CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 140 Ï NUMBER 122 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 38th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, June 23, 2005 Part A Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken 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 7687 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, June 23, 2005 The House met at 10 a.m. Some hon. members: No. *** Prayers PETITIONS MARRIAGE Mr. James Lunney (Nanaimo—Alberni, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS have a series of petitions dealing with different subjects. The first three deal with the subject of marriage, a matter that is of great Ï (1000) concern to constituents in my riding. The petitions come from [Translation] Nanaimo and other areas in British Columbia, such as Lantzville, Parksville and Qualicum. ORDER IN COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS Hon. Dominic LeBlanc (Parliamentary Secretary to the The petitioners are calling on Parliament to recognize that Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): marriage is the best foundation for families and the raising of Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a children, that the institution of marriage as between a man and a number of orders in council made recently by the government. woman is being challenged, and that the House passed a motion in June 1999 that called for marriage to continue to be recognized as *** the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. Ï (1005) They are calling on Parliament to ensure that marriage remains an [English] institution between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS others. Hon. Dominic LeBlanc (Parliamentary Secretary to the Ï (1010) Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 20 Mr. James Lunney (Nanaimo—Alberni, CPC): Mr. Speaker, petitions. the second series of petitions contain 2,500 signatures from people across the country who are concerned about Bill C-420. Most of the *** petitions are from British Columbia but there are others from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec on the subject of Bill COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE C-420, the motion by the hon. member for Oshawa that was just TRANSPORT denied. Hon. Roger Gallaway (Sarnia—Lambton, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I Bill C-420 refers to natural health products and the way in which have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report we regulate them. The petitioners call on the government to ensure of the Standing Committee on Transport. that natural health products are regulated as food and not drugs and HEALTH remain available as low cost and low risk options for Canadians to protect their own health. Mr. Colin Carrie (Oshawa, CPC): Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among all parties and I believe you will find unanimous AUTISM consent for the following. I move that Report No. 13 of the Standing Mr. James Lunney (Nanaimo—Alberni, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I Committee on Health, presented in the House on Wednesday, June 1, have another petition containing about 30 signatures of petitioners 2005 requesting an extension of 30 sitting days to consider Bill who are concerned with helping people with autism spectrum C-420, be concurred in. disorder. The Speaker: Does the hon. member for Oshawa have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion? The petitioners are calling for support for applied behaviour analysis and for intensive behavioural intervention to help parents Some hon. members: Agreed. dealing with children with the very severe disability of autism. 7688 COMMONS DEBATES June 23, 2005 S. O. 57 MARRIAGE COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE Mr. David Anderson (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege today to present two petitions. The first PUBLIC ACCOUNTS petition deals with an issue that has been brought many times before Mr. John Williams (Edmonton—St. Albert, CPC): Mr. Speak- the House and that is the issue of marriage. er, I have the honour to present the 18th report of the Standing The petitioners are calling on Parliament to pass legislation to Committee on Public Accounts concerning Chapter 2, National recognize the institution of marriage as being the union of one man Security in Canada, The 2001 Anti-terrorism Initiative: Air and one woman to the exclusion of all others. Transportation Security, Marine Security, and Emergency Prepared- ness, of the April 2005 report of the Auditor General of Canada. In CANADA POST accordance with Standing Order 109, your committee requests a Mr. David Anderson (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC): Mr. government response within 120 days. Speaker, I have another series of petitions on an issue that is very important to many of the people in small towns in my riding and that *** is the issue of post offices and their desire to keep their local post office open. Ï (1015) The petitioners want to point out that Canada Post has closed a EXTENSION OF SITTING PERIOD number of rural post offices already where it does not consider a community with less than 700 points of call to be a viable location, MOTION THAT DEBATE BE NOT FURTHER ADJOURNED and whereas the closure of those post offices would hurt the communities, they are calling on Parliament to keep the post offices Hon. Tony Valeri (Leader of the Government in the House of open and to retain a moratorium on post office closures. Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, with regard to Government Business [Translation] No. 17, I move: IMMIGRATION That the debate be not further adjourned. Mrs. Carole Lavallée (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, BQ): Mr. The Speaker: Pursuant to Standing Order 67.1, there will now be Speaker, I am very pleased to present a petition signed by dozens of a 30 minute question period. Perhaps those hon. members who wish individuals, in addition to the hundreds of other signatories of the to ask questions could rise in their places so the Chair has some idea petition I presented last week. of how many there will be. This petition is asking the Minister of Citizenship and Immigra- tion to use his discretionary power to give permanent resident status I think we will limit questions to about a minute or a minute and a to Mr. Sergio Orestes Loreto Garcia on humanitarian and half and then get an answer and go back to the next question. The compassionate grounds. answers of course will be about a minute long as well, so I think that will ensure as equitable a distribution as I can get in 30 minutes. This would allow Mr. Loreto to leave his sanctuary in Toronto and return to his family in Saint-Hubert. We will start the 30 minutes with the hon. member for Prince CORRECTIONAL SERVICE OF CANADA George—Peace River. Mr. Robert Vincent (Shefford, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased Mr. Jay Hill (Prince George—Peace River, CPC): Mr. Speaker, to present this petition on behalf of Canadian corrections officers. It my question will not take a minute. It is pretty straightforward. I has been signed by over 2,000 individuals. would ask the government House leader how he defends using *** closure to ram through his agenda in the dying days of this session, to extend the session for two pieces of legislation that ultimately will QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER not come into effect for quite some time. Hon. Dominic LeBlanc (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Bill C-48, as I explained at length yesterday, will not effectively Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand. be in force for at least a year until we see what level of so-called Liberal surplus we have, which, as I explained, Conservatives The Speaker: Is it agreed? believe to be overtaxation. Some hon. members: Agreed. Bill C-38 will ultimately be sitting in the Senate all summer. Why [English] would the government force closure to ram through these two pieces Mr. John Williams: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I think of legislation when it is not going to make any consequential you will find there is unanimous consent to return to presenting difference? reports from committees. The Speaker: Is that agreed? Hon. Tony Valeri: Mr. Speaker, first I would like to say that what I am doing is ensuring that Parliament has an opportunity to entertain Some hon. members: Agreed. questions and to make a decision on two pieces of legislation. June 23, 2005 COMMONS DEBATES 7689 S. O. 57 The second point I would make is that it would be ultimately up to At the end of the day, I think what Parliament needs to do is not this Parliament to decide whether to accept this motion. We are in a only debate issues but also have the opportunity to decide on a minority Parliament. It is not the government that will alone be able question. That in fact is what we have done. We have given the to see the success of this motion, so it will be up to parliamentarians House the opportunity to decide on a question. Parliament will in the House to decide whether the extension of this sitting in order decide. to deal with both the budget bill and Bill C-38 is in fact required and Mr. Deepak Obhrai (Calgary East, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we whether parliamentarians are willing to do that.