Hon. Roger Gallaway (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

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

Hon. David Anderson (Minister of the Environment, Lib.)

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-34, an act to amend the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Hon. David Price (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, which represented Canada at the joint committee meetings of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and at the annual consultation between the Economics and Security Committee and the OECD held in Brussels and Paris on February 15 to 19, 2004.

Mr. Paul Steckle (Huron—Bruce, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on Canadian beef packers financial information.

This is a report outlining the programs and the progress that has been made on this file, and the further recommendations that we would make as a result of the outcome of those findings.

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North Centre, NDP)

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-525, an act to amend the Excise Tax Act (literacy materials).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce this private members' bill that seeks to eliminate the goods and services tax on materials used in literacy development.

Literacy is the fundamental building block in our ability to participate fully in all aspects of citizenship, our daily lives, and the economic life of the country. Despite our high literacy rate, almost 50% of Canadians still have difficulty working with words and numbers.

This bill is designed to complement existing measures to support groups working to improve literacy and to remove an unnecessary barrier from individuals pursuing greater literacy on their own. I hope all members will give this bill their serious consideration and support.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Mr. Massimo Pacetti (Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, Lib.)

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-526, an act to amend the Broadcasting Act.

Mr. Speaker, the bill is actually very simple. I am not sure whether to read the summary or just the amendment.

The summary indicates that we would like to amend the Broadcasting Act to require that the decisions and orders of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission be made within six months after a public hearing. In other words, there is no legislation in the Broadcasting Act that a decision must be taken in a given time period when there is a request for licensing.

I would like to introduce an amendment that a decision be made within a six month delay, which I think is very reasonable.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Mr. Massimo Pacetti

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The fact that the bill is so simple may I request the unanimous consent of the House?

I believe the member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel should tell us why he is seeking the unanimous consent.

Mr. Massimo Pacetti

Mr. Speaker, due to the simplicity of the bill and to speed up the process, I would like to ask the House if I could get unanimous consent. It is very simple. It is either yes or no.

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent of the House?

Agreed.

No.

The hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel has a point of order.

Mr. Massimo Pacetti

Mr. Speaker, can I state the members who are opposed to the unanimous consent?

No.

Mr. Paul Steckle (Huron—Bruce, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I move that the third report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, tabled earlier this day, be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to)

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North Centre, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to table a petition pertaining to Canada's international obligations vis-à-vis the situation in Burma.

The petitioners point to the repressive regime in Burma which continues to inflict terrible atrocities and indignities upon its citizens. The petitioners point out that Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader of Burma has been under house arrest for most of the past decade.

They call upon Parliament to recognize the committee representing the People's Parliament of Burma, and they request Canada's foreign affairs minister to use all diplomatic means to end repression in Burma.

Hon. Roger Gallaway (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, Question No. 81 will be answered today.

Mr. Gerald Keddy

With regard to income tax deferrals for woodlot owners affected by hurricane Juan, what actions has the Minister of Finance taken in relation to: ( a ) the minister’s statement in the House of Commons of February 4, 2004; and ( b ) the government’s response to Question No. 44 on the Order Paper tabled on March 22, 2004?

Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.)

In response to the question put forward to the Minister of Finance concerning woodlot owners affected by hurricane Juan, the minister requested that officials from the Department of Finance examine the proposal by the hon. member for South Shore of allowing woodlot owners to defer, over a 10 year period, income tax on revenues obtained from having to sell timber felled by hurricane Juan.

In its analysis, the department identified a number of concerns with that proposal. The measure could lead to inequities in the treatment of other taxpayers who experience other forms of economic loss from natural disasters, for example, forest fires, droughts, hailstorms, tornadoes and floods, or who experience income fluctuations from other causes. As well, providing a 10 year income tax deferral for woodlot owners would require the development of a number of complex rules to ensure that the measure functions correctly.

In the past, program spending approaches have been used instead of the tax system to address the effects of natural disasters such as the 1998 ice storm. Consistent with that approach, on March 4, 2004, the Government of Canada announced payments to the province of Nova Scotia through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements, DFAA, including $4 million for the effects of hurricane Juan. Under the DFAA, the Government of Canada cost-shares with provinces eligible expenses incurred to repair the damage from a disaster. Provinces choose how to direct assistance to disaster victims through their programs and the Government of Canada makes payments to the provinces for a portion of the expense of those programs.