House of Commons Hansard #151 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was police.

Topics

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Art Hanger Canadian Alliance Calgary Northeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, finally, 321 petitioners call upon Parliament to protect the rights of Canadians to be free to share their religious beliefs without fear of prosecution.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Maurice Vellacott Canadian Alliance Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to present a significant number of names of petitioners who call upon Parliament to immediately hold a renewed debate on the definition of marriage, reaffirming as it did in 1999 that marriage is and should remain the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others and that Parliament should take all necessary steps within the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada to preserve this definition of marriage.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Jason Kenney Canadian Alliance Calgary Southeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, I have several petitions to table. I have a series of three, two of which are signed by some 250 residents of the city of Calgary and another consisting of some 150 signatures from residents in the Ottawa area.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to take all necessary means to protect the institution of marriage and to define it as a union between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Jason Kenney Canadian Alliance Calgary Southeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, I also have a petition with the signatures of some 400 residents of Calgary who call on the House to do whatever is necessary to protect children from materials which promote or glorify pedophilia and to ensure that such materials are outlawed.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Jason Kenney Canadian Alliance Calgary Southeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, finally, I table a petition from some 300 residents of the Toronto region calling on Canada to support our U.S. allies in their effort to bring peace, stability and democracy to Iraq.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

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

Mr. Speaker, fulfilling our number one responsibility of representing constituents in this place, I am glad to present a petition with over 2,600 signatures, the vast majority of which were collected in my constituency.

The petitioners remind the House that in 1999 Parliament voted to preserve the traditional definition of marriage and call on Parliament to pass legislation to recognize the institution of marriage in federal law as being the lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex who call upon Parliament to pass legislation to recognize the institution of marriage in federal law as being a lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

NDP

Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition wherein the petitioners call upon Parliament to increase financing for post-secondary education and to restore the role of government in administering the loans and grants program. They state that the program must reflect the reality of the middle class family so that every student has access to post-secondary education without being heavily in debt.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

NDP

Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present another petition signed by thousands of individuals asking that Parliament call upon the government to make changes to the employment insurance program so that Canadian workers and the unemployed have greater access to it.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a number of petitions signed by hundreds of people asking Parliament to protect the definition of marriage. Marriage is a lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Geoff Regan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 262 and 267.

Question No. 262Routine Proceedings

November 5th, 2003 / 3:45 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

John Williams Canadian Alliance St. Albert, AB

For all government departments, what was the list of regional ministerial offices on January 1, 1994, including the address of each, the number of staff working in each, and its budget in that fiscal year and what is the comparable list and budget in this fiscal year?

Question No. 262Routine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

In regard to the Ministers’ Regional Offices, MRO, Program, as of January 1, 1994, there were seven offices with two PWGSC employees in each, a manager and an administrative assistant. All other staff is resident staff that is either federal government employees other than PWGSC, but in most cases, exempt staff from the ministers’ offices.

As of October 2, 2003, there were eleven offices with two PWGSC employees in each, a manager and an administrative assistant. All other staff is resident staff that is either federal government employees other than PWGSC, but in most cases, exempt staff from the ministers’ offices.

Question No. 267Routine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

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

Is it the policy of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans that harvesters must land at least $5,000 worth of urchins using divers only in order to have their licences renewed, and if so, does the responsibility to ensure that the divers involved in this activity remain in constant visual contact with each other remain with the divers themselves or with the holder of the licences?

Question No. 267Routine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

West Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans

The requirement for $5,000 in commercial sales was put in place in 1996 as a participation requirement following consultations that resulted in full support by fishers, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union, FFAW, the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and other stakeholders.

This landing requirement was waived following the 2003 industry consultations due to new diving regulations introduced by the provincial Department of Labour. Until the uncertainty associated with these new regulations is clarified, this waiver will remain in place.

The requirement for divers to remain in constant visual contact has been imposed by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Accordingly, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is unable to confirm whether this requirement remains with the divers or the holders of the licence.

Starred QuestionsRoutine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Geoff Regan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, would you be so kind as to call Starred Question No. 259.

*Question No. 259Routine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

John Herron Progressive Conservative Fundy Royal, NB

With respect to Canada's vote on April 22, 2002, during a meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, can the government explain why Canada voted “no” to the question about whether it should be a human right to have access to clean drinking water, and how the decision was arrived at?

*Question No. 259Routine Proceedings

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Mr. Speaker, Canada strongly believes that countries have an obligation to provide access to safe drinking water for their residents. However, Canada had a number of serious concerns with the resolution on the promotion and the realization of the right to drinking water and sanitation, which was introduced at the UN Commission on Human Rights in 2002.

Canada's main concern was the introduction of language in the resolution on an international dimension to the “human right to water”, which could lead to the interpretation that states do not have the sovereign right to manage their own resources.

When the right to water is discussed internationally, Canada works to ensure that there is no encroachment on Canada's ability to control the water within its own territory and that other states do not have a claim on that water.

I ask, Mr. Speaker, that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

*Question No. 259Routine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

The Speaker

Is that agreed?

*Question No. 259Routine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Geoff Regan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I would ask you to be so kind as to call Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers No. P-43, in the name of the right hon. member for Calgary Centre and No. P-44, in the name of the hon. member for Rosemont—Petite-Patrie.

Motion P-43

That an Order of the House do issue for copies of all documentation, including reports, minutes of meeting, notes, e-mails, memos and correspondence since January 1, 2003 within the Canadian International Development Agency that relates to any infectious desease outbreak in China.

Motion P-44

That an Order of this House do issue for copies of all documents, memorandums, e-mails and other correspondence among or by Environment Canada, Communications Canada and Public Works and Government Services Canada leading to the awarding of one or more contracts to Acart Communications Inc. for “Clean Air Day 2003”.

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that both of these Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers be transferred for debate. I think you might find the agreement of the Minister of Labour to that idea.

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Claudette Bradshaw LiberalMinister of Labour

I would ask that both Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers be transferred for debate.

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

The Speaker

The motions are transferred for debate pursuant to Standing Order 97(1).

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

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