[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of a report entitled Compilation of 1995 supplementary reports of the Nunavut Implementation Commission.
[English]
(1510 )
I think this report is a first in the sense that the same report will be tabled by two separate committees. My colleague from the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade will be tabling the same document under a different report number. The report is the result of a joint effort by two subcommittees that each received a mandate from its respective standing committee to carry out a joint review of the Special Import Measures Act.
[Translation]
I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who took part in the hearings of the sub-committees. I would also like to emphasize the way our assistants and committee staff worked together to ensure that our efforts were successful.
In concluding, I may point out that the report contains a request for a comprehensive response from the government, pursuant to Standing Order 109.
[English]
As the previous speaker mentioned, this represents the first report of the subcommittee on trade disputes which was conducted jointly with the subcommittee of the finance committee on the review of the Special Import Measures Act.
I thank the committee and the staff for the support we had on this important issue.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Health. In accordance with its order of reference of June 4, your committee has adopted Bill C-24, an act to amend the Tobacco Products Control Act, without amendments.
With leave of the House, I intend to move for concurrence in this report later this day.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
(1515)
He said: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to introduce this bill providing that a person serving a sentence of imprisonment for life who has been convicted of first degree murder or for more than one count of second degree murder is not eligible for parole until he or she has served, in addition to the portion of the sentence that must be served for murder, one third-up to a maximum of seven years-of the sentence imposed in respect of another offence arising out of the same event.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
He said-Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to introduce a bill that amends the Patent Act and will give additional powers to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, in order to monitor, on an annual basis, the availability of urgently needed medicine to the seriously ill.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
(Motion agreed to.)
May I, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, acknowledge and pay tribute to the McLeod family who are with us today to witness this. On their behalf I would like to present this petition.
The undersigned citizens of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following: that public safety is the number one priority of the criminal justice system; that no convicted felon while incarcerated in a federal institution will profit financially due to any monetary awards; that any money awarded to a felon must be given to his victim and if the victim is not living, the money will go to the registered victims' rights groups.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, your petitioners request that Parliament support legislation which will prevent monetary gain for convicted felons.
[Translation]
The Conservative government passed legislation in 1986 requiring Portuguese citizens to obtain a visa when visiting Canada. This measure, which was intended to be temporary, has lasted ten years.
I join with the representatives of the Portuguese community here in the gallery today and the people who signed this petition in the hope this government will resolve a situation that has gone on too long.
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The petitioners are asking the government to undertake proceedings to abolish the Senate as soon as possible. I fully support their request and I encourage the government to give serious thought to
this progressive measure, which will mean an annual saving of over $43 million. Candu=wordwatch
[English]
Several people from western Canada have signed a petition which states that the application of the 7 per cent GST to reading material is unfair and wrong. It is certainly not the first time we have heard that in the House. Education and literacy are critical to the development of our country and this is a regressive tax on reading and hampers the development of literacy.
The petitioners urge all levels of government to demonstrate their commitment to education and literacy by eliminating sales tax on all reading materials and not just the way the government is trying to weasel it through.
Several residents of Canada are drawing to the attention of the House that whereas this nation is in danger of being torn apart by regional factions, they pray that the Prime Minister and the Parliament of Canada declare and confirm these things immediately. First, that Canada is indivisible and second, that the boundaries of Canada, its provinces, territories and territorial waters may be modified only by a free vote of all Canadian citizens as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or through the amending formula as stipulated in the Canadian Constitution.
That would be good news to us all and I say Merry Christmas.
The petitioners request that 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.
The first petition is signed by 50 residents of Fredericton-York-Sunbury and requests that Parliament proceed immediately with amendments to the Criminal Code that will ensure that the sentence given to anyone convicted of driving while impaired or causing injury or death while impaired reflects both the severity of the crime and zero tolerance.
[Translation]
Although I am aware of the economic consequences of the sale of the Candu reactors, I consider the fears of those opposed well founded. We must not be blinded by the economic benefits of such projects, which, in the end, could have disastrous consequences.
[English]
The petitioners urge all levels of government to demonstrate their commitment to education and literacy by zero rating books, magazines and newspapers under both the GST and the harmonized sales tax.
They also 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.
These petitioners humbly pray and call on Parliament to keep dangerous sex offenders and pedophiles locked up for life; eliminate statutory release; impose stiffer sentences for violent offenders; have criminals serve their full sentences and have time added for bad behaviour; have a central registry for names and addresses of violent offenders; give more powers to legal institutions to keep dangerous criminals even after their sentence is served; give police authority in apprehending and interrogating violent offenders, including the ability to take blood and saliva samples; eliminate the
insanity or drunk defence; impose stiffer laws and sentences for stalker criminals; and reinstate capital punishment for first degree murderers if there is not doubt of guilt.
(1525 )
If the hon. members in the Bloc Quebecois would give me a moment they might actually learn something.
The petitioners call on Parliament to amend the Divorce Act to include a provision preventing a father or mother from placing, without legal cause, obstacles between the children of the marriage and their grandparents.
The petitioners also ask that the Divorce Act be further amended to allow grandparents the right to access, make inquiries and be given information as to the health, education and welfare of their grandchildren.
They point out that a recent article in the Peterborough Examiner suggests that Canada Post is making money out of ad mail. As Canadians, they also point out that they are shareholders in Canada Post. They support the recommendations in the Canada Post mandate review that door to door service be expanded, especially in rural areas.
They urge all levels of government to demonstrate their support of education and literacy by eliminating sales tax on reading materials. They ask Parliament to zero rate books, magazines and newspapers under the GST.
As the provinces and Ottawa consider harmonizing their sales taxes, reading materials must be zero rated under the provincial sales taxes as well as the GST.
They call on the government to join with provincial governments to make a national highway system upgrading possible beginning in 1997.
They call on the government to demonstrate its commitment to education and literacy by eliminating sales tax on reading materials under the proposed harmonized sales tax.
Mrs. Daphne Jennings (Mission-Coquitlam, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present petitions on behalf of two of my colleagues from Capilano-Howe Sound and from Fraser Valley West.
The petitioners ask the government to eliminate sales tax on reading materials. Further, they ask that as the provinces and Ottawa consider harmonizing the sales tax, reading materials must be zero rated under the provincial sales taxes as well as the GST. Education and literacy are critical.
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 the families of officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty are often 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.
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The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to pursue initiatives to assist families that choose to provide care in the home for preschool children, the chronically ill, the aged or the disabled.
Mr. Speaker, my third petition is from Kentville, Nova Scotia-
The Deputy Speaker: Two to a customer today, since there are so many people waiting.
The first group of petitioners requests that the Government of Canada not amend federal legislation to include the phrase sexual orientation.
Specifically, the petition asks the Prime Minister to carry out his party's repeated and unequivocal promise to remove federal sales tax from books, magazines and newspapers.
The first petition deals with the concern that the national highway system is substandard. Therefore the petitioners call on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with provincial governments to make the national highway system upgrading possible.
The petitioners ask that the Prime Minister carry out his party's repeated and unequivocal promise to remove federal sales tax from books, magazines and newspapers.
The petitioners are simply asking the government to carry out its promise.
The first two petitions bear 2,889 signatures and call on Parliament to have our present laws on obscenity strengthened, demonstrating the will to protect the men, women and children of Canada from pornography's impact and thereby also fostering recognition and treatment for sexual addictions which most often have been fuelled by the use and impact of pornography.
The Deputy Speaker: Is that agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
The Deputy Speaker: Is that agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
Mr. Zed: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to try a series of four travel motions, the negotiations on which have been happening during Routine Proceedings.
If it is agreeable to the Chair, I would like to propose them one by one.
The Deputy Speaker: I take it that all parties are agreeable to this.
Some hon. members: Agreed.
That the Subcommittee on International Financial Institutions of the Standing Committee on Finance be authorized to travel to Washington D.C. from January 27 to 30, 1997, to meet with the president and officials of the World Bank.(Motion agreed to.)
(1535 )
That the members of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development and the necessary staff be permitted to travel to Vancouver and Edmonton from January 26 to January 30, 1997, to conduct hearings on Bill C-65, an act respecting the protection of wildlife species in Canada from extirpation or extinction.(Motion agreed to.)
That as part of its study of new technologies and privacy rights, six members of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and the Status of Persons with Disabilities be authorized to travel to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Fredericton during the week of February 10 to February 14, 1997, for the purpose of holding hearings and that the necessary staff accompany the committee.(Motion agreed to.)
That in relation to its study of the mandate and operation of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, four members of the committee and two staff members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts be authorized to travel to the Republic of Ireland from April 6 to 13, 1997, to meet with members of Parliament and government officials of Ireland.(Motion agreed to.)