Debates of Oct. 26th, 1999
House of Commons Hansard #11 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was nisga'a.
Topics
- Points Of Order
- Government Response To Petitions
- Criminal Code
- Blood Samples Act
- Criminal Code
- Contraventions Act
- Canada Elections Act
- Recall Act
- Criminal Code
- Petitions
- Questions On The Order Paper
- Nisga'A Final Agreement Act
- Historica
- Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar Byelection
- Epidermolysis Bullosa
- Telephone Service
- Small Business Week
- Breast Cancer
- Canada-China Legislative Association
- Great Lakes Basin
- National Parks
- The Environment
- Maurice Richard
- Diwali
- National Hockey League
- Transportation Of Nuclear Waste
- Irving Oil
- Women's History Month
- Apec Inquiry
- Air Transportation
- Apec Inquiry
- Veterans Affairs
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Air Transportation
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Audiovisual Productions
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Professional Sport
- Ireland
- Airline Industry
- Agriculture
- Homelessness
- Organized Crime
- The Environment
- Homelessness
- Employment Insurance
- Homelessness
- Health
- The Environment
- Genetically Modified Foods
- Equality
- Homelessness
- National Parks
- Foreign Affairs
- Dangerous Offenders
- Presence In Gallery
- The Late Hon. Ian Wahn
- Points Of Order
- Nisga'A Final Agreement Act
- Personal Information Protection And Electronic Documents Act
- Division No. 45
Apec Inquiry
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Saint-Maurice
Québec
Liberal
Jean Chrétien Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, a witness by the name of Mr. Bartleman asked me about Indonesia. I invite the lady to read the testimony. She will find that there were perhaps some words that were not completely parliamentary. Read it and you will get your information, and stop making innuendoes based on nothing in Indonesia.
Apec Inquiry
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
The Speaker
I remind hon. members to please address the Chair.
Veterans Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Elsie Wayne Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, last week I asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs about merchant navy compensation. The minister, along with his other colleagues, took great pleasure in trivializing this issue by refusing to give the veterans a straight answer. Will the minister inform the House today when they can expect a just compensation package?
Veterans Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Gander—Grand Falls
Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
George Baker Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, we are presently reviewing the matter concerning our veterans, our merchant navy veterans and the entire benefit structure for our veterans. The hon. member is just jealous that her party did not do it when it was in power.
Veterans Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Elsie Wayne Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been in power for 38 years since 1945 and they did absolutely nothing until March of this year. When we were only in power for 16 years we put those merchant navy men under the civilian war veterans allowance act.
This is a serious situation. I ask the minister once again if he will inform the House of when the merchant mariners can expect a compensation package of $20,000. Will he do that immediately, before November 11?
Veterans Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Gander—Grand Falls
Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
George Baker Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, when this question came up when the hon. member's party was in power the leader said no at that time and the leader is still saying no: no to being a member of the House, no to joining the united alternative, no to running in the byelection. Joe Who has become Joe No.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Reform
Mike Scott Skeena, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Nisga'a treaty is nothing less than sovereignty association. The intergovernmental affairs minister tried to deny this in the spring, but now the cat is out of the bag.
In an interview yesterday, the Bloc Quebecois said that the treaty could provide an example for the future relationship of the citizens of a sovereign Quebec with the rest of Canada.
Why does the government not admit that this is sovereignty association, nothing less? Why is it countenancing it here in parliament?
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Québec
Liberal
Stéphane Dion President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, something we could never do is banalize what would be the breakup of Canada.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Reform
Mike Scott Skeena, BC
Mr. Speaker, apparently the minister did not understand the question. I will ask it again.
In the spring he said that the Nisga'a treaty was not sovereignty association. Yesterday the Bloc said it finds it a very interesting treaty and it intends to use it as a model for its sovereignty association project.
I again ask the intergovernmental affairs minister why the government is prepared to accept it in the Nisga'a treaty when it rightly denies it in Quebec?
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Québec
Liberal
Stéphane Dion President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, there will be no Nisga'a land in the United Nations. The Nisga'a will not be an independent state in the United Nations. Quebec will also not be an independent state in the United Nations.
Air Transportation
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Bloc
Michel Gauthier Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, in recent years, the government has intervened, in particular by awarding of the best international routes to its friends at Canadian International Airlines. Today the minister is apparently preparing to change the rules of ownership, again to the advantage of Canadian International Airlines.
Has the government not shown, on two separate occasions, through its treatment of Canadian International Airlines, that it is prepared to do everything to save that company and that, as far as it is concerned, the die is cast?
Air Transportation
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Don Valley East
Ontario
Liberal
David Collenette Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I will show in committee this afternoon that our policy favours the Canadian people, not a company, but the people of Canada, the travellers of Canada.
Air Transportation
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Bloc
Michel Gauthier Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, what message is the Minister of Transport sending the shareholders of Air Canada when he says he is prepared to change the law to accommodate Onex and Canadian International Airlines? Is the message not to the effect that it is more important to be a friend of the government in doing business with it than to comply with the law?
Air Transportation
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Don Valley East
Ontario
Liberal
David Collenette Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, it is very important that the shareholders of Air Canada and Canadian International Airlines decide on the future of these companies.
Following a decision, if we receive a proposal, we will look at it in the public interest.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
October 26th, 1999 / 2:30 p.m.
Reform
John Cummins Delta—South Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs should know that in 16 areas the power of the Nisga'a government will be paramount to that of the provincial and federal governments.
In the Marshall decision, the court arrived at its decision based on misinterpretation of a key government witness. The Nisga'a treaty is much more complex than the Mi'kmaq treaty. It has more than 50 unresolved issues yet the government is prepared to sign off on it. The government is handing the courts a blank cheque.
After all the chaos created by the Marshall decision, why is the government rushing through a treaty in which so many specifics remain unresolved?