Local MP Scott Reid Fulfills Another Election Promise

OTTAWA – Local MP Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox & Addington) fulfilled another of the eight promises he made on Election night, last June 24, 2004.

Bills and Motions put forward by members have to follow strict guidelines when they are being introduced into the House. The Order of Precedence is the agenda which dictates which pieces of legislation will be heard in the House of Commons, in which order. The strict guidelines relating to the Order of Precedence means that Members must be very familiar with the rules in order to modify the Order of Precedence.

Earlier this week, when it became apparent that Parliament is moving closer to an election, Scott Reid swapped his Private Member’s Motion M-194 (Powers of Disallowance and Reservation) with Conservative MP for Yorkton-Melville Garry Breitkreuz’ motion M-227 (Property Rights).

“I felt it was important for the House to hear Garry’s motion concerning property rights sooner rather than later in case an election was called before June 6th” said Reid. If an election were called then this Parliament would be dissolved and important pieces of legislation would die and need to be reintroduced in the next Parliament.

“My motion was up for debate on April 21st, while Garry would have had to wait until June 6th for his motion to be heard and it is very likely that we could be into an election at that point,” said Reid.

Scott Reid also has a Private Member’s Bill (Bill C-279) tabled in the House concerning Property Rights but it didn’t make it onto the Order of Precedence. “M-227 and C-279 are very similar in content and ask the government to ensure ‘full, just and timely compensation’ if a property owners loses the right of enjoyment of his or her property,” continued Reid. “I whole heartily support motion M-227 and hope my colleagues in the House of Commons, regardless of party lines, do so as well.”

At the Conservative’s founding policy convention in March the party voted to keep property rights for Canadians in the party’s platform.

Motion M-227 (Property Rights) Garry Breitkreuz (on the Order of Precedence)

M-227 (Breitkreuz) – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should ensure that full, just and timely compensation be paid to all persons who are deprived of personal or private property or suffer a loss in value of that property as a result of any government initiative, policy, process, regulation or legislation.

Bill C-279 (Property Rights) Scott Reid (not on the Order of Precedence)

(a) the right of the individual to life, liberty, security of the person and enjoyment and use of property, and the right not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law, and, in the case of property, without full, just and timely compensation;

PARTY POLICY PASSED IN MONTREAL:

13. Property Rights

1. A Conservative Government will seek the agreement of the provinces to amend the Constitution to include this right, as well as guarantee that no person shall be deprived of their just right without the due process of law and full, just, and timely compensation.
2. A Conservative Government will enact legislation to ensure that full, just and timely compensation will be paid to all persons who are deprived of personal or private property as a result of any federal government initiative, policy, process, regulation or legislation.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF CANADIANS AGREE

In March 2005, Pollara Research conducted a telephone survey 1,260 Canadian adults and an Internet survey of 8,000 consumers on behalf of the Canadian Real Estate Association.

Question 1 asked: “How important is it to you the government fairly compensates a property owner if their property is expropriated?”

– 92% of telephone respondents and 96.7% of Internet respondents thought this was either “Very Important or “Important”.

Question 2 asked: “How important is it to you the government fairly compensates a property owner if restrictions are imposed on how their property is used?”

– 88% of telephone respondents and 93.2% of Internet respondents thought this was either “Very Important or “Important”.

For more information or to speak with Mr. Reid
Please call (613) 257-8130 or (613) 947-2277.

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