Russell MacLellan

[Supply, May 12th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to speak on this motion this morning because it is a very important topic.

As the member who presented the motion has said, it is of concern to a great many Canadians. However this concern is not necessarily for the reasons that he said. There is a great deal of concern in Canada for our youth, for our next generation; where they are going and what they will have when they become adults and lead the actual direction of the country.

We in the Liberal Party will be bringing forward legislation in June to deal with some of the concerns that the hon. member has brought forward. Whether these changes will meet with his approval or not, no one can say until he actually sees them. We will, however, be bringing forward a first phase in June that will deal with changes to the Young Offenders Act and to some degree will harshen penalties for young offenders.

The second phase is a study beginning in the fall of the Young Offenders Act. This complete review of the Young Offenders Act will determine what changes should be made to the act in light of the changes that were being recommended in June, and other changes which need to be made to accommodate the concerns of the people of Canada.

We will be hearing witnesses and the committee, I presume, will be travelling. It will be a complete and detailed study. The concern of course is that we must look at this act not from the point of view of a concern of the people of Canada-

[Justice, April 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the children in our country are the future of our country. This government places the utmost reliance on our children. Nothing will come before the benefit and the welfare of the children of Canada.

[Justice, April 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, it certainly is the intention and the present activity of the Minister of Justice and the department to look into this important question.

The Minister of Justice has stated to the House that he and the department are presently analysing the question of a registry of

sexual abusers and that there will be something brought before the House in the not too distant future.

[Criminal Code, April 21st, 1994]

Madam Speaker, it is a great pleasure to speak on behalf of Bill C-8 at third reading. I hope this bill will receive support from all sides of the House.

Bill C-8 marks a significant advance forward from the anachronistic fleeing felon rule. In addition, it preserves the ability of the police to protect themselves and the public from serious harm or death. As well, this bill balances the ability of police officers to maintain the safety and security of the public while respecting the rights of Canadians.

Hon. members should know that Bill C-8 has the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police Association. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police believes that Bill C-8 responds to the need for change in a way that provides police officers with the necessary tools to do their jobs in dangerous situations, while at the same time places on police officers the responsibility when using deadly force against fleeing suspects to do so in the circumstances which would be permitted by the proposed new subsection 25(4) of the Criminal Code.

The Canadian Police Association expressed the view that the legislation is balanced and accords with commonly accepted police practice. It deals with the uncertainty caused by a decision of a court in Ontario that concluded that the present subsection is unconstitutional.

Both the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police Association are comfortable with the wording in the proposed new subsection 25(4).

Bill C-8 also addresses the types of situations that arise when peace officers in federal penitentiaries use force to prevent potentially dangerous inmates from escaping custody.

With the proposed new subsection 25(5) of the Criminal Code, Bill C-8 strikes a sensible balance between individual rights and community needs and guarantees that peace officers in our penitentiaries will continue to enjoy the authority they need to carry out their responsibility for the protection of society.

Finally, the bill would also amend the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act to provide express statutory authority for a protection officer to use disabling force against a fleeing foreign fishing vessel in order to arrest the master of the vessel. This amendment will ensure that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is able to maintain this deterrent to foreign vessels' fishing illegally inside Canada's fishing zones.

The amendment includes the authority to create regulations establishing the procedures governing the use of disabling force.

The government intends to develop these regulations so that they will be consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and with recognized and reasonable international practice in the use of disabling force at sea.

This will include a guaranteed use of force to ensure that only the minimum level of force necessary to carry out an arrest is used.

I hope that hon. members will provide this bill with their support.

[Criminal Code, April 21st, 1994]

Madam Speaker, the member for Saint Hubert is proposing to amend the English version of Bill C-8 to bring the wording closer to the French version.

Legislative drafting takes place parallel in English and French. Each official version conforms to and reflects the genius, spirit and rules of each language. Neither version is the literal translation of the other nor is it meant to be. Therefore, formal discrepancies are inevitable.

The language in clause 1 as in other clauses is meant to be in plain language to the extent possible. The language in the French and English versions is used to express the intent of the legislation with the utmost clarity and precision, respecting grammatical rules and seeking to avoid undue repetitions and the use of more words than are necessary.

The use of the words "any of the inmates" in line 30 is short and clear and easy to understand. To add the extra words in English, as proposed by the hon. member, just in order to achieve a literal English translation of the French, adds nothing of substance and serves only to detract from the current English plain language version and therefore cannot be supported.

[Income Tax Act, April 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all members of the House for their co-operation. It is a very worthwhile way in which we are proceeding with the bill in the interests of achieving this, saving a lot of time and getting this consolidation finished.

[Income Tax Act, April 20th, 1994]

Mr. Chairman, I move that all the clauses be approved and adopted by unanimous consent and give an undertaking that there is nothing here untoward and that is not obvious or has not been disclosed to all members of the House.

[Income Tax Act, April 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-15 contains in its schedules a rewrite of the nine income tax amending acts passed between November 30, 1991 and July 1, 1993; that is to make them consistent with the revised Income Tax Act.

Amending acts passed prior to December 1, 1991 were incorporated in the revision of the Income Tax Act and the income tax application rules in the context of the statute revision exercise which forms the fifth and last supplement to the revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, which came into force on March 1, 1994.

Between November 30, 1991 and July 1, 1993 nine acts amending the Income Tax Act were passed. These acts amended the old version of the Income Tax Act, which was in force at that time.

In Bill C-15 the nine amending acts are being rewritten to read as they would have read if the revised version of the Income Tax Act had been enforced when they were passed. Each schedule of Bill C-15 revises one of these nine amending acts.

What needed to be done to bring the form of the amendments in line with the revised version is under question. In English, for instance, where the Income Tax Act once contained a large number of gender related terms, these have now been removed or replaced.

In the French version terminology and style have been improved and standardized to correspond as much as possible to the improvements in the language of the general statute revision of 1985.

The enactment of the bill will bring the revision of Canada's income tax law to a close. It will provide the citizen and the tax community with a uniformly revised, up to date version of the current income tax legislation.

I wish to stress the point that this bill does not amend the substance of the Income Tax Act. Indeed, Bill C-15 specifically provides that this bill shall not be held to operate as new law when it provides that the Revised Statutes of Canada 1985 Act will apply to these schedules.

This is a technical bill that does not create new law and I am seeking the co-operation of the House for its speedy passage.

[Law Day, April 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I draw the attention of hon. members present to the fact that today is Law Day across Canada. Law Day recognizes the anniversary of the charter. This year is the 12th anniversary.

The theme of Law Day 1994, Access to Justice, is one that I strongly endorse. It reflects the right of every Canadian to have equal access to information about the laws and the legal institutions of Canada.

Information and education activities have been organized across Canada involving the Canadian Bar Association and hundreds of lawyers to make the law more accessible to all Canadians and to expand their knowledge of their rights within Canada's justice system.

As members of the House we should offer our active encouragement to the Canadian Bar Association as well as to the many Canadian groups across Canada in their endeavours on Law Day.

Please join with me in extending best wishes to all involved for a successful Law Day 1994.

[Gun Control, April 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member that plea bargaining away charges on armed robbery should not take place.

This question relates to the study the Department of Justice is conducting on gun control. It is doing it very intensely and with the same concern the hon. member presents to this House. I am sure we will have something to tell the hon. member and indeed all members very shortly.