Herb Gray

[Canadian Security Intelligence Service, April 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. friend is mistaken. The report of the SIRC, the Security Intelligence Review Committee, did not confirm that Grant Bristow was a source of CSIS. It did however confirm that CSIS did a good job, a proper job and a necessary job investigating the Heritage Front.

[Canadian Security Intelligence Service, April 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it has never been confirmed that Grant Bristow is a CSIS source or was a CSIS source. As a result I do not think there is anything further I can add in reply to the hon. member's question.

[Business Of The House, April 6th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member wants to know what we are going to do during the next two weeks. I do not think that comes under the purview of the House.

However, I will make a statement about what will happen when the House returns on April 24. As I have said, I will leave what is to be done by hon. members in the intervening period to them and their own good judgment, if not their good taste.

When the House returns on April 24, we will be entering the most intensive part of the parliamentary calendar. I believe, therefore, it would be useful if I outlined briefly, not only the business for the next few days we are back but also priorities for the period between our resumption of sittings and the break in the month of May.

The business of supply requires many opposition days in this period, one or two a week. I should like to designate Thursday, April 27 as one of those opposition days.

Our first priorities when we come back from the Easter break will be to complete the third reading of Bill C-69 regarding electoral boundaries, and second reading of Bill C-76 implementing the budget, if these bills have not been completed, of course, before we adjourn today.

We will then return to report stage of Bill C-43, respecting lobbyists and to a motion to set up a special joint committee to develop a code of conduct for members of both Houses of Parliament.

Our next priority will be second readings of other important and pressing bills, namely Bill C-75 regarding farm loans; Bill C-70 regarding income tax; the bill respecting the Mint which was introduced this morning, and a very limited number of measures to be introduced later this month on which there are some time constraints.

We will also give priority to the bills that have already been considered by parliamentary committees and which have been reported back to the House and which, therefore, are now in their final stages of debate in the Chamber. These are Bill C-54 regarding old age security; Bill C-67 respecting veterans pensions and Bill C-65 concerning government organization.

There is also Bill C-41 regarding sentencing; Bill C-45 respecting conditional release; Bill C-58 regarding the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and Bill C-52 respecting the Department of Public Works and Government Services.

We will then consider other items reported from committee and any other items on which there is a consensus to move along.

By way of conclusion, I want to say I am providing this information now so the House leaders of the other parties are able to assess their positions in order to enable them to join with me, when the House resumes, in planning a reasonable schedule for the House in late April and early May which will in turn make it possible for us to do similar planning for what will be a very crowded agenda in June.

Having said all that, I wish all members of the House and their families a happy Easter and a happy Passover.

[Gun Control, April 6th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, this is not a matter involving the government as such but the internal workings of our caucus.

We would be happy when the time comes to go to the Canadian people as a party, as a caucus and ask for their support on the basis of the good work we have been doing for the Canadian people. This is exemplified by our support of the Minister of Justice's very positive, necessary and constructive gun control legislation.

[Gun Control, April 6th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, free votes are those designated as such by the government. We did not designate the vote on second reading of the gun control bill a free vote.

However, we are keeping our promise each day the House sits because we treat all private members' business as free votes. This is certainly a lot more than was done by the previous government. At the same time, in the way the House voted on the gun control legislation we are responding freely to the consensus of the Canadian people.

[Royal Canadian Mint Act, April 6th, 1995]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-82, an act to amend the Royal Canadian Mint Act.

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

[Hate Literature, April 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the government believes that the use of the Internet as a vehicle for hate propaganda or the facilitation of hate crimes is a serious concern that deserves to be dealt with.

At the same time, because of the structure of the Internet not coming within the clear jurisdiction of any country or countries creates a serious problem when it comes to dealing with the matter.

However, officials in my department, the Department of Justice and the department of heritage are working on possible solutions. Whether it involves the Criminal Code, telecommunications legislation or an international agreement, we are working to deal with this problem because we believe Canadians do not want to see the Internet misused for the purposes of hate propaganda.

[Canada Post, March 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, aside from the fact that it is not a supplementary to the member's first question, I want to say that I will be happy to inform myself further about what the report says or does not say, and then I will get back to the hon. member.

[Canada Post, March 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it has never been customary in the House to confirm or deny RCMP investigations.

[Patronage Appointments, March 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the law passed by Parliament gives the responsibility to the government to appoint the president of the CBC. It is a responsibility that has to be carried out in order to ensure that vital national institution operates.

With respect to his idea that any appointment made by government is improper patronage, I regret very much that he is criticizing so severely the fact that his leader's father has been sitting in the Senate under similar circumstances for many years. He ought to be ashamed of himself for attacking his leader's father.