Debates of March 18th, 1998

Court Challenges Program

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Done, Mr. Speaker.

Transport

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.

Last month the minister indicated that he was counting on the good will of the railroads to stop dismantling more rail lines until Mr. Willard Estey has completed his review of grain transportation.

Knowing how CN and CP have looked out for the interests of western grain farmers over the past 100 years, there has no doubt been great comfort and enormous relief among our farming community.

Could the minister inform the House what assurances he has received from the railroads that they will not dismantle any more track until after Mr. Estey reports? Can he tell us what action he—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Transport.

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, a couple of years ago the railways gave notice on which track they wished to abandon in Canada. They followed a certain process.

What we have done in various discussions is remind them of the obligations, remind them of adhering to the spirit of the National Transportation Act amendments a couple of years ago which gave them the freedom to operate in a businesslike fashion, and also keep in mind the public interest.

If we find this is not being done, then certainly I will communicate further with the railways and perhaps take further action.

Buckingham Palace

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, for 40 years Canada has shared with Australia and New Zealand in seconding a public servant to serve in Her Royal Majesty's press office at Buckingham Palace.

It is once again Canada's turn. However, the Prime Minister has unilaterally refused to send a representative. I was told today by the London press that the PMO's press officer said they knew nothing about the monarchy or any ties.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Is he denouncing Canada's ties with the monarchy? Will he reconsider his position and second a public servant to continue this important longstanding tradition?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I did not think the question was coming to me. If the hon. member will repeat her question, I will reply. I am sorry.

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, for 40 years Canada has shared with Australia and New Zealand in seconding a public servant to serve in Her Royal Majesty's press office at Buckingham Palace.

Is the Prime Minister today denouncing Canada's ties with the monarchy? Will he reconsider his position and second a public servant to continue this important longstanding commitment to the Queen?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if we have refused to second someone to work with the royal family. I think Canadians were there and I do not know why we would not be there. Australia is there and we should be there.

Air India

[John Nunziata, Independent, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the solicitor general. Thirteen years ago the worst mass murder took place in Canadian history when over 300 Canadians were murdered when an Air India flight was blown out of the sky off the coast of Ireland.

To date, charges have not been laid. Inspector Gary Bass, who heads the Air India investigation, confirmed last week that charges would be forthcoming.

Will the solicitor general confirm that Inderjit Singh Reyat and others will be charged in relation to the Air India mass murder? If so, when?

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, surely the hon. member has been around here long enough to know I am not going to speak to the issue of laying of charges by the RCMP or by the Government of British Columbia. The hon. member should know better.

Banks

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it was recently reported that a Canadian went into a bank in order to obtain a loan and as a condition of obtaining the loan was required to transfer his mutual funds.

My question is to the Minister of State for Financial Institutions. What is he going to do about this action of tied, coercive selling?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Scarborough East for his very important question and his leadership on this issue.

In response, last year we enacted that, subject to committee review, we will be proclaiming in September a law prohibiting coercive tied selling.

I understand the committee will begin its deliberations in April, but meanwhile let me be very clear: Canadians must not be subjected to coercive tied selling. If they are we want to hear about it. We will not stand for it.

Points Of Order

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to complete an earlier answer for the hon. member for Saint John, New Brunswick. I wanted to tell her that if she wants that job I can give it to her.

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

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among all parties in the House and I believe you will find consent for the following motion. I move:

That any recorded division demanded this afternoon on any Ways and Means proceedings Nos. 3, 6, 10 or 11 be deferred to the expiry of the time provided for the consideration of Government Orders today.

(Motion agreed to)

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Adams, 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 response to 15 petitions.

Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure today to present a number of petitions, with names gathered from all across Canada, from Canadians who are concerned about the multilateral agreement on investment.

They are concerned that the MAI is the latest in a series of regional and global agreements which, in the name of liberalizing trade and investment, expand the powers of multinational corporations at the expense of the powers of governments to intervene in the marketplace on behalf of our social, cultural, environmental and health care goals.

They also submit that the MAI is fundamentally flawed in so far as it seeks to protect the rights of investors without seeking similar protection for workers through binding core labour standards and that the MAI is anti-democratic in so far as it would be binding for 20 years, thus tying the hands of several parliaments and future governments.

They therefore call upon Parliament to reject the current framework of MAI negotiations and instruct the government to seek an entirely different agreement by which the world might achieve a rules-based global trading regime which protects workers, the environment and the ability of governments to act in the public interest.

We have many petitions to present. Thousands of Canadians have signed these petitions. They call upon Parliament to reject the MAI.

[Lynn Myers, Liberal, Waterloo—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to present a petition on behalf of a number of Canadians, including Canadians from my riding of Waterloo—Wellington.

The petitioners request Parliament to urge the federal government to join with provincial governments to make the national highway system upgrading possible.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my pleasure to present several petitions from my constituents in Nanaimo—Cowichan.

One petition deals with the multilateral agreement on investment. The petitioners are concerned that the Government of Canada has been involved in negotiating this deal behind closed doors and that the people of Canada have not been consulted on this deal.

The petitioners respectfully ask Parliament to impose a moratorium on the ratification of the MAI until there are full public hearings so that all Canadians have an opportunity to express their opinions on it.

I concur with this petition.

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

Mr. Speaker, I also have a petition from about 150 constituents, indicating that the GST—

[The Deputy Speaker]

Order. If the hon. member is going to continue to present petitions, I invite him not to indicate whether he disagrees or agrees with the petitions.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will refrain from doing that.

I also have a petition, containing about 150 names, from constituents who indicate to the House of Commons that the GST is the first federal tax in Canadian history to apply to reading materials.

The petitioners urge Parliament to remove the GST from all books, magazines and newspapers.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to present a petition, pursuant to Standing Order 36, on behalf of a number of Canadians from various Liberal and Reform constituencies throughout Canada.

The petitioners point out that the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Bloc Quebecois and the Reform Party all support the MAI. They also point out that the European Parliament has recently issued a report strongly condemning the MAI.

They want to point out a whole number of points that the previous speaker, my colleague from Winnipeg, has already indicated.

Basically they are calling upon Parliament to reject the MAI.

[John Cannis, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present four petitions signed by approximately 3,152 people, primarily constituents of Scarborough Centre and surrounding areas.

These concerned individuals call upon Parliament to enact legislation to amend the Criminal Code, specifically section 173, which deals with indecent acts, and section 174, which deals with nudity, to make it clear that a woman appearing topless in a public place is an indecent act.

I support this petition.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Once again, the hon. member for Scarborough Centre knows it is contrary to the rules and practices of the House to indicate support or opposition to a petition. I invite him to comply with the rules in that regard.

[John Cannis, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present another petition on behalf of concerned Canadians who are calling on Parliament to support the immediate initiation and conclusion by the year 2000 of an international convention which will set out a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.