Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby-Kingsway):

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by residents of Montreal, Quebec City and Rouyn-No-randa.

The petitioners declare: Whereas many Canadians object in conscience to any warlike or military activity, we in no way want to participate in it, given that many Canadians refuse to be obliged to kill or be killed in a conflict which they condemn or deplore;

Whereas some religious groups are already granted the right to conscientious objector status and given, article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the resolution accepted by the United Nations Human Rights Commission on March 8, 1989 on this subject. Whereas the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognizes that all Canadians have the right to freedom of opinion, the petitioners ask the Canadian government to pass legislation recognizing the status of conscientious objector for any Canadian who desires it.

Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby-Kingsway):

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present another petition that was collected by the Glad Day Book Store in Toronto. It notes that in February 1985 the House of Commons mandated the Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs to prepare a report on equality rights in Canada.

In October that committee did prepare that report and unanimously recommended that the Canadian Human Rights Act be amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in all areas of federal jurisdiction.

The petitioners note that in March 1986 the government promised to accept this report and enact the recommendations. Yet today, some six years later, the recommendations have still not been enacted. They note that other jurisdictions including Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Yukon have such protection and that the Canadian Human Rights Commission has called for this protection.

Therefore they call upon Parliament to ensure that government and Parliament act to bring forward immediately an amendment to add sexual orientation to the Canadian Human Rights Act as a prohibited ground of discrimination.

Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby-Kingsway):

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition which has been signed by residents of Vancouver, Burnaby, Langley and a number of other communities in British Columbia.

The petitioners note that two Canadians, Christine Lamont and David Spencer who have been sentenced to 28 years each in a Brazilian prison, have suffered miscarriages of justice, cruel and unusual treatment in Brazilian prisons and discrimination in sentencing and parole. The cumulative effect of these irregularities provides ample ground for the Government of Canada to seek a remedy on their behalf. The only relief available from such severe punishment is for Canada to request expulsion in accordance with Brazilian law.

June 10, 1992

Routine Proceedings

Therefore the petitioners call upon Parliament to urge the Secretary of State for External Affairs to request the Government of Brazil to expel Christine Lamont and David Spencer and return them to Canada.

Mr. Len Taylor (The Battlefords-Meadow Lake):

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to present the following petition to the House of Commons.

It is a petition that I would have been proud to affix my name to. It is a petition gathered by the Kinsmen and Kinnette Clubs in the community of Spiritwood, Saskatchewan.

The Kinsmen and Kinnette Clubs and community members who have signed this petition indicate how appropriate it is to encourage all Canadians to take pride in a united, strong and independent Canada. They indicate that the Kinsmen and Kinnette Clubs of Canada have created an opportunity for all Canadians to participate in the proud to be Canadian project during the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Confederation in 1992.

The petitioners are supporting the proud to be Canadian project as an opportunity to nurture a positive, life-long relationship with our heritage and our flag, to encourage stronger ties among all Canadians for the further advancement of Canada as a leader in world circles, and to promote our tremendous pride in being Canadians.

I salute the Kinsmen and Kinnette Clubs of Canada for this initiative.

Mr. Speaker:

The hon. member for Edmonton Northwest requests unanimous consent to table a committee report. Does he have unanimous consent?

Agreed.

Mr. Murray W. Dorin (Edmonton Northwest):

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Finance.

In accordance with its general mandate under Standing Order 108(2), your committee has considered the question of deductions in respect of employees' expenses.

[Editor's Note: See today's Votes and Proceedings.]

Mr. Jim Edwards (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons):

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 299, 306 and 321.

For the period 1992 to 1996, in relation to the recovery of assets related to enterprise crime as a result of the creation of the joint police force anti-drug profiteering units (a) what is the estimated increase in recovery of assets (b) what are the total amounts expected to be recovered for each year (c) how much money was not seized as a result of the failure to have such units in place when the proceeds of crime were proclaimed?

Hon. Douglas Grinslade Lewis (Solicitor General of Canada):

The joint force Anti Drug Profiteering (ADP) units are intended to provide additional resources and promote greater degrees of co-operation among RCMP, municipal and provincial police in proceeds of drug crime investigations. These units will augment the existing ADP program established by the RCMP in 1981, which has a current establishment of 85 investigators.

In addition to the identification of assets derived from drug trafficking, a primary objective of this enforcement program is to develop evidence to support prosecutions for drug proceeds and money laundering offenses.

(a) It is very difficult to provide a valid estimate of the increase in seizures of drug assets which would be attributable to the joint force ADP units. These units are expected to generate increased seizures and related prosecutions. Given that this function involves the enforcement of serious criminal offenses, the establishment of quotas of asset seizures will not be entertained.

(b) A projection of the total amounts of seizures of drug assets in Canada during the period 1992 to 1996 presents similar difficulties. Since the inception of the proceeds of crime legislation on January 1, 1989, the RCMP Anti-Drug Profiteering Program, until recently staffed with 58 investigators, seized approximately $60 million in assets, with a further $46 million in assets referred to other Canadian or foreign agencies for appropriate action. Seizures are expected to exceed this amount during 1992 to 1996; the amount of the increase cannot be predicted.

June 10, 1992

(c) It is not possible to provide an estimate of the amounts of assets that could have been seized in the past by a group of enforcement personnel that did not then exist. The establishment of these new units represents an evolutionary development in order to promote more effective use of relatively new legislation.

The joint force Anti-Drug Profiteering initiative will have a monitoring and evaluation component which will keep track of the actual amounts seized as a result of investigations by the units.

What is the total amount of money spent by the Department of National Health and Welfare on the production and distribution of the video entitled "What's Wrong With This Pictured"

Hon. Benoit Bouchard (Minister of National Health and Welfare):

This video was funded in part by the AIDS Community Action Program (ACAP) of the Department of National Health and Welfare. A grant of $69,210 was provided under ACAP for the period of March 19, 1990 to April 30, 1991 toward production costs. Additional funding was provided by the City of Toronto Board of Health, the Canada Council, the Laidlaw Foundation, Theatre Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ontario Arts Council.

The promotion of the video is the responsibility of the Second Look Community Arts, sponsor of the project.

The purpose of this community initiative was to enable young people to make informed, positive choices about high risk behaviour, thus reducing the risk of HIV infection. The video's primary target audience is street youth. These young people are often school drop-outs who have limited formal education.