Mr. Lee Morrison (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, Canadian Alliance)

Mr. Speaker, I have a brief quote from the infamous 1993 Liberal red book indicating that people are irritated with governments that disregard their views or that try to conduct key parts of the public business behind closed doors.

Mayday, mayday, in the year 2000 information commissioner's report it says that the Prime Minister's Office denied the information commissioner's request to review files. No other minister in 17 years has refused to co-operate.

When the government will not live up to its 1993 promises why should anybody treat seriously the promises that it is making now?

Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, we have great respect for the Office of the Information Commissioner and the rules under which he operates.

At times a difference of opinion will arise on how these rules are to be interpreted and sometimes we have to ask the courts to interpret these rules. There has just been a court ruling which seems to go in the direction of the government's point of view.

I can assure my hon. friend that we will continue to respect the work of the information commissioner in a very constructive fashion.

Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Before you leave the chair, I hope, in the light of my position over the years in the House, that I can add to the comments made yesterday.

I want to express my personal appreciation for your work as Speaker and for your support of the institution of parliament. I think I reflect the views of parliamentarians and Canadians who wish you well in future endeavours.

Mrs. Suzanne Tremblay (Rimouski—Neigette-et-la-Mitis, BQ)

Mr. Speaker, during the course of Oral Question Period, the government House leader said that our party was the only one to not understand what happened yesterday.

We may not have understood, but I would like to tell you what I have understood so you can tell me whether I have indeed. It is important—

Yesterday I indicated that a decision on the matter was required.

I made it after asking the House leaders of the government and the Bloc Quebecois to approach for an explanation. I am told this took place today. It is not for me, Madam, to explain it to you, but you may ask the clerk.

Mrs. Suzanne Tremblay

But there is a problem, Mr. Speaker.

Order, please. The member for Mercier.

Mrs. Francine Lalonde (Mercier, BQ)

Mr. Speaker, at the end of oral question period I considered I had been deprived of my right. The order agreed on among the parties and with you was that there was no NDP. There were the Progressive Conservative Party, the Liberals, the Reformers and the Bloc.

You recognized someone from the NDP. Perhaps there was a delay and you had to recognize him, but it seems to me that that should not have occurred to the detriment of the Bloc Quebecois.

You are right. When I looked at the list, I saw that the name of the hon. member was there but I had missed the other member. I apologize; I do not know how to fix that. Perhaps we can correct things at the next question period.

I have the honour to inform the House that a message has been received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate has passed certain bills, to which the concurrence of this House is desired.

Mr. Eugène Bellemare (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Cooperation, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 11 petitions.

Mr. Alex Shepherd (Parliamentary Secretary to President of the Treasury Board, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

Mr. Gordon Earle (Halifax West, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present several petitions. The first concerns the Canadian public health care system. It is signed by many Canadians concerned about the fact that the government has reduced its contributions to the health care system.

The petitioners are calling upon the federal government to increase Canada's share of health care funding to 25% immediately and to implement a national home care program and a national program for prescription drugs.

Mr. Gordon Earle (Halifax West, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have the honour to present concerns employment insurance and the fact that changes were made to assist parents in the extended parental leave which will apply to children born on or after December 31, 2000.

This petition is signed by a number of people who are concerned that the parents of children born before that date will not have the same privileges.

The petitioners are calling upon parliament to make extended parental leave come into effect immediately so parents of children born before December 31, 2000, can benefit from it.

Mr. Gordon Earle (Halifax West, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, my third petition concerns saving the local public broadcasting system. A number of people have signed this petition. They are concerned about the massive cuts that have been made to the CBC.

The petitioners are calling upon parliament to take measures to restore adequate funding to the CBC and to allow the maintenance and the improvement of current local television news while improving the network for all Canadians.

Mr. Gordon Earle (Halifax West, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, my last petition concerns the public health care system. It is signed by a number of people who are calling upon the federal government to increase its share of funding to 25% immediately and to implement a national home care program and a national program for prescription drugs.

Mr. Derrek Konrad (Prince Albert, Canadian Alliance)

Mr. Speaker, I was interested to hear that the government has just answered 11 petitions.

I am pleased to present a petition signed by the good people of Nanaimo—Cowichan which I am presenting on their behalf at the request of their member. There are approximately 2,700 signatures on this petition.

The petitioners draw the attention of the House of Commons to the genetically modified organism issue. They talk about allowing these foods into Canada, non-labelling, no independent testing, and incidents occurring that indicate genetically modified foods are causing problems. The petitioners are calling on parliament to enforce labelling.

Ms. Jocelyne Girard-Bujold (Jonquière, BQ)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today, the last day of this session, to present a petition.

It contains the signature of 2,000 petitioners from my region of Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean. They join with the thousands of Quebecers who, over the last few months, have asked parliament to make all the arrangements required to consult the people and their representatives on the principle of importing MOX fuel.

Ms. Angela Vautour (Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, PC)

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege to present a petition containing about 250 names with regard to the new EI boundaries.

Unfortunately the people in the villages of South Branch, Hillsborough and Elgin in my riding have been kept with the Moncton zone, which means they will need almost twice as many hours to qualify for only 15 to 17 weeks compared to 32 weeks in other regions. This is very unfair.

It is unfortunate that they still have to fight to get what is just. They should be zoned with the rural area and not with the urban. Hopefully within time that very unjust situation created by the Liberal government will be corrected.

Mr. Loyola Hearn (St. John's West, PC)

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from several hundred Newfoundlanders all over the province. They are expressing concern about the ungoverned use of Internet in public libraries where the participants in research and so on have access to degrading pornographic material.

They are asking that their tax dollars not be used in this way and that the government bring in legislation to govern the use of such materials in the public libraries of the province.