James Lunney

[Petitions, October 23rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition involves the E & N railroad, that is the Esquimalt and Nanaimo railroad, which goes from Victoria up to Nanaimo in my riding and further up to Courtenay and Comox.

The petitioners are calling on the government to act speedily to keep the E & N railroad running. They note that the E & N is part of Vancouver Island's economy and its history and that it was a federal guarantee made as a precondition of British Columbia entering Confederation.

I would note, along with constituents, that we all have an interest in advancing green energy and transportation options. The petitioners are asking for help to keep the E & N railroad running.

[Petitions, October 23rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present to the House today.

The first petition involves restrictions on log exports from private lands. Private lands are regulated by the federal government and one-third of the land mass of Vancouver Island is actually a private land forest.

The petitioners note that of approximately one million acres of private forest land on central Vancouver Island, nearly 70% of the logs harvested are currently destined export. They are, therefore, calling upon the Government of Canada to implement a tariff on logs exported from private lands to level the playing field and ensure that Canadian mills, as well as secondary industries that rely on byproducts from processing, are given equal opportunity.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, over the past weekend, members of four bands on Vancouver Island ratified a historic treaty. The Toquaht, Uchucklesaht, Ucluelet and Kyuquot joined the Huu-ay-aht in voting for an overwhelming endorsement, making this the second treaty approved under the B.C. treaty process.

Inasmuch as four of the five bands are situated in my riding of Nanaimo—Alberni, I take great pleasure in offering congratulations to the chiefs, counsellors and the treaty ratification committees. Perhaps Tom Happynook of the Huu-ay-aht said it best, “As of today, I am proud to be a Huu-ay-aht. I am proud to be a Maa-Nulth. I am proud to be a British Columbian and I'm proud to be a Canadian”.

Congratulations are also due to Premier Gordon Campbell and our own Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. This historic agreement will now be presented in the B.C. legislature and eventually here in the Canadian Parliament for ratification.

This treaty offers great potential to launch a whole new future for these first nations. It is hoped that the spirit of collaboration and goodwill that has infused the treaty process will spearhead a whole new chapter for all of British Columbia.

[Petitions, June 20th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by some 400 petitioners from British Columbia, many from my riding.

The petitioners call on the government to take note of the age of consent and protection for our children from sexual predators. They call on the government to make this a priority and to raise the age of consent to 16 to protect vulnerable 14 and 15 year olds.

The bill, I believe, is at the Senate. The petitioners are hoping the bill will be enacted.

[Petitions, June 20th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions on two different subjects. I have a group of petitions on Bill C-404. There are about 500 signatures coming from Kelowna and Surrey in British Columbia and as far away as Quebec.

The petitioners call on Parliament to take note that the weight of modern scientific evidence confirms the mitigation and prevention of many diseases and disorders through the judicious use of natural health products. They note that Canadians support the use of natural health products to promote wellness and health.

They call on Parliament to provide Canadians with greater access to natural health products by removing the GST from natural health products and implementing Bill C-404, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (natural health products).

[Stem Cell Research, June 20th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, much has been said in the House about stem cell research and the tremendous possibilities for regenerative medicine. Spinal cord injuries, tissue replacement and even sports injury repair are hot topics of discussion.

Whether it is baby Cole in Cape Breton who is undergoing a transplant, or toddler Joseph Kim in Coquitlam, B.C. whose blood may save his five year old brother, stem cells and transplants have been in the news.

Recently, a plentiful, non-ethically charged and underutilized source of valuable tissue has been coming to the forefront. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of blood tissue and stem cells that until recently has been largely discarded.

Increasingly, blood and bone marrow specialists have been calling for a national cord blood bank. Dr. Armand Keating, Director of Cell Therapy at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, and Dr. Stephen Couban of the Bone Marrow Transplant Group are two prominent advocates.

Motion No. 287 gives this Parliament an opportunity to support this life-saving initiative. Let us move quickly to make a national cord blood bank a reality and help Canada develop the rich potential of regenerative medicine.

[Petitions, June 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is one to require labelling for acetaminophen. There are some 50 signatures here from people who are concerned that acetaminophen is the most common pharmaceutical involved in unintentional and intentional poisonings. They note that both acute and chronic overdose can lead to potentially fatal liver toxicity.

There are over 250 products that contain acetaminophen and the petitioners are asking that Parliament enact legislation requiring appropriate warning labels for this product in order to protect Canadians.

[Petitions, June 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions from constituents in my riding.

The first is a petition signed by some 510 people from my riding in regard to a ban on terminator technologies. These constituents come from Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville and Qualicum Beach, largely from Vancouver Island. They want Parliament to take note that terminator technologies or genetic use restriction technologies use genetic engineering to render seeds sterile at harvest and thus prevent farmers from saving and replanting seeds.

These petitioners take note that in March 2006 the United Nations convention on biological diversity was changed to strengthen the global moratorium, and they would like the Parliament of Canada to enshrine in legislation a permanent national ban on terminator technologies.

[Aboriginal Affairs, June 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, for 60 years first nations have been asking Ottawa to change the way it resolves land claims. For 13 years the Liberals ignored those cries and did nothing. In fact, under the neglectful Liberal watch the number of aboriginal land claims rose from 250 to 800.

Yesterday the Prime Minister, along with the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, announced our Conservative government's plan to address the issue. Could the minister explain what this new plan will mean for aboriginal Canadians?

[Petitions, June 6th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition also deals with an important issue and contains about 1,800 signatures. It has to do with the fact that Canadians use natural health products for health and wellness, and that the weight of modern scientific evidence confirms the mitigation and prevention of many diseases and disorders through judicious use of natural health products.

The petitioners are asking the government to remove the GST and provide greater access to natural health products by enacting Bill C-404, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act.