Debates of Feb. 3rd, 1999

Petitions

[Peter Goldring, Reform, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I wish today to present to the House two petitions signed by many Canadians.

The petitions call for our government to give fair and equitable recognition to Canada's merchant navy veterans of World War II. The concerns of these veterans can be summarized as four points. They are seeking war veteran status, prisoner of war benefits, recompense for years of inequality and ceremonial day recognition. I ask for everyone to listen to their call.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of a number of Canadians, including from my riding of Mississauga South.

The matter has to do with human rights. The petitioners would like to point out human rights violations continue to occur in countries around the world, particularly in areas such as Indonesia. The petitioners also point out that Canada continues to be recognized as a champion of the universal declaration of human rights.

The petitioners call on parliament to continue to condemn human rights violations around the world and to bring to justice those responsible for such violations.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce three petitions.

The first is on the abolition of the Senate. The many petitioners from all over Manitoba feel strongly that they are not after a triple-E Senate, they are after a triple-A Senate, to abolish the Senate.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is with regard to pay equity.

They ask that there be no more delay, just pay. They want the federal government to make good on its pay equity obligations.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from Winnipegers regarding the abolition of nuclear weapons and a non-proliferation treaty. They feel strongly that there is no place for nuclear weapons in today's world.

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 it gives me great pleasure to present this petition on behalf of a number of constituents from the town of Carstairs, Alberta.

They request that parliament impose a moratorium on Canadian participation in the MAI negotiations until a full public debate on the proposed treaty has taken place across the country so that all Canadians may have an opportunity to express their opinions and decide on the advisability of proceeding with the MAI.

[Susan Whelan, Liberal, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present petitions on behalf of constituents of the riding of Windsor West.

The petitioners ask that parliament define in statue that marriage can only be entered into between a single male and a single female.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition pursuant to Standing Order 36.

Residents throughout British Columbia heard rumours that the government plans to renege on its commitment to introduce legislation to ban bulk water exports from Canada.

They also point out their concern about the ability of the various trade agreements to facilitate the export of freshwater and are calling upon parliament not to proceed with any trade agreement that would facilitate this and to take action on legislation immediately.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present another petition from citizens of the Peterborough area who are concerned about the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

They point out that whereas Canada, although with the capacity to build nuclear weapons, has rejected that option and in so doing has recognized the military futility of nuclear weapons; and whereas respected international generals and admirals have declared that the dangers of proliferation, terrorism and a new arms race render the abolition of nuclear weapons necessary, they pray and request that parliament support the goal of abolition of nuclear weapons on our earth by Canada advocating the immediate de-alerting of all nuclear devices and that Canada join the nations of the New Agenda Coalition.

Questions On The Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Questions Nos. 163 and 184. .[Text]

Question No. 163—

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

In all agencies and departments of the federal government in the last three fiscal years, ( a ) how many grants, contributions and/or contracts have been given or committed to the Canadian Coalition for the rights of Children and/or its provincial subsidiaries; ( b ) what are the amounts given, by department, in order that a non-governmental organization (NGO) report on Canada's compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as part of Canada's five-year report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child might be produced; ( c ) what is the amount and purpose of any other grants, contributions or contracts given to the coalition by department(s) which contributed funding, and by type of grant; ( d ) when were the above grants, contributions or contracts given; ( e ) what other organizations were considered to receive funding to produce an NGO report on Canada's compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as part of Canada's five-year report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; ( f ) which other organizations actually received funding; ( g ) when was such funding given; ( h ) what were the amounts of the funding given, by department; ( i ) what were the criteria used to distribute funding to different interested organizations; and ( j ) what documents have been produced by the coalition and these other organizations that may have received funding?

[Eleni Bakopanos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991. It should be noted that 191 state parties have ratified the convention. Article 43 of the convention provides for the establishment of a UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to review reports of states parties which have ratified the convention. As a party to the convention and pursuant to article 44 of the convention, Canada is required to submit a report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the measures it has adopted which give effect to the rights recognized in the convention and on the progress made on the enjoyment of those rights. Canada presented its first report in 1994. The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children, the coalition, also made a presentation at that time. One of the recommendations of the UN committee was that a permanent monitoring mechanism be established to assess Canada's compliance with the convention. In its concluding observation on Canada's first report, the UN committee stated that it is “concerned that sufficient attention has not been paid to the establishment of a permanent monitoring mechanism taht will enable a system of implementation of the convention in all parts of the country”.

The coalition approached several departments to secure funding for a separate, independant and impartial report which would represent non-governmental organizations' view point with respect to Canada's cpmpliance with the convention. Both Canada's report and the coalition's report will be submitted to the UN committee in 1999.

The Coalition for the Rights of Children ensures the collective voice of over 50 non-governmental organizations in Canada concerned with the rights of children, such as the Adoption Council of Canada, UNICEF Canada, Save a Family Plan, Street Kids International, CARE Canada, Child Find Canada and Child Welfare League of Canada, is heard. The mandate of this national organization is to monitor the implementation of the convention. In order to accomplish this task, it has developed a framework to measure the status of children's rights in Canada.

This framework will enable the federal and provincial governments to assess which prgrams and policies are effective and identify the work that needs to be done to promote the development and well-being of Canadian children. The coalition has been working on this project since 1995. Several departments have made a contribution to the coalition. The Department of Justice has been co-ordinating the funding since 1997.

(a), (b), (c), and (d): The Coalition for the Rights of Children received funding in fiscal year 1995-96 and 1996-97 to develop a framework to monitor Canada's implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The funders for this initiative were: Canadian Heritage, Human Rights, $24,750 and Health Canada, Childhood and Youth, $24,750.

The purpose of the project was to devise a monitoring process by establishing research indicators and identifying sources of information. The coalition reached out to the broader community to complete this initiative. The final product was only due during the course of fiscal year 1996-97 upon receipt of additional funding to write and produce a publication.

The coalition received funding in fiscal year 1996-97 to write and produce the monitoring project report and to disseminate the findings. The funding partners were: Justice Canada, Public Law, $25,950; Canadian Heritage, Human Rights, $45,950;and Health Canada, Childhood and Youth, $8,500.

The project resulted in the publication of a 45 page document entitled: “Canada and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Developing a Monitoring Framework”.

The coalition received funding in fiscal year 1997-98 to develop Canada-wide information network, including key provincial-territorial correspondents, through conference participation and meetings. This will ensure that the monitoring of the convention is truly effective and accurate. The coalition is also in the process of conducting a review of convention articles in order to identify the issues and to determine methodology for data collection in order to commence the drafting of the report. The funding partners included: Justice Canada, Grants and Contributions Fund, $30,000; Canadian Heritage, Human Rights, $35,000; Status of Women, $30,000; Health Canada, Childhood and Youth, $40,000; Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, $8,000; Human Resources Development Canada, Office for Disabilities Issues, $20,000; and Human Resources Development Canada, Social Development Partnerships Program, $5,000.

For fiscal year 1998-99, the coalition is expected to receive the following amounts to collect and analyse data for the application of the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children developed framework to convention articles and to evaluate overall findings: Justice Canada, Grants and Contributions Fund, $62,000; Health Canada, Childhood and Youth, $45,000; Canadian Heritage, Human Rights, $40,000; Human Resources Development Canada, Office for Disabilities Issues, $25,000;and Human Resources Development Canada, Social Development Partnerships Program, $25,000.

The report is due in 1999.

(e), (f), (g), (h), (i), and (j): The Department of Canadian Heritage has funded the following projects related to the UN Convention.

In fiscal year 1994-95, the Society for Children and Youth of B.C. undertook a project entitled “UN Convention on the Rights of the Child—Promotion and Implementation”. Canadian Heritage provided a grant in the amount of $18,850. The purpose of the project was to promote the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to act as a provincial clearinghouse linking individuals and organizations interested in the convention and to explore ways of monitoring compliance to the convention to be carried out in fiscal year 1995-96. An interim report on the project has been filed.

In fiscal year 1995-96, Canadian Heritage provided a grant of $10,000 to the Society for Children and Youth of B.C. for the second part of the project. It was entitled “UN Convention on the Rights of the Child—Rights Awareness Project-Year 2”. In adition to the purpose outlined in the project for fiscal year 1994-95, the year 2 project also focuses on identifying mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the articles of the convention. A final report has been received.

In fiscal year 1997-98, the Society for Children and Youth of B.C. received a grant from Canadian Heritage in the amount of $20,000 for a project entitled “UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Measuring Compliance of Policy and Practice”. The purpose of the project was to undertake research to develop a monitoring framework to measure the compliance of policies and pratices with respect to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in British Columbia.

It should be noted that the society's model enables the development of an analytical framework and a four star rating system for assessing the compliance of legislation with the convention. These were applied to all British Columbia statutes.

The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children's monitoring framework can be compared to a wide angle lens for assessing implementation of the convention in Canada, taking into account all aspects of the convention from legal to a public opinion perspective. The Society for Children and Youth of B.C.'s statutory compliance model and the proposed policy and practice models can perhaps be described as telephoto lenses, which presents the detailed picture in the areas of legislations and regulations, policy and practice. Integrating these two vistas would provide the basis for a comprehensive picture of the level of implementation of the convention in Canada.

A search of the files of the Department of Justice for the last three fiscal years reveals that in fiscal year 1997-98 the Department of Justice provided a grant of $10,000 to the University of Montreal, Faculty of Law, to write and publish a book on the rights of the child in Quebec, viewed through the UN convention on the Rights of the Child. This book will also contain a in-depth analysis of existing legislation, doctrine and case law and proposals for reform in light of the convention. The book will fill a void in the French academic tools presently available. The book is due out in 1999.

Question No. 184—

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

How many federal income tax returns have been transferred between Revenue Canada offices for the years 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997 from; ( a ) Jonquière to Shawinigan; ( b ) Shawinigan to Jonquière; ( c ) Sudbury to Shawinigan; and ( d ) Shawinigan to Sudbury?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

There were no income tax returns transferred between Department of National Revenue tax centres during the years noted above. The realignment of transfer of processing workloads from one Revenue Canada tax centre to another only started in 1998. In early 1998 data processing workloads of some corporate income tax returns were transferred from one centre to another. Starting in early 1999 data processing workloads of individual income tax returns will be transferred from one centre to another, including the centres listed above.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

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

[The Deputy Speaker]

The questions enumerated by the parliamentary secretary have been answered. Is it agreed that the remaining questions stand?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Motions For Papers

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

Mr. Speaker, would you to be so kind as to call Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers No. P-34 in the name of the hon. member for Wetaskiwin and No. P-65 in the name of the hon. member for Madawaska—Restigouche.

Motion P-34

That a Humble Address be presented to His Excellency praying that he will cause to be laid before this House copies of the three testimonial letters required for the nomination of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as a Companion of the Order of Canada.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is it the pleasure of the House that Notice of Motion for the Production of Papers No. P-34 be deemed to have been adopted?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(Motion agreed to)

Motion P-65

That a humble address be presented to His Excellency praying that he will cause to be laid before this House a copy of all correspondence or documents exchanged between the federal government and the province of New Brunswick on the appointment of a second judge to the Court of Queen's Bench in the Restigouche region of New Brunswick.

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that this Motion for the Production of Papers be transferred for debate pursuant to Standing Order 97(1).

[The Deputy Speaker]

The motion is transferred for debate pursuant to Standing Order 97(1).

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Notice of Motion for the Production of Papers No. P-48 in the name of the hon. member for Lakeland is acceptable to the government, except for those documents which cannot be released pursuant to the Access to Information Act, and the papers are tabled immediately.

Motion P-48

That an Order of the House do issue for copies of all documents, reports, minutes of meetings, notes, memos and correspondence regarding all aspects of the government's ban of the 2% and 5% solutions of strychnine.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is it the pleasure of the House that Notice of Motion No. P-48 in the name of the hon. member for Lakeland be deemed to have been adopted subject to the qualifications expressed by the parliamentary secretary?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(Motion agreed to)