Debates of April 10th, 2002

Canada Customs and Revenue Agency

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is misinterpreting the facts. The reality is that under officer powers customs officers who have had the training have the authority to arrest those where there are outstanding warrants, to arrest those where they believe they are drunk drivers, or any of those who are infringing the customs laws of Canada. That is usually done at the secondary line.

The directive that was given has been in place for many years, and that is to protect both Canadians and the employees. As I said, the number of incidents over six years with over 600 million people--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for St. John's West.

Fisheries

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. The minister is putting all his eggs in the NAFO meetings this fall while closing Newfoundland ports to ships where it really is the Newfoundland settlements that are being punished and not the big, bad perpetrator.

The minister is responsible, however, for on the water surveillance. How could he justify the government doing proper surveillance when it has one surveillance vessel covering the nose, tail, Flemish Cap and all the rest of the continental shelf?

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, first, I commend the member for his comments on the sacrifice that the port communities in Newfoundland are making in helping us resolve this problem. I assure him that these actions were taken after full consultation with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador which fully supported these actions.

Second, let me assure him that not only do we have our vessels. We also have aircraft flying over and doing additional surveillance runs.

Access to Information

[John Bryden, Liberal, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. The government's internal task force reviewing the Access to Information Act was due to report last fall. Six months later we have heard nothing from it.

Will the minister tell us when he expects to receive the report of that task force, and will he share it with the House?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question. As we know, the government established last summer in August a task force to look into the question of access to information.

We expect the report to be tabled later this spring. Of course we all know that the government is firmly committed to looking into the question.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Ms. Glenna Hansen, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Privilege

[The Speaker]

I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised by the hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam on March 1 concerning the responsibility of the hon. Minister of Transport to table a report under the Canada Transportation Act.

I would like to thank the hon. member for drawing this matter to the attention of the Chair, as well as the hon. Minister of Transport for his contribution on the subject.

The hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam submits that the Minister of Transport is obliged to table a report in the House on the monitoring of the grain transportation and handling system in Canada as set out in subsection 50(3.2) of the Canada Transportation Act.

Subsection 50(3.2) requires the Minister of Transport to table a report, provided in part that regulations for purposes of monitoring the grain transportation and handling system have been made under paragraph (e.1) of section 50(1) of the same act.

The hon. minister indicated to this House, in his response on March 11, to the question of privilege of the hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, that regulations have not been made under paragraph 50(1)(e.1) as required by the act. Therefore, according to the hon. minister, there is no legal obligation on the minister to table a report.

The hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam then further argued that inclusion of subsection 50(3.2) in the act was brought about because the minister was gathering information on the grain transportation and handling system under regulations that were in effect before the adoption of the act. He added that the minister has been providing this information to a corporation hired by the government to prepare a report on the grain transportation and handling system as contemplated by subsection 50(3.2) of the act.

He concluded that for these two reasons the minister was obliged to table a report in accordance with the subsection, namely within 15 days of the six months following the end of the 2000-01 crop year. This year, he argued, that date fell on February 28, the day before the hon. member first raised the question of privilege.

The Chair has carefully reviewed the reply by the Minister of Transport to the original question raised by the hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam and the hon. member's comments subsequent to the minister's intervention. The Chair must take into account all the terms of subsection 50(3.2) of the act, as it is this provision that imposes on the minister the statutory duty of tabling a report in the House.

As I have already point out, the obligation on the Minister of Transport to table a report requires that regulations for such purposes have actually been made under paragraph 50(1)(e.1). The Chair invited the hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam to provide to the Chair a copy of these regulations if he has reason to believe they have been made. The Chair has not received copies of any such regulations from the hon. member, and meanwhile the hon. minister has advised the House that no regulations under paragraph 50(1)(e.1) have been made.

In the absence of such regulations and given the rather clear language of the act on that very precise point, I must find that the minister is not obliged to table the report as has been argued by the hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam, however ably. I wish nevertheless to commend the hon. member for his vigilance in regarding this very tightly worded section of the Canada Transportation Act and thank him for bringing his concerns forward, and of course the minister for his generous reply.

Yukon Land Claims Agreement

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the 1999-2000 annual review of the implementation of the Yukon land claims agreement.

Government Response to Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.

Physical Activity and Sport Act

[Paul Devillers, Liberal, for the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-54, an act to promote physical activity and sport.

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

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Clifford Lincoln, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association or CEPA to the parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe at its first winter session in Vienna, Austria on February 21 and 22.

Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-439, an act to amend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.

Mr. Speaker, very briefly, the purpose of this bill is to amend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act so as to exclude products which are classified by the Israelis as Israeli in origin but which in fact originate from Israeli settlements in the territories occupied since 1967 in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

I think that this proposal is entirely consistent with Canada's policy of not recognizing the occupation of these territories since 1967. I seek the support of all the parties and of all members of this House to pass it speedily, given the current situation in the Middle East.

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

Business of the House

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if you were to seek it I believe you would find unanimous consent in the House for the following motion. I move:

That, at 3 p.m. on Monday, April 15, 2002, the House shall resolve itself into a committee of the whole for the purpose of briefly receiving Canadian Olympic and Para-Olympic athletes on the floor of the House.

(Motion agreed to)

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table this petition in the House. It has 25,000 signatures and concerns the government's irresponsible $24 air tax.

The petition was put together by people out west and at airports across the country. It outlines the irresponsible nature of the air tax for which the government did no impact study whatsoever. The tax is egregiously ripping off small air carriers to line the general revenue pockets of the government.

The petition is a strong message from Canadians that the way the government is doing business with the airline industry is totally irresponsible.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order No. 36 I am honoured to present this petition on behalf of the citizens and constituents of Lambton--Kent--Middlesex.

The petitioners call on parliament to protect the health of seniors and children and save our environment by banning the disputed gas additive MMT as it creates smog and enhances global warming.

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of many residents in Dartmouth. The petitioners are calling on parliament to take whatever steps are necessary to retroactively amend the confidentiality and privacy clauses of the Statistics Act since 1906 to allow, after a reasonable period of time, the release to the public of post 1901 census reports starting with the 1906 census.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I rise to present the following duly certified petition from the residents of Enderby, British Columbia. It calls on the Government of Canada to respect its commitment to the 1992 Rio earth summit and protect Canada's biodiversity.

In particular, the petition calls on the Government of Canada to ensure it has strong, effective endangered species legislation that protects our critical habitat. The petition is duly endorsed by the students of MV Beattie Elementary School as well as their parents and teachers.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first brings to the attention of parliament the fact that the fisheries minister has a constitutional obligation to protect wild fish and their habitat.

The petitioners point out that the auditor general recently did a report that found the minister to be negligent in the performance of his duties. They call on parliament to require the minister to fulfill his obligation to protect wild fish and their habitat.

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

Mr. Speaker, my second petition calls on parliament to declare March 8 a Canadian national day of prayer. The petitioners suggest we have a lot to pray for in this great country. They propose that Canadians of all faiths take one day a year to pray to God for the nation, its people and its leaders.

[Paul Steckle, Liberal, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I rise to present a petition signed by residents of Huron--Bruce. The petition deals with the proposed assisted human reproduction act, an act that would deal with the regulatory areas of surrogacy, stem cell research, embryo cloning and new reproductive technologies.

The petitioners are calling on parliament to enact legislation that respects the dignity of human life by completely prohibiting the destruction of human embryos. They request that parliament give consideration to providing financial resources and support for research into adult stem cell potential.

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I rise to present a petition.

I pray that the death of Dana Fair, while tragic, will not be in vain. He was beaten to death by three men near Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. There were eyewitnesses to Dana's death. Three men, Raymond Cannepotatoe, Michael David Harper and Cody Brian Littlewolf, have been charged with second degree murder. Cannepotatoe has been released on $2,000 bail.

The petitioners are calling on the government to ensure no bail is allowed for all accused murderers caught in the act of committing their crimes and that only maximum sentences are given to those convicted.

[Marlene Catterall, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present from residents concerned about violence against children.

The petitioners call on parliament to make the rights of children to life and safety an immediate priority by striking a royal commission to urgently investigate ways to protect our children. They call on the government to begin a public awareness campaign to encourage adults to keep in mind the rights of children to life and safety.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 110 and 113.