Mr. Speaker, Question No. 160 will be answered today.
House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2011, with 31% of the vote.
Questions on the Order Paper June 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, Question No. 160 will be answered today.
Government Response to Petitions June 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to nine petitions.
National Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Awareness Month June 10th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House and all Canadians that June is National Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Awareness Month in Canada.
The effects of spina bifida range from severe physical disabilities and developmental delay to problems that can be corrected by surgery. The most common effects are limited use of the lower limbs and bowel and bladder limitations. Since its inception in 1981 the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Canada has been providing information and support for affected families, promoting public awareness and supporting research on spina bifida.
In March, 2002 Health Canada launched a campaign to help prevent spina bifida and other neural tube birth defects. The campaign promotes awareness among Canadian women of childbearing years and their health care providers of the importance of taking folic acid before conception and in the early weeks of pregnancy to reduce the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube birth defects.
Let us all support that campaign.
The Deaf and Hearing Impaired June 7th, 2002
Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Longueuil urges the government to take all measures necessary to encourage, facilitate and actively support the right to communication for the deaf and hearing impaired. I am pleased to speak to the importance of closed captioning for hundreds of thousands of Canadians and to inform the House of some of the steps being taken to meet their needs.
It may interest members to learn that while service to the hearing impaired community was the impetus for closed captioning, it is not the only community that benefits from the service. Educators have discovered that captioning can help children learn to read by assisting them in word recognition and comprehension. In addition, for the nearly five million Canadians who are functionally illiterate the service is a valuable tool in helping them learn to read. For many new Canadians for whom neither English nor French is their native tongue, closed captioning is an exceptionally useful tool in learning the idioms of the language as well as pop culture.
It is a tribute to previous members of the House that subsection 3(1) of the Broadcasting Act sets out that:
(p) programming accessible by disabled persons should be provided within the Canadian broadcasting system as resources become available for the purpose--
Section 3 of the act also indicates that the needs and circumstances of all Canadians should be taken into account by the broadcasting industry through its programming and through the employment opportunities that arise out of its operations. Broadcasters' actions as they relate to employment equity and closed captioning must reflect this policy objective.
In the past four years there has been a requirement for all television stations with more than $10 million in annual advertising revenue and network payments to provide closed captioning on all local news including live segments. This is relatively recent. It is a clear indication of the importance of continuing to expand and improve this service. It is no easy task. Our broadcasters should be commended for the efforts they make to fulfill this requirement.
When a program is produced well in advance and the actors or performers use a script it is relatively easy to take the words and time their appearance on the screen so it corresponds with what is seen. This is often called off-line or post production. For much of the programming produced for the mass market this can be done with relative ease.
However the challenge facing local or live action broadcasters is very different. They must do what is called real time captioning. This involves stenographers who transcribe live programs such as news or sports events as they are broadcast. It is a tremendous challenge as well as a wonderful achievement.
Some programs use what is called live display. This is a subset of real time. It allows scripted portions of a program to be fed into a computer for translation into captions but omits any spontaneous or unscripted segments.
In short, steps are being taken to ensure that as technologies evolve and opportunities arrive so too will services to Canadians with hearing impairment evolve and improve.
The quality of the services being provided to Canadians is a source of pride to all of us, but that does not mean we can rest on our laurels. As we know, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is currently studying the relevance of the Broadcasting Act. It is a most opportune time to revisit the quality of the services being provided and examine ways they can be improved. I therefore applaud the initiative to discuss the important issue of closed captioning. I urge all who are concerned to let their concerns be known to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
In my own community I spent seven years with the independent living centre as a puppeteer with Kids on the Block. One of the puppets was hearing impaired. At the time I was able to do sign language. It struck me what an important communication tool it was and how important it was to we make sure that when we provide services in Canada they benefit all Canadians.
Pest Control Products Act June 7th, 2002
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe you would find unanimous consent to see the clock as 1.30 p.m.
Question No. 154 June 7th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.
Questions on the Order Paper June 7th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 152 and 154.
Government Response to Petitions June 7th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to three petitions.
Order in Council Appointments June 7th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments made recently by the government.
Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture June 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I do not think it is ever possible to do enough to protect all the natural areas in Canada.
I want the hon. member to know that we are developing a strategy and it will be presented this fall.
With the involvement of Canadians, community and conservation organizations, business associations, non-government organizations and other levels of government, we are taking steps to protect the natural wealth and the natural beauty that we enjoy in Canada.
I repeat that Environment Canada is currently working on a strategy that will conserve and manage this network. It is very important to realize that we take this matter very seriously.