House of Commons Hansard #26 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was judiciary.
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the understanding is that the commitment stands. Last August I was there. We put a 25 year agreement into effect with respect to the property. We indicated that we would have expanded military use of the property, and we will.
We are going into negotiations, substantially adding to the economic value of what we invested in the Saint-Jean area.
Bob Wood Liberal Nipissing, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have witnessed the increase in the activities of biker gangs across the country on a daily basis. They hear police calling for better tools to fight this problem.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General tell the House what the government plans to do to make Canadians feel safer?
Lynn Myers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, in 1997 we brought forward anti-gang legislation that has proved quite effective over the last little while, but we can do better and we are. As we said in the throne speech, we will bring in anti-gang legislation that is tougher. We will also ensure that justice officials are not intimidated. We will also provide the tools necessary to do an effective job.
Instead of the noise opposite and the brouhahas that they create, we are operating in the best interests of all Canadians.
Chuck Strahl Canadian Alliance Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Fraser Valley the popular recreational area known as Island 22 is threatened by an accumulation of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of gravel, gravel that has significantly raised the level of the Fraser River bed.
The gravel must be excavated before March 15. Assurances are needed that permission will be given by the federal departments to remove the gravel before the fishery starts.
Can the minister give assurances that this gravel will be allowed to be excavated and the city of Chilliwack and Island 22 protected from the spring floods?
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member did not state which minister, but I will certainly note it and get back to the hon. member.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, we should be celebrating International Women's Day, which passed a few days ago, but an alarming new study published today shows that female drug users are twice as likely to be infected with HIV-AIDS as men. This is the first time this has happened in the developed world. More alarming, they are two and a half times less likely to be accessing effective drug cocktails.
I ask the Deputy Prime Minister, after all the studies, all the research and all the money, why is it that women are still dying from AIDS and HIV in Vancouver and that resources have not been applied? Why is this still happening?
Yvon Charbonneau LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that the health of women, like the health of all Canadians, is a priority for this government.
We will take every measure to ensure that the problems mentioned by the member are studied and that appropriate responses are soon found.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade tells us that, when it comes to lumber, free trade is the only solution, and we fully agree.
There are no subsidies in Quebec. Therefore, there should not be any quotas. The minister also tells us that we must prepare for the transition to free trade.
My question is very simple. Given that the agreement ends on March 31, could the minister tell us if, on April 1, free trade will be in effect and nothing else, not even some April Fool's joke in the form of quotas?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, earlier the Bloc Quebecois asked us to move toward free trade, but to also preserve trade peace.
We cannot guarantee trade peace outside the negotiation process that the Bloc Quebecois is urging us not to have and that we do not have.
The agreement ends on March 31. Therefore, on April 1, NAFTA's trade rules will apply in the same way that they do in other areas. This means that the Americans may resort to some national laws and certain panels, and our industry must prepare for that possibility.
Presence In GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Ian Waddell, British Columbia Minister of the Environment, Lands and Parks and Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Relations and a former member of this House.
Presence In GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I would also draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Tony Whitford, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide a clarification of something I said in answer to a question in today's question period.
Mr. Ressam was arrested and detained on August 24, 1995, for deportation proceedings. Travel documents were not available for his removal. As a result, he was, as I have said, conditionally released from detention and was required to report monthly to CIC officials. However, in March 1997 a temporary stay of removal was imposed for deportation to Algeria.
Chuck Strahl Canadian Alliance Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Deputy Prime Minister would table the document from which he was reading. In addition, would he consider tabling other departmental information about this case, such as the exact details of who knew what and when?
Herb Gray Liberal Windsor West, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is not the practice to table briefing notes. I will take his other suggestion under advisement.
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments recently made by the government.
Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1) these are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of which is attached.
John Reynolds Canadian Alliance West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-293, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (constituency allowances).
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to introduce my private member's bill entitled an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (constituency allowances). The bill is meant to acknowledge my riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast as a schedule 3 riding.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
John Reynolds Canadian Alliance West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-294, an act to amend the Criminal Code (wearing of war decorations).
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to reintroduce my private member's bill, an act to amend the Criminal Code of Canada (wearing of war decorations). The bill would allow a family member or relative of a deceased veteran to wear any decoration or medal awarded to such veteran without facing criminal sanctions. The decoration would be worn on the right side of the chest and only on Remembrance Day.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Roy H. Bailey Canadian Alliance Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first petition has been before the House several times. It asks that private sector workers who deliver mail in rural areas have collective bargaining rights, as do public sector workers who deliver mail for Canada Post in rural areas.
This is not a new petition and I humbly submit it at this time.
Roy H. Bailey Canadian Alliance Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Mr. Speaker, I also have a huge petition from my constituents. It deals with a problem the farmers and ranchers are having on the prairies. They cannot purchase sufficient poison to get rid of the Richardson's ground squirrel which has cost them thousands and thousands of dollars in crops and machinery.
Because they cannot purchase poisons to kill the squirrels, the petitioners ask parliament to amend the present regulations so as to permit the sale of concentrated liquid strychnine to registered farmers until such time as an effective alternative can be found.
Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, I received in my riding office in Berthierville a petition from Claire Beaulieu, the director general of the Lanaudière branch of the Fédération de l'âge d'or du Québec. The petition is signed by more than 1,100 members from 23 seniors' clubs in the riding of Berthier—Montcalm.
The petitioners are calling on the government to move quickly to pass anti-gang legislation so that our streets and public places will again be safe.
I must tell the House immediately that this petition is not in the usual form. It is, however, very well written and very well prepared, and that is why I am seeking the unanimous consent of the House to present it.
I am sure that many other members from Quebec will be receiving such petitions, which are being circulated throughout Quebec.
PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker
Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to present the petition?