Debates of June 13th, 2002
House of Commons Hansard #205 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pesticides.
Topics
- Government Response to Petitions
- Specific Claims Resolution Act
- Interparliamentary Delegations
- Committees of the House
- Pest Control Products Act
- Millennium Scholarships
- Government Contracts
- Millennium Scholarships
- Health
- Disability Program
- Winemaker of the Year Award
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Government of Quebec
- First Capital Day
- Government Contracts
- Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award
- Disability Tax Credit
- Award Winners at Gala des Mercuriades
- Windsor, Nova Scotia
- Firearms Registration
- Figure Skating
- Ethics
- Government Contracts
- Public Works and Government Services
- Ethics
- Government Contracts
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Agriculture
- G-8 Summit
- Disability Tax Credit
- National Defence
- Softwood Lumber
- Agriculture
- Soirée du hockey
- Agriculture
- Terrorism
- National Defence
- Ferry Services
- Infrastructure Program
- Parole Board
- Infrastructure
- Disability Tax Credit
- Ethics Counsellor
- Business of the House
- Privilege
- Pest Control Products Act
- Message from the Senate
- Pest Control Products Act
- Intoxication of Migratory Birds
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
John Duncan Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, the U.S. farm bill took three years to draft and it attacks Canadian farm families. The Liberals did nothing to stop these attacks and have no effective plan to offset the trade injury. The government expects the provinces to pay for its failures.
Agricultural trade injury was not caused by provincial mistakes. The provinces have zero per cent of the of the responsibility for this disaster, so why should they pay 40% for federal failures?
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Prince Edward—Hastings
Ontario
Liberal
Lyle Vanclief Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, the federal government negotiates as far as trade is concerned. In so doing, when there are benefits of trade the provinces share. When there are challenges from the ends of those negotiations, as a result of those negotiations between countries, the provinces share as well.
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
John Duncan Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, the U.S. farm bill is completely federal and the minister knows it. The president signed that bill a month ago. Parts of the bill breach our trade agreements, yet the Liberal government refuses to act.
The bill has been in the works for three years. The government has no action plan. Now it wants more time to study it. Why has the government failed to keep its promise to Canadian farmers by refusing to launch WTO and NAFTA challenges?
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with our Cairns partners. We have been working with many countries around the world that precisely object to the U.S. farm bill.
We are extremely disappointed that the United States has adopted the farm bill. We believe it goes contrary to the direction we all adopted in Doha, Qatar last year.
We will continue to work with our partners to see whether the farm bill in its present shape respects the WTO obligations. The Americans pretend it does. What we know is that legally maybe it does but we are not sure. We are checking into it. However, legitimately it was the wrong way to go.
Terrorism
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Liberal
Derek Lee Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Revenue.
In light of the continuing terrorist threat to North America and many other places in the world, could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue tell the House what Canada is doing to stop weapons of mass destruction from crossing our borders and what we are doing to meet the challenge of high tech smugglers without clogging our border crossing points to the U.S.A.?
Terrorism
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Vancouver Kingsway
B.C.
Liberal
Sophia Leung Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the CCRA will spend $110 million over five years to purchase high tech equipment to enhance protection for all Canadians.
The equipment will include a radiation detector that will seize all nuclear weapons. The government will also purchase a high energy x-ray machine to examine all the containers at sea ports, airports and at land border crossings.
The government strongly believes that the number one priority is the safety and security of all Canadians.
National Defence
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Peter Goldring Edmonton Centre-East, AB
Mr. Speaker, the military ombudsman's report is to be hidden from parliament for months.
It is not a defence minister's main squeeze report that shamefully should never be. It is not a Groupaction Liberal fundraising report that proved to be no report at all. This is a military ombudsman report that should be released with pride immediately to the public unless the Liberal government has something to hide.
Will the minister release it today?
National Defence
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Markham
Ontario
Liberal
John McCallum Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the hon. member was not listening when I answered this question.
As I explained before, yesterday I met the ombudsman in my office. I suggested to him that I needed time to read the report before he released it. The rules stipulate that I can have it for 60 days before it is released.
I will not insist on the 60 days but it is not unreasonable that I have a little bit of time to read it.
National Defence
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Peter Goldring Edmonton Centre-East, AB
Mr. Speaker, following procedure. This is more like following in Gagliano's footsteps.
This government has a long history of burying information damaging to the government. It tried to bury damaging audits. It tries to stop public inquiries. We had to fight for years to get access to information requests.
The minister states that he needs time to read the report, or is it time to sanitize it? Will the minister commit to the House that he will release the military ombudsman's report before we rise for the summer break?
National Defence
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Markham
Ontario
Liberal
Ferry Services
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport is refusing to restore ferry service between Trois-Pistoles and Les Escoumins because the current state of the facilities does not meet existing safety regulations.
But the minister himself mentioned a temporary solution which would cost about $750,000 and which would make it possible to salvage the ferry season for this year.
Yes or no, does the minister intend to take the necessary action to implement this temporary solution now, or any other solution which will make it possible to salvage the 2002 season?
Ferry Services
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
Québec
Liberal
André Harvey Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, our officials are negotiating with community stakeholders to find the most appropriate solution possible. The member does have to understand that there are extremely serious safety issues. In the meantime, two other crossings are available.
Infrastructure Program
Oral Question Period
June 13th, 2002 / 2:55 p.m.
Liberal
Murray Calder Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the secretary of state for rural affairs.
I have been discussing the infrastructure program with many of my municipal councils across my riding and I know councils across the country are interested in this for development of roads, sewers and water.
With these discussions, I wonder whether the secretary of state can bring us up to date as to what is happening with the infrastucture program.
Infrastructure Program
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Parry Sound—Muskoka
Ontario
Liberal
Andy Mitchell Secretary of State (Rural Development) (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the House that to date we have been able to include 291 projects for an investment of almost $400 million. Additional investments will made.
As the member is from a rural area of the province, he will be pleased to know that over $85 million of investments were made in water, sewers and other safety features in rural areas.
This is an example of three levels of government working together for the benefit of the citizens of Ontario.
Parole Board
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Chuck Cadman Surrey North, BC
Mr. Speaker, recent news reports confirm some crime victims' worst fears. An audit has revealed that an overwhelming majority of parole offices failed to meet minimum standards for parole monitoring. Most of the cases involved the highest risk offenders, those posing the greatest danger to the public, and the solicitor general has the audacity to stand in the House and say that public safety is his number one priority. Is it any wonder that some victims of violent crime dread the day their offenders will be paroled?
What assurances will the solicitor general give Canadians that not only will the rules be followed but that there will be consequences to management when those rules are not followed?