John Cannis

[Petitions, March 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present another petition on behalf of concerned Canadians who are calling on Parliament to support the immediate initiation and conclusion by the year 2000 of an international convention which will set out a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

[Petitions, March 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present four petitions signed by approximately 3,152 people, primarily constituents of Scarborough Centre and surrounding areas.

These concerned individuals call upon Parliament to enact legislation to amend the Criminal Code, specifically section 173, which deals with indecent acts, and section 174, which deals with nudity, to make it clear that a woman appearing topless in a public place is an indecent act.

I support this petition.

[Supply, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it is funny that the Reform Party which came here after the 1993 election, four years down the road has just discovered where it is from. I am surprised why its members did not put on a flag in 1993 when they first got elected.

The point I want to make is this. They talk about the flag and the pins. I happened to be in Nagano during the olympics. I want, for a moment, to tell this House what the member from Rimouski—Mitis did.

She was very proud to give out the Canadian pins, one that I wear today. She was very proud to wave the Canadian flag celebrating our athletes. I do not see their Canadian olympic pin being worn.

My point when they talk about a form of provocation, was the member for Rimouski—Mitis provoking when she was handing out the pins, when she was waving the flags celebrating our athletes? I do not think so.

Many people have said to me what has taken the Reform Party so long to discover that they want to display the flag? In the opinion of my constituents, the flag is best suited right on each side of your honourable chair.

In the many parliaments that we have visited, we have not seen members displaying flags on their desks. I see no reason why we have to do that now. They are best presented right where you are.

[Winter Paralympic Games, March 16th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate all the Canadian athletes who took part in the 1998 Paralympic Games in Nagano last week. After 10 days of action-packed competition, the games wrapped up this past Saturday.

Robin Lagacé, who lives in my riding of Scarborough Centre, competed as a member of the Canadian Men's Ice Sledge Hockey team. Going into the games Canada was ranked third out of seven competing countries. After a surprising win over the tournament favourite, Sweden, Canada went on to the gold medal game against Norway.

Today I am proud to say that the Canadian Men's Ice Sledge Hockey team will be bringing home the silver medal from Nagano.

The Canadian team's goalkeeper, Pierre Pichette, had the honour of being named top goalkeeper of the tournament.

I say congratulations to the team on its success in Nagano. The team truly captured the spirit of the Olympic games and proved once again that Canada indeed has a wealth of world class athletes. We as Canadians are very proud of them. Good job, Team Canada.

[1998 Winter Olympics, February 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan, open this Friday. I am sure the athletes will be overwhelmed with a feeling of pride for their country. This is their opportunity to represent Canada among the best countries of the world at the highest level of competition.

I especially congratulate members of the Canadian women's hockey team on their accomplishments. I remember just a few years ago we were helping with the fight to get funding and recognition for a national women's hockey team, and now look at them. They are not only competing in the Olympic Winter Games but actually have an excellent opportunity in bringing home the gold.

Four members of the Canadian women's hockey team make their home in the city of Scarborough, now the city of Toronto. I wish good luck to Karen Nystrom, Geraldine Heaney, Vicky Sunohara, Laura Schuler and the entire Olympic squad. We want them to know we are all very proud of them as they do us proud wearing the Canadian colours.

[Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act, December 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief.

I listened very carefully to the member for Sherbrooke. I was puzzled because he was a member of the cabinet under the Mulroney government and he has the audacity to stand in the House and talk about EI premium reductions. I am confused because sometimes he refers to them as premiums and sometimes as taxes.

I would like to ask him what decrease they made during their mandate when he was a cabinet minister, contrary to when this government took office in 1993 and reduced the EI premiums to the tune of $1.4 billion.

He talks about unemployment today being at 9.1% when under the Conservative administration it was almost 11.5%. However, we have created over a million jobs. He also talks about making the system sustainable.

He calls the EI contributions taxes, but I call them premiums. However, they kept raising the premiums because there was no reserve to fall back on in difficult times when there was high unemployment.

He talked about offsetting them with payroll deductions. He talked about them in terms of deductions, in terms of payroll taxes. He talks about sustainability. We are looking toward an era of sustainability.

He talked about an independent investment fund. That has already been put in place. I do not know where the member has been. I know he is in the House today. He is often in the House. We have already brought forward an independent investment fund.

I am more confused when he talks about an $11 billion tax bite. That is just not true. I say to the member, through you, Mr. Speaker, that is being intellectually dishonest because this is money put aside for pensions for the future.

[Via Rail, November 18th, 1997]

My question is for the Minister of Transport. There has been speculation in the press lately that the government is considering restructuring VIA Rail in order to accommodate partnership with the private sector.

Can the minister clarify what the government's intentions are regarding the privatization of VIA Rail?

[Supply, October 30th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, let me thank all members who have spoken today in favour of the motion. In the last parliament a similar motion was brought forward. I was very honoured to have seconded it.

We have heard some very moving personal tragedies today. I am sure every one of us have some to share. A resident in my riding, a Mr. MacRae who worked in the greater Ottawa area, was unfortunately hit on one of the major highways. It was a head on collision with another driver who was intoxicated. His life was suddenly taken away. He left a young wife and a young child whose futures were taken away from them.

The member just gave one example of an incident. I believe it was a $500 fine and a slap on the hand. That is ridiculous.

We have a problem. We could bring forward all the laws we want, and I think we should, but an area of enforcement has to unfold. This is where we sometimes lose the game. Most recently we heard of the Stuckless case in the greater Toronto area. Thirty or forty young kids were abused during their early lives. The gentleman was literally given a slap on the hand.

Was it because the law was not there? The law is there. There are rules but the enforcement side is an area we somehow have to address as well.

Does the member have any ideas that could be brought forward to enforce these laws, to make sure the penalties are enforced and to send a message saying that the laws are there? We could change the law, implement the law and bring forward motions, but unless they are enforced the tragedies a previous speaker referred to will go on and on. They are slaps on the hand.

We have to send a signal to the judges out there. They have a job to do. They have a responsibility. Unless judges are told in black in white that they must enforce the law as stated, we could bring in all kinds of the changes and nothing will happen.

Does the hon. member have any suggestions on how to enforce the rules and the laws we are trying to bring forward?

[Clearnet, October 29th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the company whose headquarters have just relocated to my riding of Scarborough Centre.

Clearnet is a Canadian controlled and managed company which is on the leading edge of wireless communications. In just three short years Clearnet has increased its employment by more than six times to well over 1,000 employees and is expected to create several thousand more jobs across Canada.

This company's success is an example of what our government hopes will be the future for all Canadians in the next millennium. Our commitment to invest in knowledge based economies such as telecommunications will help success stories like Clearnet become the norm. Keeping Canada and Canadians on the leading edge is our ultimate goal.

Not only do I want to welcome Clearnet, but I congratulate it on its tremendous success which I hope will continue in the future.

[Petitions, October 22nd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present a petition signed by 1,114 constituents and residents of the surrounding areas.

These concerned individuals call on Parliament to enact legislation in order to amend the Criminal Code, specifically sections 173 (indecent acts) and section 174 (nudity) to clearly state that a woman appearing topless in public places is an indecent act.