Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1), these are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of which is attached.
He said: Mr. Speaker, this bill to amend the Criminal Code will allow the Government of Canada to take advantage of the online gaming industry which is emerging as a very exciting form of entertainment around the world. It will provide an opportunity through proper regulation for Canada to take advantage of the opportunity to raise billions of dollars that would otherwise not come into the coffers of Canada.
It will create employment. With all of the new technologies in terms of security and privacy issues, we will have an Internet capability which will allow Canada to lead the world. I hope in the not too distant future we can have this bill before the House.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
(1510 )
Miss Deborah Grey (Beaver River, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I too have a petition to present concerning the removal of the GST from reading materials.
I would like to mention to the hon. member as I table my petition that the government, in fact, has not eliminated the 7 per cent sales tax from reading materials but has done so for a few special people.
The petitioners call for the complete elimination of the GST on reading material.
penalties for young offenders who commit crimes causing bodily harm or death.
The petition further states that these individuals should be held in custody pending their court hearing and that young offenders age 16 and older who take the law into their own hands and cause death should be charged and treated as adults and tried in adult court without the consent of judges.
That adds more fully and completely to the small changes that were made in Bill C-37. Of course, it is not the case that 16 and 17 year olds automatically are tried in adult court, as the petition suggests.
They call on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with the provincial governments to make a national highway system upgrading possible.
They request the House of Commons enact legislation or amend existing legislation to define marriage as the voluntary union for life of one woman and one man to each other to the exclusion of all others.
It urges the government to do what it has done in the recent announcement of the minister of public works to restrict the delivery of junk mail to their homes.
The petitioners ask the Prime Minister to carry out his party's repeated and unequivocal promise to remove the federal sales tax from books, magazines and newspapers.
The petitioners call on Parliament to urge the federal government join with provincial governments to make the national highway system upgrading possible.
The petitioners ask that the Prime Minister declare that Canada is indivisible and that the boundaries of Canada, its provinces, territories and territorial waters may be modified only by: (a) a free vote of all Canadian citizens and; (b) through the amending formula stipulated in our Constitution.
The petitioners urge all levels of government to demonstrate their support of education and end literacy by eliminating the sales tax on reading materials. They ask Parliament to zero rate the GST on books, magazines and newspapers and that the provinces and Ottawa should consider harmonizing their sales tax regarding materials which must be zero rated under the provincial sales tax as well as the GST.
The first comes from Kelowna, B.C. The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that our police and firefighters place their lives at risk on a daily basis as they serve the emergency needs of all Canadians. They also state that in many cases families are left without sufficient financial means to meet their obligations.
The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to establish a public safety officers compensation fund to receive gifts and bequests for the benefit of families of police officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty.
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 to our society.
The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to pursue initiatives to assist families who choose to provide care in the home for preschool children, the chronically ill, the aged or the disabled.
(1515)
They ask Parliament to zero rate books, magazines and newspapers under the GST and the proposed harmonized sales tax. They ask the Prime Minister to carry out his party's repeated and unequivocal promise to remove federal sales tax from books, magazines and newspapers.
This is a matter of considerable interest and concern to both Quebecers and Canadians. I just got back from a series of prebudgetary consultations with the finance committee, and many witnesses raised the issue of family trusts before the committee. This is a matter of considerable public interest.
I am counting on you, Mr. Speaker, and on the Parliamentary Secretary to shed some light on a situation that has been with us since 1972.
[English]
Mr. Paul Zed (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his intervention. I believe you are referring to Questions Nos. 87, 88 and 89. I have taken a note of your representation today. I can only tell you that those matters are being reviewed at the moment and we hope they will be before the House soon.
I ask, Mr. Speaker, that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.
The Deputy Speaker: Is that agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
The Deputy Speaker: I would ask the hon. parliamentary secretary to please put all his comments through the Chair rather than directly across the floor. His colleague, the chief whip, will tell him how hard that is on the morale of the Speaker.