Mr. Alex Shepherd (Durham, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to present a petition from 49 of my constituents. The petitioners request that Parliament refrain from passing into law any bill extending family status or spousal benefits to same sex partners, and that Parliament not amend the human rights code, the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or homosexuality, including amending the human rights code or the Canadian Human Rights Act to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation.
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The first petition comes from Saskatoon. The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that managing the family home and caring for preschool children is an honourable profession which has not been recognized for its value in our society. They also state that the Income Tax Act discriminates against traditional families who make the choice to provide care in the home to preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill or the aged.
The petitioners therefore pray and call upon Parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families who decide to provide care in the home for preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill and the aged.
The petitioners therefore pray and call upon Parliament to enact legislation to require health warning labels to be placed on the containers of all alcoholic beverages to caution expectant mothers and others of the risks associated with alcohol consumption.
Ms. Maria Minna (Beaches-Woodbine, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, this petition is signed by people from my constituency and across Canada. They are members of religious faith communities of various denominations. They call upon Parliament to amend the
Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Mr. Peter Adams (Peterborough, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. On the first petition those who signed want to draw the attention of the House to the following. Acts of discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual Canadians are an everyday reality in all regions of Canada. This kind of discrimination is unacceptable in a country known for its commitment to human rights, equality and dignity of all citizens.
Therefore the petitioners call upon Parliament to act quickly to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to adopt all necessary measures to recognize the full equality of same sex relationships in federal law.
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is also from people in Peterborough riding who are concerned about the effect of proposed changes in human rights legislation on the family.
They request that Parliament refrain from passing into law any bill extending family status or spousal benefits to same sex partners. They further request that Parliament not amend the human rights code, the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships.
[Translation]
These petitioners are dead against this project, which they feel is only shifting the problem from the south shore to the north shore of the river. They call upon the government to show respect for the quality of the fauna and flora and, if the project must proceed, they demand that the polluted sludge be disposed of on land. It is not good enough to just shift the problem, possibly to another federal riding.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger): Is that agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.