Debates of Oct. 1st, 2003
House of Commons Hansard #131 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was copyright.
Topics
- Seniors
- Election Campaigns
- International Day of Older Persons
- Hike Canada Week
- B.C. Fires
- Young Offenders
- Stéphanie Dubois
- Violence on Television
- Kirk Magarian
- Government Contracts
- Parc Industriel Roger-Lefebvre
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving
- International Music Day
- Literacy
- Women's History Month
- Cancer Research
- Coast Guard
- Member for LaSalle—Émard
- Treasury Board
- Former Privacy Commissioner
- Veterans Affairs
- International Aid
- Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
- Former Privacy Commissioner
- Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
- Biochem Pharma
- Terrorism
- Devco
- Foreign Affairs
- The Environment
- Veterans Affairs
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Federal-Provincial Relations
- Foreign Affairs
- Algoma Steel Inc.
- Correctional Service of Canada
- Employment Insurance
- Forests
- Environment
- Presence in Gallery
- Business of the House
- Zahra Kazemi
- Privilege
- Interparliamentary Delegations
- Government Response to Petitions
- Committees of the House
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Motions for Papers
- Parliament of Canada Act
- Library and Archives of Canada Act
- Parliament of Canada Act
- Library and Archives of Canada Act
- Employment Insurance Act
- Social Condition
- Appointment of Judges
- Firearms Program
- Health
Federal-Provincial Relations
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Québec
Liberal
Stéphane Dion President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we can easily say there is a Quebec nation, as we can say there is a Canadian nation or several nations in Quebec. We can say many things. But one thing we can never deny is the contribution of Quebeckers to building this great country, Canada.
Foreign Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Keith Martin Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, a modern day Nazi state has developed in Africa. A recent report by the South African Council of Churches clearly shows that Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, is forcing children as young as 10 to carry out brutal atrocities such as murder and torture against innocent civilians.
Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs finally do the right thing and indict Robert Mugabe for crimes against humanity?
Foreign Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Toronto Centre—Rosedale
Ontario
Liberal
Bill Graham Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, what I can say for the government is that what we have been doing, and the hon. member knows it well, is pursuing effectively through the Commonwealth, through the United Nations and through every other forum to put pressure on the government of Robert Mugabe to change, to allow democracy to develop in Africa.
The Prime Minister will be attending the Commonwealth conference at the end of this year. This will be a primary subject of conversation, as it has been with myself and other foreign ministers when we met in New York last week.
The problems in Zimbabwe and the people of Zimbabwe are a great preoccupation of ours. We will take concrete actions to protect them, not just threats, but concrete actions.
Foreign Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Keith Martin Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, the people of Zimbabwe have been asking for concrete action for two years. The Commonwealth is a paper tiger.
Our government's quiet diplomacy has done nothing and will continue to do nothing. Incredulously many African leaders either congratulate Mugabe for what he is doing or say nothing.
The only way to stop this megalomaniac is to indict him for crimes against humanity. Again, will the Minister of Foreign Affairs do the right thing for the people of Zimbabwe, do the right thing for Canadians and Canada and stand up, be counted and indict Robert Mugabe for crimes against humanity?
Foreign Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Toronto Centre—Rosedale
Ontario
Liberal
Bill Graham Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to do the right thing for the people of Zimbabwe by taking actions through every multilateral and bilateral forum to enable us to bring pressure on the government of Zimbabwe to change its conduct for the betterment of the people of Zimbabwe.
Indicting the president of Zimbabwe might be one option, but there are many other options. This government has been pursuing them for years and will continue to do so with our African partners in a positive way to obtain positive results.
Algoma Steel Inc.
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Liberal
Carmen Provenzano Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Mr. Speaker, in December 2001 the Government of Canada contributed $50 million in loan guarantees as part of the financial restructuring of Algoma Steel in my riding of Sault Ste. Marie.
Will the Secretary of State for Rural Development and Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario confirm that Algoma Steel has satisfied all of the conditions of this guarantee and any obligations of the Canadian government respecting this guarantee have now expired?
Algoma Steel Inc.
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)
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise that Algoma Steel has successfully been able to restructure and obtain its financing from the private sector.
All the terms and conditions of the loan guarantee have been fulfilled. The guarantee has in fact been discharged and appropriate fees collected.
If I may, I will take the opportunity to congratulate the management, the union, the workers, and most of all, the people of Sault Ste. Marie who working together with the federal government have been able to preserve thousands of jobs and help ensure the creation of wealth in northern Ontario. To all those involved, and in particular my colleague from Sault Ste. Marie, well done.
Correctional Service of Canada
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Randy White Langley—Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, talk about computer problems. Recently at Ferndale prison the following items were found on computers: instructions on sending letter bombs and making tennis ball explosives; lessons on picking locks; and instructions on how to tap telephone lines.
Where is the Solicitor General's boundary on what is and what is not acceptable material for inmates in prisons to have?
Correctional Service of Canada
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Malpeque
P.E.I.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, Correctional Service Canada has a very strict policy on what is allowed on computers in prison.
We have tightened up that policy over the last several months because of incidents that happened in some other correctional facilities across the country. We will continue to improve our policy as it relates to information that is on computers within institutions.
Correctional Service of Canada
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Randy White Langley—Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, that certainly sounds tight. We just found more child pornography on some of the computers. In addition to that, another inmate had a sophisticated tool used to capture a system's passwords and then break into it. One official in CSC said the discovery is a potentially serious threat to CSC.
What is more important to the government, the right of offenders, inmates, to possess any material they want to, or the protection of the public?
Correctional Service of Canada
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Malpeque
P.E.I.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows full well that inmates cannot possess any material they want to within Correctional Service Canada institutions. For him to say that, he knows that he is wrong.
Of course, Correctional Service Canada and all agencies under the authority of the Solicitor General and the Government of Canada are interested uppermost in public safety in the country. I think all our agencies do a pretty darn good job at doing that.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
October 1st, 2003 / 3 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Guay Laurentides, QC
Mr. Speaker, the unemployed of Charlevoix are resolutely awaiting an announcement from the Minister of Justice. They are demanding that he announce, as soon as possible, an extension of the transitional employment insurance measures scheduled to expire on October 11. A true employment insurance policy is not a series of temporary measures. The government knows that, sooner or later, it will have to review its program.
In the meantime, what is it waiting for before announcing the continuation of the transitional measures?
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Shefford
Québec
Liberal
Diane St-Jacques Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, the plan was for these regions to benefit from a three-year transition period to allow people time to adapt to these changes, these new rules.
Now, since we are approaching the end of that period, the minister is in the process of examining the possibilities, and we will be announcing the results very soon.
Forests
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Liberal
Gérard Binet Frontenac—Mégantic, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canada is a nation of forests. Those forests provide employment to hundreds of thousands of people and play an essential environmental role as well as improving our social well-being. My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources.
What is the government doing to ensure that Canada's forests will be preserved for future generations?
Forests
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Vancouver South—Burnaby
B.C.
Liberal
Herb Dhaliwal Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, last week Canada had the honour to host the 12th World Forestry Congress for the first time in Quebec City. This was in partnership with the Quebec government. There were 4,000 delegates from 140 countries. We talked about the importance to the world of how to protect our forests and how to ensure that for the long term our forests survive and they contribute to the betterment of all citizens around the world.