Debates of Nov. 6th, 2002

Points of Order

[Loyola Hearn, Progressive Conservative, St. John's West, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to make sure we are clear on this. I will not comment on the first set of questions, but I will on the second one, which was a general question to the minister.

Usually what we see here is the minister responsible coming to the defence of the one to whom the question might be pointed. It happens often, if new members, in particular, or anybody are not exactly sure of whose responsibility it is. Sometimes over there that is hard to know. Usually the minister responsible gets up. However today, because it was a very difficult question to answer, we saw the minister floundering, nobody coming to his defence, so he answered the question.

I think what is happening here is that the charge is not against those answering the question. The charge by the House leader of the government is against you, Mr. Speaker, because what he is saying is that you should have interrupted and it is your fault this occurred. I leave it at that.

[The Speaker]

The Chair has had an opportunity of course, while the government House leader raised the issue, to look at the authorities that he has cited. Certainly the Chair is aware of some of these rules and practices respecting question period, which the hon. government House leader has pointed out.

I must say I was surprised by the question to the minister; I think the question was to the political minister for Nova Scotia. I had no idea who that was. The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans stood up and I recognized him to give an answer to the question, but as was pointed out by the hon. member for St. John's West, sometimes a question is directed to one minister and another minister answers for whatever reasons. It is not for the Chair to speculate on those reasons.

I agree with the government House leader that the practice has usually been to insist that questions be directed to a particular minister or to the government in general, but not to a political minister. What I am prepared to do in the circumstances is have a look a the blues and come back to the House on this matter.

The other question in respect of the former minister I did not detect as being directed to that minister, but in fact to another minister concerning the conduct of the other minister, but I will review the blues and come back to the House on this matter in due course.

I want to thank both hon. members for their kind interventions and their assistance to the Chair in dealing with these matters. As is always the case, the Chair always appreciates this advice.

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, could ask for the indulgence of the House and ask for unanimous consent to allow me to withdraw my private member's motion, M-231, from the order of precedence? There is a votable private member's bill that will be coming forward that deals with my issue. I feel it is only right and proper to withdraw my motion, but I need the consent of the House.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, this appears to be correct and I do not object on the face of it. I have just had a quick consultation with the chief government whip. Normally House leaders are notified, or whips notify each other, so that we are not surprised by having an item revoked where one political party could not consult their own colleagues to see whether this is agreeable in a general way with all political parties.

This one appears to be acceptable, and I am willing to provide my unanimous consent having had that consultation, but only because the chief government whip was immediately available for that consultation. Perhaps I should alert colleagues that we have the usual practice of meeting on Tuesday afternoons, where we have these kinds of meetings. We will give our consent on this one.

[The Speaker]

Does the House give its consent to the request of the hon. member for Brandon--Souris?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(Motion withdrawn)

Petitions

[John M. Cummins, Canadian Alliance, Delta—South Richmond, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from many citizens from various locations in Burnaby, British Columbia. The petitioners bring to the attention of the House that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the government no longer provide sufficient resources to the coast guard for staffing and equipment so it can adequately do its job. They point to the tragic incident at the entrance to the Fraser River last summer where this was very evident.

They request that Parliament direct the government to separate the coast guard from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and provide it with the necessary staff and resources to do its job.

[Rose-Marie Ur, Liberal, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present two petitions on behalf of the citizens of Lambton--Kent--Middlesex.

The first petition calls upon Parliament to protect children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[Rose-Marie Ur, Liberal, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Madam Speaker, the second petition calls upon Parliament to protect the health of seniors and children and save our environment by abandoning the disputed gas additive MMT as it creates smog and enhances global warming.

[Gary Lunn, Canadian Alliance, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to present petitions endorsed by hundreds of people from my constituency, the majority from Salt Spring Island, and another petition, which is the same, from people from the lower mainland.

The petitioners request that Parliament make the Coast Guard an independent body, separate from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, with all the necessary resources for staffing and equipment, including a new hovercraft, to enable it to perform rescues of those in peril.

This is a very important issue. The petitioners are obviously very pleased with the member for Delta--South Richmond, and hopefully the government will take notice as well, of his long pursuit of this matter.

[Raymond Bonin, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to present the following four petitions on behalf of my constituents.

All four petitions 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.

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Madam Speaker, it is my honour and my responsibility to present the following petition which was signed by 26 electors from the city of Calgary.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary to treat the illnesses and diseases of suffering Canadians.

[Loyola Hearn, Progressive Conservative, St. John's West, NL]

Madam Speaker, I would like to present a petition signed by several hundred people as part of a petition originally signed by over 20,000 people. Along with this petition, there is a petition on the web that has been signed by several thousand people, which we cannot present in the House but which plays an important role in asking Parliament to support the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans of extending Canada's jurisdiction or custodial management over the nose and tail of the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap so we can protect the meagre resources we have left.

[Jim Pankiw, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Madam Speaker, I have petitions here from Eva Graf, Monique Bernard, Mr. Therres, Jackie Lockhard and Mr. and Mrs. Kullberg of Humboldt. They and other petitioners are requesting that Parliament take all necessary steps to protect our children from sexual predators by outlawing materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activity involving children.

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

Madam Speaker, I have a petition related to the Coast Guard. The petitioners are drawing attention to the fact that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has not funded the Coast Guard adequately resulting in staffing problems and equipment shortages, as well as training deficits.

They draw attention to the recent tragic drowning related to the Cap Rouge II . They note that the Coast Guard is in desperate need of a new hovercraft. They also object to the fact that search and rescue does not seem to be a priority of the government.

The petitioners therefore are calling for the Coast Guard to be separated from DFO and established as an independent and well-funded organization to effectively patrol our coasts and provide search and rescue.

[James Moore, Canadian Alliance, Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, I have three separate petitions on three very different but important matters.

The first petition is from constituents concerned about the way the courts have applied existing child pornography laws. They call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all steps necessary to ensure the materials that promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[James Moore, Canadian Alliance, Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, the second petition is with regard to a longstanding fight by the official opposition against the government, which is the $24 air security tax, and calls on the government to reconsider its unwise choice.

[James Moore, Canadian Alliance, Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, the third petition is one that has been raised by a number of my colleagues in the House from British Columbians regarding the federal government's very poor handling of the Coast Guard, particularly with regard to the response to the Cap Rouge II incident.

The petition calls on the federal government to separate the Coast Guard from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, particularly in response to the fact that the government has shut down the ports police and this is a vital thing, not only for the safety and security of British Columbians and Canadians but for our national security.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from a large number of Canadians, including from my own riding of Mississauga South.

The petitioners believe that life begins at conception. As a consequence they oppose embryonic stem cell research. They would like to draw to the attention of the House that non-embryonic stem cells, also known as adult stem cells, have shown great potential.

Therefore they call upon Parliament to focus its legislative efforts on promoting adult stem cell research to find the therapies and cures required by Canadians.

[Rob Anders, Canadian Alliance, Calgary West, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have two petitions dealing with the issue of child pornography. The petitioners call upon Parliament to do what it can to limit and restrict child pornography.

[Rob Anders, Canadian Alliance, Calgary West, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have a third petition that deals with cautioning Parliament with regard to the use of stem cell research.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, Question No. 3 will be answered today.

Question No. 3

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

What are the regulations concerning capital gains deferral for private woodlot owners?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

The 2001 budget extended the existing tax-deferred rollover of farm property to a child to transfers of commercial woodlots after December 10, 2001, where the woodlot is operated in accordance with a “prescribed forest management plan”.

The budget indicated that specific criteria for prescribed forest management plans would be developed in consultation with interested parties. The department’s consultations with interested stakeholders have now been completed and draft regulations defining “prescribed forest management plans” will be developed taking into consideration the views expressed during our consultations.

As indicated in the 2001 budget, intergenerational transfers that occur before the regulations are promulgated will qualify for the tax-deferred rollover if a plan providing for the necessary attention to the woodlot’s growth, health, quality and composition is followed.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, if Question Nos. 1 and 5 could be made orders for return, the returns would be tabled immediately.