House of Commons Hansard #23 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was offenders.
House Of Commons
The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)
I have the honour to lay upon the table the Performance Report of the House of Commons Administration for the period from April 1998 to March 1999.
Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Scarborough—Rouge River Ontario
Liberal
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary 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 three petitions.
Sophia Leung Liberal Vancouver Kingsway, BC
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 delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association on the eighth annual session of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, OSCE PA, in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 6-10, 1999.
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the associate membership of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the eighth report later this day.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-323, an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (Schedule 1).
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to ensure that contributors to employment insurance have sufficient weeks of benefits to tide them over until their next job.
This is to counteract the negative effects of employment insurance reform, which has created the so-called “spring gap”, the 5 to 15 week period not covered under the present program.
We hope that this bill will make it possible to remedy one of the major flaws in the employment insurance reform.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-324, an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (determination of insurable employment).
Mr. Speaker, this government's determination to take as much money as possible back from the unemployed has led to unacceptable behaviour when it comes to determining people's insurability.
Very small family businesses are being horribly harassed at the present time, and I trust that decisions on insurability will be transferred from Revenue Canada to Human Resources Development Canada so that they will be made in the regions and will take into account the realities of the very small family businesses currently being affected by the behaviour of Revenue Canada.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Gurmant Grewal Reform Surrey Central, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-325, an act to amend the Statutory Instruments Act (disallowance procedure for statutory instruments).
Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce my private member's bill entitled an act to amend the Statutory Instruments Act. I thank the hon. member for North Vancouver for seconding my bill.
This bill seeks to establish a statutory disallowance procedure for all statutory instruments that are subject to review and scrutiny by the Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations of which I am a co-chair.
This bill will ensure that parliament has the opportunity to disallow any statutory instrument made under the authority delegated by parliament or the cabinet. The bill would empower the Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations to take action on this. It would empower the members of the House and the Senate to democratize our right here in parliament.
I present this bill for the consideration of the House.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Gurmant Grewal Reform Surrey Central, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-326, an act respecting the territorial integrity of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to introduce my private member's bill entitled Reform's territorial protection act. I wish to thank the hon. member for Elk Island for seconding my bill.
The purpose of this enactment is to affirm Canada's sovereign indivisibility. The bill is based on the fact that there is no provision in our constitution for the withdrawal from the federation of a province or a territory.
I want to accomplish three things with the bill. First, I want to ensure that the Canadian federation may not be deprived of any part of Canada's territory except with Canada's consent through constitutional amendment; second, to ensure that no province or territory may unilaterally withdraw from the federation; and third, to declare any province or territory cannot declare its intention unilaterally to secede from the federation and form a separate state.
I present this bill for the consideration of the House.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Leon Benoit Reform Lakeland, AB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-327, an act to amend the Farm Income Protection Act (crop damage by gophers).
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce this bill regarding an issue which costs western farmers millions of dollars a year. The bill requires the federal government to compensate farmers where they have losses to crops due to harm done by such rodents as gophers because the poison which they normally use to control these pests has been removed for reasons such as environmental protection and so on. Gopher damage costs western farmers millions of dollars a year. It is a serious issue.
I look forward to having the bill drawn and for this protection to be given to farmers. They have had their tools removed from them which has caused this damage and this clearly should not have been done.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented to the House earlier this day, be concurred in.
Committees Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings
The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Committees Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings
Some hon. members
Agreed.
(Motion agreed to)
Gurmant Grewal Reform Surrey Central, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present 12 petitions with 300 names on them. These signatures are of concerned Canadians mostly from the constituency of Surrey Central. They draw the attention of the House to the discrimination they declare is caused by Canada's old age security system. The act discriminates against seniors from certain countries. Therefore, they call upon parliament to grant old age security benefits to all seniors over the age of 65 based on the needs of the seniors and not based on their country of origin.
Rose-Marie Ur Liberal Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition signed by constituents who live in the village of Wyoming. Their petition draws the attention of the House to the following recommendations: to charge young offenders who commit serious crimes, for example assault, sexual assault, aggravated assault, murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, aggravated sexual assault and crimes against seniors, in an adult court; to not allow Young Offenders Act protection to repeat offenders; the Young Offenders Act should protect one-time offenders only; to notify the victim and the public about the release of a serious crime young offender; and to change the Young Offenders Act to apply only to children between the ages of 10 and 15.
They request that parliament hear their prayer that victims of young offenders should have some of their rights as law-abiding people protected and that the abuse of the legal system by young people be stopped.
Ghislain Lebel Bloc Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition signed by 53 individuals, all rural mail delivery persons, asking the government to repeal section 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act, which prohibits organizing and collective bargaining.
The parliamentary secretary to the minister told us the other day that a legal opinion or a trial court decision had indicated that the government was perfectly justified in maintaining this section, which contained nothing illegal and did not contravene the charter.
I point out that it is a decision by a trial court and a legal opinion. However, the strangest thing in this is that the minister is making his own law, negotiating with these employees and denying them the right to negotiate.
Therefore, because the government is in a clear conflict of interest in this situation. I table this petition on the petitioners' behalf.
Gordon Earle NDP Halifax West, NS
Mr. Speaker, over 500 residents of the Espanola area have signed a petition raising concern over possible government involvement in what appears to be aircraft emitting visible aerosols. They have found high traces of aluminum and quartz in particulate and rain water samples. These concerns combined with associated respiratory ailments have led these Canadians to take action and seek clear answers from this government.
The petitioners call upon parliament to repeal any law that would permit the dispersal of military chaff or of any cloud-seeding substance whatsoever by domestic or foreign military aircraft without the informed consent of the citizens of Canada thus affected.
Reed Elley Reform Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of 200 constituents and others on Vancouver Island who are concerned about genetically modified foods. They believe that it is the right of all consumers to know what is in the food they eat. They are requesting that parliament require manufacturers and growers of genetically altered foods to label such products accordingly in a way that is obvious to the general public.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, I rise pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present a petition from the great people of the province of Nova Scotia, especially the wonderful cities of Lower Sackville, Bedford, Beaverbank, Timberlea and the surrounding communities.
They pray that parliament and parliamentarians uphold the present wording of the constitution and preserve the truth that Canada was and is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.
Ken Epp Reform Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, the outrage of the people of Canada against this inactive Liberal government continues. I have 146 more signatures on petitions that express this outrage with respect to its inaction on the issue of child pornography.
They ask that the government do whatever is necessary to reinstate immediately the criminal code provision that makes the possession of child pornography illegal.
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, Question No. 3 will be answered today. .[Text] Question No. 3—
Rick Borotsik Progressive Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Has the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food developed a plan for implementing a stand-alone, self-directed risk management program for the horticulture industry in accordance with the final report of the National Safety Net Advisory Committee dated June 15, 1998, and, if so, what is that plan?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
At their July 1998 meeting, the federal and provincial agriculture ministers agreed to examine the possibility of implementing a national self-directed risk management program as part of the process leading to a renewed safety net framework. Discussions on the long term safety net policy were continued at the July 1999 ministers' meeting in Prince Albert. It was agreed that further analysis and discussions were required to enable ministers to decide on the next five year framework agreement at their February 2000 meeting.
Current and proposed programs are currently being assessed with respect to their effectiveness and any required modifications. In this respect, a study on SDRM's effectiveness has been completed and preliminary results have been shared with horticulture producer organization representatives. This process continues with industry-wide consultations, notably with the national safety net advisory committee.
Derek Lee Liberal Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
I ask, Mr. Speaker, that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.
Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)
Is that agreed?