Debates of May 6th, 2005

Sponsorship Program

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, this seems to be the opposition's smear of the day campaign. Yesterday it was Chuck Guité, the patron saint of the opposition. Today it is Mr. Béliveau.

Lorne Gunter in today's Edmonton Journal said this about Chuck Guité:

Guite is far from a credible witness and his assertion against Martin is hardly a “smoking gun.”...Such a serial dissembler hardly makes a credible witness.

Lorne Gunter is not exactly a friend of the Liberal Party of Canada. I would urge hon. members opposite to at least listen to their buddy Lorne Gunter on this one.

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the joke has gone on long enough. The Liberal meter shows over $2 million in tainted money going into Liberal Party coffers, money that was used in contravention of the Canada Elections Act. Given all this inappropriate activity, it is time the money were put somewhere safe.

Why is the government not putting into a trust fund the over $2 million identified to date by all of the witnesses as being used to swell the slush fund of the Liberal Party of Canada?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, this is no joke, it is very serious. However, these are allegations and not facts. The facts will not be revealed until Justice Gomery releases his report.

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, clearly, with this kind of attitude, the Liberals will lose the vote of confidence on May 18. The government has to recognize that, despite its claims, this business is not limited to a few individuals. Rather, there is talk of an organized network, which dropped over $2 million into the Liberal Party's secret fund.

Why is the government not assuming its responsibilities and putting it all in a trust, as the House ordered it to do in April?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. member seems unusually voluble this morning. I would hope there would be a little self-control.

Perhaps the hon. member for Drummond could help her colleague keep quiet.

The hon. Minister of Public Works and Government Services to answer a question.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, a number of other allegations are being made. It is being alleged, for example, that the Parti Québécois received inappropriate funds. Does the Bloc agree with this testimony? If not, perhaps we should wait for Justice Gomery's report. At the moment, it is utter hogwash.

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal Party of Canada greed knows no bounds.

Following the revelations of Messrs. Brault, Béliveau and Corbeil, we learn that Serge Gosselin did partisan work at the 2000 Liberal convention and that tainted money from sponsorships was apparently used to pay for these services. No invoice at all was sent to the Liberal Party for the work

What more does the government need in order to set up a trust fund and begin putting dirty sponsorship money into it?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, there have been allegations before Justice Gomery of malfeasance within the separatist organization in Quebec, within the Conservative Party before the Liberal government was formed and of course within the Liberal Party.

There is one party and only one leader, and that is our Liberal Prime Minister who has had the guts to confront this issue head on, to do the right thing, to get to the bottom of this issue. I would urge similar courage over there. Canadians want us to change the culture of governance in Canada and to do the right thing. Only the Liberal Party and the Liberal Prime Minister have the guts to do it.

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with statements like those, the Liberal Party will lose the vote of confidence on May 18.

Not only did Gosselin write political tracts for the Liberal Party of Canada, he also wrote a biography of Alfonso Gagliano, which was presented at an evening gathering at Joe Morselli's buffet, presided over by none other than Mr. Partisan Activities himself, the current Minister of Transport.

Does the government understand that there is no option now but to establish a trust fund?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, once again they are talking about unproven, unsubstantiated allegations. They are not talking about the facts. To have the facts, we have to wait for the Gomery report.

However, it is very clear that the separatists do not want Canadians to have the facts before an election. The separatists want to have an election based on wild accusations and allegations. What is good for the separatists is rarely good for Canada and the Conservatives ought to remember that. We are standing up for the truth. We are standing up for Canadians. We are giving Canadians the respect they deserve and the truth they deserve.

Veterans Affairs

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is dishonouring the legacy of our veterans by appealing a court ruling in favour of two World War II veterans who were denied retroactive prisoner of war compensation.

Both Norman Reid and Al Trotter are distinguished by their service and bravery.

Why does the Prime MInister continue to waste taxpayer money on legal action opposing the Federal Court ruling instead of honouring Canada's obligation to those veterans?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Housing]

Mr. Speaker, as we stand in the House on the 60th anniversary of VE Day and especially these times of recognition of the bravery of the men and women who served this country and the world, I cannot get into the individual discussion of particular files.

Let me just assure the member when the Minister of Veterans Affairs returns from doing Canada's business with regard to the recognition of those brave men and women, that I will bring it to her attention.

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that I have brought it to her attention and I have no resolution.

An 81-year-old widow in Winnipeg is being denied her husband's chemical testing compensation. Veterans Affairs will not give her the $24,000 compensation package because her husband of almost 50 years died without a will. No will, no money.

It seems that any excuse will do when it comes to our veterans. Why would the minister not pay that war widow and the many others who cared for these men all of their lives?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member would believe that this government is recognizing veterans by saying that this is the year of the veteran. We have introduced a new veterans rights program. We are doing things proactively. We want to ensure that those veterans and their families get everything to which they are entitled. As a government, we are determined to work with those families and veterans.

Airports

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, because of Liberal dithering, airports across the country have seen their rents hiked to record levels. The finance minister has known for years that the rent formula is unfair. His delays are costing travellers millions. Taxpayers already paid to build the airports. Now they are being gouged by having to pay exorbitant rents.

The Regina airport has already lost Air Canada's service and will see its rent soar to over half a million dollars next year.

When will the member for Wascana stop the gouging, or maybe I should ask the new NDP finance minister instead?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the nature of the question is rather ludicrous. The hon. gentleman knows there is no scheduled increase in rental arrangements at any airport in Canada until next January 1, that is, January 1, 2006.

The Minister of Transport and I have been working very hard on the file and we expect to have an announcement to make within the next few days.

[James Rajotte, Conservative, Edmonton—Leduc, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is they have had years to deal with this. The recent federal budget completely ignored airports across the country by not providing any relief from their exorbitant rents.

For example, the Edmonton airport next year will see its rent soar by 447% to $18 million. These rents are simply taxes on an industry that is struggling to regain its footing and taxes on travellers.

Why have the finance minister and transport minister not acted to help this industry relieve its tax burden and help Canadian travellers by reducing the taxes?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to say that both the Minister of Transport and I have met with virtually all airport authorities across the country, including the airport authority in Edmonton. We have been working with them toward a constructive solution.

As I have indicated, we believe that the formula presently in place, which has existed for the last 12 or 15 years, is inequitable. It needs to be fixed. There has to be a consistent formula from airport to airport to airport. The rental charges need to come down compared to the existing formula, and that will happen.

Human Resources and Skills Development

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

Many community organizations, including some in my riding of Davenport, have raised concerns about the minister's call for proposal process. They indicate that it disregards the quality of service already in place. It creates instability for community service agencies as well as putting them at considerable disadvantage.

Could the minister indicate what she is trying to do to address these concerns?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, transparency and value for money are the objectives for the call for proposal process. Let me say very clearly that the volunteer sector accepts those principles. The problem was and is with the implementation of the process.

We all know that right now the standing committee on human resources is looking at the issue. It is doing valuable work. It is working on the report and I will look for the recommendations.

More than that, we have already improved the process. I met with volunteer sector members. We hope we will be able to do something soon.

Housing

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, there are at least 250,000 Canadian homes contaminated with Zonolite insulation. This deadly substance contains asbestos which has been proven to be deadly to those exposed to it.

The government used Zonolite in military bases and in first nations communities. The federal government also subsidized its use under CHIP, leading thousands of Canadians to use it in their attics and walls.

Will the minister commit today to a removal program which includes the full disclosure of Zonolite in all home sales under CMHC mortgages?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Housing]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said to the House before and to many of the members who have raised the issue, one needs to be very careful with the language that we want.

One is that it is not a health hazard if left undisturbed. We have and will continue to tell people that if they are looking at renovating their own homes, they ought to talk to professionals before they touch anything to ensure there is no hazard.

We continue to provide the information to all Canadians through our website and through other organizations to ensure that they seek professional advice.

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should feel great shame for that kind of response to Canadians. The Liberals are once again ignoring a growing health crisis. It is only a matter of time before we see more Zonolite induced cancers.

Why is the government once again risking the health and lives of Canadians? Has it not learned anything from the tainted blood scandal?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Housing]

Mr. Speaker, again it is the government's view and my view that we want to ensure, and always have, the safety of people. We want to ensure that their homes are as safe and healthy as they possibly can be.

We have indicated to anyone, through websites and information, that if they are doing any renovations, they should call on the professionals who should know what they are doing. Therefore, we would advise that is what Canadians should do as opposed to setting off the alarm bells, as the hon. member would do. To suggest that 250,000 people are at health risk is irresponsible.