Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 361 have the honour and the privilege to present a number of petitions today on three separate issues.

June 2, 1993

The first is related to the Young Offenders Act. There are a number of petitions including the names of over

2,000 people in the communities of Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Bruderheim, Tofield, Nisku, Beaumont, Ardrossan and in and around the Edmonton area.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to strengthen the Young Offenders Act or replace it with legislation that will be a stronger deterrent to youth crime. They are most concerned with repeat violent young offenders and recommend harsher penalties, including work camps. In cases of dealing with theft or property damage they suggest financial repayment to the victims.

Madam Speaker, my second petition deals with the acknowledgement and redress for injustices committed by the Government of Canada against Ukrainian pioneer settler communities during and following the First World War.

It includes the names of approximately three dozen petitioners from the Edmonton area. They call upon Parliament to give a succinct timetable for resolving this important redress issue.

Madam Speaker, there are two final petitions. One is on behalf of Mr. Alec Saruk of Lamont who calls upon Parliament to provide for a referendum on the Official Languages Act.

This would allow a referendum that is binding on Parliament to accept or reject two official languages, English and French, for the government and the people of Canada. The second petition is from a number of people in the Edmonton area and it is with regard to the same issue.

Mr. Stan J. Hovdebo (Saskatoon-Humboldt):

Madam Speaker, it is my honour and duty to present a petition on behalf of a number of constituents.

The Prime Minister indicated in October 1992 the intention of the government to settle the claim of

Routine Proceedings

redress to the mutual satisfaction of both the government and the Ukrainian community.

These petitioners call upon Parliament to urge the government to act on the unanimous motion of the House of Commons of September 27,1991 and settle the acknowledgement and redress issue to the satisfaction of the Ukrainian Canadian community and the government.

Mr. Ronald J. Duhamel (St. Boniface):

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition on behalf of several petitioners.

They ask the government to review its tax regulations and laws, particularly as it affects parents who have special needs children. These parents are often directed by their family physicians to place them in special facilities that incur additional costs.

These parents feel, and I support their request, that there are often significant additional costs which they cannot deduct from their income. They want the government to review the situation.

I think that is an entirely legitimate request. [English]

Mr. Ronald J. Duhamel (St. Boniface):

Madam Speaker, the second petition I have the honour to present is from petitioners who point out that our greater challenges in Canada are really our social problems. These problems include inequity, poverty, unemployment, et cetera.

They point out that we need strong social science research to determine the causes and propose solutions. They feel that the current arrangement of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council is an appropriate one.

They ask that this proposed merger be set aside and that the government study this question, consider the implications and then decide at some future date.

That is another legitimate request I support.

Routine Proceedings

Mr. George S. Rideout (Moncton):

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce a petition under Standing Order 36 relating to two people who are in a Brazilian prison.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to urge the Prime Minister to request the Government of Brazil to expel Christine Lamont and David Spencer and return them to Canada in accordance with Brazilian law.

Mr. George S. Rideout (Moncton):

Madam Speaker, I have a second petition which it is my obligation to present. It concerns a referendum with regard to language.

Mr. Vic Althouse (Mackenzie):

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a number of petitions, mostly from farmers along the eastern side of Saskatchewan.

In their opinion the Canadian Wheat Board has played a vital role in the orderly marketing of Canadian wheat, barley and oats since its inception. They note that the Minister of Agriculture's proposal to remove barley from the jurisdiction of the Wheat Board is another step toward dismantling the board.

They call upon the government to keep barley under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Wheat Board and to actively support the marketing of other crops by the Canadian Wheat Board.

Mr. Lyle Dean MacWilliam (Okanagan-Shuswap):

Madam Speaker, I have a petition with regard to the introduction of competition in the long distance telephone market as well as the passage of Bill C-62 and the regulation that would take place under the provisions of that bill.

These petitioners are opposed to the disruptive effects of the introduction of long distance competition and the deregulatory effects of this bill.

They ask the Minister of Communications to engage in substantive consultations with all segments of Canadian society regarding the market impact of this deregulatory environment.

Mr. Lyle Dean MacWilliam (Okanagan-Shuswap):

Madam Speaker, the second petition I have the honour to present is from petitioners who are concerned about the impact of the North American free trade agreement and the restrictions being placed upon Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments now and in the future.

They ask the government to reject the proposed North American free trade agreement and recommend to the government that it use its termination clause to end the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

Mr. Lyle Dean MacWilliam (Okanagan-Shuswap):

Madam Speaker, the final set of petitions I have the honour to present concerns the changes to the Unemployment Insurance Act.

These petitioners, from throughout British Columbia, are concerned about the impact of these changes. They call upon the House to reject the amendments made to the Unemployment Insurance Act, particularly with respect to the appeal process for employees and the difficulty that has caused with respect to dismissal.

Mr. Ian Waddell (Port Moody-Coquitlam):

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by 1,425 people from the lower mainland of British Columbia.

They point out to this House and the government that Christine Lamont, whose family lives in the area where the signatures come from, and David Spencer will be rotting in a Brazilian jail for 28 years.

They request the Canadian government ask for the expulsion of these two people to Canada to get them out of that jail, which it could do. This petition is from 1,425 people from Langley, Surrey, and Aldergrove, B.C.

Mr. Charles A. Langlois (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and to Minister of National Defence):

Madam Speaker, question No. 524 will be answered today.

Does the government have employees in the riding of The Battlefords - Meadow Lake and, if so, (a) how many and what is their primary place of employment (b) are any positions designated as bilingual and, if so, (c) how many vacancies have occurred in both unilingual and bilingual positions and how many of those have been filled?

Hon. Gilles Loiselle (President of the TVeasury Board and Minister of State (Finance)):

The government has 157 Public Service employees in the riding of The Battlefords-Meadow Lake. Four of these employees are in bilingual positions and 153 are in unilingual English positions. These employees are mainly located in Battle-ford, North Battleford and Meadow Lake.

In Public Service recruitment in Saskatchewan in 1992, the 36 new recruits were appointed to unilingual positions.

Madam Deputy Speaker:

The question mentioned by the parliamentary secretary has been answered. Shall the remaining questions stand?

Agreed.