Lloyd St. Amand

[Tlicho Land Claims and Self-Government Act, December 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I will provide a succinct answer. As I indicated, the Tlicho people have negotiated very much in good faith. What we have now on the floor of the House is a comprehensive, far-sighted agreement that will benefit the Tlicho community. I have no doubt but that other communities that will enter into negotiations with the federal government will be equally far-sighted, will negotiate equally in good faith, and any agreements that emanate from future negotiations will in fact be representative of good faith negotiations.

[Tlicho Land Claims and Self-Government Act, December 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my fellow committee members who worked so diligently in reviewing Bill C-14, the Tlicho land claims and self-government act. Their thoroughness throughout the process has given this very important bill the careful consideration that it merits.

Not only would this landmark bill enact the first agreement to combine land claims and self-government in the Northwest Territories, but it would also give the Tlicho access to the tools needed to build prosperous and sustainable communities. Enacting this legislation would benefit not only the Tlicho but also the people of Canada. After all, strong, self-reliant first nations, Inuit, Métis, and northerners, have much to contribute to Canada, both economically and culturally.

Under Bill C-14 and the agreement that the bill would enshrine, the Tlicho would gain control of a vast area of land, 39,000 square kilometres in size. The legislation would ensure that the Tlicho play a significant role in the management of land, water and other resources within their territory. The Tlicho would also receive a payment of approximately $152 million over the next 14 years.

While the bill would grant the Tlicho substantial land, money and power, it would also give them the significant responsibilities of self-government and would put them firmly in control of their economy, their culture and their communities. I believe the Tlicho have demonstrated most amply that they are ready for momentous responsibilities and know how to manage their affairs conscientiously and profitably. As was mentioned earlier, this is one of the more prosperous and successful aboriginal communities in the north. They already operate their own schools, senior's residence and day care centre. They have negotiated successful agreements with a number of public and private sector organizations. They deliver social services through an agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Under the terms of Bill C-14, the Tlicho would be represented by two elected governments. The Tlicho government would gain greater control over social services and schools and would be able to enact laws in areas such as aboriginal language and aboriginal culture. They would also be guaranteed representation on land, water and renewable resource boards.

The Tlicho community governments in each of the four Tlicho communities, Wati, Gameti, Wekweeti and Behchoko, would oversee activities such as business licensing, roads and zoning.

In addition, for the first time, non-Tlicho citizens residing in Tlicho communities would be able run for office, vote in community elections and work to safeguard their own interests. However only Tlicho citizens would be able to run for and vote for chief. This level of self-government ensures that key decisions will be made by the people most familiar with and most affected by local issues. It also ensures that Tlicho governments will be established and maintained within the democratic and constitutional framework of Canada. It will respect Canadian law and recognize that the Tlicho, like all Canadians, are subject to federal laws and subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Tlicho have prepared to implement this agreement for many years, for it has been signed after more than a decade of negotiations among the Tlicho and the Governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories.

This agreement has already been ratified by the territorial legislature in Yellowknife and by the Tlicho. Furthermore, a comprehensive implementation plan is ready and the Tlicho have already drafted and ratified a constitution.

Prior to finalizing the agreement, the Tlicho people took it upon themselves to negotiate overlap agreements with their aboriginal neighbours. These agreements have not only helped to clarify the boundaries of traditional lands, but have also improved relationships among aboriginal peoples in Canada's north.

Through the lengthy consultative process, the Tlicho have shown us the power of democracy in action. I believe such an open and fair process can only bode well for the self-government structure that the Tlicho will put into place and inspire other aboriginal groups to similar achievements.

Surely the fact that the Tlicho are one of the most progressive aboriginal groups in Canada is linked to their consultative and collaborative abilities, their careful consideration of every voice, their willingness to accept dissent but still achieve consensus.

Today the Tlicho operate numerous joint ventures in a range of economic sectors. They have developed a run of the river hydroelectric generating facility and built and maintain their own airport. The Snare Cascades generating plant was made possible by an agreement between the Tlicho and the territorial power utility.

The Tlicho have also signed a number of mutually beneficial agreements with private sector firms in the mining sector. For example, more than five years ago an impact benefit agreement was negotiated with BHP Billiton, owners of the Ekati diamond mine.

A second agreement was subsequently negotiated with owners of the Diavik mine. A partnership between a Tlicho owned firm and SNC Lavalin recently received a prestigious engineering award for work at the Diavik mine site.

The importance of mining in the Northwest Territories should not be underestimated. The mutually beneficial partnerships negotiated among aboriginal and non-aboriginal companies have delivered a wealth of economic and social benefits, including job and training opportunities for Tlicho people and contracts for aboriginal firms.

Indeed, aboriginal employment in the mining sector has risen swiftly. Today numerous aboriginal businesses operate in the sector and generate $500 million in annual revenues.

Revenues from partnerships with diamond mining companies have been invested in Tlicho communities, in youth groups, in sports programs, in beautification projects and in physical infrastructure. Money has also been used to support traditional activities in which Tlicho people of all ages fish and hunt together and renew their laudable age old connection to the land that now provides new opportunities.

The impact that the Tlicho's economic activity has had on Canadian prosperity is significant. Stable, self-reliant aboriginal communities are able to participate fully in the national economy. Now the Tlicho want to strike a new deal with the people of Canada, a deal that will put them more firmly in control of their destiny. In the words of Tlicho chief negotiator John B. Zoe, it “recognizes our ability...to pass on those rights to future generations”.

The legislation before us today carries the principled and worthy aspirations of a people and provides a road map for other first nations, Inuit, Métis and northerners to follow. I hope I can count on the support of my hon. colleagues to help us move the legislation through to the Senate for final approval and give the Tlicho people the tools they need to build the future that they deserve and desire.

[Tlicho Land Claims and Self-Government Act, December 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as have previous speakers, I wish to acknowledge the presence in the gallery of many individuals from the Tlicho community, individuals who have negotiated--

[Riding of Brant, December 2nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to two outstanding individuals from my riding of Brant.

Lorne and Elsie Hankinson recently won $5 million in a lottery. Having lived in the Brant community for some 54 years, the couple has decided to give back. The Hankinsons have created, in the true spirit of giving, a $1.5 million trust fund to help Brant's health care system, education and other community causes and organizations dear to them.

I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating Lorne and Elsie Hankinson and to commend them for their true act of generosity.

[International Trade, November 30th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the United States of America is by far our largest trading partner. Nearly $1.8 billion in two-way trade crosses the Canada-U.S. border every day. Eighty-six per cent of our exports are to the U.S. and 96% of our trade with the U.S. is dispute free, but trade irritants from softwood lumber to Byrd continue to dominate the headlines.

What is the trade minister going to do further our trade relationship with the United States?

[Excise Tax Act, November 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to deliver comments to private member's Bill C-259, which asks hon. members to repeal the excise tax on jewellery.

The first point I would like to make concerns the importance of private members' bills. The proposals that are put forward by individual members represent an important link between Canadians, their elected representatives and our parliamentary process.

Where private members' bills affect the taxation system, as is the case with Bill C-259, it is especially important that the government take careful note of the intentions that are being expressed.

In the present case, the idea is to repeal the excise tax on jewellery, a long standing federal tax that raises in the order of $85 million per year. Repeal of this tax is being put forward as a means of providing relief for the jewellery industry. Private member's Bill C-259 also makes special note of Canada's status as a diamond producing nation.

I would like to address each of these points in turn, starting with the excise tax on jewellery as a tax that affects small business in Canada.

The government supports small business in Canada and continues to review measures to improve the environment for small businesses to succeed. Indeed, the suggestions from entrepreneurs and small businesses have formed an important part of the budget consultation process over the past recent years.

In order to assist the government in identifying the best options for future consideration from among the many competing priorities, the government requested in budget 2004 that the Standing Committee on Finance undertake the important role of assessing the merits of a number of measures proposed to support small business.

Recently, in October 2004, the finance committee delivered its second report highlighting the role of excise duties and taxes as they affect Canadian winemakers, small brewers and jewellers. The committee recommended that tax relief should be provided to each of these industries including a recommendation that the 10% excise tax on jewellery be phased out over a five year period.

At the same time, the finance committee noted that there are many other instances where small businesses would benefit from appropriate tax changes and that the number of worthy proposals far exceeds the capacity of the government to fund these changes in a fiscally responsible manner.

In this context, it is interesting to note that there are currently 15 private members' bills affecting the taxation system that have been tabled in the current session. The estimated fiscal cost of these proposals is as much as $2.5 billion per year. I understand that additional bills are in line to be tabled.

Clearly, with such a great range and breadth of requests for relief, it is incumbent on the government that these proposals be managed in the context of a comprehensive approach to tax policy and fiscal planning. Individual proposals must be evaluated through a process that carefully assesses competing priorities with a view to preserving the fundamental principle of fiscal responsibility.

Against this backdrop, the report from the finance committee will receive very careful consideration, as will other proposals for tax relief that are received during the budget consultation cycle.

I would like to now address Canada's role as a diamond producing nation. The emergence of this industry in Canada has been nothing short of remarkable. With exploration expenditures of more than $1.5 billion over the last 10 years and the establishment of two worldclass mines in the Northwest Territories, Canada now accounts for about 15% of world diamond production and is the third largest producer by value after Russia and Botswana.

Canada has a long tradition of mining and exploration, along with a number of important tax provisions that are designed to recognize the unique operating characteristics of the industry.

These provisions include writeoff for capital costs and the carry forward of resource deductions. Another important feature of the mining taxation regime is the ability of exploration companies to flow expenses that would not otherwise be claimable through to investors in flow-through shares.

The government has recently taken action to improve the taxation of the resource sector, including a number of measures that were announced in budget 2003: reducing the corporate tax rate on resource income; phasing in a new 10% tax credit for exploration and pre-production expenses relating to diamonds and other qualifying minerals; and phasing out the federal capital tax, an important measure for capital intensive industries such as mining.

For its part, the excise tax on jewellery poses no competitive disadvantage to the Canadian mining industry as exports are not subject to the tax. In sum, the mining taxation regime including the excise tax on jewellery, provides a strong base for mining and exploration in Canada, including diamonds.

It is worth noting that the Ekati and Diavik diamond mines are the largest private employers in the Northwest Territories with a total of 1,300 direct employees. This is clearly a great boost for the north, an area where the government continues to make strategic investments to facilitate economic and social growth.

In addition to the provision of roughly $2 billion per year in transfer payments, the federal government also provides funding initiatives that are tailored to meet specific needs in the north. Budget 2004 for instance announced the following measures: $90 million over five years to support a northern economic development strategy; $3.5 billion over 10 years to clean up contaminated sites, over 60% of which is expected to occur in the north; and $51 million over 10 years to conduct seabed mapping of the Arctic continental shelf.

As well, in the fall of 2003 the Government of Canada announced $190 million for northern infrastructure investments and $155 million for a national satellite initiative to provide high speed broadband Internet access services to improve access to telehealth, e-business and distance learning services.

Budget 2003 included other measures which will benefit the north, including $25 million over two years for the aboriginal skills and employment partnership, $20 million for aboriginal business Canada and $16 million for northern science.

All of these measures will greatly facilitate economic and social progress in the north, including the development of skills and infrastructure that will support the mining industry and diamond industry.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not return briefly to expand on the fundamental issue of fiscal responsibility. I have already commented that private member's Bill C-259 is but one of many bills seeking relief from taxation in specific circumstances. No matter how well intentioned these bills are, the government must nevertheless be mindful of the cumulative fiscal impact, as much as $2.5 billion, and also the inherent difficulties of considering these proposals on an ad hoc or piecemeal basis that does not provide an effective mechanism for assessing and evaluating competing fiscal priorities.

Over the last 10 years the government has pursued an unwavering commitment to budget balance and fiscal prudence within the context of an integrated policy and fiscal framework. The net result has been an impressive record of economic and social progress.

The government has put forward seven consecutive surplus budgets, achieved a $61 billion reduction in the federal debt and an annual saving of $3 billion on debt servicing costs. Cumulative tax reductions of more than $100 billion have been delivered since 1996, with a primary focus on middle and low income families.

The government is not convinced that the repeal of the excise tax on jewellery should be undertaken, at least not on the basis of private member's Bill C-259. Repeal of the tax is one of many competing priorities, particularly as among measures to support small business.

[The Greatest Canadian, November 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the citizens of Brant are rightfully proud of the fact that two of the 10 finalists in the Greatest Canadian contest have a very substantial connection to Brant. Wayne Gretzky was born and raised in Brantford, and Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in Brantford. There are other persons of tremendous accomplishment who were connected to Brant, including many women.

I wish to inform the House about Dr. Emily Stowe who was named the first female physician in Canada. As a pioneer suffragette, she was instrumental in establishing the vote for women in Canada.

Adelaide Hoodless Hunter was born outside of St. George, Ontario. She was one of Canada's most creative social reformers, a primary participant in the establishment of the Women's Institute, the National Council of Women in Canada, the Victorian Order of Nurses, and the YMCA.

Pauline Johnson was born and raised on the Six Nations Reserve and was the first native poet to have her work published in Canada.

Simply put, Brant takes great pride in the accomplishments of all of its citizens.

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, I can say anecdotally that I attend the Six Nations of the Grand River Band on a regular basis, at least weekly. The residents there are very heartened and encouraged by what this Minister of Health and this Minister of State for Public Health are doing to eradicate health problems which those good people face.

I would like, by way of a follow up, to ask the minister about vaccines. With the commencement of flu season, we are reminded of the importance of being vaccinated against influenza. However, in a policy and operational sense, the issue seems somewhat larger than that this year. For instance, we are hearing some concerns about insufficient supplies of flu vaccine in the United States. The corollary question is, will we have enough here in Canada?

I am confident the minister can give us the latest information on the state of influenza vaccines. I would appreciate hearing about that. I would also like the minister to address a couple of other vaccine related topics. Over the past few years, we have heard stories or rumours now and again about the threat of a worldwide flu pandemic. This is obviously a serious concern to health experts.

I recall reading somewhere not long ago that more people died during the famous Spanish flu epidemic in 1918 and 1919 than died in the entire first world war that raged for more than four years. Obviously and thankfully, a lot has changed in the world of health since 1919. Our society has better ways to track the spread of a virus and to protect ourselves accordingly.

Even so, with travel being much faster these days, a global influenza pandemic could spread faster than ever, thanks to airline travel, instead of taking many days to spread when people customarily travelled the world by ship. I would like to know, how prepared is Canada for an influenza pandemic?

I would also like to ask the minister about smallpox and smallpox vaccine. I appreciate that smallpox has been eradicated around the world, but I understand there are concerns that it could come back, perhaps spread by terrorists, for example. Could the minister comment on these questions within questions?

[Supply, November 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Chair, by way of background, Brant is the fourth largest riding in the province of Ontario with respect to population. Some 115,000 individuals reside in my riding.

We have a large aboriginal population in the riding, some 22,000 individuals are of aboriginal background, and some 11,000 reside on the very proud Six Nations of the Grand. It is an area that some months ago the Minister of State for Public Health visited and impressed the good, proud residents of Six Nations of the Grand.

I am privileged to represent those persons. How heartening then it was to hear in the Speech from the Throne the commitment on the part of the government and the Prime Minister to advance the cause of aboriginal issues, including the health conditions under which many aboriginals live.

Within Brant riding on the Six Nations of the Grand, the population lives in a relatively affluent fashion and it is relatively upscale. The sad reality is that their conditions are quite substandard compared to what the rest of us enjoy. Their health conditions are substandard. How heartening it was as well to read about the Prime Minister's first post-election trip to Canada's north to re-acquaint himself firsthand with the plight of the first nations communities in this country.

During this session, we are covering a range of important health issues facing all Canadians. I wish to ask the Minister of Health about aboriginal health. I will eventually get to my question. By way of background, the reasons are obvious to anyone who can read the statistics, why this is an important health issue.

On the one hand, the state of health for aboriginal people in Canada has been improving over the past 20 years in certain important areas or respects. For example, life expectancy is increasing even if it is still between five and seven years less than is the case for other Canadian men and women. Infant mortality rates, thankfully, are going down. Even so, no one who has any knowledge of the area could or would claim that the health of aboriginal people is nearly as good as the health of the rest of the Canadian population.

The record of substandard health conditions is clear, especially when it comes to some high profile health problems. I was not surprised to learn, for instance, that type 2 diabetes affects first nations and Metis people more than the general Canadian population. I was not surprised to hear or read about that, but I was very surprised to learn that it affects first nations and Metis people at a rate three to five times higher than the rest of us.

Rates continue to increase among the Inuit. I know rates for infectious diseases are often higher, 10 times higher in the case of tuberculosis. Perhaps most unhappily, there is the scourge of suicide especially among aboriginal young persons. The suicide rate of first nations youth is five to six times higher than the national average. For Inuit youth, it is 11 times higher. This makes suicide the single greatest cause of injury related deaths for aboriginal people.

When I look at the estimates, it is very clear how quickly and efficiently the minister's department is putting abundant money and a lot of people into improving aboriginal health right across Canada.

For instance, we see that the forecasted expenditures for the first nations and Inuit health branch of the minister's department are just over $1.7 billion for this fiscal year according to the adjusted main estimates. The largest chunk of that $1.7 billion is going to community health programs. The second largest portion is allocated to the non-insured health benefits program, which covers pharmaceuticals, vision care, dental care, transportation services, and a lot more for about 750,000 status Indians and eligible Inuit.

All of that background leads me to my question. When the first ministers met to discuss health care in September 2004, there was also a meeting with aboriginal leaders. At that meeting the Prime Minister announced a series of commitments, namely, $700 million in new funding to address aboriginal needs across Canada. I would ask the minister, what exactly will happen as a result of the agreement reached in September?

[Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act, November 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the employment insurance program in Canada is, I dare say, the envy of many other countries. I am not suggesting that it is a perfect program but it has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals over many years. Are refinements required? No doubt. The government is committed to continuing to ensure fairness and equity in the program.