Debates of April 21st, 1994

Social Programs

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there is no dignity in being unemployed in the country and being accused by the Prime Minister of sitting home drinking beer. My supplementary question is for the Prime Minister as well.

Several provinces have expressed hesitation about the government's intentions concerning total wide open social reform. Is the Prime Minister's recklessness with words going to help or hinder this extremely sensitive process?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, something that pleases me today is that this is the first time a question has been asked by a member of the Reform Party about the unemployed people of Canada.

When they get up in the House they are always telling us: "Cut, cut, cut. Don't help them. Let them starve". It is not our way. Our way is to earn their respect and we are working hard on it. I am very pleased to see the Reform Party is now waking up to the reality the unemployed people want the government to help them.

Health

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. As part of the action plan on smuggling announced in February, the government included a $3 million or so anti-smoking media campaign to inform and educate the public, particularly young people. Now, the word came out that after meeting with groups of young people, the minister has decided to terminate the ad campaign.

Can the minister confirm in this House what she has already recognized publicly, namely that this anti-smoking campaign was cancelled because, by her own admission, it had no impact whatsoever on young people?

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question. I must first say that I have indeed inherited the ad campaign you may have seen recently. This campaign was launched by the previous government, and as I travelled across the country, I was confirmed in my personal opinion. When I first saw this ad campaign, I was not convinced that it suited the present situation, as it had been devised three or four years ago. Young people have confirmed that I was right all along.

I have asked my department to review all the ads-and that is what we are doing right now-to ensure that every dollar spent on publicity is spent as wisely as possible.

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister not realize that this prevention campaign was the very last thread of credibility she had in the eyes of the anti-tobacco lobby following the reduction by her government of consumer taxes on tobacco and that now she has none left whatsoever?

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, let me advise members opposite that while I am reviewing all public relations and publicity I have many tools at my disposal.

I have said that we would look at new ads. Yes, we are going to continue doing some publicity, but it will have to be very tough, very targeted and very effective because we do not have a lot of dollars to spend foolishly. Any dollars that I spend I will spend very wisely.

As a result we are developing a new campaign which I am going to share with members of the anti-smoking lobby as well as provincial governments. We are working together on the campaign to make it as effective as possible.

Canada Pension Plan

[Diane Ablonczy, Reform, Calgary North, AB]

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

For the first time in its 28-year history the Canada pension plan has been forced to dip into its contingency fund. Many Canadians believe that unless it is reformed it is only a matter of time before the Canada pension plan runs out of money.

What plans does the government have to preserve the Canada pension plan for the long term?

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is worrying unnecessarily. The plan is operating very much as expected. The CPP fund was established to meet the contingencies as outlined by the hon. member.

[Diane Ablonczy, Reform, Calgary North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in spite of the hon. member's reassuring words, many analysts suggest the aging of our population means that the Canada pension plan cannot survive as currently structured. The situation is so bad that many Canadians do not expect to collect CPP when they retire and think of CPP premiums as a tax on youth.

The CPP has now turned a corner. Premiums are no longer keeping up with payouts. Does the government have specific proposals for CPP reform?

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should present some facts to the hon. member.

In the long term the fund intended to operate as "a pay as you go" with contributions and benefits more or less in balance. It was intended to hold two years of benefits as a buffer against fluctuations in the economy. The fund now has about three years worth of benefits.

As legislated contribution rates increase and come into force, the plan's income and expenditures are projected to be more closely in balance. Reserves will grow from $41 billion to nearly $55 billion over the next 10 years.

I hope this answers the hon. member's question.

Purchase Of Flu Vaccine

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works. In response to the questions I asked him yesterday, the Minister of Public Works said that BioVac offered to sell its flu vaccine for $1.85 a dose compared to $1.69 for Connaught. By dividing the contract equally between Connaught and BioVac, the minister claims that the government will pay $1.77 a dose.

Does the Minister of Public Works admit that the figures he advanced yesterday are inaccurate since, in the tendering process, BioVac bid $1.70 a dose compared to $1.46 for Connaught, and that by dividing the contract in two, the government will pay not $1.77 a dose as the minister said yesterday, but $1.85 a dose? Could he admit that his figures are inaccurate?

[David Dingwall, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to confirm to the hon. member that the facts I have are quite different from the ones she has.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister admit that by awarding 100 per cent of the contract to BioVac, the only Canadian maker of flu vaccine, at $1.70 a dose, he would have saved Canadian taxpayers more than $600,000 and preserved high-tech jobs?

[David Dingwall, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's concern with regard to the fiscal responsibility and capacity of the Government of Canada, but I find it passing strange that when it comes to human resources we are accused of not consulting with the provinces.

When two companies, BioVac and Connaught Laboratories get together, consult with provincial governments, territorial governments and the Government of Canada and agree to a blended price thereby providing jobs and economic opportunities in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, somehow the hon. member finds that to be despicable.

The hon. member should know that BioVac was charging $1.85 a dose, Connaught, $1.69 a dose. The blended price is $1.77.

Refugees

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

According to recent news reports as many as 24,000 former refugee claimants whose claims were rejected after a hearing have not yet been removed from Canada. Since most of them are not allowed to work this will place an additional burden on the taxpayer.

Can the government advise the House how many people are in this category, when the removals will proceed, and can we be assured that these circumstances will not impair the integrity of Canada's refugee program?

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. friend and colleague for Scarborough-Rouge River.

I can say to the hon. member and to the House that the number is lower than the 24,000 being thrown around by the media. Approximately 10,000 of those individuals, would be claimants have been refused but because of previous policy directives have not been removed. For instance the individuals from the People's Republic of China as well as other countries fall into that category. As you know, Mr. Speaker, the government is

actively pursuing a strategy of how to clarify that status in fairness to them and to the system.

An anticipated one-third of those individuals are no longer in this country and therefore are not a financial drain. There are also individuals in detention and in our prisons and there are some cases where the processing of a particular case has fallen between the cracks as sometimes happens with governments.

I ask the member to recognize that the government has moved on allowing work permits for refugee claimants while they wait for their cases. We have had approximately a 70 per cent take-up of claimants asking for work permits. As the Prime Minister said moments ago, not only could we give them the dignity of work but also lessen the load on our social service programs.

Wheat Quotas

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Vegreville, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade. Why is the minister even considering agreeing to quotas on durum wheat shipments to the United States?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we did not agree with the United States position in the recent trade talks which included a sub-cap on durum under the total cap on wheat that it had proposed. It is not our present intention to agree to such a sub-cap.

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Vegreville, AB]

Mr. Speaker, U.S. Senator Kent Conrad suggested that the American solution is to nuke Canada. Mickey Cantor says that he is ready for a dust-up with Canada. These are fighting words.

Wheat farmers want government to face this challenge head on. They demand assurance that the government will not cave in to the Americans and allow wheat quotas. Will the minister give farmers the assurance that he will not agree to quotas?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we have indicated to the United States our position. We do not agree that its present position on a cap on wheat exports to the United States is acceptable to Canada.

Drugs

[Pierrette Venne, Bloc, Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, the daily La Presse said that according to the latest U.S. government report on international narcotic control, Canada is a haven for laundering money from drug trafficking.

My question is for the Solicitor General. With the information at his disposal, can the Solicitor General confirm the finding of the U.S. government report as mentioned in La Presse ?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I have asked officials to provide me with any information they have to confirm this American government report. They tell me that they have not yet found any empirical evidence to confirm it.

Furthermore Canada is a member of the financial action task force of the G-7 industrial countries. I am told that Canada does meet the minimum requirements of that task force that is designed to look into the matter of money laundering as it concerns the major G-7 industrial countries.

[Pierrette Venne, Bloc, Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what does the Solicitor General intend to do to restore Canada's reputation in this area?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place over a period of years a number of measures to deal with money laundering and we will continue to intensify our efforts.

I think that if you go by the report of the financial action task force of the G-7 countries, Canada's reputation is a solid one, but certainly we want to work to maintain that reputation and increase our efforts when it comes to money laundering.

Métis Society

[John Duncan, Reform, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice.

What is the minister doing about the criminal activity with respect to the tampering of minutes of the Métis Society of Saskatchewan?