Norman E. Doyle

[Criminal Code, June 13th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the members of the Progressive Conservative Party are voting no to this motion.

[Sales Tax And Excise Tax Amendments Act, 1999, June 13th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, Progressive Conservative members will be voting no to this motion.

[Canadian Tourism Commission Act, June 13th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, Progressive Conservative members will vote in favour of this motion.

[Ways And Means, June 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the Progressive Conservative members are opposed to this motion.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

[Petitions, June 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present a petition signed by 6,000 Newfoundlanders from every part of our province. The petitioners are very discouraged and upset that the CBC is cutting the national supper hour news program Here and Now from one hour to half an hour. An Atlantic Canadian poll released today reveals that 70% of Canadians are telling government to reverse that decision and 79% of Newfoundlanders are saying the same thing.

These 6,000 people are petitioning parliament to intervene to protect a program that is essential to the culture of our very large and sparsely populated province.

There are over 30,000 names on various petitions and these petitioners want all of their Newfoundland Liberal MPs to present those petitions as well, which they have not been doing. I am asking Newfoundland Liberal MPs to have some courage, to stand for their province, to stand for their people and to stand for jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2000, June 6th, 2000]

Progressive Conservative members, Mr. Speaker, will be voting no to this motion.

[Petitions, June 5th, 2000]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition on behalf of approximately 300 people from St. John's East who are concerned that the British Columbia Court of Appeal on June 30, 1999 dismissed the appeal to reinstate subsection 163.1(4) of the criminal code, making possession of child pornography illegal in British Columbia. The petitioners state that by upholding the lower court decision possession of child pornography in British Columbia is now legal. The petitioners state that the well-being and safety of children are in jeopardy. Therefore, the petitioners call upon parliament to invoke section 33 of the charter of rights and freedoms, commonly known as the notwithstanding clause, to override the B.C. court of appeal decision, and to reinstate subsection 163.1(4) of the criminal code, making the possession of child pornography in British Columbia illegal, and by so doing reinforce and affirm our objection to the B.C. court of appeal decision.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, June 5th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, recently CBC management announced that all of the CBC regional supper hour news programs will be cut back from one hour to half an hour. Here and Now in Newfoundland has a 64% market share. It has a viewing audience of 157,000 people. In comparison, in Toronto CBC's supper hour newscast has a market share of 2% and an audience of 36,000 people. The show with ratings closest to Here and Now is the one on Prince Edward Island with a 76% market share and 44,000 viewers.

Obviously the local CBC news shows in P.E.I. and Newfoundland are in a category all to themselves, and on their own merits they deserve not to be cut back.

It is time for the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Newfoundland Liberal MPs, who are taking very little interest in this subject, to show a little courage and tell the CBC that whatever they do in the rest of the country, Here & Now is here to stay.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, June 2nd, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, we are looking for the minister's action on this, not her thanks. Here and Now has a 64% market share and 157,000 viewers. This contrasts sharply with the Toronto equivalent which commands a mere 2% of the market and a paltry 36,000 viewers in that large city. I can understand that the CBC might have to tighten up in markets where its programs are not widely popular, but how can the minister justify throwing out our baby with Toronto's bath water?

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, June 2nd, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows that is not true. I am not looking for her thanks, I am looking for her action.