Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have a single petition with 35 signatures requesting protection for the unborn child.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I also present a petition with 346 signatures urging Parliament to enact legislation that addresses crime control and not firearm control.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I present two petitions signed by 100 people praying that Parliament continue to reject euthanasia and physical assisted suicide and that Parliament consider expanding palliative care for dying persons.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions signed by 66 people in my riding requesting that in no case may a father or mother without serious cause place obstacles between the child and grandparents and further that grandparents with access to a child be given the right to acquire information as to the health, education and welfare of the child.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of presenting 13 petitions on seven different topics all bearing signatures of my constituents and duly certified by the clerk of petitions. I present three petitions with over 700 signatures requesting that the government take action that will keep mining in Canada by increasing employment in this sector, promoting exploration and rebuilding mineral reserves.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions with 332 signatures urging Parliament not to amend the Human Rights Act in any way that would indicate societal approval of same sex relationships, including any amendment using the phrase sexual orientation as prohibited grounds of discrimination.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I present a petition signed by 37 people in my riding asking Parliament to consider a referendum on accepting or rejecting two official languages. I appreciate the opportunity to present the views of my riding through these petitions.

Committees Of The House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources regarding Bill C-48, an act to establish a Department of Natural Resources and to amend related acts.

Frobisher Bay  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our two members of Parliament from the Northwest Territories, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the eight hunters who drowned in Frobisher Bay earlier this week. Our thoughts are with the two survivors and the whole community of Iqaluit whose lives have all been drastically affected by this tragedy.

Social Security Programs  Mr. Speaker, this question has been brought up before. I do not know how long the member opposite has been out of school but as you can tell I have not been out of school that long. I remember when I borrowed money from the government through the system that was in place at that time which basically has not been changed very dramatically since then.

Social Security Programs  Mr. Speaker, to my colleague across the way let me make it clear I believe that benefits should be based on need. The fact remains that we as a government can assess policy options through the review we are having with Canadians once the consultation process is over. I believe there is a strong possibility that we will be able to create change and programs and policies that base their assumptions on the needs of certain Canadians.

Social Security Programs  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of change. Although I have not entirely determined my position on all the proposals contained in the government's discussion paper "Improving Social Security in Canada", I am carefully considering the various options. Frankly I am waiting for my constituents to digest these ideas and tell me what they think.

Department Of Industry Act  Obviously, it is a subsidy. I have questioned that for a number of years and it is only one example. Those are things the minister and the government are trying to change so that people will be able to improve their lot without being on a treadmill. In conclusion, this morning the minister referred to diversifying northern Ontario and having regional development programs that do two things.

Department Of Industry Act  Madam Speaker, yes, I did run into Reform candidates in the last election, which I found to be quite interesting. The member should know two things. I very much followed the platform of the Reform Party, simply because if I was going to run against somebody I should know what my opposition was saying.

Department Of Industry Act  Madam Speaker, I rise today to support Bill C-46. I want to talk about some positive aspects of the government's policy direction because economic indicators in Canada are indeed positive. It is not a complete coincidence that the Canadian government has introduced new restructuring such as the Department of Industry.