Mr. speaker, the hon. member has made an interesting suggestion. I have to point out that the final decision under the law is in the hands of the cabinet, which unlike the committee, has to be accountable to the Canadian public for its decisions.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
National Parole Board May 9th, 1994
Mr. speaker, the hon. member has made an interesting suggestion. I have to point out that the final decision under the law is in the hands of the cabinet, which unlike the committee, has to be accountable to the Canadian public for its decisions.
National Parole Board May 9th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we will be advertising the position in the Canada Gazette . The applications will be considered carefully on the basis of merit and competence. We will certainly be consulting widely before any final decision is taken.
I will certainly take the hon. member's suggestion under consideration. I thank him for making it.
Bill C-18 May 6th, 1994
First, Mr. Speaker, the government's position is that the bill is totally constitutional. It bears the certificate of the law officers of the
crown that it meets the requirements of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Furthermore, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the activities of a committee of the other place before the other place has even made a final decision.
If the hon. member is concerned about this matter he should reflect on why, when this bill was before the House, he was indicating that if it only capped the number of seats at the present level he and his party were ready to support it.
Bill C-18 May 6th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is the government's intention with Bill C-18 not to stop redistribution but to give the House an opportunity to review and update the process which has not been reviewed fully since it came into effect in 1964.
Second, I do not think it is appropriate for me to comment on a report of the other place. The other place as a whole has not yet dealt in a final way with Bill C-18. When it does we here will have to take into consideration the final decision of the Senate and I am sure we will do that very actively.
Business Of The House May 5th, 1994
Anyway, tomorrow the House will resume consideration of Bill C-22 respecting Pearson airport. If this is completed at second reading, we will turn to Bill C-25 to amend the Canada Petroleum Resources Act. If there is time, we will have Bill C-26 regarding the National Library.
Monday the House will resume business where it left off on Friday. When this is completed, we will proceed to Bill C-27, the income tax technical bill. On Tuesday, the House will consider the motion in the name of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in order to debate matters of importance to Canadian farmers.
I understand that discussions are going on aimed at having the House sit into the evening to accommodate all those who wish to participate in this important debate.
In any event, the House will resume business from where it left off on Monday and Thursday will be an allotted day.
Business Of The House May 5th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to make my statement, which is quite straightforward. I think the Deputy Prime Minister will agree with me on this.
National Parole Board May 5th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, this Parliament has created the National Parole Board as an independent semi-judicial body, akin to a court.
I think it is a very serious matter and has to be proceeded with due care and attention if one is considering revoking an appointment. I do not think the hon. member would want to create a set up where there is political interference or the possibility of accusations of political interference in the decisions of the parole board.
As a result, I take the hon. member's point very seriously. We are looking into the concerns underlying her question. Certainly we will not shrink back from taking action that is justified by a serious consideration of all the facts.
National Parole Board May 5th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has indicated a number of concerns that arose before this government took office.
We are committed to working to improve and strengthen the parole and correction system. I have already said that I, on behalf of the government, intend to bring down legislation before too long to achieve this purpose. I look forward to the support and encouragement of the hon. member to achieve these objectives.
Aids Virus In Prisons May 4th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, I support the response of Correctional Service Canada which includes a pilot project in that direction.
There are certain parts of the committee report which Correctional Service has not accepted and I think for good reason. This is all set out in detail in the response of Correctional Service which, as I have said, the Minister of Health and I support.
Aids Virus In Prisons May 4th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, as the hon. member said, the expert committee on AIDS in prisons tabled its final report. At that time Correctional Service Canada published a detailed response. I support the conclusions in that response which among other things includes a vigorous program of information.