Joy Smith

[Petitions, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition with close to 1,000 signatures. With the growing crime of human trafficking in Canada and worldwide, the petition goes as follows: “We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following: That whereas the trafficking of women and children across--”

[Anti-terrorism Act, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the minister and the parliamentary secretary for this very important work.

It is very timely to have this presented in Canada's Parliament. The world over, truly, we know that the terrorist threat is out there. We know that many countries are working together to offset this menace and to keep Canadians safe from terrorist activity.

I know that the parliamentary secretary has consulted not only in Canada but with many other countries as well. Could he please expand on the question of whether or not other countries now have the same powers in place that we will here in Canada once this resolution is passed?

[Canadian Human Rights Act, February 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-44. I would like to recognize and congratulate the parliamentary secretary, as my former colleague did, on the birth of his beautiful new daughter and to also thank him for the wonderful work he has done on the bill.

I am pleased to speak to the bill this afternoon. It is a subject that has been bantered around and has been studied in the status of women committee, of which I am the vice-chair. Representatives from aboriginal communities, groups and women have appeared before the committee and have said that it is high time this happen. I am very pleased to talk about why we feel this is so necessary. I also ask for support from all members.

The legislation proposes to grant residents of first nations, including aboriginal women, the same remedies and protections available to other Canadians. Nowhere is the requirement for this protection better illustrated than through the issue of matrimonial real property.

On reserve, matrimonial real property, or MRP, provides a compelling glimpse of what life can be like for residents of first nations communities. MRP refers to the assets that a married couple typically share, the family home for instance. In the event of a family breakdown, provincial law prevents the sale of MRP until both spouses agree on how the proceeds will be divided. This effectively prevents one spouse from acting unilaterally. Provincial family law, however, does not apply on reserve. In fact, on reserve no law prevents a spouse from being evicted from his or her family home. I am sad to say that this tragedy is played out dozens of times each year in communities all across Canada.

To further complicate matters, under the Indian Act, only a band council has the right to issue an occupancy permit, a document that stipulates who may live in a house located on a reserve. As my hon. colleagues have pointed out, actions taken pursuant to the Indian Act are exempt from the Canadian Human Rights Act.

As a result of this legal quagmire, hundreds, if not thousands, of aboriginal women find themselves out on the street with nowhere to turn. Their rights may have been violated, their families may be in ruins, but the law can do nothing for them.

In 2005 the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development studied MRP and heard from dozens of witnesses. I will cite a small excerpt from the testimony of Beverley Jacobs, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada. Ms. Jacobs said:

—many first nations women have no recourse at all when their rights are being violated in their communities. They have no recourse to challenge their band councils for discriminating against them and for forcing them out of their own communities. We demand basic human rights for our women and children.

The legislation before us today is all about human rights. A report published last year by the United Nations Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights effectively chastized Canada for failing to adequately protect basic human rights. The committee's concluding remarks include this statement:

—the Committee urges the State party to repeal section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which prevents First Nations people from filing complaints of discrimination before a human rights commission or tribunal.

Today we have an opportunity to right these wrongs. The legislation is a crucial part of a larger strategy that will see first nations exercise greater control over and assume more responsibility for the well-being of their communities.

I urge my hon. colleagues to vote in favour of this very important bill. I congratulate the minister for putting it before Parliament.

[Firefighters, February 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, firefighters risk their lives every day in the line of duty protecting Canadians. Without hesitation they enter dangerous situations because they are dedicated to preserving the lives of others. They serve their communities with courage and uncompromising devotion.

It is with great sorrow that I rise today in the House of Commons to announce that two firefighters lost their lives while battling a fire in Winnipeg last evening. Both gentlemen were captains, each with over 30 years experience.

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the families of these two heroic firefighters, along with their families at Fire Station 1 and Fire Station 2.

There are no words to express my gratitude for their bravery. Their heroic actions remind us of the risks they all face every day. This is a sad day for Winnipeg and for Canada. I ask that we all remember.

[Petitions, February 2nd, 2007]

Second, Mr. Speaker, we are getting petitions on human trafficking in which Canadians are calling on Parliament to combat this horrendous crime of human trafficking. They want it done to make sure that children, women and others are protected from these predators.

[Petitions, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have over 200 names per petition and I have four petitions, so that is a lot of names that continue to come into my office on the issue of opening up the traditional marriage question. I would like to submit these to the House. They continue to come in even after we have addressed the question.

[Status of Women, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition parties continue their campaign of fearmongering among Canadian women. The misinformation and outrageous accusations are unfounded.

If we were to listen to the rhetoric of the opposition, there would be no money for women under a Conservative government. It is time to set the record straight.

Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women tell the House if there have been any applications under the modernized and renewed status of women program?

[Canada Elections Act, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, after listening to the speech this morning, I certainly do have some questions. The purpose of the bill is to ensure that voting is done fairly and in such a way that identification can be secure so a fair and equitable voting process in a democratic society can take place.

I was quite interested to hear the member's presentation this morning. It seemed that the member discouraged putting these safeguards in the bill for a number of reasons. It was also interesting to hear her comments about seniors and that the bill would discourage seniors from voting.

Quite the opposite will happen because, as we know right now, seniors do vote and are very careful to give their identification and to get out to vote. I have heard from seniors in my riding who are pleased the bill is before the House of Commons.

The member said that we were just overstating everything and that there was not massive fraud in Canada. I do not think we are talking about massive fraud. We are saying that fraudulent incidents do occur and we need to address that, which is exactly what the bill is trying to accomplish.

What are the reasons the member thinks that seniors would be discouraged from turning out to vote if the bill passes in the House? I would like to know the reason why the statement was made.

[Canada Elections Act, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the speech of the hon. member opposite had a lot of credible information in it. I have one question.

This bill is long overdue in Parliament. Could the member expand a little on voter identification? I know that there have been incidents across Canada in which people have given identification but were not actually the person carrying the identification, so I understand that they voted under false pretences. What are the safeguards against this kind of thing?

[Senate Tenure Legislation, February 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal dominated Senate is blocking debate on Bill S-4 which would impose a limit of eight years on the tenure of senators. It seems that the new Liberal leader has refused to encourage his Liberal senators to move forward.

The unelected Liberal dominated Senate is continuing in its stubborn filibuster on Bill S-4. Although the Liberal leader is on record as supporting Senate term limits, it seems the new Liberal leader has failed to get his senators to move forward on this bill.

Could the Minister for Democratic Reform please tell us when we will have an opportunity to--