House of Commons Hansard #48 of the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was nations.

Topics

Statements by MembersRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Diane Ablonczy Canadian Alliance Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Madam Speaker, today, in my S.O. 31 in the House, I referred to the names of 24 Special Olympic athletes and their coaches. I believe there is unanimous consent for having the names of these individuals added to my statement so that they may appear in the record of the House of Commons.

Statements by MembersRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Hinton)

Is it agreed?

Statements by MembersRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

NDP

Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to table a petition this afternoon calling for a public inquiry into the violation of the rights of Canadian citizen, Bhupinder Liddar, who, when his October 2003 appointment as consul general to Chandigarh was frozen, damaging his reputation and leaving his livelihood and his life in limbo, without benefit of due process, transparency or accountability.

Mr. Liddar deserves to know and Canadians want to know what role government officials, agencies and departments have played in freezing Mr. Liddar's appointment so that his name may be cleared, so that his life may resume and so that similar occurrences can be prevented in future.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Standing Orders it is my pleasure to table, on behalf of citizens of Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, a petition calling on the government to modify Canadian tax law, specifically with respect to the clawback or carry back taxation of lump sum pay equity payments, and to eliminate the taxation of interest payments retroactive to January 1, 1999.

The petition carries the names of citizens of my constituency who have brought this to the attention of Parliament through their member.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Richard Marceau Bloc Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, QC

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table this important petition, which is part of the Beads of Hope Campaign of the United Church of Canada.

The petitioners call upon the government to: (1) cancel the burden of debt owed by developing countries that undermines their capacity to respond to the HIV-AIDS pandemic; (2) increase foreign aid and support for the United Nations' Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; (3) ensure that patents or trade-related intellectual property rights do not block access to life-saving medicines; and (4) double funding to the Canadian Strategy on HIV-AIDS.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

Murray Calder Liberal Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 31, I have three petitions to present.

In the first petition the petitioners ask the federal government 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

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Murray Calder Liberal Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON

Madam Speaker, my second petition is that natural health products be zero rated for GST and HST in the same manner that prescription drugs are.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Murray Calder Liberal Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON

Madam Speaker, my third petition is to enact legislation that would keep the Rockliffe Station in the public domain.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Philip Mayfield Canadian Alliance Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC

Madam Speaker, I have two petitions from citizens of Cariboo—Chilcotin in the city of Williams Lake and surrounding communities.

The first petition draws attention to 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 met with 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.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Philip Mayfield Canadian Alliance Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC

Madam Speaker, the second petition draws to the attention of Parliament that Parliament voted to preserve the traditional definition of marriage, and that a recent court decision has redefined marriage contrary to the wishes of Parliament. The petitioners are concerned that this is not a way for democracy to be reflected in Canada.

They call upon Parliament to immediately hold a renewed debate on the definition of marriage to reaffirm, as it did in 1999, its commitment to all necessary steps to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Gary Schellenberger Progressive Conservative Perth—Middlesex, ON

Madam Speaker, I would like to present this petition today on behalf of some of my constituents.

Whereas, human life at the pre-born stage is not protected in Canadian society, therefore, the petitioners pray that Parliament act immediate to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON

Madam Speaker, I apologize to you and to my colleagues for doing this in such a delayed way, but I presented a report with unanimous consent before and was grateful for that unanimous consent.

I have now confirmed it with all the parties and I move that the 27th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented to the House earlier this day, be concurred in.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Hinton)

Is there unanimous consent?

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

(Motion agreed to)

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Sarnia—Lambton Ontario

Liberal

Roger Gallaway LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, Question No. 76 will be answered today.

Question No. 76Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Garry Breitkreuz Canadian Alliance Yorkton—Melville, SK

For each year since 1995: ( a ) what is the total number of firearm prohibition orders issued under sections 109, 110 and 111 of the Criminal Code; ( b ) what is the total number of charges and disposition of charges laid under section 117.01(1) of the Criminal Code; and ( c ) what is the total number of persons who have been charged with any other firearms offence or criminal offence while in possession of a firearm since the firearms prohibition order took effect?

Question No. 76Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Edmonton West Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

The total number of firearm prohibition orders issued under sections 109, 110, and 111 of the Criminal Code for each year since 1995 to present show a total of 6615, as investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The yearly breakdown is as follows:

In response to questions (b) and (c), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police does not track such statistics, thus an accounting of the number of charges and associated disposition of charges laid under Section 117.01(1) of the Criminal Code, as well as the total number of persons who have been charged with any other firearms offence or criminal offence while in possession of a firearm since the firearms prohibition order took effect cannot be provided. The agencies responsible for the administration of justice in provincial jurisdictions may retain statistics or other information pertaining to charges laid and their associated dispositions under Section 117.01(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Question No. 76Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Roger Gallaway Liberal Sarnia—Lambton, ON

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

Question No. 76Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Hinton)

Is that agreed?

Question No. 76Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Question No. 76Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Greg Thompson Progressive Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Madam Speaker, in regard to Questions on the Order Paper, I want to make the point that I put a number of questions on the Order Paper a number of weeks ago regarding the aboriginal fisheries in regard to the impact on our non-aboriginals and our aboriginal fishers.

Those are important questions for the fishermen in my area, all of Atlantic Canada and on both coasts, and I do not believe the government can stand in this place and ignore those questions day in and day out. Why do we not have the answers?

I hope the parliamentary secretary will confer with the minister so that we get some of this cleared up. A lot of Canadians are very interested in that issue. We want to know what the government policy is.

Madam Speaker, if you examine the Standing Orders, I confirmed exactly with the Standing Orders and have done everything that would be expected of me as a member of Parliament. Now it is incumbent upon the government to answer those questions. When can we expect some answers for our fishermen on that particular policy?

Question No. 76Routine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Liberal

Roger Gallaway Liberal Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Madam Speaker, the member opposite refers to a number of weeks ago. He well knows, if he has looked at the Standing Orders, that the government has 45 days in which to reply.

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Sarnia—Lambton Ontario

Liberal

Roger Gallaway LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

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

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Hinton)

Is that agreed?