House of Commons Hansard #10 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was federal.

Topics

Quebec's Delegations AbroadOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Ottawa South Ontario

Liberal

John Manley LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I think that the reality in modern-day Quebec is that they have seen enough disputes between the levels of government. There are projects that we have to implement together, including in health.

It would not help much to agree to give one level of government all the sources of revenues, only to then have to cut spending at another level of government. We should work together. I hope the hon. member will realize this soon enough.

Official LanguagesOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Scott Reid Canadian Alliance Lanark—Carleton, ON

Mr. Speaker, three days ago the Commissioner of Official Languages stated that making Gatineau bilingual would be, “an important advance”.

Yesterday, she indicated in the daily Le Droit that the federal government must give its blessing to identical linguistic services, at the municipal level, for the two minorities on each side of the Ottawa River, and that the federal government must also provide the financial assistance that will enable Gatineau to achieve this goal.

Does the government accept or reject this advice?

Official LanguagesOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario

Liberal

Don Boudria LiberalMinister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the member raised almost the identical question approximately a week ago in the House of Commons. Let me answer the question again.

The Government of Canada welcomes any city that wants to achieve bilingual status for Canadians. We know that and the proof of that is the support we gave to the City of Ottawa to achieve that. Members will also remember that many of us in the House wanted to congratulate the City of Ottawa for that status but the member himself refused to do so.

Official LanguagesOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Scott Reid Canadian Alliance Lanark—Carleton, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am astonished.

Gatineau is forbidden by provincial law from declaring itself bilingual as Ottawa has done. Gatineau is forbidden to install bilingual signs by provincial law as Ottawa has done. Gatineau does not publish its bylaws in bilingual form as Ottawa has done.

Will the minister stand here today and say that he expects the Quebec government to take the same measures to entrench bilingualism in Gatineau that the government has demanded repeatedly that Ontario take regarding Ottawa?

Official LanguagesOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario

Liberal

Don Boudria LiberalMinister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, in different words, that is almost the same question. The government has indicated and has proven its commitment toward bilingualism. It has invested--

Official LanguagesOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Stephen Harper Canadian Alliance Calgary Southwest, AB

In Ottawa.

Official LanguagesOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

Don Boudria Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON

No, not only in Ottawa, in a number of cities, and we are prepared to support bilingualism where such a request is made as we have in the past. Everyone knows that.

Ethics CounsellorOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Bloc

Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC

Mr. Speaker, two Liberal members have given the Prime Minister an appropriate reminder that the ethics counsellor should answer to the House of Commons. They pointed out that any ethics-related problems in the past have involved ministers, not MPs. This is clearly seen in the sponsorship scandal, which can be traced right back to the Prime Minister.

Does the Prime Minister intend to bow to the common sense of parliamentarians of all parties and ask the House to appoint an independent ethics commissioner?

Ethics CounsellorOral Question Period

11:35 a.m.

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario

Liberal

Don Boudria LiberalMinister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has made a commitment, both in the throne speech and in his excellent speech in the House of Commons a few days ago, to submit a proposal to the House concerning an ethics counsellor. I trust that we shall have the support of all members for its adoption.

Need I remind the hon. member that I myself moved, last June, in this very House, to refer this matter to a parliamentary committee. I was not given the consent of certain opposition members to do so.

Ethics CounsellorOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

Bloc

Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are calling for an independent ethics counsellor. Ethical issues also concern the general public. We had an example yesterday when a high school student criticized the Prime Minister for his slowness to act on this.

Will the Prime Minister agree that it is his responsibility to allow the House to take the necessary steps to appoint an independent ethics counsellor for MPs, but also for ministers?

Ethics CounsellorOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario

Liberal

Don Boudria LiberalMinister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to note the rather recently developed enthusiasm of the hon. member and his party toward this issue. I would have liked to have seen equal enthusiasm when the motion was proposed to the House prior to adjournment, last June.

I will tell the member opposite that he will not have to wait long for a document to be tabled in the House. We look forward to his support with this same enthusiasm.

Air SafetyOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, customs managers at Pearson international airport are replacing experienced customs inspectors with students for pre-board screening during weekend peak periods.

The minister is jeopardizing the safety and security of Canada because she and her department are unable to settle in house a human resource issue.

When will the minister stop using untrained students to provide frontline security services for Canada?

Air SafetyOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

Thornhill Ontario

Liberal

Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, I reject fully the suggestion that in any way we are compromising the security of Canada. We are not. It is our number one priority. We have, however, had a student program in place in the government and at customs Canada for many years. Students are trained properly for the duties they will be engaged in. I can tell the House that the evaluation is that they provide excellent service to Canada.

Air SafetyOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, maybe the minister should go down and see what is happening at these ports because she will hear a completely different story from the customs agents and the problems they are facing.

Ironically enough, the Minister of National Revenue stated yesterday that the number one priority for the government is security and safety for Canadians but untrained students are substituting for experienced customs inspectors on the front line of our security. The people who try to enter Canada illegally, criminals, terrorists and drug traffickers, know this. It is unfair to these students and unfair to the public that the minister is willing to put Canadians at risk.

Will the minister admit that students are being used in this way and declare that she will put an end to this dangerous practice?

Air SafetyOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

Thornhill Ontario

Liberal

Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, I have to say to the hon. member that students receive appropriate training. In fact all students who have participated for many years in customs programs do an outstanding job because they are not only well trained but they are properly supervised.

I find it strange that the member opposite would not support the student program that we have which has resulted over the years in a number of students becoming full time employees and actually moving into managerial and senior positions in the agency.

Northern OntarioOral Question Period

October 11th, 2002 / 11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Brent St. Denis Liberal Algoma—Manitoulin, ON

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Rural Development and Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.

The government has made considerable progress to ensure that the people of northern Ontario share in the economic benefits enjoyed by other Canadians.

While the government has achieved considerable success in this area, due in great measure to the minister's efforts, could the secretary of state explain how the government's programs for northern Ontario communities remain relevant to the region's economic development needs?

Northern OntarioOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalSecretary of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)

Mr. Speaker, the recent census indicated the importance of ensuring that northern Ontario provides to our young people the hope for an economic and social future. This is absolutely essential.

FedNor has worked hard over the past few years to create an environment within which the private sector can create wealth and create jobs.

To better refine our programming we are reaching out to the citizens of northern Ontario through an engagement process. This will culminate in a conference being held in Sault Ste. Marie from November 14 to 17 where we will hear the views of northern Ontarians. From there we will develop a federal action plan in terms of the types of initiatives we want to undertake in northern Ontario.

HarboursOral Question Period

11:40 a.m.

NDP

Wendy Lill NDP Dartmouth, NS

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

This week he finally committed the government to one-third of the costs for the cleanup of St. John's harbour but for some reason his government has announced that it will only contribute 10% of the cost to clean up Halifax harbour. The Halifax project has been planned for decades but needs one-third federal support to be a success.

When will he start paying the same percentage of the cost for Halifax as St. John's? When will the government deliver the rest of the money for the Halifax Harbour cleanup?

HarboursOral Question Period

11:45 a.m.

Etobicoke Centre Ontario

Liberal

Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud that part of the strategic infrastructure fund will go to address this longstanding issue of the harbour.

Let me also make clear that we are not only matching the provincial money, but the money we are investing is available this fiscal year. We want this project to proceed and we are happy that, with this federal investment and the investment being made by the other orders of government, we will finally get on with this important priority.

The EnvironmentOral Question Period

11:45 a.m.

NDP

Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB

Mr. Speaker, on November 5, 2001, the Department of the Environment said it would cooperate with the committee involved in the disposal of toxic waste in the bay of Lamèque, New Brunswick.

Some residents, including children, are ill. This is a serious problem. The New Brunswick conservation council is calling for a federal investigation.

Will there be an investigation, and what action does the government intend to take to clean up this mess in the bay, to make those affected feel better and force polluters to assume their environmental responsibilities?

The EnvironmentOral Question Period

11:45 a.m.

Victoria B.C.

Liberal

David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, last December, we sent out a letter advising the company in question that it was violating the law. Since then, we have been working together with provincial authorities, the other federal departments and the company to remedy the situation. But, as the hon. member pointed out, the problem is continuing, and it is clear that we must intensify our efforts.

Safety StandardsOral Question Period

11:45 a.m.

Progressive Conservative

Rex Barnes Progressive Conservative Gander—Grand Falls, NL

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I raised the issue of 11 models of Cosco infant car seats that do not meet Transport Canada's safety guidelines because of insufficient padding around the infant's head; 225,000 of these car seats have been sold in Canada.

Despite the fact that his own officials have admitted that there is a threat to infants, the minister has failed to adequately warn consumers and recall this product. The government fails to act on the nuts and bolts of everyday safety.

Will the minister admit his mistake and demand an immediate recall of this product?

Safety StandardsOral Question Period

11:45 a.m.

Chicoutimi—Le Fjord Québec

Liberal

André Harvey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, we share my hon. colleague's concern. Naturally, the manufacturer and Transport Canada notified all owners of the seats of the threat. Steps will be taken to remedy the problem.

FisheriesOral Question Period

11:45 a.m.

Progressive Conservative

Loyola Hearn Progressive Conservative St. John's West, NL

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Every minister of fisheries associated with the north Atlantic clearly states that the main problem facing our fisheries today is a complete lack of scientific information.

In light of this, would the minister tell the House why the department is proposing to take one of three research vessels, the Wilfred Templeman , out of service?

FisheriesOral Question Period

11:45 a.m.

West Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, as well as the Government of Canada, takes government science very seriously. It was highlighted in the Speech from the Throne.

We work on research on the fisheries very closely with industry and non-governmental organizations. We are also doing a planned recapitalization for the coast guard over the years to make sure that we have all the equipment necessary to do all the science for our natural resources.