Debates of June 9th, 2003
House of Commons Hansard #114 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was political.
Topics
- Free Trade Agreements
- Canada Elections Act
- Jeux d'été du Québec
- World Indoor Lacrosse Championships
- Date Rape Drugs
- Court Challenges Program
- Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence
- Amateur Sport
- Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
- Aung San Suu Kyi
- Dairy Month
- Portuguese Canadians
- Nature-Action Québec
- Montreal Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre Museum
- The Economy
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Jonquière Taxation Data Centre
- Prime Minister of Canada
- Agriculture
- Health
- Political Party Financing
- Government Contracts
- Federal-Provincial Relations
- Agriculture
- Health
- Agriculture
- Government Contracts
- Agriculture
- Immigration Board
- Health
- The Environment
- Government Contracts
- Immigration and Refugee Board
- Foreign Affairs
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- National Defence
- Softwood Lumber
- Government Contracts
- Health
- Immigration and Refugee Board
- Société Radio-Canada
- Agriculture
- International Trade
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Public Works and Government Services
- Presence in Gallery
- Ways and Means
- Points of Order
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Canada Elections Act
Government Contracts
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Wascana
Saskatchewan
Liberal
Ralph Goodale Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I would think if the hon. gentleman is truly serious about getting to the bottom of all these matters, he would want to ensure that the work of the Auditor General is fully completed, that the pursuit of materials under the Financial Administration Act is properly completed and that police investigations are properly completed.
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Gerry Ritz Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, of the 2,000 animals that have been put down and tested, only one tested positive. The investigation was comprehensive. What has never been comprehensive are any specifics on any compensation package for the beef industry.
Why do the Liberals always come up short on agricultural programs?
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Portneuf
Québec
Liberal
Claude Duplain Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, there are compensation programs available for producers. As it has been said, right now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is in discussions to come up with other solutions for producers.
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Gerry Ritz Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, it is always somebody else's fault. Time is of the essence here. Four weeks have dragged by and there is no plan. There are no specifics. The beef industry is fighting off bankruptcy on its own. There is no help from those guys. Two more weeks to study the findings, they say, and there is still no clear signal to the industry or to banks that help is on the way.
What the heck is wrong with those guys? Do they not get it? Why are the Liberals always found lacking in any crisis?
Agriculture
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Portneuf
Québec
Liberal
Claude Duplain Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, we are not lacking in any crisis. We are in the process of studying these crises. While we are studying the matter, as I said earlier, the Canadian Alliance is calling for votes in the House to interrupt the meetings we are having with people in Saskatchewan to try to solve the problem.
Immigration Board
Oral Question Period
June 9th, 2003 / 2:35 p.m.
Bloc
Francine Lalonde Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, when we speak of a tightly knit network, there is another example at the Immigration Board, where the commissioners are appointed on a partisan basis. For example, one of the commissioners, Mr. Colavecchio, worked on Alfonso Gagliano's election campaign, and signed his nomination papers. The commissioner's father is the owner of a company chosen by the same Alfonso Gagliano.
Will the Prime Minister admit that this is the tightly knit network to which the internal investigation referred?
Immigration Board
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Bourassa
Québec
Liberal
Denis Coderre Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is referring to allegations concerning an individual. Since a police investigation is currently underway, we can in no way involve ourselves in this situation.
We will let justice take its course and then we will see.
Immigration Board
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Bloc
Francine Lalonde Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister's right hand man in Quebec, Alfonso Gagliano used his influence everywhere, and the result is that everything he touched has turned to trouble. The common denominator in the sponsorship scandals is Alfonso Gagliano.
Is the Prime Minister certain that he wants to appoint him to the Vatican?
Immigration Board
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Wascana
Saskatchewan
Liberal
Ralph Goodale Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member again makes specific reference to the sponsorship program. She knows that corrective action began in that program in 2002. An internal audit was ordered then by the deputy minister of Public Works and Government Services. That has triggered a subsequent series of steps over the last three years to root out the difficulty, to amend the programs, to pursue the issues from the past that need to be corrected, to ensure that they are corrected and to put the program for the future on a much more solid footing, all of which has been done.
Health
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Rob Merrifield Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario have been continuing to battle SARS, but the government seems content to just let them go it alone. Ontario has spent almost $1 billion fighting SARS but this Liberal government does not think that SARS qualifies for disaster relief.
Will the government reconsider and immediately extend disaster relief for the province of Ontario?
Health
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Markham
Ontario
Liberal
Health
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Health
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. We have to be able to hear the answer from the minister. If I cannot hear it, the member for Yellowhead will not be able to hear it. The Minister of National Defence has the floor.
Health
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
John McCallum Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, the opposition may be surprised to hear this but I am also the minister responsible for emergency preparedness.
I did have discussions with my Ontario counterpart last week, and he and I have agreed that we shall meet next week. In the meantime, our officials are studying the numbers so we can bring some clarity to this issue.
Health
Oral Question Period
2:40 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Rob Merrifield Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, the province requested that meeting with the defence minister back on April 11 to discuss federal aid. It has been anticipating this crucial meeting for two weeks only to have it cancelled by this minister last week. So far, all the province has received are broken promises from the government because the Liberals say that SARS is not an emergency.
If SARS is not an emergency, will the government tell us what it is?