Debates of April 25th, 1994

Immigration

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Last Friday, the CBC reported rather disturbing conduct on the part of immigration officers. For example, some of them were said to have administered a sedative to a pregnant woman before deporting her to Zaire. Also, a two-year old child with pneumonia was apparently deported to Ghana. Such practices are unacceptable and unfitting of a civilized nation such as ours.

Is the minister of immigration aware of these allegations and does he condone practices which, insofar as the Zairian woman was treated, are inhuman as well as medically unethical?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising a very sensitive question. This gives me an opportunity to address it based on the facts.

First, it is general policy of this government, as it was in previous governments, that people on medication who are asked to be removed should continue to receive the prescription through a regular practitioner.

Second, under no circumstances is it policy for the purpose of removal to simply sedate individuals.

Third, last year there were approximately 9,000 removals. My department informed me this morning there were under 12 individuals who required medical attention.

In the case of the woman from Zaire I caution the member because no immigration officials are permitted to administer any kind of medicine whatsoever. In this case the woman had a medical condition which I am not permitted to get into because of privacy laws. There was medical attention recommended and administered by a practising physician under provincial jurisdiction.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, can the minister tell us if he has intervened to rectify this unacceptable situation and condemn the behaviour of immigration officers who inflict physical abuse to foreign nationals being deported or expelled?

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

Mr. Speaker, I said very clearly and as completely as I could under the guise of question period that no immigration official is permitted to administer any medicine, injection or sedation at all.

The 12 cases last year out of 9,000 were done on the orders of doctors usually practising in the provincial field for the benefit of the individual who was being asked to be removed because of his or her condition.

I will certainly make every effort to ensure that the policy be observed and respected from one coast of this country to the other.

Theme Park

[Elwin Hermanson, Reform, Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

The government is planning to spend 4.5 million taxpayer dollars on a patronage theme park in the Prime Minister's home riding in spite of a report commissioned by the government warning that the project was doomed to fail.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister the government reduced its contribution to the park by more than half because of the concerns raised in the Legault report.

If the government was concerned enough to cut funding to this patronage park in half because it will fail, why did the government not do the logical thing and cut the funding altogether?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is a project that has been in the mill for many years. A lot of people have worked on it. The request at the beginning was bigger and it was reduced.

When the private sector put up $12 million and the provincial government $4 million, the federal government put up $4 million. Even if it had been an infrastructure program, according to the criteria it would have been one-third. This is only 20 per cent.

It was approved by the provincial government and it was in the mill. When I was in the opposition I asked some questions about it. Eventually when I became the Prime Minister the contribution was cut in half. I will not talk too much because the people in Shawinigan wil be mad at me.

[Elwin Hermanson, Reform, Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it seems the Prime Minister is telling taxpayers that instead of wasting all their money he will only waste half their money.

According to the February 15 edition of the Globe and Mail during the election campaign the Prime Minister promised to fork out the pork in his riding. He said:

I have the impression that when files from Saint-Maurice cross the desk of a minister-I needn't say more.

Will the Prime Minister rise above patronage politics and tell his ministers not to give preferential treatment to his own riding?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I just said that I do not have to talk to anybody. They will look at all the projects.

When the minister responsible cut my program by half I did not even protest. Maybe I should have. When the private sector provides $12 million to a project, is it willing to lose $12 million? I do not think so.

I think they have looked into it. The site was the first hydroelectric project in North America. It was the first aluminium project in America. Rather than celebrating in our country only wars of the past, it is good to celebrate some of the firsts in North America. If it happens to be in Shawinigan I think I have no choice but to support it.

International Trade

[Laurent Lavigne, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. I would especially want to draw his attention to the anxiety now felt by Canadian farmers.

We know that last week, the U.S. government warned GATT of its intention to restrict Canadian durum wheat and barley imports starting July 1. If no agreement is reached, the conflict could well extend to other agricultural products such as milk and poultry.

Given the importance of these products for the Canadian market and a statement made by the Minister for International Trade on the possibility of Canadian retaliation, can the Prime Minister tell us how Canada intends to protect the interests of Canadian producers and consumers?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when the GATT agreement was signed, we said that the move towards tariffs was inevitable, but that very high tariffs would be protected by GATT, and our position has not changed.

We do not want it to be attacked, and our legal advisers tell us that there is no danger. The GATT rules will apply in the coming years, even if the Americans do not like it.

[Laurent Lavigne, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

I would like to ask a supplementary question. The Minister of Foreign Affairs said in February that he hoped Canada's conciliatory attitude would help resolve the trade problems with the United States.

Does the Prime Minister not agree that this new attack confirms the failure of negotiating strategies between Canada and the U.S.?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, since 80 per cent of our trade is with the U.S., it is not surprising that we encounter a few problems from time to time.

As for milk and the products controlled by marketing boards, we think our position is well protected by GATT.

Regarding the situation of Western farmers, our fight is not over yet-

They have 90 days. I talked to the President of the United States on Friday before he made his announcement to tell him that we were not happy with that and that the problem had to be revisited. He told me that over the period of 90 days there would be some time to discuss with the administration. I hope we will come to a reasonable level of export to the United States.

We are doing our best, but the problems in relation to the size of our trade with the United States are not very numerous at this time.

Canada Customs

[Robert Bertrand, Liberal, Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, an Ottawa Sun article of April 21 states that although 350 new full-time customs staff members were promised for the government's anti-smuggling initiative, only one person has been hired.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of National Revenue inform the House if this is in fact the situation?

[Susan Whelan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to inform the hon. member that the statement quoted in the Sun has no basis in fact.

Everything that was promised in the anti-smuggling initiative is now fully operational. Numerous part-time officers have become full-time officers. Furthermore we have hired 30 new full-time officers as of April 13. Our 25 per cent increase in enforcement is a fact.

Immigration

[Art Hanger, Reform, Calgary Northeast, AB]

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

I brought to the attention of the House the fact that Canada does not require HIV testing of its applicants for immigration. The minister accused me of having faulty research but then amazingly proceeded to admit that Canada does not screen its immigrants for HIV.

This is double-talk. There is some question of exactly how many immigrants have come to Canada who are infected with HIV. Why test for communicable, infectious diseases like syphilis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis but not for HIV?

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

Mr. Speaker, when he asked me that question he said he was amazed to have discovered at committee the day before that we did not automatically test.

When I said he had faulty research it was in the sense that he had not known that to be the case as opposed to being amazed and surprised.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, York West, ON]

You can hem and haw all you want. You can look at truth right in the face.

Then I went on to say that as part of the review in immigration there is a review of the class of medical inadmissibility. I mentioned that it is appropriate for the department and for the country to consider that things do evolve. As the member mentioned there are a number of diseases that we automatically check.

I also mentioned that where our doctors, our practitioners, see evidence of HIV positive they are permitted clearly on their judgment to test and subsequently refuse people admittance.

The question that I raise which will be part of the review is ought this test to be an automatic part of the medical check, yes or no. We are happy to look into that question and no one is hiding anything.

[Art Hanger, Reform, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is for the minister.

As he pointed out a week ago last Friday the minister stated that mandatory testing does not take place but if individuals exhibit traces of HIV they are asked to be tested and if HIV is found then most of these individuals are not permitted into the country.

How can the minister possibly know that most HIV positive immigrants do not get into Canada when his department does not even do the test? Just what is the situation here? How many immigrants are refused?

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

Mr. Speaker, what I mentioned was that if our doctors currently detect symptoms of HIV, they order a test. The test is based on two questions, one in terms of public health, safety to the country and, second, the whole question of the tax that the disease would put on the medical infrastructure. The judgment of the doctor is then rendered.

I said then and I repeat today that based on the tests done, our doctors currently reject most of those individuals from coming into the country, not based on general public safety but on the whole question of how taxing the disease would be on the medical infrastructure.

I have also said that we are reviewing this situation so as to update ourselves with respect to HIV and AIDS. These diseases are a growing concern that has consumed the attention of many individuals. Third, in terms of tracking the number of cases across the country I do not think my department or any department keeps those kinds of numbers.

Electronic Highway

[Gilbert Fillion, Bloc, Chicoutimi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. The federal government is getting ready to set up an agency called Access Canada to define a national strategy for the electronic highway. The federal government will control 50 per cent of this agency and the other half will be held by the private sector.

Given the major impact that the electronic highway will have on the whole cultural community, how can the minister justify the lack of representatives from this community on the committee that will define the government's strategy for the electronic highway? Has the government not learned a lesson from the Ginn Publishing affair?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am very glad that we finally have a question on the electronic highway. On the advisory committee set up a week ago are people who will inform us about all aspects of the electronic highway.

We have representatives from all regions of the country. We have representatives from all of the different types of users as well as those who will be designing and providing material for the eventual construction of the information highway.

I am looking forward to the work that this committee will do and the assistance it will provide the government in building the regulatory and policy framework in which the electronic highway will operate.

[Gilbert Fillion, Bloc, Chicoutimi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this did not confirm the exclusion of the cultural community from the strategy.

How can the government think of defining a national strategy for the electronic highway without directly involving the provinces in Access Canada?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

As I just said, Mr. Speaker, we have representatives from all regions and also from all provinces of Canada. This committee has members who deal with cultural issues every day.

Health Care

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there are precious few moments in this House when the government's answers to questions are complete, specific and focused.

Having said that, my question is for the Minister of Health. Breast cancer has reached epidemic proportions in our country. Currently there are two cases of fraudulent breast cancer research. There are ongoing allegations of improprieties in the medical auditing process and the American medical community has withheld information for three years that was important to Canadian research.

Will the Minister of Health tell the House how the Department of Health will guarantee the integrity of breast cancer research in Canada.