Nelson Riis

[The Senate, June 20th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.

I think it is fair to say that last night was a national embarrassment when the political hacks, flacks and bagmen in the Senate, including a Liberal senator, decided to call upon Canadian taxpayers to cough up about 600 million bucks to hand out to a bunch of land developers in Toronto.

Would the minister not agree that if we ever needed any evidence to suggest that the Senate should be abolished we now have it? Why does he not do just that?

[Parliamentary Interns, June 20th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I know that all members of the House would like to join with me to express our appreciation to the young American interns who have joined us for the past few weeks and worked in the offices of various members of Parliament from all political parties.

They come from the United States, so they bring a new perspective to our offices. Best of all, they take back a good impression of Canada and become ambassadors throughout the United States on behalf of Canada.

To interns like Matthew Zweig and all of his partners, congratulations. Thank you for joining us. We look forward to the next group of Michigan interns next year.

[Petitions, June 14th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, another petition points out that HRDC funding focuses on services for UI recipients only. The petitioners point out that this will effectively

eliminate most employment programs for immigrants, new Canadians and visible minorities experiencing barriers to the job market.

They point out that these programs have been very successful in helping individuals obtain long term and permanent employment. Therefore, the petitioners call on Parliament to continue funding programs with proven success rates for non-UI recipients.

[Petitions, June 14th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions that are in conflict.

One petition calls on Parliament not to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

I have another petition in conflict with the petition above which calls on Parliament to enact legislation to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination against persons based on their sexual orientation and further calls on the government to pass the necessary legislation.

[Petitions, June 14th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have a number of petitions to present.

The first petition comes from over 20,000 petitioners, all from within the Kamloops constituency in British Columbia from virtually every community and every part of the constituency.

It states that Canadians, mainly women and children, are becoming increasingly fearful to walk on our streets and in our neighbourhoods, that they believe that many violent and sex offenders are being paroled prematurely or being released without proper treatment or rehabilitation, and they believe that those convicted of dangerous and sexual offences should remain incarcerated until they have successfully undergone treatment and can demonstrate unequivocally that they have been completely rehabilitated.

Therefore, the petitioners call on the House of Commons and the Minister of Justice to take whatever steps necessary to amend Canada's Criminal Code and the parole system of Canada to ensure safety and peace in Canadian neighbourhoods.

[Child Poverty, June 14th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister, who will be aware that seven years ago the House unanimously passed a resolution affirming that members would seek to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. He will also be aware of the United Nations report that said Canada has the second highest number of poor children among 18 industrialized nations.

How does he feel about this status of Canada and what is he and his government doing about it?

[Mining Industry, June 14th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Mr. Kevin Bennett, president of Cathedral Software, on being selected as the new face of mining by the Keep Mining in Canada campaign for his work in developing customized state of the art software with Highland Valley Copper at Logan Lake, British Columbia in my riding.

For Highland Valley Copper, Mr. Bennett has built two major computer systems for the mining industry. His "Concentrate Sales and Inventory Management" system allows Highland to easily track the production, movement and sale of mine concentrates. His "Speedy Bid" system eliminated the need for time consuming data entry by aiding purchasing departments in preparing, distributing, analyzing and awarding contracts for the supply of inventory items.

Kevin Bennett's work is indicative of how the Canadian mining industry is meeting international competition head on by becoming more efficient. It shows how the mining industry is pushing the frontiers of technology and software development.

I applaud Mr. Bennett and Highland Valley Copper for their innovative work preparing the mining industry for the 21st century.

[Goods And Services Tax, June 5th, 1996]

The NDP came first. He will also be aware that the premiers of the western provinces have asked that he withdraw from the GST harmonization scheme.

Will he now recognize that this is the wrong course to take, follow the advice of the western premiers and pull out of that GST harmonization scheme?

[Goods And Services Tax, June 5th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is also for the Minister of Finance.

He will be aware that in yesterday's byelection in Nova Scotia the GST harmonization was an issue that was front and centre and that the Liberals came in a humiliating third place.

[Tobacco Products, June 4th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health.

The Minister of Health announced that from June 1 he will regulate human sperm in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act. He is proposing that cheeses made from unpasteurized milk be also restricted under the Food and Drugs Act.

However, cigarettes, still the major preventable cause of disease and death, remain unregulated. When will the Minister of Health regulate tobacco products by including them under the Food an Drugs Act as well?