Employment Equity Act  Mr. Speaker, the fourth United Nations world conference on women concluded recently. I was there as a delegate. I learned that many developed and developing countries look to Canada for leadership in issues of justice, equality and human rights. I want to place Bill C-64 in that

National Grandparents Day  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of creating a grandparents day for Canada to honour grandparents for their significant contributions to both our individual and collective lives. We have a mother's day, a father's day and a year of the child, yet we have been reluctant to sim

National Registry Of Drugs And Implanted Medical Devices  Madam Speaker, the motion placed before the House by the member for Yukon is certainly worth considering. Any proposal that would contribute to maintaining and improving the health and safety of Canadians deserves thoughtful discussion. There is some ambiguity in the member's mo

Seniors Month  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the House that June is seniors month. Seniors month offers an opportunity for Canadians to acknowledge the contributions seniors make to their families, their communities, and to society at large. It is also a time to reflect on the diversity of

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, since the hon. member personally addressed me in her speech I think I should not only respond but ask her a question. The hon. member said that I was not present at all the hours and hours of committee meetings and I did not listen to the witnesses. One does not hav

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the hon. member. Does she fully understand why hate crimes should have aggravating factors? Hate crimes do not only hurt physically. Nor do they only hurt psychologically. Hate crimes leave a lasting effect on the individual. Hate crimes cause t

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I wondered for a while whether it was a question or a speech. The member asked how would I know it was an indiscriminate beating. My son has gone with girlfriends down those same streets at that same time in the city of Vancouver and has never been touched. He was ca

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time. I am glad of the opportunity to speak to this bill. I am excited about what Bill C-41 means and seeks to accomplish for all Canadians. This follows years of law reform commissions that have spoken clearly on the need to find a purpose and

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from 777 people of British Columbia. I concur with the petition. The petition states that we the undersigned residents of the province of British Columbia draw the attention of the House to the following: that discrimination on the basis of sexual

Spina Bifida  Mr. Speaker, bringing to the attention of the House the plight of lesser known diseases is neither exciting nor titillating, but the tragedies they leave in their wake are real. This is Spina Bifida Week in Canada. This illness occurs within the first four weeks of pregnancy and

Firearms Act  Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I did not get here on time for the vote, but I want you to know that if I were here I would have voted with my party on this issue.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise to support a petition that has come from 1,038 members of my riding, which reads as follows. We the undersigned residents of the province of British Columbia draw the attention of the House to the following: that discrimination on the basis

Hearing Awareness Month  Mr. Speaker, you might agree that in your chair you are more often a listener than you are a speaker, but not all Canadians share the luxury of hearing as you do. May is Hearing Awareness Month and as such is an occasion to promote greater public understanding of Canadians who a

Health Insurance And Services  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to speak to the motion of the hon. member for Surrey North. I have worked with her on the standing committee on health and have great respect for her thoughtfulness. The hon. member raised the issue of more flexibility for the provinces. The

Government Spending  Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member has been the victim of misinformation. On the whole issue of the tobacco conference, the government has joined with other governments to give money to the International Development Research Centre looking at the issue of tobacco use in develo