House of Commons Hansard #90 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was rcmp.

Topics

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

No.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Marcel Proulx)

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Marcel Proulx)

All those opposed will please say nay.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Nay.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Marcel Proulx)

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And more than five members having risen:

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Marcel Proulx)

Call in the members.

And the bells having rung:

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Marcel Proulx)

It has been requested that the vote be deferred until 5:29 p.m. tomorrow.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:15 p.m.

Liberal

Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a special petition today on behalf of a special constituent, submitted on the subject matter of marriage. I would like to read that constituent's name into the record: Dr. Agata Chojecka. Dr. Chojecka has submitted a petition on the subject matter of marriage and it contains literally thousands of signatures which she helped orchestrate receiving.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that whereas the majority of Canadians believe that fundamental matters of social policy should be decided by elected members of Parliament and not by the unelected judiciary, and that Canadians support the current definition of marriage as the voluntary union of a single male and a single female, the petitioners call upon Parliament to use all possible legislative and administrative measures, including the invocation of section 33 of the charter, known as the notwithstanding clause, to preserve and protect the current definition of marriage as that between one man and one woman.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Gurmant Grewal Conservative Newton—North Delta, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to present several petitions signed by thousands of people. The petitioners are asking Parliament to take every administrative and legislative measure necessary to protect the freedom to wear turbans and the five kakkars or five Ks, the symbols of the Sikh religion.

The petitioners state that turbans are not like hats or helmets but are part and parcel of the Sikh religious faith and should be recognized as such. It is contrary to the tenets of the Sikh faith to conceal or cover the turban with any kind of object such as a hard hat. The petitioners call upon Parliament to protect the religious practices and religious freedom of Sikhs in all areas of the Canadian labour force, that Sikh truck operators be exempt from wearing a hard hat, and that Canada Labour Code R.S.C. 1970, c. L-1, adversely affects members of the Canadian Sikh community. They ask the Canadian Parliament to respect religious freedom.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure today to rise on behalf of my constituents and present two petitions which ask Parliament that marriage be defined in federal law as being the lifelong union of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to present two petitions.

The first one is against Bill C-38, on same sex marriage.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is in support of the freedom of choice in making health decisions. These petitioners call on Parliament to provide Canadians with greater access to non-harmful preventive and medicinal options. They therefore urge parliamentarians to enact Bill C-420, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver a petition from people of London and St. Thomas and the surrounding area who are calling on Parliament to enact legislation against the easy accessibility and display of pornographic material.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour today to present two petitions on behalf of constituents in my riding of Cambridge. The first petition calls on the Parliament of Canada to secure funding for juvenile type 1 diabetes to the amount of $25 million a year for the next five years.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls on Parliament to maintain and uphold the current law which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Guergis Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present to the House a petition of over 300 names of people in my riding of Simcoe—Grey. They call upon the government to maintain the definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

NDP

Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON

Mr. Speaker, I was asked by some constituents in my riding of Timmins—James Bay to present this petition opposing government legislation Bill C-38. As they are my constituents and it is their will that I present this petition, I am bringing it forward today.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Dave Batters Conservative Palliser, SK

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I have the honour of presenting a petition on behalf of a number of citizens who reside in my riding of Palliser, most of whom are from the city of Moose Jaw. These petitioners wish to call to the attention of Parliament the following: that Canadians deserve freedom of choice in health care products; that herbs, dietary supplements and other traditional natural health products should be properly classified as food and not arbitrarily restricted as drugs; and that the weight of modern scientific evidence confirms the mitigation and prevention of many diseases and disorders through the judicious use of natural health products.

These petitioners call upon Parliament to provide Canadians with greater access to natural health products and restore freedom of choice in personal health care by enacting Bill C-420, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

1:25 p.m.

Beauséjour New Brunswick

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

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

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

1:25 p.m.

The Speaker

Is that agreed?

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

1:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Request for Emergency DebateRoutine Proceedings

1:25 p.m.

The Speaker

The Chair has received a request for an emergency debate from the hon. member for Châteauguay—Saint-Constant.

Request for Emergency DebateRoutine Proceedings

1:25 p.m.

Bloc

Denise Poirier-Rivard Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to consider the request by the Bloc Québécois to hold an emergency debate on the critical situation faced by dairy producers in Quebec and Canada.

Last week, the Quebec federation of dairy producers launched a vast information campaign among Quebec MPs on the import of subsidized artificially modified milk ingredients.

Each MP in turn received a visit from local dairy producers calling for pressure to be exerted on the government to staunch the industry hemorrhage.

Need we recall the urgency of the situation? Imported artificial ingredients are costing Quebec producers $70 million and Canada's producers altogether $175 million. If nothing is done, 30% of Canada's dairy production will be replaced by milk substitutes.

The Government of Canada must respond decisively and quickly to this foreign intrusion by invoking article XXVIII of the GATT. It must do so before Quebec's and Canada's dairy industry, already hard hit by the mad cow crisis, disappears completely from our economic landscape in the next few months.