Document Information

Date: 1981-03-04
By: Canada (Parliament)
Citation: Canada, House of Commons Debates, 32nd Parl, 1st Sess, 1981 at 7879-7880.
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COMMONS DEBATES — March 4, 1981

[Page 7879]

[Translation]

THE CONSTITUTION

CONSEQUENCES OF ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION—GOVERNMENT POSITION

Mr. Jean-Guy Dubois (Lotbinière): Madam Speaker, my question is for the hon. Minister of Justice. As it has been reported yesterday on the news and today in the newspapers that the Quebec justice minister has referred to a report by three lawyers to the effect that the resolution now before the House would affect several Quebec laws, I would like to ask the minister whether his department has conducted such studies in the past, even though according to the report, Quebec laws contained some inequities that might have to be corrected. Can the minister tell the House whether studies have been conducted in this regard and whether there are actually

[Page 7880]

irregularities which caused problems for Canadians and Quebecers?

Hon. Jean Chrétien (Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Social Development): Madam Speaker, when we have a Canadian charter of rights applicable to all Canadians, the federal government as well as the provincial governments will have to ensure that all statutes are in keeping with this charter. The Department of Justice knows that we shall have to amend several statutes in this Parliament in order to delete from them some discriminatory provisions. And if there are unfortunately 100 Quebec statutes which contain discriminatory provisions, I hope that the provincial government will be more than willing to act rapidly to remove from them every discriminatory aspect.