Svend Robinson

[Petitions, February 8th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a number of petitions.

First, I have a petition which is signed by residents of a number of communities in British Columbia, including the Fraser Valley. The petitioners draw the attention of the House to the fact that the current Criminal Code denies people who are suffering from terminal or irreversible debilitating illness the right to choose freely and voluntarily to end their lives with the assistance of a physician.

They therefore call upon Parliament to amend the Criminal Code to ensure the right of all Canadians to die with dignity by allowing people with terminal or irreversible and debilitating illness the right to the assistance of a physician in ending their lives at a time of their choice, subject to strict safeguards to prevent abuse and to ensure that the decision is free, informed, competent and voluntary.

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, February 8th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General.

Yesterday over 500 members of the RCMP marched for the first time ever on Parliament Hill to denounce the attempt of this government to deny them collective bargaining rights and to punish them for even talking about collective bargaining.

In view of the fact that this bill was condemned yesterday by the Liberal chair of the justice committee who said the bill was slid by the Liberal caucus and is an attack on the civil rights of RCMP members, how can the minister continue to defend this dictatorial, jackboot approach to dedicated members of the RCMP?

[Post-Secondary Education, February 7th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, today joining us in the House of Commons are some 40 students from Concordia University who represent the views of Concordia students, faculty and staff in strongly opposing the changes in post-secondary education funding proposed by this government.

I join in condemning these unfair measures and call on the government to stop fighting the deficit on the backs of students and workers, particularly women, people with disabilities and visible minorities, and instead close tax loopholes for the wealthy and corporations, lower interest rates and put people back to work.

The Minister of Finance can set a personal example by ensuring that CSL Steamship Lines Inc. hires Canadian mariners with Canadian standards to crew vessels built in Canada and subsidized by Canadian taxpayers. Instead, six of these vessels are registered in the Bahamas using cheap labour and substandard conditions.

Finally, let us make sure that we fully fund post-secondary education in this country and strengthen social programs, not weaken and attack them.

[Petitions, February 7th, 1995]

Madam Speaker, the second petition is signed by residents of a number of communities in Ontario, Manitoba and in the province of British Columbia.

It notes that the current Criminal Code denies people who are suffering from terminal or irreversible and debilitating illness the right to choose freely and voluntarily to end their lives with the assistance of a physician.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to amend the code to ensure the right of all Canadians to die with dignity by allowing people with terminal or irreversible and debilitating illness the right to the assistance of a physician in ending their lives at a time of their choice, subject to strict safeguards to prevent abuse and to ensure that the decision is free, informed, competent and voluntary.

[Petitions, February 7th, 1995]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a number of petitions. The first petition is signed by a number of residents of Toronto, Ottawa and my own constituency of Burnaby-Kingsway. It notes that acts of discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual Canadians are an every day reality in all regions of Canada. It goes on to document some of the forms that discrimination takes in Canada.

The petitioners therefore call upon Parliament to act quickly to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to adopt all necessary measures to recognize the full equality of same sex relationships in federal law.

[Canadian Foreign Policy, February 7th, 1995]

A point of order, Madam Speaker. I wonder if I might seek the consent of the House to respond briefly on behalf of the New Democratic Party to the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Petitions, February 6th, 1995]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by hundreds of residents of my constituency of Burnaby-Kingsway.

They point out that the current provisions of the Criminal Code deny people who are suffering from terminal or irreversible and debilitating illness the right to choose freely and voluntarily to end their lives with the assistance of a physician. Therefore they call upon Parliament to amend the Criminal Code to ensure the right of all Canadians to die with dignity by allowing people with terminal or irreversible and debilitating illness the right to the assistance of a physician in ending their lives at a time of their choice, subject to strict safeguards to prevent abuse and to ensure that the decision is free, informed, competent and voluntary.

[Criminal Code, December 9th, 1994]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-296 , an act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children).

Mr. Speaker, I thank members of the House for their consent to introduce the bill at this time.

The purpose of the bill is to repeal section 43 of the Criminal Code allowing corporal punishment of children by parents and teachers.

Condoning corporal punishment can lead to physical and psychological injury and death of children, contributes to violence in society, and is contrary to both the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Section 43 allows punishment causing bruising and contusions. It allows children to be struck with belts and other objects. It is the relic of a bygone age and has no place in a democratic society that respects and values children.

Finally I would urge the section be repealed as part of the recodification of the general part of the Criminal Code. Several European countries have ended the legal approval of corporal punishment. I urge our government to uphold the rights of children and repeal this harmful and discriminatory section of the Criminal Code of Canada.

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

[Petitions, December 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition which is signed by petitioners from my constituency of Burnaby-Kingsway including the Seton Villa seniors residence as well as residents of Port Moody-Coquitlam and a number of other constituencies.

The petition calls on Parliament to amend the Criminal Code to ensure the right of all Canadians to die with dignity by allowing people with terminal or irreversible and debilitating illnesses the right to the assistance of a physician in ending their lives at a time of their choice, subject to strict safeguards to prevent abuse and to ensure that the decision is free, informed, competent and voluntary.

[Committees Of The House, December 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have given notice to the table that I seek to introduce a bill that would repeal the provisions of the Criminal Code in section 43.