House of Commons Hansard #229 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was records.

Topics

AgricultureOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Prince Edward—Hastings Ontario

Liberal

Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has his numbers wrong.

We treated Nova Scotia exactly the same way as we have treated other provinces. We are giving Nova Scotia credit for provincial programs that it has had and has already carried out in 1998 and will in 1999. We estimate and Nova Scotia estimates it will be in the area of $3.5 million. It is also estimated that on top of that, there could be a further $3 million, $3.5 million or $4 million going to farmers in the province of Nova Scotia when their applications come in. In Nova Scotia as in every other province, the numbers being used are estimates of the total call on the AIDA program.

Women EntrepreneursOral Question Period

May 14th, 1999 / 11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Nancy Karetak-Lindell Liberal Nunavut, NU

Mr. Speaker, small businesses led by women are increasing in importance in the Canadian economy, however, they still face barriers to accessing international markets.

Can the Secretary of State for the Status of Women tell the House how the government is helping women in business access global markets and create more opportunities for all Canadians?

Women EntrepreneursOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Vancouver Centre B.C.

Liberal

Hedy Fry LiberalSecretary of State (Multiculturalism)(Status of Women)

Mr. Speaker, women who have businesses created more jobs last year than the top 100 companies in Canada. Women are becoming assets to Canada's global competitiveness. Last year Canada led in encouraging the first ever APEC women's ministerial meeting. Next week in Toronto the first ever U.S.-Canada trade summit will be held. Policy issues with regard to this problem will be discussed.

I want to congratulate the Minister for International Trade for his outreach, his research and his initiatives in trade missions to assist women to achieve this agenda.

National DefenceOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Reform

Jay Hill Reform Prince George—Peace River, BC

Mr. Speaker, while the Department of National Defence is forced to beg, borrow or steal a boat to get our troops to Kosovo, the government is spending $1.7 million to put huge Canada signs on government buildings.

Access to information documents reveal the federal government's self-promotion campaign to place giant illuminated signs on buildings showing the government's impact on the community, as if high taxes and high unemployment are not enough.

Why can this government not get its priorities straight? Is plastering buildings with giant signs not the wrong way to go? Why not give overtaxed Canadians the tax relief they deserve?

National DefenceOral Question Period

Noon

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we are giving Canadians tax relief in this budget. We gave them tax relief in the last budget. We are going to continue to give them tax relief.

At the same time, we are responding to the desire of Canadians to have the name of their country proudly displayed. Why does the Reform Party oppose such an obvious step to promote our country?

Jacques DuchesneauOral Question Period

Noon

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, former Montreal chief of police Jacques Duchesneau said that the federal government was backing his bid to head up Interpol. The solicitor general, the RCMP and Interpol Canada would provide assistance and the government would pay for his travel.

Can the government tell us under what specific program it is covering the cost of Mr. Duchesneau's travel, and exactly how much money is involved?

Jacques DuchesneauOral Question Period

Noon

Brossard—La Prairie Québec

Liberal

Jacques Saada LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Solicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, this is such an off the wall allegation that I have no idea what to say. If the member would agree, I will wait till the next sitting of the House to give him an answer.

Fisheries And OceansOral Question Period

Noon

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Mr. Speaker, I wish to remind the House that the first mandate of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is to protect fish, fish stocks and fish habitat.

Why did the DFO and the FRCC not intervene on behalf of over 2,000 lobster fishermen in Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton to stop the exploratory licence for seismic oil and gas drilling in the heart of lobster spawning grounds between those two areas? Why did the DFO not do that?

Fisheries And OceansOral Question Period

Noon

Malpeque P.E.I.

Liberal

Wayne Easter LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that the member for Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore shares our interest in protecting fish habitat.

The fact is that the part of the sea in question will be subject to an environmental assessment under the direction of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board. DFO was on the fisheries advisory committee and will be assessing it.

The member also should be informed that the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board Fisheries Advisory Committee has requested a six month delay. That time should be used to good advantage by fishermen, DFO and others to ensure that the habitat is protected.

Sierra LeoneRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Winnipeg South Centre Manitoba

Liberal

Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to table, in both official languages, a report which presents the results of a fact-finding mission taken by the Special Envoy to Sierra Leone, the hon. member for Nepean—Carleton.

I commend his initiative and commitment in putting this report together and hope that all members will avail themselves of its important findings.

Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Peterborough Ontario

Liberal

Peter Adams 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 response to four petitions.

Committees Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Liberal

Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan—King—Aurora, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 18th report of the Standing Committee on Finance. Pursuant to its order of reference of Tuesday, April 13, 1999, your committee has considered Bill C-67, an act to amend the Bank Act, the Winding-up and Restructuring Act and other acts relating to financial institutions and to make consequential amendments to other acts.

Your committee tables its report with amendments.

Committees Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Rey D. Pagtakhan Liberal Winnipeg North—St. Paul, MB

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, pursuant to the order of reference of March 1, 1999, on Bill C-63, an act respecting Canadian citizenship.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members, research staff and clerk of the committee as well as the interpreters, the witnesses and others who assisted the committee in its study of Bill C-63.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan—King—Aurora, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present a petition requesting that parliament amend the Divorce Act to include a provision, as supported by Bill C-340, regarding the right of spouses, parents and grandparents to have access to or custody of children.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Mac Harb Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, I too have a petition signed by many constituents on behalf of grandparents who want parliament to ask the government to amend the Divorce Act so that it will allow grandparents to have access to their grandchildren without having to go to court.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from citizens of Peterborough and the surrounding area who are concerned about drinking and driving. They point out that an average of 4.5 Canadians are killed and 125 Canadians are seriously injured every day as a result of alcohol related accidents.

The petitioners pray that parliament immediately amend the Criminal Code to streamline the judicial process and to provide sanctions which better reflect the seriousness of the crime by introducing amendments that provide for tiered penalties for driving with a blood alcohol count above .08% and by introducing mandatory assessment and needed treatment for offenders who are sentenced for impaired driving.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present another petition from citizens who are concerned about drinking and driving. The petitioners point out that 62% of fatally injured drinking drivers in Canada have a blood alcohol concentration that is over double the legal limit.

These petitioners pray that parliament immediately amend the Criminal Code to add mobile digital breath test units to the list of approved instruments under the Criminal Code and that police be authorized to use passive alcohol sensors in impaired driving enforcement.

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Peterborough Ontario

Liberal

Peter Adams LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

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

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker

Is that agreed?

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-69, an act to amend the Criminal Records Act and to amend another act in consequence, be read the third time and passed.

Criminal Records ActGovernment Orders

12:05 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker

When the House broke for question period the hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough had 11 minutes remaining in his allotted time.

Criminal Records ActGovernment Orders

12:05 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying before the question period break, what is needed in all cases involving justice where there is a balance to be reached between the individual and the right of society to be protected, a very delicate balance must be reached.

When it comes to the protection of children, who are least able to protect themselves, I would suggest that in most, if not all cases, we must tip that balance in favour of doing all that is possible to protect children.

I mentioned earlier the case that arose in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens. We are also aware from news reports of the case of Graham James who was the former head coach of the Swift Current Broncos. It was a much publicized case involving the position of trust that a coach would hold and his ability to act in a predatory way toward vulnerable young men, in this instance hockey players. We know as well that there are numerous instances when this occurs and a position of trust is abused.

This reinforces the importance of Bill C-69 and the ability of agencies, coaches, teachers, volunteers, counsellors and individuals involved in the delivery of services to children to access information that would disclose this type of background. One would be quick to acknowledge that it is a very sick and twisted background.

Does Bill C-69 go far enough? The names of convicted sex offenders in this case belong to the solicitor general and his records. The solicitor general would have the discretion as to whether that name and the record itself would be disclosed. The RCMP, due to recent amendments to this bill, do not have that discretion and I believe that is a good thing because there is an opportunity in some instances for individual police officers to be placed in a very uncomfortable position about whether they should in fact release this information. They need the support of their department, and in this case we are talking about the solicitor general's department.

Victims of crime, individuals who have been directly affected, including their families, are those who would be most in favour of this bill.

The police of course were very supportive of the efforts that were made by the hon. member for Calgary Centre. They spoke very favourably of his efforts and were very receptive to the government's position that it took in incorporating those suggestions into the bill which is before the House.

With respect to citizens in communities, I have seen instances where citizens have taken steps of their own. They have posted notices around the neighbourhood when they were aware of an individual who had been engaged in this despicable exploitation of children and yet the agencies were not able to make public that person's past.

We hope that this bill will, in some way, remedy that situation in terms of disclosure, public knowledge and, ultimately, protection. Knowledge will protect people affected by sex offenders living in their community.

One concern that a person might have is about the bureaucracy that often surrounds the implementation of an exercise such as this. The solicitor general could gain possession of records only through a written request to the prison commissioner if the subject of the records had already given written consent.

For police investigating a sex crime, the same type of rule would apply. They would have to rely on the commissioner to make a notation; in other words, to flag a certain record that would allow the police to then access the information. Yet a police force or other authorized body may also request the commissioner to provide the minister with any record of the conviction of that applicant and the commissioner may then transmit the record to the minister.

With more work now being placed in the hands of the already overworked and underfunded police forces around the country there is some concern as to how they will handle this additional workload.

We have seen similar government bills, such as the youth criminal justice act, where greater responsibility and emphasis will be placed on the police in the exercise of their front line authority, but there will be no additional resources. This is something about which we have to be sensitive. Hopefully the government will also be sensitive to it when it is looking at next year's budgets and the money that will be allotted to the police.

It is not enough to give them the tools, legislative initiatives, changes to the Criminal Code and changes to the Criminal Records Act without giving them the accompanying funding that will allow them to use effectively these law enforcement tools.

Others who might request the information that is covered by Bill C-69 would be members of organizations, possibly for the well-being of children. Examples might include a parent who would like to find out about a child's hockey coach, a teacher or a kindergarten supervisor. Associations like the Pictou County Minor Hockey Association, the Antigonish Minor Hockey Association, Big Brothers or Big Sisters would be able to access information about employees or volunteers who were in or were attempting to enter those organizations. This is relevant, prevalent information that should be in their hands.

There has been discussion about the rights of the sex offenders themselves. I will be the first to acknowledge that there has to be some degree of respect for any person who has very damaging information such as this on their record, particularly when it is extremely dated.

Once again we are into the argument of balance. I would suggest that any indication this information would be withheld or kept completely private would certainly be outweighed by the need to protect the public and the need to protect children in this instance.

I support the bill fully. I know the bill hinges upon passage quickly through this place. This is a process with which you are intimately familiar, Mr. Speaker. It often takes a long time. Bills coming through the justice department and the solicitor general's departments are coming in some instances in a very slow and grinding fashion. We saw that particularly with the youth criminal justice act. However, with the unanimous support we have seen for the bill and the importance that has been place upon it, there is hope of its speedy passage through the House.

The protection of the community has to be given the highest order when it comes to bills of this nature. There is ample support not only in this place but around the country for having the bill firmly ensconced in our Criminal Code and in our criminal justice act.

It is with pride that I lend support to the government's initiative. Again much of the impetus and credit for the bill is to be bestowed upon the member for Calgary Centre. He worked very diligently in bringing the matter forward to this point. He was very active in the justice committee in having it brought to fruition and is to be commended for it.

Bill C-69 will certainly lead to a more stringent offender registry. I have serious concerns, and the Progressive Conservative Party repeatedly expresses its concerns, about the already overburdened Canadian Police Information Centre and the computer system that houses the information such as the DNA databank, the criminal registry, the DNA registry and the ill-founded gun registry that is set up to fail. All these current computer information systems are embodied in one system that is extremely strapped at this time.

The minister has announced a $150 million addition in funding for the computer system, but conservative estimates from the police indicate that it is simply insufficient. It is not half of what is actually needed to make the system operate efficiently.

Bill C-69 will receive the support of the Progressive Conservative Party. It is the hope of our party that those who prey upon children and have been caught and those whose names have been recorded in our criminal justice system will not now be able to point to a pardon as a means to protect themselves from having that information disclosed to those who need it most. Sadly, we will never be in a position to ensure that children are not vulnerable in certain instances, but the bill goes some distance to achieving that very laudable goal.

I commend all those involved in the production of the bill, those involved in the drafting, and particularly those who testified and had great input into the bill reaching this point. The PC Party will be supporting the bill. We look forward to its passage and seeing it become a legislative initiative.

Criminal Records ActGovernment Orders

12:15 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker

Is the House ready for the question?

Criminal Records ActGovernment Orders

12:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Question.

Criminal Records ActGovernment Orders

12:15 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?