Peter MacKay

[Criminal Code, November 4th, 2002]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-295, an act to amend the Criminal Code (recruitment of children and swarming).

Mr. Speaker, the bill is an amendment to the Criminal Code aimed specifically at the more recent phenomenon of swarming, wherein individuals like Jonathan Wamback have suffered grave injuries as a result of this type of offence. It would amend the Criminal Code to make it illegal to recruit individuals, most often teenagers, to commit offences that result in this type of activity of mass beatings, where an individual's life and limb are put at jeopardy.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Divorce Act, November 4th, 2002]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-294, an act to amend the Divorce Act (custody of grandchildren).

Mr. Speaker, this amendment to the Divorce Act would allow grandparents to apply for custody of their grandchildren without leave of the court. Clearly, it would still have to be granted by the court in the final analysis, but would do away with any blocks to do it. It would give automatic standing should the grandparents choose to seek it.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Corrections and Conditional Release Act, November 4th, 2002]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-293, an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Criminal Code (sentencing judge to determine level of security of incarceration of inmate for first third of sentence).

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I do need an omnibus bill. Sentencing judges currently have the ability to determine the level of security of incarceration of inmates for the first third of the sentence. This would amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to require the court, in passing a sentence of two years or more of imprisonment, to make an order specifying the minimum security level of incarceration for the first third of the sentence. As a result, several provisions of the CCRA would also have to be amended in consequence.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Criminal Code, November 4th, 2002]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-292, an act to amend the Criminal Code (breach of a conditional sentence order).

Mr. Speaker, the bill is aimed specifically at amending section 742.6(9) of the Criminal Code which deals with an offender who has breached a conditional sentence without reasonable excuse. The enactment would enable the court's option of taking no action to be removed and would require the court, in certain circumstances, to terminate the conditional sentence order that the sentence may be served in custody. As a result, section 742.7(2) of the act would also be amended to make it necessary for the consequential change within that reference.

It is once more an attempt to pre-empt the government's inaction on this issue of conditional sentences.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Criminal Code, November 4th, 2002]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-291, an act to amend the Criminal Code (keeping child pornography in a manner that is not reasonably secure from access by others).

Mr. Speaker, the bill is aimed specifically at amending the Criminal Code to make it an offence for those who possess child pornography, whether created by that person or obtained from another source, to allow it to be accessed, and to take reasonable steps to prevent access by any other individual. Obviously this would become redundant if and when the government acts on the fallout from the Sharpe case out of the Supreme Court. However this is aimed specifically at protecting anyone from having access to this type of material.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Criminal Code, November 4th, 2002]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-290, an act to amend the Criminal Code (order of prohibition).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from St. John's East for his support on this.

The purpose of the bill would be to amend section 161 of the Criminal Code where an offender is convicted of a sexual offence. The enactment currently permits the court to make an order prohibiting the offender from being in a number of enunciated places in the Criminal Code, including a schoolyard or playground. This would add to that list the term dwelling house, where the offender knows or ought to know that a person under the age of 14 is present and a person who has custody or control of the person under the age of 14 is not present. It would require that an adult be present when there is a sexual offender in the dwelling house. Again, this is for the protection of children.

The impetus for the bill was Ms. Goler, who was a victim in the province of Nova Scotia many years ago in a dwelling house.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Criminal Code, November 4th, 2002]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-289, an act to amend the Criminal Code (impaired driving causing death or injury).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring the motion forward again which would amend the Criminal Code to add additional powers to police officers to demand a breath or a blood sample when an accident occurs causing death or serious bodily harm. What it would do, in essence, is give the police reasonable and probable grounds to make that demand based on the accident alone where death or serious bodily harm has occurred. I believe this would be a substantial improvement in the ability of the police to fight this serious carnage that occurs on our highways every day.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Coady International Institute, November 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to recognize and congratulate the world renowned Coady International Institute located at St. Francis Xavier University in my riding of Pictou--Antigonish--Guysborough in Nova Scotia.

The Coady Institute was established at St. F.X. in 1959 and was named in honour of Dr. Moses Coady, a truly great Canadian and founder of the Antigonish Movement, a people's movement for economic and social justice.

Dr. Coady set up the institute to address poverty facing local fishers, farmers, forestry workers and coal miners with a program of adult education and group action directed toward the development of human capacities, economic cooperation and reform of social and economic institutions.

The Coady approach is more relevant than ever. The success of this movement attracted community leaders from across North America, and today men and women travel from over 120 different countries to take part in this campus based program.

On behalf of members of the Progressive Conservative Party and all members of Parliament, I commend the efforts of those who have continued in the tradition of Dr. Coady in creating innovative and effective strategies for building civil societies. On November 18, I invite all members--

[Supply, November 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I commend my friend the hon. member for Medicine Hat on his remarks. I think he has very recent experience, having been on an army base and having done some training and experienced first-hand some of the difficulties and challenges.

I too want to bring this back to some facts and statistics that are important to keep in mind. The hon. member has done a great deal of work on the finance committee and would know that in the period of time since 1993 $7 billion has been taken out of defence spending. He would know that there are 18,000 fewer members of the Canadian armed forces and 10,000 fewer reservists over that same period of time of approximately 10 years.

My colleague the parliamentary secretary asked what more could we do. The Auditor General is saying that the current budgetary allowances are $1.3 billion short in terms of what is actually needed. With 40 year old Sea King helicopters and 30 year old frigates, the equipment itself is putting people at risk. Yet there are also domestic circumstances for which we need to bolster our armed forces. We know what happened with the floods in Manitoba and with the ice storm.

Does the hon. member feel that the current status of the Canadian armed forces is sufficient to perform even the domestic role that is required of the forces, let alone our international obligations?

[Supply, November 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it is with some sadness to hear the minister say that he has to go outside the current military ranks to get that kind of expertise, but my question is more to the point.

The reductions in personnel have been a direct spinoff effect of having the budget slashed, along with the denigration and the moral problems that exist. No one is pointing these out with any pleasure. We do not relish the fact that we have to point these out to the minister. I am sure he is painfully aware that one question is riveting the minds of Canadians and I am sure military personnel, particularly the men and women who fly our decrepit Sea Kings that came into effect at the same time as the current Prime Minister in 1963, and currently limit our ability to patrol and ensure the security of both the east and west coasts, and our military presence in the north.

Will it take the Prime Minister's retirement in the year 2004 before the government will finally stop playing silly buggers over this issue and finally order these helicopters, so that men and women in the armed forces are not putting their lives at risk every time they go up and do their duties in 40 year old aircraft? Is that the position of the minister? When can we expect that those helicopters will be ordered and when will we take delivery?