Debates of Dec. 13th, 2002

Taxation

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will know that every year we transfer over $600 million to the province of Quebec, precisely for labour market issues. The hon. member will also know that we have continuing discussions with the labour market ministers of all provinces to ensure that we have the best programs in place at both levels of government to support Canadians.

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should also know that there are overlaps that we could do without.

Quebec is faced with major challenges in training its workforce. In the context of the Canada-Québec Labour Market Development Agreement, does the minister not think it is time to pay Quebec the maximum amount under the Employment Insurance Act?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that Canadians know that all levels of government need to work together to deal with the challenges that we face in the 21st century with skills, manpower training, and development, to ensure that we are the most innovative and successful country in the world.

We are working with the provinces and territories in an active way and I wish to remind him again that our labour market agreements that have been signed with the majority of provinces are working well in this regard.

Airline Security

[Chuck Cadman, Canadian Alliance, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's misinformed statement of yesterday that air taxes had no negative effect on the industry is simply wrong.

The CEO of Air Canada Jazz has said that the tax “has without a doubt contributed to the reduction of short haul passenger traffic in this country”. The stakeholders and travellers, and the House of Commons transport committee have all called for a reduction in this tax.

Will the government admit finally that the tax has caused problems and commit to its immediate suspension?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

No, Mr. Speaker, because that would be imprudent. Furthermore, I call the member's attention to the fact that if we look at the statistics the overall level of air passenger traffic in Canada for the first nine months of 2002 was down by about 8% relative to the same period in 2001. However for the first three months of 2002 it was down by 12%. Those were the months when there was no air security charge.

Therefore I find it very difficult for him to make the case that usage is down simply because of the air security charge.

[James Lunney, Canadian Alliance, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, prudent is hardly the word for the way the government spends its money. The government has wasted a billion dollars on the gun registry. It has spent millions on advertising contracts for its Liberal friends and over $100 million on Challenger jets it did not need.

With all this extra money floating around, can the government explain why security measures were not paid for out of existing revenues?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure I understood the question. The air security charge was based upon the additional costs that would be incurred to increase the level of security in the air transportation system. They were additional costs and therefore additional revenue was required to pay for them.

The hon. member clearly believes that people who do not use the air system should pay for the security of that system out of their general taxes. That is not the approach we have chosen to follow.

Amateur Sport

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, the Journal de Montreal had a report on the questionable comments made by coach Dave Johnson about Jennifer Carroll and other members of the Swimming Canada team.

What does the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport intend to do to protect our athletes?

[Paul Devillers, Liberal, Secretary of State (Amateur Sport) and Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I am very disappointed to see that the coach's comments about certain athletes or groups of athletes continue to be raised. For this reason, this very morning, I am sending a letter to Swimming Canada demanding that the necessary disciplinary action be taken.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Myron Thompson, Canadian Alliance, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of marketing boards operating on behalf of agricultural producers. None of these boards have a minister in the government except for the Canadian Wheat Board.

If the Wheat Board is farmer directed as this government always says that it is, then why do we need a Wheat Board minister? Why not scrap his position and save a few tax dollars?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, the rationale is fully laid out in the Canadian Wheat Board Act. There are certain powers and provisions there that have to do with financial guarantees and the issuing of export procedures. There is obviously a public interest that needs to be served, and that is why there is a role for the minister.

I would point out to the hon. gentleman that not once since I became minister in 1993 have I ever issued a directive to the Canadian Wheat Board.

Agriculture

[David Anderson, Canadian Alliance, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Wheat Board minister wrote the legislation for himself. The Wheat Board is not the only government agricultural wreck. The government said that the new agricultural policy plan was a five year plan. We did not think that it meant it would take five years to implement.

Here we are a year and a half later and still nothing for farmers. Last year farmers had to do with second rate farm programs. Now we are less than four months from seeding time and instead of having a plan in place, the government is still fighting with the provinces.

Why has the government been so intransigent and so incompetent in its farm planning that farmers will once again be left with inadequate coverage?

[Larry McCormick, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the questioner for the opportunity to tell the House where the minister is at this moment. Right now in Ottawa the minister is meeting with several farm organizations and producer groups from across the country. We continue to meet with the provinces and territories.

I want to remind my colleague that last year we invested more money in Saskatchewan in a calendar year than we did before. We have given interest free loans for the spring and we will be there in the fall. We have just extended the interest free loans.

This government believes in our farmers, appreciates our farmers and invests in our farmers.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage has just agreed to intervene in the Swimming Canada affair, saying that she will suspend that body's funding if there is a recurrence of the sort of behaviour we saw in the Carroll affair.

What is stopping the minister from doing the same with the CBC in the case of the Claude Beauchamp affair?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I feel that journalistic accountability must be respected. I have no interest in interfering in a journalistic matter, and I will not.

The Environment

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of the Environment tell us what the government has done to safeguard the environment since the Speech from the Throne?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the Species at Risk Act—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. We have to be able to hear the answer from the minister. This was a Christmas gift. We will want to hear the answer from the Minister of the Environment.

[David Anderson, Liberal, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am used to these cheers of encouragement from all sides of the House.

I am very pleased that the Species at Risk Act was approved by Parliament and was yesterday given Royal Assent. This has been a commitment in three Speeches from the Throne and two red books.

I must add that, at almost the same time yesterday, the Senate also gave its approval to the resolution on the Kyoto protocol and ratification of the Kyoto protocol.

Modernization of Parliament

[Scott Reid, Canadian Alliance, Lanark—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week Liberal members on the procedure and House affairs committee took a giant step backward when it came to democratizing Parliament.

The Liberals, in particular their wannabe prime minister, talk a fine line when it comes to focus tested phrases like democratic deficit, but when it comes to actual specific reforms that would democratize this place, in particular allowing for all private members' business to be votable, they cut the legs out from under it.

Why will the Liberals not keep a promise they made in all party consultations a year ago and allow for all private members' business to be votable?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what government policy was at stake here. I am quite sure there was none at all, but if the hon. member is asking about the commitment to parliamentary modernization, his own previous House leader and I worked very closely to modernize 26 rules of the House. In the previous Parliament before that, we worked equally as hard to make the five party system work. We are prepared to have another modernization committee, provided his party does not stall it, which it has been doing for the last three days.

Innu Community of Davis Inlet

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government wants to repair the harm done to the Innu abandoned in 1967 on a rocky deserted island without any resources, thereby plunging the community, particularly its children, into a social crisis that continues to this day. The big move of the Innu of Davis Inlet is scheduled for this weekend.

Given the magnitude of the social and addiction problems affecting especially the children of this small community, can the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs tell us if he plans to provide specialized resources to help them recover from their nightmare that has lasted far too long?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, this is an extremely important question because in the press in the last number of days there has been a lot of focus on the Innu and this new community being built. That is only part of the story. We need to develop a healing strategy for the community to work with Health Canada and to work with Human Resources Development Canada, to work with all government departments and with the community at large to make sure that we can help those community members, their parents and those children to turn their lives around. Having a new community is good but we have to go a step further and we--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Acadie--Bathurst.