Debates of Feb. 3rd, 1999

Employment Insurance

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Roberval is defending fraud and abuse relating to the program.

Let me make it clear that, whether we are dealing with a specific region or the country as a whole, we are responsible for the public funds entrusted to us by Canadians and we will continue to make sure that we recover the funds that were either overpaid or should not have been paid.

Devco

[Michelle Dockrill, NDP, Bras D'Or, NS]

Mr. Speaker, no wonder the government's compensation package for Devco miners is so meagre. Devco recently bought new mining equipment, including $11 million worth of jacks, for a mine about to be sold.

As we all know, when there is a suspicious death we hold an autopsy. Cape Bretoners are suspicious as to what has happened. Will the Liberal government agree today to a forensic audit of Devco to confirm Devco's financial status?

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, the measures that the hon. member from Bras d'Or is speaking about are not meagre at all; $111 million for workforce adjustment is quite substantial.

It is no secret to the hon. member, nor is it any secret to members of the House, that Devco has been under certain strains of late. The management has been dealing with them as effectively as it can. We have now arrived at a solution.

We are in a situation where we are trying to put forward solutions. I would ask the hon. member from Bras d'Or to participate, for the sake of her constituents, in solutions and not just problems.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, it has come to our attention that our troops that were dispatched to the gulf over a year ago were inoculated with an outdated anthrax vaccine. According to experts, this outdated vaccine was not even fit for animals. It had been expired for a number of years.

Canadians want to know how this happened, who gave the order, what the Minister of National Defence is prepared to do for these troops, and who will look after their health in the future.

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in answer to the other question from the other side, we will only give vaccinations when they are safe and effective. They are all fully tested. It is our medical people, the doctors, who determine that it is safe to give them when they are given.

Points Of Order

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, at the end of the day, during Private Members' Business, my private member's bill was debated and our internal rules prevented me from seeking unanimous consent to make this bill votable.

I therefore hasten to seek this unanimous consent now.

[The Speaker]

Is leave granted for the hon. member to make such a request?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

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 20 petitions.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Reg Alcock, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Canada-China Legislative Association.

I would like to thank all members of the association. It is the very first time Canada has had a formal legislative association with China. I thank the Chinese ambassador, Mei Ping, and our ambassador, Mr. Howard Ballach, in Beijing. I particular want to thank the Prime Minister and the minister of trade for allowing me the honour of doing this job.

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 53rd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the associate membership of some standing committees.

If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 53rd report later this day.

Criminal Code

[John Reynolds, Reform, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-467, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Young Offenders Act and the Transfer of Offenders Act (death penalty).

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this enactment is to impose the death sentence in all cases of aggravated first degree murder committed by a person 18 years of age or over at the time of the commission of the murder. Aggravated first degree murder is first degree murder committed in a heinous manner that defies human dignity.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, ifthe House gives its consent I would move that the 53rd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented to the House earlier this day, be concurred in.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Does the hon. parliamentary secretary have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[An hon. member]

No.

Petitions

[Daniel Turp, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of several of my constituents, including the mayor of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and municipal councillors, and in the presence of two petitioners, Gordon Davis and Gilles Bourbonnais, I have the pleasure to present a petition asking Parliament to lift the suspensions preventing Via Rail trains Nos. 32 and 33 from stopping at the Les Côteaux station. These suspensions deprive the public of an important rail service and discriminate against them in relation to residents of Ontario cities served by the same trains.

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing order 36, I have the honour to present the following petitions signed by 50 concerned seniors. The petitioners note that currently there is no street letter box to cover almost 80 seniors living in two seniors buildings in my riding. Therefore the petitioners pray and request that parliament request Canada Post to consider installing a street letter box in front of the seniors residences at 7340 and 7350 Goreway Drive.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition gathered by a group called Canadians Concerned About Ethnic Violence in Indonesia. They note that human rights abuses are rampant in Indonesia, that last May in three days of looting and riots more than 1,300 people were killed and hundreds of ethnic Chinese women were raped along with various other atrocities. They note that although most of the ethnic Chinese have been living in Indonesia for several generations they have faced constant discrimination in all aspects of their lives. They note that Canada is a leader in human rights implementation and that it should show leadership on this issue.

Therefore they call on parliament to appeal to President Habibie of Indonesia to protect the human rights of ethnic Chinese and to bring to justice those who masterminded and participated in these very serious racial riots.

[Paul Bonwick, Liberal, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to rise, pursuant to Standing Order 36, to table a petition signed by the constituents of Simcoe—Grey and concerned Canadians from across this great country. These individuals are all automotive technicians employed by car dealerships. As a condition of their employment they are required to purchase and maintain several thousand dollars worth of automotive tools.

At the present time their professional tool investments and expenditures are non-tax deductible. Unlike other professions which require similar expenditures, they do not generate any tax credits.

Therefore the petitioners request that parliament redress this taxation policy, amending the applicable legislation to allow current and future technicians to deduct their investment in their automotive tools.

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present a number of petitions to the House today.

Nearly 200 petitioners appeal to this House to protect the institution of marriage by enacting legislation defining marriage as the voluntary union of a single male and a single female.

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I also present petitions from 150 concerned citizens who request that parliament repeal Bill C-68 and redirect funds allotted for the gun registry toward more cost effective crime fighting initiatives such as increased police presence, crime prevention programs and more suicide prevention and women's crisis centres.

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in addition I present today the concerns of a number of my Crowfoot constituents who petition parliament to reduce all taxation by at least 20% and abolish the GST.

[Carmen Provenzano, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I rise to present a petition signed by over 250 people in my riding of Sault Ste. Marie.

The petitioners ask parliament to respect and adhere to their views that only the union of a single male and a single female constitutes marriage.

To this end the petitioners request that parliament enact Bill C-225, an act to amend the Marriage and Prohibitive Degrees Act and the Interpretation Act.