Debates of June 12th, 2000

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 36th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the provisions of Standing Order 87(6), the 100 signature rule.

On behalf of colleagues I would like to extend the gratitude of the House to the private members' business subcommittee of the procedure and House affairs committee, chaired by the hon. member for Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, for dealing with this difficult and technical subject. The main committee has essentially adopted the subcommittee's report and reports it to the House now.

Petitions

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present signed by many constituents who would like to see parliament amend the Divorce Act to allow the grandparent of a child to have access to the particular child without having to go through very difficult and lengthy procedures.

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by several constituents from my riding.

The petitioners are calling on the government to quickly pass legislation making it mandatory to label all foods that are totally or partially genetically modified.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to present a petition pursuant to Standing Order 36. These petitioners from Kamloops point out that the federal government pays just 13.5% of health care costs, which has led to the incredible crisis in our health care system. They are worried about the fact that we now seem to be opening the door to a two tier American style health care system in the country.

They want parliament to take whatever action is necessary to stop for profit hospitals and restore federal funding for health care.

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by hundreds of people, including some from the federal riding of Repentigny.

This petition is aimed at stopping world petroleum cartels in order to bring down overly high gasoline prices. It also calls for adequate funding for research on alternative energies to ensure that, in the near future, Canadians will be free from the obligation to use petroleum as the main source of energy.

I am pleased to table this petition on behalf of the people of my riding.

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, on behalf of 2,400 people from the federal riding of Charlesbourg, a petition calling on parliament to take all the necessary measures to identify and recommend, as soon as possible, effective ways of fighting predatory gasoline prices.

I am tabling this important petition on behalf of my constituents.

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present the following petition on behalf of members of my local Royal Canadian Legion, Battlefield Branch 622. It is with regard to an issue that is being discussed at the annual conference in Halifax, that section 337 of the criminal code be amended.

It is currently an offence for an individual other than a veteran to wear a military medal, ribbon or badge, or any decoration or order that is awarded for military service. Therefore the petitioners call upon parliament to support an act to amend the Criminal Code of Canada that will allow relatives of deceased veterans to wear on the right side of their chests any military medal, ribbon or badge.

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present six petitions. The first four are with regard to one subject matter. The petitioners would like to draw the attention of the House to the fact that the present tax deduction of up to $1,000 in the 1999 federal budget offered to volunteer emergency workers on income received for their services discriminates against rural volunteer emergency workers.

There are several hundreds of names on this petition from Indian Point in the Mahone Bay area of Nova Scotia in the South Shore riding. The next petition is from the Rose Bay, Riverport and West Rose Bay areas in the South Shore riding. There is another one from the New Ross area where I happen to live. The last petition on the same matter is from New Brunswick. There are several hundred names altogether in these four petitions.

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition is with regard to geneology. Geneology is the fastest growing hobby, pastime and business in North America. It has been estimated that more than 7.5 million citizens of Canada engage in the pursuit of their family history.

The petitioners ask for the release of the 1911 census figures. I am pleased to table the petition in the House.

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the final petition deals with Bill C-23 and is from Shelburne County in Nova Scotia.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by over 200 people in my riding protesting excessive gasoline prices.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to pass a resolution aimed at blocking the world oil cartels in order to bring the exorbitant price of gasoline down. I believe that this is extremely appropriate as we approach tourist season.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this petition on behalf of a number of Canadians, including some from my riding of Mississauga South.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that one in five Canadian children live in poverty. They remind the House that on November 24, 1989, the House of Commons unanimously resolved to seek to achieve the elimination of child poverty by the year 2000.

Therefore the petitioners call upon parliament to introduce a multi-year plan to improve the well-being of Canada's children.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of the people of Quebec, and those of my riding in particular, pointing out that plutonium is a potential threat to human health, that the federal government unilaterally authorized the importation of MOX plutonium in Canada, and that it did so without public consultation on the principle of bringing this plutonium into Canada.

The petitioners consequently call upon Parliament to take all necessary steps to ensure that the public and its representatives are consulted on the principle of importing MOX plutonium. These two petitions have been signed by a total of 710 people.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to present today.

The first three petitions are on the same matter. They pertain to parental leave under the extended EI benefits commitment. Given the recent silly comments by the Prime Minister about nice girls getting pregnant, it is important for the real concerns of Canadians to be put on the record pertaining to much needed parental leave.

The petitioners call on parliament to amend the extended parental benefits to include and qualify all parents of children born or placed in the parents' care in the year 2000. This would allow their existing benefits to blend into the new extended parental benefits with no penalty to women already pregnant or to families who are adopting.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my final petition pertains to another urgent matter before parliament, and that is the future of our health care system.

The petition has been signed by hundreds of Canadians who call on the government to act immediately to restore transfer payments, to work with the provinces in a co-operative fashion and to end the erosion of our health care system as threatened by Alberta's bill 11. They call on the government to take immediate action to save public health care in Canada and stop two tier, American style health care from coming to Canada.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to table a petition signed by 107 petitioners, who are citizens of Quebec, and of the riding of Verchères—Les-Patriotes, which I have the honour of representing in this House.

The petitioners point out that the rural route mail carriers cannot negotiate a collective agreement for themselves in order to improve their pay and working conditions. Too often, these workers earn less than minimum wage. Their working conditions are of an age we thought long gone, whereas their colleagues in the private sector, who also deliver mail in the rural areas, have the right to bargain collectively as do all employees of the Canada Post Corporation.

The petitioners therefore ask parliament to repeal subsection 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act, which deprives rural route mail carriers of their right to collective bargaining.

It seems obvious to me that the government must intervene as quickly as possible to put an end to this discrimination against those delivering rural mail.

[Ghislain Fournier, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present, on behalf of my constituents in the riding of Manicouagan, a petition with over 2,500 signatures, for a total, with the petition that I tabled on Friday, June 9, of over 7,000 signatures.

These petitioners are calling on parliament to maintain the status quo, so that the federal ridings of Manicouagan and Charlevoix continue to be part of the previous administrative region of northern Quebec, so as to keep employment insurance eligibility requirements at 420 hours for 32 weeks of benefits.

[Dennis Gruending, NDP, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by approximately 200 people in Saskatoon, most of whom are from my riding.

The petition relates to early childhood education. It says that in 1993 we were promised 50,000 new child care spaces, and that has not happened. In the new children's agenda child care is barely mentioned.

The petitioners go on to ask that parliament support a national child care program that recognizes child care as the backbone of any federal early childhood development initiative.

The petition was made according to the House rules but a slight mistake was made. The petitioners put in a figure and, I was told by the clerk's office, that was not acceptable. I was instructed to ask for the unanimous consent of the House to table the petition in any event. I hope members will give me that consent.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is there unanimous consent to permit the tabling of this petition?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[An hon. member]

No.

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table in this House a petition signed by 50 people, who are asking the Canadian parliament to take all necessary action so that the public and its representatives are consulted on the import of plutonium based MOX fuel.

[Yves Rocheleau, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to present a petition signed by some 550 residents of the Mauricie region, which includes the ridings of Trois-Rivières, Champlain and Saint-Maurice. A very large number of these residents come from the riding of Saint-Maurice, which is represented by the Prime Minister.

The petitioners are asking this House to pass a resolution against world oil cartels, so as to trigger a reduction in the excessive price of crude oil.

They also ask that adequate funding be provided for research into alternative energies, so that Canadians and Quebecers can soon be freed from the requirement to use petroleum as the main source of energy.

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present another petition.

[The Deputy Speaker]

It is not usual to be allowed to rise twice to present petitions, and I think that the hon. member for Berthier—Montcalm has already had his opportunity today.

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to present another petition?