Debates of Oct. 27th, 2005
House of Commons Hansard #143 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was surplus.
Topics
- Question Period
- Official Languages
- Order in Council Appointments
- Agricultural Marketing Programs Act
- Criminal Code
- Interparliamentary Delegations
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Unanticipated Surpluses Act
- CKTB Radio
- Chalk River Laboratories
- Year of the Veteran
- Gisèle Bergeron
- Lakeshore General Hospital
- Year of the Veteran
- Immigrants
- Richard Lamontagne
- Saint-Joseph-de-Madawaska Fire Brigade
- Canada-U.S. Relations
- New Canadian Program
- Literacy
- The Environment
- Literacy
- Aboriginal Veterans
- Women's History Month
- Philippe Bonneau
- Sponsorship Program
- Justice
- Aboriginal Affairs
- The Environment
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Health
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Softwood Lumber
- Border Security
- David Dingwall
- Technology Partnerships Canada
- Haiti
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Health
- Justice
- Cigarette Taxes
- Health
- Cigarette Taxes
- Literacy
- Canadian Wheat Board
- Agriculture
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Foreign Affairs
- Presence in Gallery
- Business of the House
- Privilege
- Business of the House
- Unanticipated Surpluses Act
- Official Languages Act
Softwood Lumber
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC
Mr. Speaker, having run short of arguments justifying Canada's position in the face of the Americans' hard line attitude on softwood lumber, the Minister of Industry is accusing the Bloc of trying to divide Canada by calling for loan guarantees.
How does the minister intend to respond to the Quebec chamber of commerce and the Liberal chair of the Standing Committee on Industry who, like the Bloc Québécois, have spoken out in favour of loan guarantees?
Softwood Lumber
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Markham—Unionville
Ontario
Liberal
John McCallum Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues have said time and again, the problems facing the forestry industry are extremely important, and the government is studying them.
We are in the midst of considering a number of options in order to find a national solution.
Softwood Lumber
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC
Mr. Speaker, everyone in Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, not to mention the Free Trade Lumber Council, unanimously agrees with the Bloc Québécois in calling for loan guarantees. A letter sent to the minister on September 14 confirms this.
Will the Minister of International Trade admit that his government is alone in refusing to consider loan guarantees?
Softwood Lumber
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Markham—Unionville
Ontario
Liberal
John McCallum Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the government will admit no such thing because it is not true. That is an excellent reason for not admitting it. As I just said, we are considering all the options that will be best for all of Canada.
Border Security
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Central Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, at an all important meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, told her that 50% of Canada's gun crimes were the result of guns coming from the United States, yet the U.S. Ambassador objected. He said that Canadian officials later told him that in fact that figure was just grabbed out of thin air. Imagine, at a meeting like that, making figures up.
He contradicted his public safety minister. He is making up numbers. How can Canadians expect the Prime Minister to competently and credibly negotiate something like softwood lumber or crime when he is simply making it up as he goes along?
Border Security
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Edmonton Centre
Alberta
Liberal
Anne McLellan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has already referenced, the Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, and Chief of Police Bill Blair both indicated in August of this year that 50% of firearms used in crimes came here from the United States.
What we need to focus on here is the actual conversation that took place between the Prime Minister, myself and the Secretary of State. That conversation was about the shared challenge of making sure our border is secure and the shared challenge of stopping gun smuggling so that the people of Toronto and all over North America are safer.
Border Security
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Central Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, the minister said it was not a problem. She called the Prime Minister's comments simplistic. Now we see from inspector Bruce Crawford of the Toronto guns and gangs task force that most of the guns came into Canada in cars, a few at a time, at the borders.
Some guns are seized at the borders, but it is hard when the officials are working unarmed and alone.
Instead of trying to hide behind the government's failings, hectoring other people about Canada's problems, when is Canada going to properly arm, equip and give back to our border officials the support they need? Stop making up figures and do something about it.
Border Security
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Edmonton Centre
Alberta
Liberal
Anne McLellan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member wants some figures, here are some figures. In budget 2005 we allocated an additional $500 million to the CBSA. In fact, we are hiring 270 new front line officers. Let me reassure the hon. member that we have approximately 12,500 full time employees at the CBSA and over 80% of them are directly in the field securing our border.
If anybody should get the facts straight around here, it is the hon. member.
Border Security
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
The Speaker
Perhaps I could remind all hon. members that today is Thursday, not Wednesday. There seems to be an unusual tempest in the chamber. It is very hard for the Chair to hear the questions and the answers today. Perhaps we could just tone things down a little while the hon. member for Portage--Lisgar tries to encourage members to listen to his question.
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
October 27th, 2005 / 2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Pallister Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday's audits were just a shallow attempt to legitimize David Dingwall's spending and his severance. The auditors admit that--
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
The Speaker
I guess I made the request at the wrong moment.
The hon. member for Portage--Lisgar has the floor in order to ask his question. We will want to hear it.
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Pallister Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, they should listen to this part.
Even the auditors admit that they could not make any judgment on the appropriateness of the policies. The question is, why not? Because the government's own terms of reference deliberately restricted the auditors to an analysis of Dingwall's spending, while ignoring the cause of that spending, the rules. l
Yesterday, the minister misinformed the House when he said that the terms of reference were on the website. They are not on the website. Why is he hiding them? Will he table them today?
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Markham—Unionville
Ontario
Liberal
John McCallum Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House treat the taxpayers' money with great respect.
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!