Debates of March 31st, 2003

Citizenship and Immigration

[Diane Ablonczy, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there is a problem of confidence between our two countries. Liberal insults give the impression that we are not really working with the U.S. on its security concerns. It is worried about unknown asylum seekers who literally disappear after entering Canada.

Glib rhetoric will not reassure. Clear specifics are needed. What precisely will Canada do to deal with this problem?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we are very concerned that there are 9 million illegal immigrants in the United States. We are very concerned that there are 314,000 people who are undocumented and we lost track in the United States.

We are very pleased that we have signed a safe third agreement with the Americans. We are very pleased that the Americans who are working on the border are saying that the job we are doing is being well done. We are very pleased the Americans have said, because we are negotiating right now, that the 30 point smart plan at the border is working pretty efficiently. We are doing our job and the Americans feel that we are a great ally.

Canadian Forces

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada and the United States have not signed exactly the same international agreements. For example, Canada has signed the landmines treaty and the United States has not.

What rules are Canadian soldiers integrated with the American armed forces supposed to follow: the rules to which Canada subscribes or those of the United States?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I have just explained, ultimately, Canadian soldiers who take part in exchanges with other countries remain under the control of the Government of Canada and Canadian military personnel. In everyday matters, when we are serving with the British or the Americans, naturally, we obey their orders. But ultimately, the responsibility is Canada's.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us be very practical. If a Canadian soldier were instructed to deploy landmines, even though Canada has made a commitment not to do so, would the soldier be required to obey the order or not?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I have just explained that Canadian soldiers remain under the control of Canada. For instance, in Afghanistan, even with the Americans, we Canadians had our own rules of engagement.

Canada-U.S. Relations

[James Rajotte, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the United States is considering setting up a second checkpoint at the Canada-U.S. border. The passage of goods between our two borders is currently under strain. These economic uncertainties have been compounded by the anti-American sentiments coming from the Liberal government.

Will the Government of Canada be applying for an exemption to this proposed second checkpoint at the border? Yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will be in Washington shortly to meet with Secretary Ridge to discuss, among other things, the implementation of the entry-exit system that the United States had enacted some time ago.

I hope we can find some ways in which our actions can help facilitate the implementation of the plan which they have a legal obligation to establish.

[James Rajotte, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian exporters are now facing a possible second stop and a possible 24 hour advance notice at the crossing. The cost of Liberal indiscretion and inaction could be insurmountable in terms of the costs to our trade and our jobs.

Has the Minister of Industry been contacted by any exporters or by any industries concerning the negative effects on trade of the current Canada-U.S. relationship and what specific actions he is taking to address their concerns?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has it a little backwards. It is actually coming into Canada. In other words, U.S. exporters that in the worst case would find two stops.

Canadian exporters will not have to stop leaving Canada. They will continue to face the one stop entry to the U.S. which has been greatly facilitated, I might add, by the introduction of the FAST and Nexus programs.

While I am on my feet, I would note that today the border crossings are moving quite normally, in fact rather expeditiously.

World Trade Organization

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, there is concern among Canadians about what we are giving up at the WTO negotiations with respect to services. There is concern that there is no transparency and decisions are jeopardizing Canadian values.

Could the Minister for International Trade tell me how we can ensure that Canadian values will not be negotiated?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, today, after consulting extensively with the provincial governments and with all Canadians, we tabled our initial offer in Geneva. As promised last June, the government has posted the initial offer on our website for all Canadians to read.

I am very proud to inform the House that some of Canada's closest trading partners, including the United States, Australia and the European Union, have now agreed to follow our lead and release their own initial offers.

We are committed to an open and transparent approach to these negotiations to ensure that Canadians remain the best informed citizens in the world.

Airline Industry

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, a multi-million dollar bail out of poorly managed, privatized Air Canada should only be a last resort. Instead the Minister of Transport seems to be reaching for the cheque book before considering the alternatives.

Rather than throwing money at Air Canada, the government should consider other steps to cut costs that will help the entire industry such as reducing Nav Can and airport leasing fees, a reduction in fuel taxes and elimination of the government's security tax on air travellers.

Will the minister commit to all the other alternatives before dolling out even more money to Air Canada?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member would be surprised that I actually agree with her premise. Support from the government and taxpayers should only be a last resort. We are not interested in a cash bail out of Air Canada. However if we can assist in its restructuring efforts, we will do so.

Canada-U.S. Relations

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs who I hope will step up to the plate for Canada.

Tonight God Bless America will be played during the seventh inning stretch of the Jays home opener because major league baseball requires it. Celebrating the U.S. is fine when New York is in town but what about also celebrating the country in which the game is actually being played.

Will the minister root, root, root for the home team and ask major league baseball or the Blue Jays to play a Canadian song too?

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

Mr. Speaker, of course we have no jurisdiction over major league baseball. Many Canadians are sympathetic to the peril in which many American armed forces personnel find themselves at the present time. However stretching in the seventh inning has worked quite well for many decades to the tune of

Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

Airline Industry

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.

Later today the Department of Transport will announce the Government of Canada's bail out package for Air Canada. Could the minister tell the House whether his department has conducted any analysis at all of the impact of that aid package on regional and discount carriers? If so, will he table that analysis in the House? Or is this information too sensitive for Canadian taxpayers? Perhaps, like the Minister of National Defence, he is consulting his historians. I would not mind having an answer. I am sure the House would appreciate one too.

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of the hon. member's question. He must have had a very stressful weekend.

Agriculture

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is April Fool's Day and the biggest April fool's joke played on Canadian farmers is the Minister of Agriculture and his agricultural policy framework. Earlier this year the minister said:

--we need to and will have [the APF] completed by April 1st so that farmers know and can plan with what support there is from the government in the next year.

The joke is definitely on farmers. Now the minister has no deadline, no plan and no program. Could the minister tell us when farmers can expect his beleaguered policy framework will come into effect, or will the minister continue to--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the last federal-provincial agreement between the Government of Canada and all the provinces expired on the last day of March, 2003. We have said from the start that there has to be a new agreement. If it is not signed by that date, it is to be retroactive to that date.

He knows that there has not been a disaster program for farmers since December 31, 2002. We are working with the industry to develop that. The member is one of the people who said that we should continue to take some more time to do that.

Health

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last Thursday we called on the government to follow the World Health Organization's recommendation that air passengers leaving Canada be screened for SARS.

We understand that Health Canada was still working with their officials yesterday on a plan and that the plan would actually be a program that would just offer pamphlets rather than actual questioning of individual passengers.

Why is the government adopting a passive approach to screening outgoing passengers?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we are very working closely and very proactively with airport authorities at Pearson. We are working very actively with the airlines and our provincial colleagues.

We have been working over the weekend with local airport authorities in Toronto to help contain the spread of SARS and to respond to the WHO recommendation in relation to outgoing flights.

We will be expanding our measures to inform passengers of the risks and advise passengers who meet certain criteria to defer their flights.

We are increasing our Health Canada personnel at airports to supplement that of airports and airlines, including the presence of health care professionals, to assist passengers--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Yellowhead.

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there is also the issue of incoming passengers. Canadians are very concerned about this outbreak of SARS, which has now affected communities right across the country, from coast to coast. Because this is a very infectious disease, we must take every reasonable step to limit exposure, including detaining incoming passengers with symptoms of SARS.

If voluntary measures prove inadequate, is the federal government prepared to invoke the quarantine act?