CANADA VOLUME 135 S NUMBER 099 S 1st SESSION S 36th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, May 5, 1998 Speaker: The Honourable Gilbert Parent CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) All parliamentary publications are available on the ``Parliamentary Internet Parlementaire'' at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 6509 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, May 5, 1998 The House met at 10 a.m. an act respecting extradition, to amend the Canada Evidence Act, the Criminal Code, the Immigration Act and the Mutual Legal _______________ Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, and to amend and repeal other acts in consequence. Prayers (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) _______________ * * * ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS PETITIONS D (1005) TAXATION [Translation] Mr. Paul Szabo (Mississauga South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am ENSURING ACCESS: ASSISTANCE FOR pleased to present a petition on behalf of a number of Canadians, POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS including from my riding of Mississauga South. Hon. Pierre S. Pettigrew (Minister of Human Resources The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that managing Development, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 108, the family home and caring for preschool children is a honourable I have the honour to table, in both official languages, two copies of profession which has not been recognized for its value to our the government’s response to recommendations made in the first society. report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Develop- ment and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled Ensuring The petitioners also concur with the national forum on health Access: Assistance for Post-Secondary Students. which stated that the Income Tax Act discriminates against fami- lies that choose to provide direct parental care in the home for their * * * preschool children. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS The petitioners therefore pray and call on parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against those families Mr. Peter Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the that choose to provide care in the home for their preschool Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, children. pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government’s response to four peti- MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT tions. Mr. Philip Mayfield (Cariboo—Chilcotin, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, * * * I have two petitions. The first is signed by 75 residents of the city [English] of Quesnel, British Columbia in the constituency of Cariboo— Chilcotin. They request that parliament impose a moratorium on LIBRARY OF PARLIAMENT ratification of the MAI until full public hearings on the proposed treaty are held across the country so that all Canadians can have an Mr. Gurbax Singh Malhi (Bramalea—Gore—Malton, Lib.): opportunity to express their opinion about it. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official lan- guages, the second report of the standing joint committee on the HEALTH Library of Parliament. Mr. Philip Mayfield (Cariboo—Chilcotin, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, * * * the second petition is signed by 75 residents of the city of Quesnel in the constituency of Cariboo—Chilcotin who request that parlia- EXTRADITION ACT ment deny the right of any board of group to remove or confiscate Hon. Anne McLellan (Minister of Justice and Attorney natural herbal supplements until public hearings are held across the General of Canada, Lib.) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-40, country. 6510 COMMONS DEBATES May 5, 1998 Routine Proceedings D (1010) TAXATION Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby—Douglas, NDP): Mr. MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT Speaker, I have the honour to present three petitions this morning. The first petition is signed by residents of Burnaby—Douglas and other British Columbians. Mr. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg—Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, despite the fact that the MAI talks have been suspended, and we It points out that the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982 guarantees hope for good, petitions continue to roll in from across the country freedom of conscience and religion and it urges parliament to from thousands of Canadians who are concerned about the MAI establish peace tax legislation by passing a conscientious objection and the fact that the government still has not given up the idea of a act which recognizes the right of conscientious objectors to ensure multilateral agreement on investment similar to that which it was that their commitment to apply a portion of their taxes that was to seeking at the OECD. be used for military purposes to instead go toward peaceful purposes such as peace education, war relief and humanitarian and Therefore I have petitions from various provinces calling on environmental aid, housing and so on. parliament to reject the current framework of MAI negotiations and instructing the government to seek an entirely different MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT agreement by which the world might achieve a rules based, global trading regime that protects workers, the environment and the Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby—Douglas, NDP): Mr. ability of governments to act in the public interest. Speaker, the second petition is similar to that tabled by my colleague from Winnipeg—Transcona. The opportunity is now for the government to do this. Given that the talks have broken down, we hope the government will finally It calls on parliament to reject the current framework of MAI listen to the many thousands of petitioners who have been asking it negotiations and instructs the government to seek an entirely to do this. different agreement by which the world might achieve a rules based, global trading regime that protects workers, the environ- ment and the ability of governments to act in the public interest. HEPATITIS C NUCLEAR WEAPONS Mr. Jim Hart (Okanagan—Coquihalla, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, I Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby—Douglas, NDP): The final rise today pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present a petition from petition, Mr. Speaker, notes that there continue to exist over 30,000 525 residents of the province of British Columbia who are con- nuclear weapons on the earth and that the continuing existence of cerned about the hepatitis C debate that is ongoing in Canada. nuclear weapons poses a threat to the health and survival of human civilization in the global environment. These petitioners draw the attention of the House to the follow- ing. Whereas the majority of Canadians are in favour of fair Therefore the petitioners urge parliament to support the immedi- compensation for all victims of tainted blood; whereas research ate initiation and conclusion by the year 2000 of an international indicates that the validity of the surrogate testing was available in convention which will set out a binding timetable for the abolition 1981 as opposed to the 1986 year stated by the hon. health minister; of all nuclear weapons. whereas the number of infected individuals appears to have been The Deputy Speaker: Perhaps I might be permitted to express dramatically overstated by the Minister of Health; therefore the the pleasure of the House at seeing the hon. member back on his petitioners pray and request that parliament revisit the issue of feet. hepatitis C compensation to reflect the concerns of the citizens of Canada, to offer a fair, compassionate and humane compensation package to all who received infected blood. MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT Mr. John Solomon (Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, NDP): Mr. Grant Hill (Macleod, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, I also have a Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present petition which sounds like it came from the same group of a petition on behalf of Canadians who live in Hamilton, Burlington individuals. Many of these petitioners are from British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario and a number of other places in Ontario. and they are also calling on the federal government to change its stand on hepatitis C. The petitioners are unhappy with the MAI negotiations, in particular with Don Johnston, the head of OECD and who is These petitions are coming in vast numbers and will not stop. As pushing this agreement on Canadians. The petitioners feel this is the victims have said, they will not go away until the federal the wrong approach and are calling on parliament to reject the government changes its mind. There have been some chinks in the current framework of MAI negotiations. They are calling on the armour and these petitions will carry on until that takes place. government to seek an entirely different agreement by which the May 5, 1998 COMMONS DEBATES 6511 Supply world might achieve a rules based, global trading regime that Mr. John Cummins: Mr. Speaker, on December 2, 1997 I asked protects workers, the environment and the ability of governments Question No. 56, which at one point I was told was with the House to act in the public interest. leader’s office. The parliamentary secretary pointed out at one point, quite * * * inaccurately, that roughly 800 questions had been received to that D (1015 ) point, which was a great exaggeration. He said that he had answered half of them. If he had I guess I would be finished. QUESTIONS PASSED AS ORDERS FOR RETURNS On many occasions he has told me that I could expect an answer in a timely fashion. The parliamentary secretary is beginning to Mr. Peter Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the remind me of Bill Clinton. Clinton said that Monica Lewinski was Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, if going to— Question No. 71 could be made an order for return, the return would be tabled immediately. The Deputy Speaker: That is a point of order and I think the hon. member is straying far off the point. I think the parliamentary The Deputy Speaker: Is that agreed? secretary has got the point.