Debates of Nov. 29th, 2002

Health

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, federal, provincial and territorial governments are already working together in a number of areas around drugs and pharmaceutical utilization. As the hon. member is aware, the Government of Canada's Department of Health is responsible for drug approval. That is a very clear regulatory process.

We are in the process of reviewing how we go about approving drugs in this country. The Speech from the Throne made the commitment that we would be a country that regulates in a smart way. That is why we are reviewing that process.

Certainly, if the provinces and territories want to sit down and talk about ways we can cooperate further in the--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for St. John's West.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment said that the federal government is interested in clean energy projects and will support such projects in the provinces, if asked.

Has the province of Newfoundland and Labrador asked the federal government to get involved in the development of the Lower Churchill project?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, there has been a number of communications from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador on a wide range of energy issues, including, I understand, the Lower Churchill. However the way the hon. member has raised the question is a little misleading.

We have said that if there are clear climate change benefits from projects, we will look at them. However the climate change issue is not an opportunity for every provincial project in every area that may have a minor climate change element at a high cost to be funded by the federal government. That is a matter that we cannot obviously accept.

National Defence

[Cheryl Gallant, Canadian Alliance, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the decision by the Minister of National Defence to use the exploits of the JTF2 as poster boys for increased funding to the military is being undermined by the minister's own department with the directive to harass local homeowners around the Dwyer Hill JTF2 location.

If the minister has not considered moving the expanded JTF2 to a more practical location, why not?

[John O'Reilly, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, it is not something on which the Government of Canada will comment. As far as JTF2 is concerned, it is a unit that operates in complete privacy. It is there to protect the Canadian public, not harass the Canadian public, as the member has said.

It continues to do an excellent job and has done an excellent job. It is coming home soon. Perhaps the member could come and meet some of them.

Health

[Gérard Asselin, Bloc, Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the more we listen to the government, the less we are convinced that adding federal public servants and controls, as the Romanow report proposes, will do anything to help doctors and nurses with day-to-day patient care.

How does the Prime Minister think that adding structures and bureaucrats in Ottawa will make any significant improvement to the quality of emergency services?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know from where all these questions are coming. The government has not indicated that we have any intention of creating a new bureaucracy in Ottawa. Our commitment is to work with the provinces and the territories on a plan to renew the health care system in keeping with Canadian values. It could not be any simpler.

Canadian Landmine Fund

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the Report on the Canadian Landmine Fund, 2001-2002.

Canada has made a positive difference in the world in leading to eliminate these terrible weapons and bring relief to their victims. We will continue with this important program which is of such benefit to people around the world.

Government Response to Petitions

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to five petitions.

Committees of the House

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee of Finance, entitled “Canada: People, Places and Priorities”.

Canada Labour Code

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-319, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code.

Mr. Speaker, I introduce this bill with great pleasure as well as a great deal of emotion. It has already been debated in the House, and here it is again.

The purpose is to amend the Canada Labour Code in order to ensure that all women workers, particularly those who are pregnant or nursing, in areas under federal jurisdiction and therefore covered by the Canada Labour Code, may take advantage of preventive withdrawal.

It is high time that this possibility was made available to women by this government. As we know, the birthrate in Canada is not very high. We need to ensure that all women give birth to healthy babies.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read first time and printed)

Kyoto Protocol

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among parties and I believe, if you were to seek it, you would find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move:

That, on December 2, 2002, the House shall continue to sit after 6:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. for the purpose of considering Government Orders, Government Business No. 9.

For the benefit of hon. members, that is the Kyoto resolution.

[The Speaker]

Does the hon. government House leader have the unanimous of the House to propose the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(Motion agreed to)

Petitions

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of petitions. The first one comes from people throughout the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. The petitioners draw attention to the fact that Canadians are suffering from debilitating illnesses and diseases, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injury, and that Canadians support ethical stem cell research, which has shown encouraging potential to provide cures for these diseases.

Non-embryonic stem cells, which are also known as adult stem cells, have shown significant research progress without immune rejection and the ethical problems associated with embryonic stem cells. The petitioners ask Parliament to focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary to treat the illnesses and diseases of suffering Canadians

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition has quite a large number of signatures as well, mainly from the northern part of my riding. The petitioners call attention to the fact that the use of child pornography is condemned by the clear majority of Canadians. The courts have not applied the current child pornography law in such a way that it is clear that such exploitation of children will always be met with swift punishment.

The petitioners are asking Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to present four petitions. The first one is from people in Vancouver and North Vancouver who draw attention to the fact that the Government of Canada has uncritically offered support for the ongoing bombings of Iraq and Yugoslavia, and has supported the attacks on Afghanistan. The petition calls upon Canada to return to foreign and defence policies that have a full respect for and full compliance with international law and the UN charter.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is from Canadians who are very concerned that there is an increase in the number of young adults, older men and women who are missing or have been abducted. It calls upon Parliament to establish a national clearinghouse for missing and at risk or endangered adults.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from Canadians who are very concerned about the increase of child pornography. It calls upon Parliament to protect children by all necessary steps.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the fourth petition is from petitioners who call upon the government to recognize that there is a serious shortage of affordable housing in our country. It calls upon the Canadian government to adopt the 1% solution put forward by the Toronto disaster relief committee to eliminate this national disaster as it relates to homelessness in our country.

[Tony Tirabassi, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present four petitions today from the constituents in my riding of Niagara Centre.

Three of the petitions ask that Parliament protect our children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[Tony Tirabassi, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fourth petition deals with the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who suffer from debilitating illnesses such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injuries. The petitioners ask that Parliament focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary to treat the illnesses and diseases of suffering Canadians.