Debates of Oct. 21st, 2002

Criminal Code

[Keith Martin, Canadian Alliance, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-233, an act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of child before birth).

Mr. Speaker, fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects are the leading causes of preventable brain damage among infants and children. On average, people who have FAS or FAE have an IQ of between 68 and 70. They also have physical disabilities. The effects can be devastating. Shunned in school, unable to function, many of them veer off into a life of crime or conduct disorders. In fact it is estimated that half of all people incarcerated today have FAS or FAE.

The bill is controversial. It gives medical practitioners the ability to put a woman who has refused all forms of treatment in a treatment facility against her wishes if no other option is available. Hopefully the bill will enable us to decrease the incidence of FAS or FAE and give children a chance in this world.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Internet Child Pornography Prevention Act

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-234, an act to prevent the use of the Internet to distribute pornographic material involving children.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my seconder, the member for Palliser, as well as my other colleagues from Acadie—Bathurst, Churchill and Winnipeg Centre.

This bill was introduced in 1998 by the hon. Chris Axworthy, who is now the Attorney General of Saskatchewan. It is imperative that we as parliamentarians put in the strictest laws possible to protect unsuspecting children from pedophiles and other people who would do harm to children via the Internet.

We have waited far too long for the government to enact decent legislation in order to protect our children from pedophiles who use the Internet as their gambit to lure children to their unsightly sites. We would encourage instant reading of the bill and instant voting on it. We also encourage the government to take action to protect our children now.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Committees of the House

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the first report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented to the House earlier this day be concurred in.

[The Speaker]

Does the hon. member for Peterborough have the unanimous consent of the House to propose his motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

[Sarkis Assadourian, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for the unanimous consent of the House to move a motion that, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) recognize as genocide the killing of 1.5 million innocent Armenians, men, women and children in the period from 1915 to 1923; (b) condemn the genocide of the Armenians and all other acts of genocide as an ultimate act of religious, racial and cultural intolerance; and (c) recognize the importance of remembering and learning from the mistakes of the past.

[The Speaker]

Does the hon. member for Brampton Centre have the unanimous consent of the House to propose his motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

Petitions

[Roy Cullen, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions which I am pleased to present to the House.

The first petition requests Parliament to request that the Government of Canada undertake a review of the foreign aid it provides to the government of Bangladesh in view of that government's record of recurrent violation of human rights with respect to the persecution of Hindus and other minorities.

[Roy Cullen, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a large number of constituents who call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to present two petitions from the people of the Truro area, including Debert and Belmont. There are over 100 signatures on these two petitions.

The petitioners beg Parliament to take all necessary steps to ensure that all materials that promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

I hope the government will respond quickly to these petitions.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present four petitions.

In the first petition, the petitioners ask Parliament to urge the government to create an energy price commission so that oil companies would have to justify increases in gas prices for Canadians.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition calls upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the people in my riding are asking for the creation of government programs for workers who are 50 and older who have lost their job, especially given the $42 billion surplus in the employment insurance fund.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting another petition from the Gatineau region. Nearly 1,000 petitioners are asking the government to create a Canadian energy commission, one of whose objectives would be to require oil companies to justify increases in the price of oil.

[Deborah Grey, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present a petition regarding child pornography which has been signed by literally hundreds of concerned people in Edmonton.

The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that the creation and use of child pornography is condemned by a clear majority of Canadians and that the courts have not applied the current child pornography law in a way which makes it clear that such exploitation of children will always be met with swift punishment.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed, and the sooner, the better.

I congratulate Focus on the Family for coming here this week and bringing more cases to light.

[Bob Mills, Canadian Alliance, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition signed by 2,250 people in my riding of Red Deer.

The petitioners believe that the creation and use of child pornography is condemned by a clear majority of Canadians and that courts should make it clear that such exploitation of children must always receive swift punishment.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first has to do with fetal alcohol syndrome. The petitioners, who include a number of Canadians including from my own riding of Mississauga South, raise that fetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol related birth defects are 100% preventable and that the consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs a person's ability to operate machinery or an automobile.

They therefore call upon Parliament to require health warning labels on the containers of alcoholic beverages to caution expectant mothers and others of the risks associated with alcohol consumption.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition has to do with stem cell research.

The petitioners raise that Canadians support ethical stem cell research, which has already shown encouraging potential with regard to providing cures and therapies. They also point out that non-embryonic stem cells, also known as adult stem cells, have shown significant research progress without the immune rejection or ethical problems associated with embryonic stem cells.

Therefore they petition Parliament to focus legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary to treat the illnesses and diseases of suffering Canadians.

[James Lunney, Canadian Alliance, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition which deals with the circumstances of rural route mail couriers.

The petitioners are residents of Vancouver Island and are calling on Parliament to repeal section 13(5) of the Canada Post Act. The act in its present form prevents rural route mail couriers from collective bargaining. The petitioners protest the resulting punitive and unreasonably low wages and compensation.

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table three petitions signed by residents of my riding of Skeena. Two petitions condemn the use of child pornography.

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition which I am presenting today encourages the use of adult stem cell research.

I urge the House to seriously consider these petitions.

[John Maloney, Liberal, Erie—Lincoln, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I present a petition on behalf of residents of my riding of Erie--Lincoln.

The petition acknowledges that there are hundreds of thousands of Canadians suffering from debilitating diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord diseases. It also goes on to say that many Canadians support ethical stem cell research, which has shown encouraging results in finding cures for these illnesses and diseases. They state that non-embryonic stem cells, which are also known as adult stem cells, have shown significant research progress without the immune rejection or ethical problems associated with embryonic stem cells.

Therefore they call upon Parliament to focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary for those diseases.