Debates of June 15th, 2000
House of Commons Hansard #115 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was health.
Topics
- Points Of Order
- Business Of The House
- Individual Members' Expenditures For 1999-2000
- Government Response To Petitions
- Canadian Security Intelligence Service Report
- Committees Of The House
- Courts Administration Service Act
- Civilian War-Related Benefits Act
- Education Benefits Act
- Petitions
- Committees Of The House
- Petitions
- Questions On The Order Paper
- Supply
- Legacy Of Logan
- Progressive Conservative Party
- National Infrastructure Program
- National Public Service Week
- Laurie Throness
- Mayor Of Hull
- The Prime Minister
- Canada
- The Canadian Alliance
- Meridian Technologies
- The Wave 94.7 Fm
- Privacy
- Quebecers' Fête Nationale
- Colin White And Jon Sim
- Trevor Snyder
- Gun Registry
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Human Resources Development
- Parental Leave
- Human Rights
- Parental Leave
- National Defence
- Human Resources Development
- Parental Leave
- Human Resources Development
- Francophone Athletes
- Human Resources Development
- Persons With Disabilities
- Firearms Act
- Human Resources Development
- The Environment
- Health
- Gun Registry
- Employment Insurance
- Foreign Affairs
- Human Resources Development
- Scotia Rainbow
- Fisheries And Oceans
- Foreign Affairs
- Business Of The House
- 100Th Birthday Greetings To The Queen Mother
- Petitions
- Points Of Order
- Privilege
- Supply
- Committees Of The House
- Supply
- Main Estimates, 2000-01
- Committees Of The House
- Supply
- Division No. 1366
- Division No. 1367
- Division No. 1368
- Division No. 1369
- Division No. 1370
- Division No. 1371
- Division No. 1372
- Division No. 1373
- Division No. 1374
- Division No. 1375
- Division No. 1376
- Division No. 1377
- Division No. 1378
- Division No. 1379
- Division No. 1380
- Division No. 1381
- Division No. 1382
- Division No. 1383
- Natural Gas
- Division No. 1384
- Criminal Code
- Division No. 1385
Gun Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Peter MacKay Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, as the Liberal election readiness team gears up and the cabinet shuffle demons rear their heads, the justice minister plans to announce a reduction in gun registration fees.
That is a nice gesture, but it will create further confusion for those who have already paid. Add to this, the list of spiralling costs, huge rates of error, low participation and a backlogged system, and the justice minister is going to revel in her supreme court slap on the provinces and the territories.
Perhaps she could explain to Canadians in simple terms just how this expensive, ineffective registry system will protect Canadians.
Gun Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Edmonton West
Alberta
Liberal
Anne McLellan Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, it is too bad that the vast majority of Canadians get it, this side of the House gets it, the Supreme Court of Canada seems to get it but the member opposite does not get it.
Gun Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Gun Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
The Deputy Speaker
Order, please. It is very difficult to hear the reply of the minister. I know she is struggling against a lot of noise at the far end of the Chamber that is almost out of my hearing, but I cannot hear her. The hon. the Minister of Justice has the floor.
Gun Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Liberal
Anne McLellan Edmonton West, AB
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the supreme court unanimously confirmed today, our Firearms Act is about public safety.
Canadians support this legislation because they know it is about public safety. Therefore, I would encourage everyone in the House, in particular the hon. member, to encourage Canadians wherever they live to comply with this law.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
NDP
Angela Vautour Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, NB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.
While the Prime Minister was in New Brunswick last week, he confirmed that the reason why there are only three Liberal seats left in the province is because of the negative impact of the cuts to the EI program.
Now that the Prime Minister has realized his mistake, when will he instruct his ministers to rectify the unfairness caused by the EI reform toward workers dependent on the seasonal industry? I ask the Prime Minister to give an answer to the people of New Brunswick.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Saint-Maurice
Québec
Liberal
Jean Chrétien Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, during my visit I found out that we will win a lot of seats next time. I am sorry for the member who may not be back as the member from Beauséjour.
We have had to deal with some very difficult problems in Atlantic Canada and we are working on a strategy. I am sure the member will be pleased with that and may want to become a Liberal after that.
Foreign Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Liberal
Colleen Beaumier Brampton West—Mississauga, ON
Mr. Speaker, for nearly 10 years Canada has participated in military and economic sanctions against Iraq. These sanctions have had little impact on Saddam Hussein's regime but they have devastated the civilian population.
I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as a member of the United Nations Security Council will Canada lead the fight to finally end these destructive economic sanctions?
Foreign Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Brome—Missisquoi
Québec
Liberal
Denis Paradis Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, when Canada joined the Security Council in January 1999 we immediately raised concerns about the humanitarian conditions in Iraq. We facilitated the setting up of panels to study the conditions in Iraq and we re-opened the resolutions.
In April, Canada commissioned a study and set up a task force to investigate how sanctions could be better targeted. Recently in Ottawa the executive director of UNICEF said that it was not just sanctions but the government of Iraq that was responsible for the suffering of the children.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
June 15th, 2000 / 2:55 p.m.
Reform
Paul Forseth New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Speaker, the human resources minister sticks to her improbable claim that she was not briefed about the billion dollar bungle until November 17.
If we are to suspend this belief just for a moment and take her at her word, could the Prime Minister explain why she then blew another $3 million on the same broken programs within weeks after the briefing? Why did the people's money keep flowing? Who was being paid off?
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
The Deputy Speaker
The hon. member will want to withdraw any allegations of paying off people. I think he recognizes that is improper. I would invite him to withdraw those words.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Reform
Paul Forseth New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Speaker, I will withdraw those words, but I would like an answer to the substance of the question.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Brant
Ontario
Liberal
Jane Stewart Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with the House some words on the Canadian Alliance website. Their lead page starts like this:
Throughout most of the last century the Government of Canada was dominated by the Liberal Party. Particularly throughout the 1990s the people of Canada saw no viable, electable alternative.
I would like to say that after six months of attacking my department, the Canadian Alliance has proved two things: first, that this government is prepared to take administrative issues seriously because we are accountable; and two, that it does not believe that investing in Canadians is the right thing to do. That party sees it as a waste.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Rosemont, QC
Mr. Speaker, with respect to the Placeteco affair, the Minister of Human Resources Development solemnly declared here in the House that she had paid the $1.2 million grant to Placeteco upon receipt of invoices.
But despite our repeated requests, we have still not received copies of any invoices, whether through access to information or through the minister herself.
Is the government not ashamed of its behaviour in the Placeteco affair and of its defence that it paid $1.2 million based on invoices that we know do not exist?