Young Offenders Act  Sandy Mahoney of Maple Ridge, B.C. whose 14-year old daughter had to move to Ontario to live with her grandmother because she was constantly beat up at school, constantly harassed by what the authority and school officials called gang members. It is very clear that young criminals are not afraid of any authority, is what she said. Another woman, Marian Jutila from Coquitlam states: "As a community we demand you immediately follow through and begin revamping our Young Offenders Act".

Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, 1995  That is clear.

Pre-Budget Consultations  There are many reasons for this such as an ever increasing aging population that consumes over 70 per cent of the health care dollar; technologies of intervention and equipment which are getting more and more expensive all the time; and new diseases such as AIDS which are very expensive to treat are raising their ugly heads. For all of these reasons and many more it is clear that health care in Canada is living not just on borrowed time but on borrowed money. The health care crisis is a result again of dwindling funds and escalating costs. The problem is clear.

Pre-Budget Consultations  These people who, so far, have been living mainly off their passion, must not be the victims of the clear-cutting measures taken by the government; the latter must provide them with the means to overcome the crisis which it will impose upon them. Performers make us dream; they make us cry; they make us laugh.

Pre-Budget Consultations  In the last few years, we have gone beyond tax effectiveness, especially for the middle class. The GST was the last straw. It is clear that government revenues can only increase through higher income tax levels for the middle class, directly or indirectly. The dissatisfaction of the middle class is understandable when we look at a few figures.

Pre-Budget Consultations  Similar large amounts were received by families with high incomes by any other standard. From these facts follows a clear and precise definition of restructuring of social programs. It means the elimination of transfers to those who do not need them. Would the hon. members of this House please note this important point that needs repeating.

Pre-Budget Consultations  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his remarks. If I was not clear enough, let me add a couple of words to make myself perfectly clear this time. My message to the Minister of Finance is as follows. First, he must not target those members of our society who are having the worst possible time right now, I mean the unemployed actively looking for a job; and the majority, the vast majority of them are actively looking for a job.

Atlantic Canada  We know for instance from the Statistics Canada spousal homicide survey that between 1974 and 1992 a married woman was nine times as likely to be killed by her spouse as by a stranger and that 42 per cent of women killed by their spouses during this period were killed with guns. These firearms' proposals will provide a clear and effective response to prevent such use of firearms. The Minister of Justice also acknowledges the importance and value of consulting with Canadians. Public consultations provide the government with invaluable insight into various issues.

Atlantic Canada  This position is reflected in all those agreements. Tariffication was a central issue during the Uruguay round. It was clear that these tariff equivalents would apply to all imports, including those from the United States. The United States has requested consultation and it should be seen as just that; a request to meet and discuss the issues.

Atlantic Canada  They were attended by about 80 presenters from all walks of life, such as from the mental health field, family law, crown attorneys, police chiefs, counsellors, educators, and victims of violence. One thing that came through very loud and clear from the forums is that there is definitely a lack of awareness in our society on family violence. There was consensus that as a government we have to do something to make Canadians aware of the gravity and the prevalence of violence in our society.

Atlantic Canada  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak to the motion. It was not clear to me in the original motion whether or not the suggestion was being made to put more money into Atlantic Canada. If that is the case we would oppose it. There is much talk about what Atlantic Canada needs.

Young Offenders Act  A long term crime prevention program, with the aim of deterring young offenders from continuing to act in a reprehensible way, is what is really needed. On this issue, Quebec is sending a clear message to Ottawa: "Let us continue to resolve our problems in the way we see fit without imposing rules to follow or amendments that may satisfy other provinces, but do not fit Quebec's experience at all".

Social Security System  To shift the focus from making programs sustainable and available to the truly needy, to using them primarily as a means to attempt to create jobs, has far reaching implications that require a clear public mandate, not just an assumed one. For these reasons, the new philosophy being now introduced by the government ought in my view to be examined by the committee, especially whether it carries the judgment of Canadians.

Young Offenders Act  In response to public concern the minister has amended the declaration of the principle of the act to make it clear that the primary objective of the youth system, however, must be the protection of society. This can only be achieved if we have a real commitment as well to rehabilitation and to crime prevention.

Young Offenders Act  The first measures contained in the bill are, in my opinion, the most important and fundamental amendments to the Young Offenders Act. The amendments proposed to paragraph 3(1) of the present act send a clear message to the judiciary who are responsible for enforcing the act. The protection of society is a primary objective of the Young Offenders Act. This preamble is most important. Much of the time, the varying goals of the criminal law are in conflict.