Point Of Order  Before anything is done with respect to the bills at issue, the Chair could rule that the bills had not been properly dealt with and therefore the matter would not go further. I very much appreciate the concern of the member. I hope my explanation has made it clear what is happening.

Points Of Order  Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order, I made it clear earlier that we had no objection to the presence of the hon. member for Yukon there and in fact participating in the debate. The point I raise in this point of order is the fact that she was not a legal voting member of that committee.

Government Expenditures  The costs of the new service will be nearly 60 per cent less than under the previous government, dropping from $41.4 million to $17 million a year. I want to make it clear that a flight service for the royal family, the Governor General, the Prime Minister, ministers of this cabinet and foreign dignitaries is essential in a country as vast as Canada. The severe time restraints under which these people work makes this service absolutely necessary.

Points Of Order  What we are questioning is the chair's primary responsibility to ensure that the committee operates under the rules established by the House of Commons. I realize, Mr. Speaker, you rarely rule on proceedings in committee. However this is a clear breach of the standing orders. It is not a matter which can or should be left in the committee where it originated. The rules have been broken throughout the entire clause by clause consideration of Bill C-33 and Bill C-34.

Recycling  Speaker, if the hon. member had listened to my answer to his first question, I thought I made that clear. This is not a matter of the federal minister imposing her own solution. This was a unanimous decision made by all environment ministers at the meeting in St. John. We identified a problem, and we wanted a harmonized solution.

Lobbyists Registration Act  The primary reason for revamping the Lobbyists Registration Act will ensure, as I said before, that decision making is done with transparency and under public scrutiny. It will try to ensure that lobbyist representations are made very clear and the techniques they use are made very obvious to everyone concerned. There are some amendments that we need to make. The new ethics counsellor is available to the Prime Minister to investigate cabinet ministers.

Lobbyists Registration Act  However, it is difficult for us to assess its significance at this stage. The regulations will surely make the scope of this provision clear. The bill also mentions electronic communication; it will favour communication by fax and other modern media. Regulations on these matters will follow. To ensure greater transparency, as the Minister of Industry just said, the Liberal Party's position on the Lobbyists Registration Act, as stated on page 95 of the red book, is as follows: "To increase the transparency of the government's relations with lobbyists. . . a Liberal government will implement the. . .

Food Distribution In Canada's North  The situation is obviously extremely difficult, but without the food mail program or some alternative, it could be much worse. It is clear that some form of subsidization must continue for shipments of nutritious, perishable food items to isolated northern communities. The residents of these communities already have many problems to deal with: poverty, overcrowding, family violence, alcohol and substance abuse, cultural disruption, gambling and so on.

Young Offenders Act  In our red book, we promised to take a look at provisions in the legislation as they pertain to certain violent youth crimes and to strengthen the act which is now ten years old. At the same time, however, we made it very clear that we would try to find ways to curb crime, and this is where prevention comes into play. Just the other day after the Stanley Cup riots, all of us expected the riots to take place in New York City which is a city where crime has become a way of life.

Young Offenders Act  Could the hon. member explain why we have this bill, although the statistics show that no further legislation is necessary and that legal circles in Quebec and Ontario are very clear about not tinkering with the Young Offenders Act because it is good legislation, and so perhaps the problem is one of enforcement?

Young Offenders Act  We are a country that basically wants Canadians to know that we all have a responsibility for our country and consequently for our actions. However, as the Minister of Justice made clear, legislation is only one part of the answer to violence among young people. Protecting the public is the primary and necessary objective but we must focus our attention on helping our young people if we are to find lasting and effective solutions to youth crime.

Young Offenders Act  Nothing takes into consideration the opinion of the experts who met at that seminar to advise the minister-at great expense to the taxpayers, need I remind you. They give themselves a clear conscience. They study. They consult. But why, I ask you, Madam Speaker, since everything was already in the red book. So the essential amendments in this bill concern heavier penalties for serious crimes and the presumption of referral to adult court.

Immigration  I will certainly look at the case that the hon. member speaks about. Tomorrow we will be putting forward amendments with the aim of making it very, very clear that those in the minority who abuse will have those loopholes closed. I hope that his party looks forward to the speedy passage of that legislation.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that answer. If the meaning of the term sexual orientation is so clear-and he referred to jurisprudence previously as being the avenue by which he would have it defined-I believe the government should take over, should not shirk its responsibilities and should define the term.

Ethics Counsellor  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Prime Minister's answer. He has made it fairly clear in our minds that the new ethics counsellor does not have power of intervention. His power lies in his ability to report to the public. Recently it was decided that a single annual report from the Auditor General was not sufficient.