Debates of Nov. 22nd, 1999
House of Commons Hansard #25 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was nisga'a.
Topics
- Regulatory Budget
- Supply
- The Late Father Marcel De La Sablonnière
- Port Of Vancouver
- Frank Faubert
- National Aids Awareness Week
- Canadian Forces
- Farmers
- Social Sciences And Humanities Research Council
- Gala Des Bénévoles
- Lebanon
- Wayne Gretzky
- Nisga'A Final Treaty
- Child Poverty
- The Late Father Marcel De La Sablonnière
- Nisga'A Treaty
- Human Resources Development
- Highway Safety
- Justice
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Intergovernmental Affairs
- Child Poverty
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Audiovisual Productions
- Aboriginal Affairs
- National Parole Board
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Amateur Sport
- Millennium Scholarships
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Health
- Pesticides
- Francophone Communities
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Child Poverty
- Health
- Csis
- Arts And Culture
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Social Housing
- Child Poverty
- Rcmp
- Presence In Gallery
- Government Response To Petitions
- International Boundary Waters Treaty Act
- Access To Information Act
- Petitions
- Questions On The Order Paper
- Request For Emergency Debate
- Supply
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Kenora—Rainy River
Ontario
Liberal
Bob Nault Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of any first nation leadership, first nations community, or first nation person who has written the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development saying that they do not believe in the aspirations of the Nisga'a people through the treaty.
Child Poverty
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Bloc
Christiane Gagnon Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the House of Commons resolution to eliminate child poverty, the Liberal government continues to rack up surpluses on the backs of pregnant women, depriving them of important temporary income when they have children.
My question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development. Does the minister realize that, if she really wishes to help children and combat child poverty, she must act quickly? What is she waiting for to announce that income replacement benefits for pregnant women will be increased from 55% to 70%?
Child Poverty
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Brant
Ontario
Liberal
Jane Stewart Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, at her press conference on November 18, the member for Québec said that she wanted a balanced approach to the issue of poverty. That is exactly the approach we are taking to help low-income families.
I thank the member for her support.
Health
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
NDP
Bill Blaikie Winnipeg—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, you will know that New Democrats are concerned that our medicare system is under attack, both domestically in view of cutbacks and what is happening in Alberta, but also internationally in terms of what may happen at the WTO.
Will the Minister of Health stand in his place today and tell us that he is making it perfectly clear to the Minister for International Trade that under no conditions should health care be on the table at the WTO, that there will be no conditions under which health services will be regarded as a commodity that will be permitted to be entered into Canada from anywhere?
Health
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, my colleague the Minister of Health has made it absolutely clear and I also made it absolutely clear last week when I presented our government position for the Seattle round of negotiations. I will repeat it again since the member insists. We will not be negotiating our right to legislate or regulate our health care system. It is a good system and we will keep it.
Csis
Oral Question Period
November 22nd, 1999 / 2:50 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Peter MacKay Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, the solicitor general continues to dodge the issue of CSIS security breaches. He tells Canadians it is a serious matter, to be patient and wait for a SIRC report. That is cold comfort when we know that the tensions between CSIS, SIRC and the RCMP are causing enormous delays.
Director Elcock's stall tactics and the most recent CSIS fiasco kept the report from SIRC's watchful eye for three weeks. The infamous telephone booth security breach was not reported to parliament for three years.
When will the solicitor general show some semblance of leadership over his department and get rid of the director or at least suspend him?
Csis
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Cardigan
P.E.I.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee said it best. She said that Canadians should feel confident with CSIS.
What I will do is ask that my hon. colleague let CSIS do its job. Let the process that is in place work.
Arts And Culture
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Liberal
Janko Peric Cambridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
As Canada enters the third millennium, our national culture will be increasingly exposed to the forces of globalization. What action is the minister taking to preserve and to protect Canadian culture?
Arts And Culture
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Hamilton East
Ontario
Liberal
Sheila Copps Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I want to first underscore that the approach we are taking has been embraced both by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. We are leading the world in seeking a new cultural instrument to ensure that culture is not captured in the aegis of the WTO.
The reason Canada has taken this position and the reason we have worked very hard to bring together like-minded countries from around the world is precisely because we are a country that believes that respect for cultural diversity is part of our constitutional heritage.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Calgary Southwest
Alberta
Reform
Preston Manning Leader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, a few minutes ago the minister for aboriginal affairs said that he had not heard from any aboriginal leaders who object to the Nisga'a agreement.
At the aboriginal committee hearings recently, Chief Darlene Vegh, chief of the Gitanyow, testified at the committee. She said these words: “The Nisga'a final agreement is a supreme violation of the Gitanyow and Gitksan laws. The Nisga'a final agreement will force us to defend our land. We believe the Nisga'a final agreement is an invasion of our birthright to our homeland”.
What is the minister's response to this aboriginal leader in B.C. when she says, “We believe the Nisga'a final agreement is an invasion of our birthright to our homeland”?
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Kenora—Rainy River
Ontario
Liberal
Bob Nault Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, as I understand, the Gitanyow have said in those hearings and in other places that they support the Nisga'a agreement but their concern is the overlap and we are working on achieving that certainty right now.
Social Housing
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Bloc
Pauline Picard Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, one of the most effective ways to improve the plight of the poor is to build social housing units, because such a measure has a direct impact on poor families and significantly contributes to their quality of life.
How can the government claim to want to fight poverty, considering that, since it took—
Social Housing
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Social Housing
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member for Drummond.
Social Housing
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Bloc
Pauline Picard Drummond, QC
How can the government claim to want to fight poverty, considering that, since it took office in 1993, it has not invested one penny in the construction of new social housing units in Quebec? Is this acceptable behaviour on the part of a government that claims to care about poverty?