Debates of Oct. 30th, 2003

House of Commons Hansard #147 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was provinces.

Topics

Agriculture
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Portneuf
Québec

Liberal

Claude Duplain Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, we cannot reveal anything about the program until it is complete. However, since there are many cull cows in Quebec, that province will receive its share for cull cows under this program.

Elk Industry
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Charlie Penson Peace River, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Republic of Korea closed the border to Canadian elk velvet in December 2000. It was due to concerns about chronic wasting disease, even though those concerns were not based on scientific fact.

Losing access to the largest market Canadians had has hurt Canadian elk farmers and their families. Canadians want to know when the Korean border will be open to Canadian cervid products again.

Elk Industry
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, as I just said in my earlier answer, this very morning I had the opportunity to discuss the issue with the Korean trade minister.

We both agreed that our technical experts will be sitting again on the basis of the solid progress we have been making on the issue. The Koreans will make their decision based on the technical information that is now available. That gives us confidence that we will resolve the issue for our producers very shortly.

Elk Industry
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Charlie Penson Peace River, AB

Mr. Speaker, the minister talks about what he is doing, but it has been a pretty slow process. It has been three years and my understanding is that it is the first discussion he has had on the issue.

The Canadian cervid industry has specifically requested that the minister launch a trade challenge at the World Trade Organization on its behalf. I want the minister to stand up today and tell us, when will he respond by launching that WTO challenge?

Elk Industry
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, I was in Saskatchewan a few weeks ago. I have had the opportunity to meet with the representatives of the industry. We have been working very closely with them. I do believe that by promoting their interests and working on the technical aspect of this complex question, we are doing the best possible thing to promote this issue and resolve it with our Korean allies and friends.

Research and Development
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

Walt Lastewka St. Catharines, ON

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development.

Statistics Canada recently reported that one in five doctoral graduates leaves the country to work abroad. What is the Government of Canada doing to address this issue of brain drain?

Research and Development
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Winnipeg North—St. Paul
Manitoba

Liberal

Rey D. Pagtakhan Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Science

Mr. Speaker, to address this issue the Government of Canada has taken a number of initiatives. It has increased funding to the research granting councils. There is $225 million for the indirect costs of research at universities. There is $1.8 billion for the Canada Foundation for Innovation. There are 2,000 masters graduate scholarships and 2,000 more for Ph.D. students. There are 2,000 research chairs at universities, 1,000 created today.

It is the nature of the scholarship that Canadian scholars do pursue further post-doctoral studies abroad, just as foreign students do further post-doctoral studies here in Canada.

Disaster Assistance
Oral Question Period

October 30th, 2003 / 2:50 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Betty Hinton Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC

Mr. Speaker, B.C. faced devastating fires this summer. In my riding a mill is gone, people are out of work and now they are losing hope.

I received personal guarantees of support from the government. So far the government has come up with a mere fraction of the total cost of this disaster. Meanwhile, people wait. They wait for jobs, they wait for answers and they wait for help.

What exactly will the government do to help rebuild the North Thompson Valley?

Disaster Assistance
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Markham
Ontario

Liberal

John McCallum Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I was in Kelowna the night when so many British Columbians lost their homes. I was also in Kamloops on that same visit. I do understand the devastation.

That is why I insisted that our officials respond very rapidly. That is why I was able to go to British Columbia last weekend with a $100 million cheque as an advance payment. The British Columbia premier said to me that his officials had told him that never before had they seen such a fast reaction from the federal government.

Disaster Assistance
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Jim Abbott Kootenay—Columbia, BC

Mr. Speaker, by the time the fires were ripping through the Kootenays, the Prime Minister decided to drop into Kelowna for a photo op, never to be seen again.

Those funds that the minister is talking about may be in British Columbia at this point, but his office has been unable to answer our questions. What will qualify? When will the funds flow? When will he get on with helping our constituents?

Disaster Assistance
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Markham
Ontario

Liberal

John McCallum Minister of National Defence

When will the funds flow, Mr. Speaker? I thought I had just explained that $100 million in funds have already flowed to British Columbia. Our officials are working diligently with the municipal and provincial officials to make the final payments. I would say that $100 million is not bad for a down payment.

Highway Infrastructure
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Bloc

Jocelyne Girard-Bujold Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, two days ago, I questioned the Minister of Transport about the expansion of highway 175. The minister remained vague and simply played on words. This is a simple question. If Ottawa is prepared to pay 50% of the cost of constructing the highway, it must also be prepared to pay 50% of cost overruns.

Does Ottawa's commitment include paying 50% of cost overruns?

That is what we want to know, and that is what is preventing this project from moving forward.

Highway Infrastructure
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Hull—Aylmer
Québec

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my hon. colleague from that area, who sits on this side of the House, on the phenomenal job he has done in this respect.

I will remind the House that last summer, our Prime Minister signed an agreement on highway 175 with the Premier of Quebec at the time. As the Minister of Transport said a couple of days ago, the federal government will honour this agreement.

Taxation
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Roy H. Bailey Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

Mr. Speaker, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is an amateur hockey league that was financially crippled almost a year ago by an audit done by CCRA. That audit was performed only in Saskatchewan.

Despite the staggering fines, the teams are up and running on borrowed money.

I would like to ask a question of Saskatchewan's only minister. What has the minister done--

Taxation
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member knows he cannot ask the members for their regional responsibilities. We have had that discussion in the House before.

However the Minister of National Revenue is the person, I am sure, to whom he intended to direct the question. I see she is rising to answer.