Debates of June 4th, 2003

Points of Order

[Art Hanger, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, certainly I am willing to work something out in reference to the reply to these particular questions, but the matter still comes down to this point. The matter of the failure of the ministry to respond was referred to me and Standing Order 39(5)(b) provides for the matter to be referred to a committee, simply put.

[The Speaker]

The difficulty is the hon. member got an answer. He read the answer into the record. His having got an answer, it is not for the Chair to comment on the quality of the answer or whether in fact it is really an answer to his question.

I have made suggestions as to how he might resolve the matter. I suggest that he have a chat with the parliamentary secretary and maybe between them they can come up with a solution that would be acceptable to everybody in the House, and maybe on consent something else could be done.

I know that from my own experience as the parliamentary secretary and having done that work before, but not with these rules, admittedly, I was usually able to arrange some accommodation with hon. members. I know the parliamentary secretary would be enthusiastic about doing so with the hon. member for Calgary Northeast. Perhaps we could leave it at that.

[Art Hanger, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I will confer with the parliamentary secretary.

[The Speaker]

I thank the hon. member.

[John Williams, Canadian Alliance, St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order in reference to your letter of April 26, 2002, to all members of the House of Commons regarding the use of postal privileges and franked envelopes.

Your letter of April 26, 2002, referred to an earlier communication of November 29, 2001, reminding members of the principles governing the use of mailing and particularly with reference to their use on behalf of various groups.

You also stated in your letter of April 26, 2002:

Pursuant to the Parliament of Canada Act and the By-laws, if a misuse of the House resources is involved, the board [Board of Internal Economy] has all the powers necessary to seek a refund or to withhold funds from any payments due to the Member.

Your letter of November 29, 2001, concluded with the following statement:

Members are reminded, therefore, that the intent behind franking privileges and the use of the House of Commons goods and services is to facilitate communication between constituents and their Member and vice versa, and not to facilitate communications between other groups and constituents via the Member.

It has been brought to my attention that the member for Vancouver East and the NDP House leader used her free mailing privileges to advertise a weekend seminar event in Ottawa featuring classes such as “Anarchism 101” and “Cuban anti-terrorism and the U.S”.

The weekend seminar also featured “confronting U.S. imperialism”, “class monopoly”, “radical cheerleading and street theatre” and “tools to energize and deal with burnout for social activists”. The agenda also advertised “Kick-Ass T's--Make your own protest shirts” and, in anticipation of president George W. Bush's visit to Canada, which unfortunately was cancelled, there was a workshop called “Revolutionary knitting: plan to prepare and organize for Bush's visit on Monday”.

The mailing by the member for Vancouver East to promote this seminar was reported in an article in the Ottawa Citizen on page A5 on May 12, 2003.

We all know that members of Parliament use their franking privileges to communicate with Canadians about their work and the work of the party right across Canada. This is a well accepted principle, but not to advertise somebody else's seminar.

You have specifically stated in your letters to members that facilitating communications between other groups and constituents via the member cannot be tolerated using taxpayer funds.

It is an affront to this House that a member would abuse her privileges, but to use these privileges provided by a parliamentary democracy to attack the very principles of parliamentary democracy through the promotion of anarchy and violence to the point of training people in anarchy and street violence and the destruction of our society is an absolute and intolerable affront to this House.

[The Speaker]

I am having real difficulty understanding what the point of order is here.

[John Williams, Canadian Alliance, St. Albert, AB]

I am just coming to my point.

[The Speaker]

I hope so. This has gone on quite long. It is all very interesting but if every member stood up and read every other hon. member's newsletter or bulletin we would be bored to tears. I know the hon. member would not want to get into that kind of thing because once we start one we will be hearing more. I want to hear what the point of order is.

[John Williams, Canadian Alliance, St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my point of order is that the privileges have been violated and you reiterate what the parliamentary mailing privileges can be used for. Therefore I would ask that you recover the money in accordance with the Board of International Economy's policy for abuse of the franking privileges.

[The Speaker]

That is not a point of order, with all respect. I would suggest that if the hon. member for St. Albert has a problem he should send a letter to the board asking if it will review the matter to see if in fact it should exercise its powers to demand that money back. The board will conduct the necessary investigation. It will speak to the hon. member for Vancouver East. Everything will be done. If money is owed, it will be decided by the board. However it is not a point of order for the Speaker to decide in the House.

Canadian Commercial Corporation

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages of Canada, the summary of the 2003-04 to 2007-08 business plan of the Canadian Commercial Corporation.

Regional Development Banks

[André Harvey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), it is my pleasure to table, in both official languages, the 2001 report on Canada's participation in regional development banks.

Canada Marine Act

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 144 of the Canadian Marine Act, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canada Marine Act Review Panel.

National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, two copies of the 2002-03 annual report of the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman.

Government Response to Petitions

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

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

Corrections and Conditional Release Act

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-40, an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Criminal Code.

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

Amendments and Corrections Act, 2003

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, for the Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-41, an act to amend certain Acts.

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

Committees of the House

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade concerning the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[David Pratt, Liberal, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs.

In accordance with its order of reference of Monday, May 5, 2003, your committee has considered and held hearings on Bill C-35, an act to amend the National Defence Act (Remuneration of Military Judges) and agreed on Monday, June 2, 2003, to report it without amendment.

Petitions

[Kevin Sorenson, Canadian Alliance, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I have the privilege to present to the House a petition signed by well over 200 concerned constituents from Drumheller, Hanna, Three Hills, Trochu, Morrin, Munson and Carbon.

This petition calls upon Parliament to ensure that Junior A hockey league players and teams be treated like Olympic sports participants, and that billeting costs and modest reasonable expenses and allowances not be treated as taxable income under provisions of the federal tax legislation.

It is a pleasure to present a petition like this in the House.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the member for West Nova, I am pleased to present a petition from 30 residents of West Nova who 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.

[Rex Barnes, Progressive Conservative, Gander—Grand Falls, NL]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today signed by over 15,000 individuals.

The people in Newfoundland and Labrador are very concerned about the relocation of the weather forecasting service from the Gander weather centre to Halifax and Montreal. The petitioners firmly believe this will jeopardize lives and property in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador because of the severe and erratic weather patterns on Canada's east coast.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to reverse the decision the government has made to relocate the weather forecasting services provided by the Newfoundland weather centre in Gander.

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

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to present a petition on behalf of the people from the riding of Huron—Bruce and subsequent neighbouring ridings.

The petitioners have signed a petition on the issue of abortion. The petitioners believe that one Canadian child in four dies before birth as a result of induced abortion and that in the absence of Canadian law, abortion on demand is available during all months of pregnancy. They believe that while residing in the mother's womb, the Canadian child has neither legal recognition nor legal protection.

Therefore they call upon Parliament to enact legislation that will provide legal recognition and protection of Canadian children from fertilization to their birth.

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

Madam Speaker, I have two more petitions. The second one has to deal with the institution of marriage.

The petitioners believe that the majority of Canadians believe that fundamental matters and social policy should be decided by elected members of Parliament and not the unelected judiciary. They also believe that the majority of Canadians support the current legal definition of marriage as the voluntary union of a single, that is unmarried, male and a single, that is unmarried, female.

They call upon Parliament to use all possible legislative and administrative measures, including invoking section 33 of the charter, the notwithstanding clause, if necessary, to preserve and protect the current definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.

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

Finally, Madam Speaker, I have a huge number of petitioners who are asking the Government of Canada, as they have many times in the past, to call upon Parliament to abolish the national firearms registry for long guns and redirect our tax dollars to programs in support of health care and of the enforcement of that.