Debates of June 13th, 2003
House of Commons Hansard #118 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was standing.
Topics
- Business of the House
- Antarctic Environmental Protection Act
- Injured Military Members Compensation Act
- Privilege
- Business of the House
- National Defence Act
- Millennium Scholarships
- Transportation
- Royal Canadian Air Cadets
- Daniel Bleau
- Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir
- International Plowing Match
- Millennium Scholarships
- Quebec National Holiday
- Taxation
- Marriage
- Millennium Scholarships
- Middle East
- Governor General's Medal of Bravery
- Public Service
- National Aboriginal Day
- Churchill Women's Institute
- Kyoto Protocol
- Glen Hillson
- Canadian Multiculturalism Day
- Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
- Liberian President
- Health
- Agriculture
- Government Contracts
- Foreign Affairs
- Health
- Justice
- Softwood Lumber Industry
- Viking Millennium Celebration
- Justice
- Viking Millennium Celebration
- The Environment
- Public Service
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Canadian Television
- Viking Millennium Celebration
- Agriculture
- National Defence
- Canadian Heritage
- Foreign Affairs
- Mining
- Fisheries
- Housing
- Foreign Affairs
- Agriculture
- Privilege
- Business of the House
- Privilege
- Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act
- Government On-Line: 2003
- Government Response to Petitions
- Income Tax Act
- Committees of the House
- Criminal Code
- Public Safety Officers Compensation Act
- Business of the House
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Statutory Instruments Act
Occupational Health and Safety
Oral Question Period
June 13th, 2003 / 11:50 a.m.
NDP
Alexa McDonough Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, it has been 11 years since 26 Nova Scotians were killed in the Westray mine disaster.
An exhaustive public inquiry, a decade of pressure by labour and the introduction of three Westray bills by the NDP have finally forced the government to introduce legislation to hold corporations criminally responsible for jeopardizing workers' lives.
Will the government now give the unequivocal commitment that there will be no more foot-dragging and that before the end of 2003, the Westray bill will be fully implemented in this country?
Occupational Health and Safety
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
Malpeque
P.E.I.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the bill introduced yesterday on both the Westray disaster and corporate crime would enshrine in legislation a duty for those who direct employees to be responsible.
I want to say as well, in direct response to the member's question, that our sympathies as a government go out to the families of the 26 miners who were lost in the Westray disaster.
The Government of Canada is taking strong action as a result of that disaster so it will not happen again.
Canadian Television
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Wendy Lill Dartmouth, NS
Mr. Speaker, this week the heritage committee released a review of the Broadcast Act showing the government's shameful legacy of mismanagement of the Canadian TV system.
One example is the finance minister's announcement of no new money in the budget for the Canadian television fund. Instead, he has decided to borrow $12.5 million from next year's fund.
Will the finance minister today heed the heritage committee's report and its recommendation and restore funding to the CTF, or will he allow Canadian drama to simply wither away?
Canadian Television
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
Laval East
Québec
Liberal
Carole-Marie Allard Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage who worked so hard for more than two years to produce this report. My colleague was one of them, and I congratulate her.
As for the future of the Canadian Television Fund, as she is very much aware, there are several possibilities at the present time, and we have had many comments about the need to review governance and fund operations. The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has made the same recommendation.
The report will be studied in detail—
Canadian Television
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
The Speaker
The hon. member for Prince George—Bulkley Valley.
Viking Millennium Celebration
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
Canadian Alliance
Dick Harris Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, in the Canadian Alliance if we see a problem we investigate it and we fix it. We do not try to cover up like those Liberals over there do.
That money was not spent on the Viking millennium projects; there are no receipts. It was not political contributions; there are no records at the riding level. That could only leave that perhaps it was meant to augment some personal income. So I ask the Minister of National Revenue, will she direct her department to audit the ACOA minister's personal income file and recover any taxes owing on his other income?
Viking Millennium Celebration
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Ontario
Liberal
Don Boudria Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has just admitted in a question that he is asking about something that has nothing to do with the government, by his own admission. Why does he ask questions about the fundraising of political parties, riding associations or anything else that by his own admission has nothing to do with the Government of Canada, by a person who was not a minister of the Government of Canada, by the admission of the question again?
Viking Millennium Celebration
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
The Speaker
Order. The hon. member for Prince George—Bulkley Valley wants to ask a supplementary and it is hard to imagine how he is going to be able to hear the answer to know what to ask with all the noise that is coming from his own side. I would ask for a little order. The hon. member for Prince George—Bulkley Valley has the floor.
Viking Millennium Celebration
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
Canadian Alliance
Dick Harris Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question surrounds some possible tax evasion and I would think that would be of interest to the government. What we have here appears to be a new twist on the underground economy, a new example of how to make extra money and avoid paying taxes on it.
Given the cloud of scandal now hanging over the ACOA minister, will he just step aside today until this whole issue is cleared up?
Viking Millennium Celebration
Oral Question Period
11:50 a.m.
Don Valley East
Ontario
Liberal
David Collenette Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I know that you are very fair and you have probably allowed more latitude to the opposition within the rules to ask these spurious questions, but I can categorically tell you, Mr. Speaker, that the minister for ACOA is supported by all members on this side of the House, including the Prime Minister, and I reject any allegations made by the hon. members opposite.
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
11:55 a.m.
Bloc
Pierre Paquette Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, encouraged by government and others to plant tobacco on their sandy soil at the turn of the last century, Quebec's flue-cured tobacco growers are now facing a situation that has caused the loss of over half their market this year.
Can the Minister of Agriculture confirm what his parliamentary secretary said this week to the flue-cured tobacco producers of Lanaudière region who met with him, namely, that his government is seriously studying the possibility of assisting tobacco growers to explore alternate crops?
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
11:55 a.m.
Portneuf
Québec
Liberal
Claude Duplain Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, we met with the Quebec producers this week, and the hon. member was with me. What was said was that, within the strategic framework, measures could be taken, possibly, to help the tobacco producers. That was what was said.
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
11:55 a.m.
Bloc
Pierre Paquette Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, the strategic framework contains no guarantee that a program will apply. Instead of just being open to the possibility, can the minister commit to creating a specific program tailored to the tobacco growers, if there is no suitable existing program, so that they can find alternate crops?
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
11:55 a.m.
Portneuf
Québec
Liberal
Claude Duplain Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I cannot make such a commitment on behalf of the minister—that much is certain. But what I am saying, and it is true, is that within the strategic framework there are programs to help tobacco growers who will work with the department's officials on finding ways to diversify their crops, in both Quebec and Ontario.
National Defence
Oral Question Period
11:55 a.m.
Canadian Alliance
Leon Benoit Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, the large planes this government is planning to rent to move Canadian military equipment are both unreliable and dangerous. Seventy-five Spanish peacekeepers were recently killed when one of these rented Ukrainian planes crashed. Families of those killed were so upset they shouted “murderer” at the Spanish prime minister and defence minister as they attended the funeral mass.
Why would this government rent such unreliable and dangerous planes rather than purchasing our own reliable strategic airlift planes?