canada, $270,000; TransCanada Pipelines, $250,000; and Westcoast Energy Inc., $250,000.

Partners, gold sponsors, $100,000: Atco Ltd. and Canadian Utilities Limited, $100,000; Aviscar Inc., official rental car supplier of APEC '97 and CYAP, $100,000; Alcan Inc., $100,000; BC Hydro and Power Authority, $100,000; Bank of Montreal, $150,000; Bombardier Inc., $150,000; Canadian Glacier Waters Inc., official water supplier of APEC '97 and CYAP, $80,000; Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, $150,000; Canadian National, $100,000; Canadian Pacific, $150,000; Hongkong Bank of Canada, $150,000; Inco Ltd., $100,000; Laidlaw Incorporated, official shuttle service of APEC '97, $100,000; Moore Corporation Limited, official printer of APEC '97, $100,000; Nova Corporation, $120,000; Rogers Cable TV, British Columbia, official cable television supplier of APEC '97, $100,000; Scotiabank, $125,000; Vancouver Stock Exchange, $100,000.

Patrons, silver sponsors, $50,000: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, $50,000; BC Gas, $50,000; Boeing, $50,000; CGA Canada, $45,000; Gordon Capital Corporation, $80,000; IPL-Consumer Gas, $50,000; Newbridge Networks Corp., $50,000; Placer Dome Inc., $50,000; and Motorola Cellular Canada Limited, $50,000.

Contributors, bronze sponsors, $20,000: AGRA International Limited, $15,000; Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, $10,000; Delta Hotels and Resorts, $30,000; Honeywell Incorporated, $15,000; InfoWest Services Inc., $15,000; Kinko's Corporate, $15,000; MDS Inc., $15,000; MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., $15,000; PICS SmartCard Inc., $25,000; Pacific Western Brewing Company, $25,000; Panther Management Limited, $12,500; Sasktel, $15,000; Saakatchewan Wheat Pool, $15,000; TELUS Corporation, $25,000; Roots, $8,750; Sandman Hotels, $3,000; and Syncrude Canada Ltd., $5,000.

Note (1): With Canada being the host of Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation, APEC, Canada's year of Asia Pacific, CYAP, was created to increase Canadian's awareness of Canada's relationship with Asia Pacific. The mandate of the cultural component of CYAP was to create a national cultural program that would enhance Canada's relationship with Asia Pacific economies by presenting the best traditional and contemporary arts of the region, while also promoting awareness and understanding of the culture of over two million Canadians of Asia Pacific origin. Funds were used for publicity, travel grants for performers from the Asia Pacific region to Canada, and other outreach programs.

Question No. 145—

[Ted White, Reform, North Vancouver, BC]

With regard to persons who have illegally entered Canada: ( a ) what is the detected total number, as well as the estimate undetected total number, of persons who have illegally entered Canada in the period from January 1, 1996, to September 30, 1998, using passports containing IMM 1000 forms previously issued to landed immigrants to Canada; ( b ) what portion of those totals is associated with ports of entry in British Columbia; ( c ) what are the five countries for which such altered passports are most commonly detected along with the numbers involved; ( d ) which are the three municipalities in British Columbia where it is estimated that the greatest numbers of foreign passports containing IMM 1000 forms are being sold, altered or forged?

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

(a) For the period of January 1, 1996, until September 30, 1998, a total of 512 persons have been detected at Canadian ports of entry—airports and land borders—using passports containing an IMM 1000 previously issued to landed immigrants to Canada.

The department is unable to make an estimate of the total number of undetected persons.

(b) For the same period, 109 persons were detected at ports of entry in British Columbia. The department is unable to provide an estimate of the number of undetected persons.

(c) The top five countries for which such altered passports were most commonly detected are:

Pakistan, 91; Sri Linka, 65; India, 61; China, 52; and Lebanon, 38.

(d) While the department is not in a position to comment on where in B.C. the foreign passports containing IMM 1000 forms are being sold, altered or forged, CIC officials work closely with local enforcement agencies and the RCMP in any instance where there are reasons to believe that an individual has altered or counterfeited documents.

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. 151 could be made an order for return, this return would be tabled immediately.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is it agreed that Question No. 151 be made an order for return?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed. .[Text]

Question No. 151—

[Mark Muise, Progressive Conservative, West Nova, NS]

With regards to Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) funding, will the Minister responsible for ACOA provide the following information: ( a ) a complete breakdown of all companies who have reveived government funding to expand existing businesses over the last 3 years; ( b ) a complete breakdown of all new companies who have received government funding over the last 3 years; ( c ) provide details of their projections for job creation; and ( d ) provide updates of the results of these initiatives?

Return tabled.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

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

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Motion To Adjourn

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, out of respect for our late colleague, Shaughnessy Cohen, I move, seconded by the hon. member for Langley—Abbotsford:

That this House do now adjourn.

(Motion agreed to)