Debates of April 12th, 2000

Petitions

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have yet another petition from residents of Swift Current with respect to Bill C-23. Unfortunately it is after the fact due to the indecent haste of the government to bulldoze the bill through parliament.

The petitioners give several reasons for their opinions. The final one is that it would be an inappropriate intrusion and discriminatory for the federal government to extend benefits based on a person's private sexual activity.

Although it is too late, they have petitioned parliament to withdraw Bill C-23 and that the opposite sex definition of marriage be affirmed in legislation so that marriage is recognized as a unique institution.

[John Finlay, Liberal, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from 84 people. The petitioners call upon parliament to enact legislation to establish an independent governing body to develop, implement and enforce uniform and mandatory mammography quality assurance and quality control standards in Canada.

[Charles Hubbard, Liberal, Miramichi, NB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I would like to present a petition. The petitioners are concerned with the high incidence of breast cancer in Canada.

They call upon parliament and the Canadian nation to develop programs that would assist women who are afflicted with or may have this terrible disease.

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure today of depositing three very brief petitions with the House.

The first petition deals with section 43 amendments to the criminal code. The petitioners ask parliament to not change those particular provisions of the code and argue and put forward to the House that the best interests of children are served, not by the state but by parents.

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition says that whereas Canadians are horrified by pornography which depicts children and are astounded by legal determinations that possession of such pornography is not criminal, they petition the House to protect those children.

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to present the last petition which argues that every Canadian has the inherent constitutional right to freely decide what medical procedures are performed on his or her body, whereas many safety concerns regarding the anthrax vaccine have now come forward in the United States.

The petitioners pray and ask the House of Commons that those constitutional inherent rights will be respected.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first is on the subject of breast cancer.

The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that Canada has the second highest rate of breast cancer in the world and, among other things, Canada has no legislation for mandatory mammography quality assurance standards. They point out that one in nine Canadian women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, and also that early detection remains the only known weapon in the battle against this disease.

The petitioners, therefore, call upon Parliament to enact legislation to establish an independent governing body to develop, implement and enforce uniform and mandatory mammography quality assurance and quality control centres in Canada.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition, signed by a number of Canadians, including those in my own riding of Mississauga South, is on the subject of child poverty.

The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that one in five children in Canada live in poverty. They also note that the House of Commons on November 24, 1989 passed a resolution to seek to achieve the elimination of child poverty by the year 2000.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to use the federal budget 2000 to introduce a multi-year plan to improve the well-being Canada's children, and it appears that the government has done just that.

Questions On The Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, Question No. Q-80 will be answered today. .[Text]

Question No. 80—

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

From the year of 1993 up to and including the present day, could the government provide a detailed breakdown of the cost of the chase vehicles, including the modifications and the gas mileage, used in the transportation of the Prime Minister?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

For security reasons, details regarding the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, protective operations for the Prime Minister cannot be revealed. The RCMP is unable to provide modification costs, gas mileage and the specific number of vehicles utilized. However, the RCMP can state that the total operation package, which incorporates the yearly average fuel consumption and the maintenance program, costs approximately $17,722.50. This amount also incorporates the fuel and maintenance of the Prime Minister's limousine. Therefore, the total fuel and maintenance program for the past seven years is approximately (7 x $17,722.50) $124,057.00. The average purchase price of RCMP escort vehicles is approximately $25,000.00 and these vehicles are replaced on a rotational basis every four years.

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

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

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Motions For Papers

[Rahim Jaffer, Reform, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I wonder if the parliamentary secretary would be so kind as to tell the people of Hamilton and Wentworth area when they would be able to receive the documents pertaining to a Notice of Motion for the Production of Papers that was applied for on November 19, 1999 regarding the Red Hill Creek Expressway.

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that government staff work assiduously to provide answers to questions and documents requested by members in the House where they can be appropriately disclosed.

I would be pleased to provide a specific answer on that particular motion forthwith and hopefully the matter can be disposed of in the House shortly.

If the hon. member would like to call that item today, it could be transferred for debate.

[Rahim Jaffer, Reform, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like Motion No. P-17 to be called.

Motion No. P-17

That a humble Address be presented to Her Excellency praying that she will cause to be laid before this House copies of all documents, reports, minutes of meetings, notes, memos, correspondence and briefings since 1983 with respect to the Red Hill Creek Expressway, and since 1994 with respect to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the Red Hill Creek Expressway.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, according to the rules of the House, as a minister of the crown, I would ask that this Motion for the Production of Papers No. P-17 be transferred for debate.

[The Deputy Speaker]

The motion is transferred for debate.

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, would you be so kind as to call Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers No. P-10.

Motion No. P-10

That an Order of the House do issue for copies of all documents, reports, minutes of meetings, notes, memos, correspondence and invoices relating to Canada's second report to the United Nations on the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, insofar as the Departments of Health and Justice are concerned, the second report of the United Nations on the International Convention on the Rights of the Child is presently in draft form and is therefore not yet available in both official languages. All other documentation and correspondence, which is not exempt from production, such as internal departmental memoranda, is of a voluminous nature and would require an inordinate cost or length of time to produce. I would therefore would ask the hon. member to withdraw his motion.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, again in accordance with Rule 97(1), as a minister of the crown I would ask that this matter be transferred for debate.

[The Deputy Speaker]

The motion is transferred for debate.

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers be allowed to stand.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is that agreed?