Document Information

Date: 1981-11-20
By: Ontario (Legislative Assembly)
Citation: Ontario, Legislative Assembly, Official Reports of the Debates (Hansard), 32nd Leg, 1st Sess, 1981.
Other formats: Click here to view the original document (PDF). [external site–Ontario Legislative Assembly]

CONSTITUTIONAL RESOLUTION

Mr. McGuigan: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. According to a news report this morning, the Premier of the great province of Saskatchewan is having some second thoughts about women’s rights and aboriginal rights. Will the Premier, with the help of his good friends in the third party, appeal to the Premier of that province and try to move him along to join those two items in the accord in which the Premier has played such a prominent part so that the debate will be ended and we will get our constitution and charter of rights as they should be, with protection to those two groups?

Hon. Mr. Davis: Mr. Speaker, perhaps the honourable member did not hear what I said yesterday. My information, which is probably now an hour and a half old, is that there is some indication that the Premier of Saskatchewan will accept the equality section as it applies to women’s rights. He is as anxious as I am to have the aboriginal rights contained in the proposed charter. I understand there are still one or two Premiers who have reservations with respect to the aboriginal rights, but I think we are getting very close with respect to equality rights as they relate to women.

Mr. McKessock: Mr. Speaker, why did the Premier not try to get property rights included in the charter?

Hon. Mr. Davis: Mr. Speaker, I have to tell the honourable member we worked very hard to get everything included in the charter. Perhaps he was not here when I explained what happened and what the process was and that this province accepted the principle and intent of the former resolution. We would have continued to support that but I felt, along with others, that some consensus should be achieved. We achieved that consensus, and in that consensus some things were included and some were not.

We have not altered our point of view, but the accord is there. It was a very historic occasion. It has been agreed to. My only hope is that it will now move through the House of Commons with great rapidity so the debate can come to a conclusion.

Mr. MacDonald: Mr. Speaker, I rise really on a point of order rather than to ask a supplementary question. I wish to correct the observation of the honourable member who originally asked the question. Saskatchewan has always been in favour of aboriginal rights inclusion. They have now indicated that if the charter is being opened, they are willing to support both, as the Premier just said. But they have always been in favour of aboriginal rights being in the charter.

Hon. Mr. Davis: On the point of order, Mr. Speaker: I never said Saskatchewan was not in favour of aboriginal rights —

Mr. MacDonald: No. The member did.

Hon. Mr. Davis: — but I have to point out that

Saskatchewan has been reluctant to accept the equality provisions as they relate to women.

Mr. MacDonald: If we are going to get —

Mr. Speaker: Order. We are not going to have a debate.

The member for Hamilton Centre.

Ms. Copps: Mr. Speaker, can I ask the first minister —

Mr. Swart: We haven’t had a supplementary.

Mr. McClellan: We haven’t had any.

Mr. Speaker: I realize that, but I recognized the member for York South and he said he had a point of order. With all respect, this is the final supplementary.

Ms. Copps: Mr. Speaker: Can I ask the first minister why he allowed equality of the sexes to become a point of negotiation?

Hon. Mr. Davis: Mr. Speaker, with great respect, it was not a point of negotiation.