Allan Rock

[Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1994, June 15th, 1994]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-42, an act to amend the Criminal Code and other acts (miscellaneous matters).

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

[Gun Control, June 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, we have started already. First, I have met with colleagues in cabinet to discuss measures that can be taken to deal with the smuggling of illegal weapons into the country.

Second, I have written to my provincial and territorial counterparts to ask them to see to the enforcement of subsection 85(1) of the Criminal Code which deals with minimum penalties for those who use firearms in the commission of offences.

I can tell the hon. member as well that we are considering changes to that section to make the consequences for the criminal misuse of firearms more severe. At the same time, through consultations with caucus and in taking into account all perspectives on the issue, we are going to come forward in the fall of this year with proposals to strengthen the regulation of firearms in the country, balancing always the need for safety in our community with the interests of those who have legitimate uses for rifles in hunting and on the farms.

[Status Of Women, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the steps we took today in asking the Supreme Court of Canada to suspend the operation of the Court of Appeals' judgment in Thibaudeau until the changes have been introduced in the law will save money that would otherwise be spent on lawyers. The Thibaudeau judgment in the Federal Court of Appeal created an abrupt and incomplete change in the tax treatment of child support payments.

Today we asked the Supreme Court of Canada, until it hears the appeal on the merits of the case, to suspend the operation of that judgment. Otherwise, all across the country people trying to negotiate or abide by agreements or court orders for the payment of child support will be left in uncertainty as to their rights and would be obliged to seek legal advice, paying money to lawyers to help them solve the uncertainty.

By seeking the stay today, we avoided that result. At the same time, through my colleague, the Secretary of State for the Status of Women, we have a task force touring the country soliciting the views of Canadians on the most appropriate changes to achieve fair and equitable tax treatment for child support payments.

[Illegal Dismissal, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my familiarity is particularly with respect to those months since this government has been in office and I can tell the hon. member that, as I already have mentioned, we are committed to the earliest possible resolution of his case, particularly in light of all the circumstances of which we are very much aware.

[Illegal Dismissal, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member that we are very much aware of the need to reach a resolution of this case at the earliest possible time.

I met with Mary Pitawanakwat last Thursday in Regina and yesterday here in Ottawa when she was present for the National Action Committee on the Status of Women meeting. I assured her that through counsel at the Department of Justice and her own lawyer we are committed to the negotiation of the resolution of all outstanding claims as soon as possible. I have satisfied myself that those negotiations are continuing.

Following the court judgment in April we received instructions from the client department, the department of heritage, to enter into negotiations which have resulted already in some measure of agreement. There are still issues outstanding and we are working toward their resolution at the earliest possible time.

[Criminal Code, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have no intention of elaborating upon objectives that may have been in the mind of the last government or a previous minister.

Instead, I will concentrate on the purpose of the study at the justice department. As I have said, it is linked directly to our international obligations to ensure that our domestic laws reflect the accord among all civilized nations of the world that we prohibit the use of excessive force against children. That is exactly what we are looking at in this study.

[Criminal Code, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the review that is now under way in the Department of Justice was undertaken following this country's signing of the UN accord with respect to the rights of children. This international convention committed Canada along with other civilized countries of the world to prohibitions against the use of excessive force toward children in any context.

As a signatory to that UN convention, Canada became obligated to review its own domestic laws to ensure they reflect that international principle of basic decency. That is the reason for the review. That is its purpose and that is its scope.

[Criminal Code, June 13th, 1994]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-41, an act to amend the Criminal Code (sentencing) and other acts in consequence thereof.

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

[Gun Control, June 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the primary focus of our effort is safety in the community and attacking crimes of violence. We will focus on illegal weapons being smuggled into the country. We will focus on enforcing those laws already on the books whereby people are punished for using guns in the commission of criminal offences.

We will also look at other steps that can be developed with the support of caucus for making this a safer society. We will, as the hon. member has suggested, bear in mind the use which is made for sporting and other purposes of rifles and shotguns in the course of that work.

[The Family, June 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I can remember testifying before the standing committee on human rights and persons with disabilities, speaking in answer to a question about the prospect of relationships being relevant for the purposes of government programs. I did not deal with households but rather with relationships, a term for which there is a precise definition available.

At the same time I made it clear that we would be consulting, discussing and listening to Canadians as we explore the best possible ways to deliver essential government programs in accordance with fairness and equity.