Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2005

House of Commons Hansard #63 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.

Topics

Agriculture
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka
Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, that is utter nonsense. The agricultural secretary of the United States has said that the basis upon which the border will be open is one that will be based on science. We have made it clear that the science indicates that the border should be open and in that respect, the USDA put forward a rule that would in fact allow for the export of live cattle under 30 months to the United States.

Agriculture
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Diane Finley Haldimand—Norfolk, ON

Mr. Speaker, what kind of help can Canadian producers expect from a government with a schizophrenic attitude toward the United States? There is no guarantee that the border will be reopened to our cattle. Once again, the Prime Minister is showing his inability to make a decision and stick to it.

Is the Prime Minister deliberately deciding to sacrifice our farmers, or is his government merely incompetent?

Agriculture
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka
Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, what Canadian producers can expect is record payments in support, $4.8 billion. What producers can expect is a repositioning strategy of set aside programs that in fact increase the price of both feeder and fed cattle substantially in this country. What is happening is that our producers once again are beginning to get from the marketplace a good return on their products. We have more to do and we are determined to do it.

Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Bloc

Bernard Cleary Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, the program to compensate victims of Indian residential school abuse is a disgrace. We have learned that for every $35 the federal government invests in alternative dispute resolution under this program, only $1 goes to the victims.

Can the Deputy Prime Minister explain why so little money goes to the residential school victims?

Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Edmonton Centre
Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, as I explained yesterday, when I appeared before committee at which the hon. member was present, the vast majority of the dollars committed by the government to the tragedy of Indian residential schools will go directly to the victims. In fact, we created an ADR process so victims do not have to be re-victimized by the court process.

I certainly look forward to working with the committee, the AFN, the claimants and their lawyers to see if we can expedite this process.

Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Bloc

Bernard Cleary Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister is trying to defend the indefensible. Of the 1,200 applications for alternative dispute resolution since 2003, 27 have been settled so far.

Does the minister recognize that the survivors are getting older and that delay simply heightens the injustice these victims have already suffered?

Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Edmonton Centre
Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, we are very conscious of and sensitive to the fact that delays in the situation of Indian residential school victims are inappropriate. That is why we have put in place an ADR process. That is why I am working with the AFN and others to ensure that we expedite this process.

I do not want delays in this process. I am fully aware of the trauma that claimants are facing. Therefore, my goal is to expedite this process by working with the claimants, their lawyers and other interested stakeholders.

Child Pornography
Oral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Myron Thompson Wild Rose, AB

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Justice well knows, there has been a public outcry to take a tough stand on child pornography. It is asking for zero tolerance.

Would the minister listen to the public's plea and at least provide a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for child pornography violators?

Child Pornography
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Mount Royal
Québec

Liberal

Irwin Cotler Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, the whole purpose of our legislation is to protect against the evil of child pornography. The nature of mandatory minimums, as experience and research studies have shown, will secure the exact opposite of what the member on the other side wants and what we wish.

Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Jim Prentice Calgary North Centre, AB

Mr. Speaker, why is the Deputy Prime Minister of this government so incapable of managing the residential school abuse file? Some 20 years ago a Conservative government settled 65% of all of the Japanese internment claims within one year and the entire program was completed within five years.

The Deputy Prime Minister has been responsible for this program for a year and a half. She has spent $125 million on bureaucracy. She has settled less than 3% of the possible claims. When is she going to abandon this disastrous program?

Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Edmonton Centre
Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows from my appearance at committee yesterday, I suppose it is fair to say I admonished him for throwing around numbers that are completely inaccurate. I will do the same thing today. Let me again inform the House that we have just over 13,000 claims. Just over 2,000 of those have been settled. We receive on average 17 new applications every week for the ADR process.

In fact, I have said and I will say again that whatever we can do that is sensible to expedite this process, I will do.

Aerospace Industry
Oral Question Period

February 23rd, 2005 / 2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Francis Scarpaleggia Lac-Saint-Louis, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. Yesterday the minister went to Mirabel with the Premier of Quebec to announce a project worth $725.6 million at Bell Helicopter.

Can the minister tell us what the federal government's role was in this announcement and exactly what the announcement means to the Mirabel region?

Aerospace Industry
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Outremont
Québec

Liberal

Jean Lapierre Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to tell the House that yesterday's announcement confirmed the creation of 600 jobs at Mirabel, with an average salary of $60,000, in the aerospace industry in Quebec. It was made possible through the technology partnerships Canada program, which the Conservatives wanted to abolish during the last election campaign. We are talking about $115 million in repayable loans from the federal government and $115 million from the province. Everyone is a winner: the employees, Quebec and Canada.

National Revenue
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Cheryl Gallant Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Mr. Speaker, there is a need to support the families who have children with a disability. The minister's own advisory panel recommended that he stop forcing parents to remit payroll deductions on tax free grants when they are used to engage caregivers.

Why is the Minister of National Revenue continuing to harass the families of children who have disabilities?

National Revenue
Oral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Markham—Unionville
Ontario

Liberal

John McCallum Minister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, the government is not harassing such people. The government has measures in place and more measures may be on the way. The issue in terms of tax collection is that the law has to be obeyed. There are certain tax laws in place and the agency is simply obeying those laws.