Debates of Feb. 25th, 2003
House of Commons Hansard #67 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
Topics
- Transportation
- Transportation Amendment Act
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- The Budget
- Fredericton Boys and Girls Club
- Child Pornography
- Order of Canada
- Marijuana
- Grosvenor Elementary School
- Canadian Forces
- Peace
- Heritage Day
- Firearms Registry
- Charles Devlin
- Canada Winter Games
- Canadian Forces
- Centenary of Hébertville-Station
- Scott Tournament of Hearts
- Senior Citizens
- Peace
- Justice
- Ethics
- Iraq
- Softwood Lumber
- Iraq
- Ethics
- Iraq
- Goods and Services Tax
- Softwood Lumber
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Veterans Affairs
- Infrastructure
- Agriculture
- Ethics
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Port Facilities
- Firearms Registry
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Transportation
- Production Assistance
- Firearms Registry
- Softwood Lumber
- Firearms Registry
- Points of Order
- Privilege
- Points of Order
- Business of the House
- The Budget
- Committees of the House
- The Budget
- Specific Claims Resolution Act
- Canada Pension Plan
- First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Management Act
- Divorce Act
- Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act
- Lobbyists Registration Act
- Canada Elections Act
- Criminal Code
Port Facilities
Oral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Don Valley East
Ontario
Liberal
David Collenette Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, our government has decided to extend the process by which ports are transferred. We are prepared to continue discussions with the Province of Quebec; that is not a big problem. Port operations are going very well. I would be happy to speak with my Quebec counterpart about this issue.
Port Facilities
Oral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Bloc
Mario Laframboise Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, will the minister acknowledge that if he has changed his mind, it is because he wants to preserve the federal government's visibility in Quebec ports, even if his actions harm the economic development of many regions in Quebec?
Port Facilities
Oral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Don Valley East
Ontario
Liberal
David Collenette Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government's visibility is, in my opinion, very good for the country and everyone. But this is not what we are setting out to accomplish here. We are working with the Quebec government on this process. We are prepared to talk about port divestiture; that is not a problem.
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Garry Breitkreuz Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General stated that the firearms program is a major crown project that requires more stringent Treasury Board reporting policies. The Auditor General also stated that the gun registry should have its own business line in the main estimates.
The deputy minister of justice disagreed, so the cover-up continues. Who is right, the Auditor General or the deputy minister?
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Westmount—Ville-Marie
Québec
Liberal
Lucienne Robillard President of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, according to my information the program was not formally designated as a major crown project.
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Garry Breitkreuz Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister displayed no ability to explain anything at the committee meeting yesterday. The gun registry goes 500 times over budget and his answers are all of the Forrest Gump variety, “It just happened”.
It has been almost three months and the justice minister still has not told the House what the total costs of the gun registry have been for all departments and agencies, including all the unreported costs itemized in the Auditor General's report.
If the minister cannot give us the total cost of the gun registry so far, how can we possibly trust him on the future cost projections?
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member for Yorkton--Melville has put a question and his colleagues must want to hear the answer. The hon. Minister of Justice has the floor. If they did not want to hear the answer they would not have asked the question. So we must be able to hear the answer and the Minister of Justice will give it.
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Outremont
Québec
Liberal
Martin Cauchon Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member did not listen. I was in committee for two hours yesterday. I had an opportunity to explain the challenges that we have been facing through the development of that fantastic gun control program.
The member cannot understand knowing what he said in a press release in 1995. He said that gun control would result in more crime, more injuries and more theft. He should be ashamed knowing the stats that we have.
Gun control works. It is about value. It is about saving lives and we will keep proceeding with that program.
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Some hon. members
Hear, hear.
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
An hon. member
You should be ashamed. You've got a million dollar boondoggle going.
Firearms Registry
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. We have finished with that question and that answer now. Perhaps hon. members could go behind the curtains and carry on some of these discussions. We want to get on with question period or we will lose time. The hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre has the floor.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
February 25th, 2003 / 2:50 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Neville Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, a recent article in the press pointed to the jurisdictional no man's land for urban aboriginals caught between federal and provincial responsibility. The difficulties faced by aboriginal people are readily apparent to anyone who has spent time in downtown Winnipeg or any other major Canadian city.
What is the government doing to circumvent these jurisdictional issues and address the special needs of aboriginal people living in our major urban centres?
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Wascana
Saskatchewan
Liberal
Ralph Goodale Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question as well as the hon. member's interest in urban aboriginal people. I am hopeful that federal and provincial governments, and other stakeholders can and will leave their jurisdictional arguments parked for awhile, while we all concentrate on practical real life solutions to urban aboriginal issues.
I am happy that in last week's federal budget we provided some new financial resources to help devise such solutions, at least $17 million to start with in eight Canadian cities. I note that the hon. member herself has helped to organize a symposium next week on the needs of urban aboriginal Canadians.
Transportation
Oral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Rick Casson Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, we will get into a real question after a Liberal commercial.
Post September 11 the Minister of National Revenue suspended the port of entry status for dozens of airports across Canada. This action at the Lethbridge airport, like many others, has caused a loss of economic opportunity.
Port of entry status is critical to our economic development. Lost opportunity with international industry has already cost us jobs. Relying on CANPASS has resulted in a documented 96% drop in international flights in Lethbridge alone.
Southern Albertans along with many other communities want to know when the minister will reinstate port of entry status.