House of Commons Hansard #87 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was crime.
Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, are we to understand that, through this bulldozing operation, the minister wants to impose his views on the provinces, by threatening to reduce financial contributions to provinces that refuse to link the payment of benefits to the obligation to do community work or take training courses?
Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification
No, Mr. Speaker.
Elwin Hermanson Reform Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, scandals, unfounded allegations and unanswered questions have plagued governments and Parliaments throughout our history. Certainly the Prime Minister's statement this morning was welcome in light of our past history.
In his speech this morning on integrity in government, the Prime Minister claimed that the power of the ethics counsellor will prevent deals like the Pearson airport privatization from happening again.
My question for the Prime Minister is this. What is there about the Pearson deal that the ethics counsellor would prevent?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, a deal like that will not occur again simply because the government will never sign such a deal. I do not know if it is very easy. The ethics counsellor is there. There is legislation. The members of the committee will have an opportunity to interview him. He is a very competent person. He will give advice to the government.
As I said, in the final analysis, it is the government that decides. When we have a bad government like the previous Tory government, you know it is the type of government that produced things like that. You can be reassured that will not happen with a Liberal government.
Elwin Hermanson Reform Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, we are hoping that some of the clout that this ethics counsellor will have will prevent the Liberal government following in the footsteps of the previous government.
The Prime Minister said this morning that deals like the Pearson airport deal must never be allowed to happen again, and I concur.
Would the Prime Minister tell us if the ethics counsellor would have power of intervention to stop deals such as the Pearson when ethics issues arise? That is what he indicated to us this morning.
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, if you conclude that the deal was made because of the lobbyists, you know the counsellor will look at the lobby business and intervene. At the end of the day, any deals, any contracts by the government are made by the government.
We cannot deny our responsibilities as government. We have been the government for eight months. The people are very pleased. You just made reference to that. It is not like it was before. Why? It is because the government is committed to honesty and integrity in the public eye.
This government will remain this way. The ethics counsellor can help us. That is why I appointed him, to help us. In the final analysis, as I said this morning, the government remains the government. We have been elected to make the decisions. We are trying to get the best advice possible.
Mr. Howard Wilson is a man of credibility that has done his job properly, advising ministers over a long period of time. He is competent and we are very happy that he has accepted to face these new responsibilities. His job is not to replace the government. The government will remain the government.
Elwin Hermanson Reform Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Prime Minister's answer. He has made it fairly clear in our minds that the new ethics counsellor does not have power of intervention. His power lies in his ability to report to the public.
Recently it was decided that a single annual report from the Auditor General was not sufficient. This morning the Prime Minister informed the House that the new ethics counsellor would report just once a year to Parliament.
Based on past performance and our history, conflicts of interest and ethics may arise on a regular basis. Certainly an annual report to Parliament will not be sufficient.
Can the Prime Minister explain how the ethics counsellor can effectively communicate to the public without a chance of political interference regarding the conduct of government if he is only required to file a report annually?
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, the question being raised concerning the ethics counsellor misses
the point. What the hon. member should be noting is that, at the present time, there is no ethics counsellor and no reports have been filed.
The government has moved forward on a number of important commitments that were contained in the red book: commitments to fulfil the report of the standing committee of the House of Commons from last June; the commitment to appoint an ethics counsellor; the commitment to give him investigatory powers; the commitment to stop the contingency fees that were polluting the government procurement process.
These are important commitments. We have met them. They should be applauding us.
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Yesterday, the United States pleaded in favour of commercial sanctions against North Korea. The proposed sanctions include a mandatory ban on North Korean imports or exports of arms or weapon components, a ban on technical and scientific co-operation in order not to enhance North Korea's nuclear capacity, and terminating all economic assistance through the UN or its subsidiaries.
Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell the House whether Canada unconditionally supports the U.S. position on banning North Korean imports or exports of arms, and on the whole range of proposed commercial sanctions against that country?
André Ouellet LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to tell the hon. member that Canada supports the U.S. position and that, if needed, we will lobby other members of the Security Council so that it passes this resolution. If the UN goes ahead with these sanctions against North Korea, we will certainly fully comply with all of them.
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, can the minister indicate what action has been taken by the government of Canada to bring North Korea back into the fold of the Atomic Energy Agency and to ensure that that country's nuclear program is compliant with the provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty?
André Ouellet LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we do not have diplomatic relations with North Korea, and are not able to express our views directly to that country. However, we did so through public statements, and indirectly, by presenting our point of view to people who are in regular contact with the North Korean government.
During the recent visit by the South Korean foreign affairs minister, the Prime Minister and I stressed how important it was, in our view, to fully respect the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to have all the nations of the world renew it, and to convince the North Korean government that it cannot isolate itself in that way. It must join the ranks of most other countries of the world who want us not only to ban nuclear arms but also to respect the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Garry Breitkreuz Reform Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice.
On March 14 the minister said in the House: "I do not believe it is reasonable for anybody to interpret the term sexual orientation as it appears in the human rights legislation as including pedophiles".
Whether child molesters are homosexual or heterosexual in their orientation they certainly are not reasonable. Child abusers will find it entirely reasonable to launch a challenge to the Criminal Code on the basis of this sexual orientation if the term is not defined in the human rights act.
Why is the minister so reluctant to define the term sexual orientation?
Russell MacLellan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the hon. member that the Minister of Justice is in no way reluctant to define the term sexual orientation. He has expressed the seriousness of this question in the relevant situations.
It is going to require a good deal of study to deal with it. The Minister of Justice is now in the middle of doing this study with the department. We will not only have a definition of sexual orientation, but we will be able to bring forward to the House a program and a policy of which I think the House will approve.
Garry Breitkreuz Reform Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that answer. If the meaning of the term sexual orientation is so clear-and he referred to jurisprudence previously as being the avenue by which he would have it defined-I believe the government should take over, should not shirk its responsibilities and should define the term. The minister said: "I do not think matters of public policy should be determined in the courts".
Why is the minister not willing to take that responsibility, let that be discussed here, and define it properly in the legislation?
Russell MacLellan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice has put before the House a record which in my opinion is enviable. He has brought forward legislation on young offenders and sentencing and amendments to the Criminal Code.
If justice is to be done laws must be framed properly. Not all the amendments we would like to see can be done at the same time, but reflection and due care must be given to the presentation and the formulation of these laws. That is exactly what is going to be done.
Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.
Patrick Watson, who just resigned as chairman of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, said yesterday that advisers of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney contacted the management of the CBC on several occasions, particularly during the referendum campaign on the Charlottetown accord, to make the content of the news more in line with the government position.
Does the Prime Minister agree with the kind of political pressure exerted by the previous government, and does he not believe that this kind of interference violates the freedom and integrity of journalists?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it seems that it was not very effective, and I dislike being ineffective.
Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that the position of his party is to convince broadcasters to promote Canadian identity. He will probably do it effectively.
What I want to know is if he is ready to guarantee, on behalf of the government, that they will never exert pressure on the CBC to make it alter its news during a future referendum on Quebec sovereignty.
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, there is a law governing the operation of the CBC, and I will ask that the CBC respect that law. The law says, in defining the mandate of the CBC, that it must inform people on the advantages offered by Canada. This is the reason for the creation of the corporation. Objectivity is all we ask for.
I never called the CBC and I do not intend to. Freedom of the press is a fact of life I am used to. It did not always make my life easy, but I survived.
Myron Thompson Reform Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health.
Over half a million dollars of tax money was budgeted for a national AIDS survey focusing on the gay community. AIDS education is important. However the money was used instead to publish a sex recipe for gay men detailing in explicit gutter language how men engage in sex with one another. This is absurd.
Does the minister condone spending one half a million dollars on this kind of garbage?
Diane Marleau LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I must say that AIDS is a very serious epidemic. If we can save one life then we must do everything in our power.
This booklet was put together especially for those communities at risk. There are times when one has to call a spade a spade or people will not understand.
Myron Thompson Reform Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, that is about the most ridiculous answer I have ever heard when I look at pamphlets like this one. Oral sex, anal sex-
Acquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order. I am sure the hon. member will want to put his supplementary question.