House of Commons Hansard #99 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was information.
Paul Steckle Liberal Huron—Bruce, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.
Pursuant to the order of reference of February 29, 2000, your committee has considered the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2001.
Colleen Beaumier Liberal Brampton West—Mississauga, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-479, an act respecting Terry Fox Day.
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of introducing an act respecting Terry Fox Day.
Almost 20 years ago, Terry Fox captured the hearts and minds of all Canadians. His persistence and passion provided an example to all Canadians of how one person can make a difference.
This bill seeks recognition of the second Sunday following Labour Day in each and every year as Terry Fox Day.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Ted McWhinney Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present a petition signed by 270 residents of British Columbia concerning Canada's foreign and defence policies on the use of armed force and aerial bombardment evidenced in the recent NATO armed action against Yugoslavia.
The petitioners express concerns regarding exercise of a claimed right of humanitarian intervention without prior legal authority conferred by a resolution of the United Nations Security Council or General Assembly.
Leon Benoit Reform Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of constituents from the Lakeland constituency.
The petitioners point out that taxes have increased each and every year for the past six years, and they are ready for some tax relief. In their petition they call for a 25% reduction in federal tax, which is something that makes sense.
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present the attached petition that has been certified correct as to form and content. It is from several hundreds of citizens who want to draw to the attention of the House the fact that Canada has the second highest incidence rate of breast cancer in the world, second only to the United States, and that Canada has no legislation for mandatory mammography quality assurance standards, et cetera.
The petitioners express great concern and want the Government of Canada to address this issue post-haste since it involves the health of its citizens.
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Mr. Speaker, my second petition, pursuant to Standing Order 36, has been certified correct as to form and content.
Several hundred residents of Canada wish to draw to the attention of the House the fact that rural route mail couriers often earn less than the minimum wage, and have working conditions reminiscent of another era. They petition the House and parliament to repeal section 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act.
Jay Hill Reform Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present today pursuant to Standing Order 36(6). The first is signed by constituents from Prince George, British Columbia. They call upon the House of Commons to give Canadians real tax relief in the form of at least a 25% tax cut over the next three years.
Jay Hill Reform Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from Prince George—Peace River. Constituents all across the riding call upon the auditor general to conduct a full and complete independent inquiry into the mismanagement of taxpayers' dollars at Human Resources Development Canada.
Jay Hill Reform Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, the last petition is signed by some 202 constituents from the province of Quebec. They call upon parliament to quickly pass legislation making it obligatory to label all genetically modified foods produced and sold in Canada.
Albina Guarnieri Liberal Mississauga East, ON
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the tireless efforts of Ms. Carolyn Dazé, I have the honour to present a petition signed by some 10,000 individuals from across Ontario concerning the current inadequate state of Canada's laws dealing with cruelty to animals. Inspired by a recent act of brutality to a dog in Bewdley, Ontario, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to enact into law significant increases in penalties for those persons convicted of cruelty to animals.
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, would you be so kind as to call Motion No. P-22 in the name of the hon. member for Lethbridge.
Motion No. P-22
That a humble Address be presented to Her Excellency praying that she will cause to be laid before the House copies of all documents, reports, minutes of meetings, notes, memos, correspondence and briefings related to the application of the Blood Indian Band to annex the town of Cardston.
Derek Lee Liberal Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has no knowledge of any existing application by the Blood tribe to annex the town of Cardston. I therefore ask the hon. member to withdraw the motion.
Rick Casson Reform Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the government's efforts in researching that project for us. Certainly, I will withdraw that motion.
Derek Lee Liberal Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all other Motions for the Production of Papers be allowed to stand.
Message From The SenateRoutine Proceedings
The Deputy Speaker
I have the honour to inform the House that a message has been received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate has passed the following bill to which the concurrence of the House is desired: Bill S-18, an act to amend the National Defence Act (non-deployment of persons under the age of eighteen years to theatres of hostilities).
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
moved that Bill C-16, an act respecting Canadian citizenship, be read the third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand today to introduce third reading of the new Citizenship of Canada Act in the House of Commons.
This legislation helps to define who we are as Canadians. It may not be as dramatic or glitzy as a beer ad, but as we enter the 21st century, it is a reflection of the values that we Canadians share. It sends a message to the world that the currency of Canadian citizenship is not dollars or showmanship but honesty and an often quiet but nonetheless deeply held commitment to equality, tolerance, freedom and the celebration of our diversity.
Bill C-16 updates and modernizes our citizenship process from the current Citizenship Act that was passed in 1977. It promotes equality for all who seek to become Canadians by treating adopted children in a similar manner to natural born children. It extends the citizenship process to common law and same sex partners of Canadians. It creates a process which is fair and fast, and requires a clear attachment to Canada.
In the past parliament, the former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, my colleague and predecessor, introduced Bill C-63, an act to replace the current Citizenship Act. Bill C-63 received extensive debate in the House as well as hearings and consultations through the standing committee. The recommendations of the standing committee on Bill C-63 were incorporated into this legislation.
The standing committee also reviewed Bill C-16 and made several recommendations to clarify and tighten the proposed process under this legislation. I thank the committee for its diligence and hard work. I would like to acknowledge the able chairmanship of the member for London North Centre.
A key element of the new citizenship act is its definition of physical presence. The current Citizenship Act includes a residency requirement of three out of four years. However over the past several decades we have seen many inconsistent rulings on what constitutes residency.
Canadians have been clear that they believe the integrity of citizenship means having an attachment to Canada. I believe that an attachment comes through familiarity with our official languages, our customs, our diverse cultures, and our communities. One must be in Canada to feel and appreciate what it really means to be Canadian.
The standing committee on the review of Bill C-63 proposed that a person should be physically present in Canada for a minimum of three out of six years in order to receive citizenship. I agree. Bill C-16 makes it clear that the three years out of six years rule for physical presence is the basic requirement for citizenship in Canada.
Bill C-16 proposes another important change to ensure consistency and equal treatment. Bill C-16 will allow Canadians who adopt children abroad to bring their children home as Canadians. The act will see that the children adopted abroad by a Canadian parent are treated in the same manner equal to children born of Canadians abroad. This will ensure that our Citizenship Act is consistent with our charter of rights and freedoms.
Bill C-16 also includes an important change in the role of commissioners. The process under our current Citizenship Act involves the use of citizenship judges who must consider each citizenship application. However, over 90% of our citizenship cases are quite straightforward. Bill C-16 proposes to use a clear, consistent process in making decisions on citizenship applications.
The role of the judge will be replaced by a commissioner who will oversee citizenship ceremonies and who will review the language and knowledge requirements for the few who cannot use standardized tests for reasons of age or disability. Most important, commissioners will go out into the community and into the schools to talk to people about what it means to be a Canadian.
Bill C-16 modernizes Canadian citizenship. It strengthens the integrity of citizenship by making the requirements clear and the process consistent. It builds on the lessons of the past by including a mechanism to remove citizenship if it is obtained by fraud. Revocation of citizenship is not new, nor has the process been changed.
Canadian citizenship is not a right. It is a privilege. It should not be extended to those who enter or acquire status in Canada by telling lies. Above all, Canada is not and will not be a safe haven for war criminals, those who have been involved in terrorism, and those who have committed crimes against humanity.
This country was built by people from all over the world who came here honestly in pursuit of new opportunities and old dreams. These people have worked to make Canada a beacon of economic hope and democratic freedom, the democratic freedom that we cherish so deeply.
We are envied around the world. We have been recognized by the United Nations for the sixth year in a row as the best country in which to live.
The act honours those immigrants and refugees who over the years have built this country, who have acquired Canadian citizenship. The act affirms the core values which we all share and it honours the enduring commitment to those who have built Canada, their commitment to this true north strong and free.
Leon Benoit Reform Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to this bill which would replace the current citizenship act with a new act. I listened to the minister and she said a lot of nice things. If the bill delivered on some of the things she said, I would support it, but in fact it does not.
I am going to point out in my presentation some of the shortfalls of the bill that make it a piece of legislation which I and the Canadian Alliance cannot support. It is very unfortunate because citizenship is a very touching issue. New Canadians feel pride in obtaining Canadian citizenship. Certainly members of parliament who have attended citizenship ceremonies share that sense of pride new citizens feel when they obtain citizenship.
As a member of parliament I feel pride in being a Canadian citizen. I was fortunate enough to have been born as a Canadian citizen and did not have to come to our country and go through the process to obtain citizenship. It is a very positive issue and it would be very difficult to place a value on it. It is just too important.
Unfortunately the bill does not deal with obtaining citizenship and retaining citizenship in a satisfactory way. I am going to talk later about one particular area which has caused some very serious problems in committee and in the House. Many witnesses pointed to the revocation of citizenship as being an extremely important issue. The government refused to support amendments to the bill and in the first place refused to put in the bill that the ultimate responsibility for revoking citizenship would go to the courts with leave to appeal to the supreme court if necessary.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would call your attention to the fact that we are short of a quorum. The hon. member is making an interesting speech, but there is no one to listen to it.
And the count having been taken: