Debates of June 6th, 2001

Petitions

[Jim Gouk, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from rural mail couriers. The petitioners point out that subsection 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act was put into place to deal with conditions that have long since ceased to exist.

They therefore call upon the Government of Canada to abolish subsection 13(5) because it is very discriminatory against its employees.

[Jim Gouk, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the final petition is from a number of citizens in different parts of the country and is in addition to many petitions that have already been presented.

The petitioners call upon government to implement a national strategy for end of life care in accordance with that put forward by the Carstairs report in the Senate of Canada.

[Karen Kraft Sloan, Liberal, York North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition which calls upon parliament to enact an immediate moratorium on the cosmetic use of chemical pesticides until such time as their use has been scientifically proven to be safe and the long term consequences of their application are known.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House eight petitions signed by hundreds of people who want to express their concern with regard to free trade.

The petitioners are opposed to the Free Trade Area of the Americas and are calling upon the government to make the text of the agreement public. They are concerned about the negative impact the FTAA will have on the environment, children and all the people of the Americas.

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton—Springdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting a petition that brings to the attention of the House of Commons that Ashton Potter, contracted by Canada Post to produce postage stamps, will be moving its printing facility from Mississauga, Ontario, to facilities in the United States. As a result, several Canadians will lose their jobs, and Canadians will be forced to buy Canadian postage stamps manufactured in the United States.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon parliament to require Canada Post to have its postage stamps printed in Canada, and to terminate its contract with Ashton Potter if it does not continue printing Canadian stamps in Mississauga.

[Peter Goldring, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Centre-East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to put forth a petition by 500 persons, most of whom are from Edmonton. The petitioners are appealing to the Canadian government to strongly urge the Chinese government to discontinue the persecution of the Falun Dafa practitioners, and through open dialogue to reach a peaceful resolution to their differences.

[The Speaker]

I should advise the House that there are only four minutes left in the fifteen minutes allowed for petitions. I know that the hon. member for Peterborough will want to move with dispatch.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am most grateful to you for giving me the time to compose my thoughts.

I rise to present three more petitions signed by thousands of people in the Peterborough area who want VIA Rail commuter service between Peterborough and Toronto restored.

The petitioners point to the environmental advantages, to the reduction in greenhouse emissions, to the reduction in accidents and to the wear and tear on the highways. They point to the advantages in terms of business, educational opportunities and tourist opportunities in Peterborough.

The petition has already resulted in constructive meetings between the Minister of Transport, representatives of the Peterborough riding and representatives of the—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member's thoughts may have been composed but not with a view to brevity. I remind him that other hon. members also wish to present petitions. I had hoped that being near the end he might be quicker so we could get the others in. I know he will want to co-operate with the Chair in every respect.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, not only is it difficult for me see you from here, I have difficulty hearing you as well.

These petitioners call upon parliament to re-establish VIA Rail service between Peterborough and Toronto.

[Carol Skelton, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from people from the rural municipality of Etonia in Saskatchewan who wish to have the liquid strychnine for the control of Richardson's ground squirrel made available to agricultural producers.

[Claude Drouin, Liberal, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, I am pleased to present a petition regarding rural route mail couriers in the riding of Beauce.

Questions On The Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 39, 41 and 51. .[Text]

Question No. 39—

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

With regard to the Strategis website: ( a ) does the government track visitors to this website; ( b ) if so, what data does the government compile on each visitor; and ( c ) does the site disclose that it is tracking and compiling personal information on visitors?

[John Cannis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Industry Canada: Strategis is a website intended to provide business and consumer information. It is assumed to be the most popular website of Industry Canada. Its users are primarily Canadians who consult the site to obtain information or transact business with the department.

Parts ( a ) and ( b ): Strategis uses web server log file analysis software to record the Internet protocol, IP, address of computers that have contacted the website: Strategis makes no attempt to associate particular IP addresses used in contacting the website to individuals. Strategis also occasionally uses a technology known as “cookies” to identify that a particular computer has returned to access the Strategis website more than once. Finally, Strategis occasionally invites users to provide views and opinions in the form of voluntary surveys. In no circumstance is any attempt made to link information obtained by these technologies to specific individuals.

However, from time to time, personal information such as name, phone number, e-mail or conventional address is required in order to respond to a particular client's question or to register in a secure area of Strategis where transactions are conducted. This information is supplied by the client on a voluntary basis or may be required by law. This information is retained as appropriate to circumstances.

Part ( c ): Strategis includes standard statements as required by the Privacy Act. These statements clearly describe the nature and extent of personal information being collected and ensure the rights of the individual are set forth. A web Privacy Statement summarizing the privacy and policy practices of the Strategis site is also available on every page of Strategis.

Question No. 41—

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

With regard to the causes of mortality of mature wild Atlantic salmon in the Atlantic Ocean: ( a ) what programs does the government have in place to research these causes; ( b ) what is the budget for these types of programs; and ( c ) are these programs partnered in research and resource funding with other countries who are members of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

With regard to the causes of mortality of mature wild Atlantic salmon in the Atlantic Ocean:

(a) Canada does not have programs in place currently to research these causes. Expenditures on Atlantic salmon assessment have concentrated on monitoring of returns to freshwater and on production from freshwater. Canada did however host an international meeting of scientists last June in Halifax to outline the research program that should be undertaken to research the causes of marine mortality. Some of the potential factors affecting marine mortality are reduced smolt quality, freshwater effects; adverse estuarine conditions; increased predation in the marine environment; and changes in ocean migration patterns. A number of these factors may be linked to changes in climate and/or oceanographic conditions. A research program to address these items will be long term and expensive and it will be supported as funds permit.

(b) There are no funds available to support research into this issue at the present time.

(c) The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, NASCO, has agreed to develop ideas for a five year, internationally co-ordinated research program to identify and explain the causes of increased salmon mortality at sea and to develop measures to counteract the problem. Canada has already played a role in this initiative by working with other countries in the sharing and dissemination of scientific information, and it will be further discussed with the other NASCO parties in June 2001 at NASCO's annual meeting.

Question No. 51—

[Maurice Vellacott, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

For each trip abroad by the president and CEO of the Canada Post Corporation between 1991 and the present: ( a ) what was the destination; ( b ) what was the itinerary; ( c ) what was the reason for the trip; ( d ) what was the total cost of the trip; and ( e ) what was the number of the accompanying persons?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Canada Post has operated without government funding since 1989 and all its expenses are self-funded.

The president of Canada Post and corporate executives travel abroad on occasion to represent the corporation at various events, such as international postal conferences, meetings of the international postal union or meetings with customers. All such travel is paid for by the corporation and the details are considered privileged and commercially sensitive and cannot be specified.

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

I ask, Mr. Speaker, that all other questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Motions For Papers

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

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

[The Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House in committee of the whole will now proceed to the consideration of Bill C-28, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act, the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act and the Salaries Act, Mr. Kilger in the chair.