Debates of Feb. 16th, 2000

Petitions

[Jean Augustine, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Madam Speaker, the second petition requests that parliament support the immediate initiation and conclusion by the end of 2000 of an international convention which will set out a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

[Jean Augustine, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Madam Speaker, the third petition calls upon parliament to support Bill C-479, the recognition of crimes against humanity act.

[Jean Augustine, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Madam Speaker, the fourth petition requests parliament to enact animal protection legislation that will enforce sanctions upon persons convicted of cruelty to animals.

[Peter Goldring, Reform, Edmonton East, AB]

Madam Speaker, I take great pride in presenting a petition put forth by over 2,000 concerned Canadians, mostly from the province of Quebec.

The petitioners ask our government to affirm that all Canadians are equal under all circumstances and without exception in the province of Quebec and throughout Canada.

They wish to remind our government only to enact legislation that affirms the equality of each and every individual under the laws of Canada.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by a number of Canadians, including those from my own riding of Mississauga South, on the subject of child poverty.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that one in five children in Canada lives in poverty, according to the Statistics Canada low income cut-off, and that on November 24, 1989 the House unanimously passed a resolution to seek to achieve the elimination of child poverty by the year 2000.

The petitioners therefore call upon parliament in this federal budget, and indeed through other initiatives, to seek to achieve the elimination of child poverty as soon as possible.

[Ted White, Reform, North Vancouver, BC]

Madam Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of Vladimir Cicha, Mavis Johnson, Fran Lewis and 240 others from North Vancouver.

The petitioners bring to the attention of the House the fact that the recent arrival of a ship bearing 123 illegal Chinese migrants to Vancouver Island has underscored how illegal immigration is one of the most serious issues facing Canada.

The petitioners call upon parliament to enact immediate changes to Canada's immigration laws governing refugees to deal with the situation.

I might add, Madam Speaker, that the government's response to these petitions so far has been less than satisfactory.

[Rick Casson, Reform, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my pleasure to table the following petition from concerned Canadians in my riding of Lethbridge.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to fulfill the promise made in 1989 by the House of Commons to end child poverty by the year 2000.

[Rick Casson, Reform, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Speaker, the second petition is also from concerned Canadians in my riding of Lethbridge.

The petitioners call attention to the fact that Paul Martin has raised federal taxes in six budgets and that in Paul Martin's six budgets the tax burden—

[The Acting Speaker (Ms. Thibeault)]

I remind the hon. member that we do not refer to members by their names in the House of Commons.

[Rick Casson, Reform, Lethbridge, AB]

In the six budgets of the Minister of Finance revenues from the GST, which the Liberals promised to kill, scrap and abolish, have grown by 30%.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon parliament to give Canadian taxpayers a break by instituting tax relief of at least 25% in the next three years, starting immediately.

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Lakeland, AB]

Madam Speaker, the first petition I would like to present concerns taxation. The petitioners, mostly from the Cold Lake area, call for the government to lower taxes because it has increased taxes 30% since it became the government, it has not honoured the promise to scrap the GST and high taxes are job killers.

The petitioners call on the government to reduce taxes by at least 25% over the next three years.

I fully support this petition.

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Lakeland, AB]

Madam Speaker, the second petition has to do with child pornography and the problem which we still have in the country with the possession of child pornography being legal in British Columbia.

The petitioners call on the government to rectify the situation immediately.

I fully support this petition as well.

[Bob Mills, Reform, Red Deer, AB]

Madam Speaker, today I rise to present two petitions signed by the people from the constituency of Red Deer.

The first petition, which is signed by 28 individuals, requests that parliament immediately enact changes to Canada's immigration laws governing refugees.

[Bob Mills, Reform, Red Deer, AB]

Madam Speaker, the second petition is signed by 325 constituents, who urge parliament to fulfill the 1989 promise of the House of Commons to end child poverty by the year 2000.

Questions On The Order Paper

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 6, 48, 51, 60, 62 and 65. .[Text]

Question No. 6—

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

With regard to RESPs, does the Minister of Finance have a plan to ensure financial planners are permitted to apply for administrative relief and, if so, what is the plan?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Registered education savings plans, RESPs have existed and have been registered with the Department of National Revenue, now the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, for several years. To date there has not been a need to establish a policy regarding administrative relief.

However, with the introduction of the new Canada education savings grant program in 1998, there has been a significant increase in RESP activity which has given rise to a few requests for administrative relief.

The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is monitoring the situation and will consult with the Department of Finance and the Department of Human Resources Development if the problem becomes significant and a policy needs to be developed.

Question No. 48—

[Charles Caccia, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

What has been the tonnage of SO2 cross-border coming from the United States into Canada for the last five years?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

This information does not currently exist. It would require complex models, which have not been attempted to date. What is known, based on 14 years of data, 1980-1994, is that while Canada has been emitting only 15% of the sulphur, it has been receiving 41% of the sulphur wet deposition. This implies a strong influx from south of the border.

Question No. 51—

[Charles Caccia, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

What has been the tonnage of SO2 deposited in Eastern Canada for the last five years?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

The estimated annual deposition of sulphate in Eastern Canada for the years 1990-1995, the most recent year for which we have data, is:

1990—4.44 million tonnes 1991—3.81 million tonnes 1992—3.90 million tonnes 1993—3.54 million tonnes 1994—3.43 million tonnes 1995—2.73 million tonnes

Question No. 60—

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

With regard to the exchange of surplus land at Mirabel Airport for two property lots belonging to the town of Mirabel, for which the federal government's approval was announced by the Minister of Transport on November 22, 1999, what are the current market values of these three pieces of land?

[Stan Dromisky, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Lot 15-1815 of the Cadastre of Mirabel, registration division of Deux-Montagnes which was transferred by the federal government to the province of Quebec in 1995, was appraised at $489,000 by an independant appraiser, Barbeau, Lavoie, Gauvreau, Vaillancourt et associés inc., hired by Transport Canada. It was valued at $304,937 by the province for the exchange with the town of Mirabel.

The two lots owned by the town of Mirabel to be exchanged for lot 15-1815 were appraised at $67,110 and $156,509 by the town of Mirabel.

Question No. 62—

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

With regard to the salary scale for directors of Human Resources Development Canada centres: ( a ) can the salary scale include performance pay; and ( b ) if so, what is the average amount of such performance pay (i) for Quebec as a whole, (ii) for the Montérégie region, and (iii) for central Quebec?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

(a) A performance bonus is a lump sum payment that is not part of the salary scale. The pay scale for Human Resources Centres of Canada, HRCC, directors is $74,300 to $87,400.

(b)(i) Human Resources Centres of Canada directors in Quebec as a whole received an average of 1.05% of their salary as a performance bonus, taxable, which was in the range of $780 to $917 gross.

(ii)(iii) Since there are so few HRCC directors in Montérégie and central Quebec, departmental privacy policy does not allow for the release of this information.

Question No. 65—