House of Commons Hansard #30 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was quebec.
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, the government is looking forward to the report of Judge Krever.
We have recognized that this is a piece of work that has been expansive, that will direct us with a very important initiative. I know the Minister of Health will welcome that report and act on it as he can.
Grant Hill Reform Macleod, AB
Mr. Speaker, those are very reassuring words.
Judy C., a patient who was infected with hepatitis C when she had a simple tooth extraction, wrote to me and said this government blocked Krever in court, withheld very important documents. She is not encourage at all with the record of this government on Krever.
Her question is why would anybody trust the government on this issue when it looks like it is just trying to dress up an old skeleton with new clothes in its brand new interim policy on blood?
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is presuming response.
What I have indicated and what the hon. Minister of Health has continued to indicate is that he is welcoming the report from Justice Krever, that we will review it in its entirety and we will make an appropriate response when we receive the report.
Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
There is an agreement between the federal government and the Government of Quebec that permits Quebec to provide most services to immigrants newly arrived in Quebec.
How does the minister explain the fact that charges Quebec immigrants have to pay are the same as in other provinces?
Lucienne Robillard LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Hochelaga—Maisonneuve must surely know that, despite the agreement with Quebec, which is responsible for selecting its immigrants, the Government of Canada remains responsible for their admissibility and must therefore ensure they are healthy and represent no threat. So it incurs costs in the admission of immigrants going to Quebec too.
That said, should my colleague propose that we review the matter in the context of the Canada-Quebec agreement, I am prepared to do so.
Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC
Mr. Speaker, when does the minister intend to adjust the charges to reflect only the services provided by her department and nothing else?
Lucienne Robillard LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I understand my colleague from Hochelaga—Maisonneuve to be requesting the reopening of the Canada-Quebec agreement so we could consider the matter. I am quite prepared to do so.
Eric C. Lowther Reform Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, the countdown to Kyoto is on. The Liberals are going to Japan in about 23 days and we still do not even know what the Canadian position will be.
What is so incredible here is the Liberal government has agreed to bind us to a contract, yet Canadians do not know the terms of the contract or what the impact will be.
Why does Canada have the only government that is going to Kyoto without a plan and without knowing how much it is going to cost us?
Karen Kraft Sloan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, Reform has been exhibiting a severe weather fluctuation in this House. On the one hand it is demanding that we consult with the provinces and stakeholders, and on the other hand it is demanding that we stop this consultation.
The minister and her hon. colleague, the Minister of Natural Resources, are going to be meeting with their provincial counterparts and they will be discussing this very important issue, just as Reform has suggested.
Eric C. Lowther Reform Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, there seems to be some confusion. What the Reform Party is demanding is what Canadians are demanding.
I have received in my office literally hundreds of signatures on petitions demanding the Liberal government not sign a legally binding treaty in Kyoto until the public has been given a chance to review the costs and impacts of such a deal.
Instead of respecting the wishes of ordinary Canadians this government is forcing a top down agenda. Canadians want real solutions to the environment, not new taxes.
Will this government publicly put forward solid solutions before signing secret contracts in Kyoto?
Karen Kraft Sloan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the only one who has been talking about taxes is the Reform environment critic and he has been jailed for a week in the Reform bingo hall.
Hélène Alarie Bloc Louis-Hébert, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
The World Trade Organization hearings on the Canada—United States dispute on the pricing of export milk are scheduled to open on November 19.
Following his October 31 meeting with representatives from the dairy industry, can the minister assure us that every effort will be made to support the dairy industry in this major dispute?
John Harvard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question.
I want to assure the hon. member that we, as a federal government, will respect all our trade obligations. We think our dairy pricing policy and the tariff rate quotas for fluid milk do comply with all our trade obligations.
I assure the hon. member we will defend our policies before any trade panel.
Hélène Alarie Bloc Louis-Hébert, QC
Mr. Speaker, my supplementary concerns the importation of oil, butter and sugar mixtures.
In light of the loss of income experienced by our producers and seeing that time is of the essence, does the minister intend to do everything he can and quickly to get his colleagues to act on this issue?
John Harvard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I assure the hon. member this is a matter that concerns the federal government and the minister of agriculture. In fact, the minister met with dairy farmers on this very issue just last week.
It is a difficult situation but I can assure the hon. member that when we deal with it we will take into account the various issues involved. We are also speaking with the other departments of government, namely revenue and finance. These departments are also involved in this issue.
Grant McNally Reform Dewdney—Alouette, BC
Mr. Speaker, it seems that the political minister for B.C. has been funnelling quite a bit of infrastructure money into his own riding. In fact, the riding of Victoria has received double the per capita allotment for approved projects.
Is the minister funnelling money into his own riding to buy votes or is he punishing the rest of the region for voting Reform?
InfrastructureOral Question Period
The Speaker
The question is out of order. The second question.
Grant McNally Reform Dewdney—Alouette, BC
Mr. Speaker, the minister has approved bike paths and buses in his riding and is denying basic—
Grant McNally Reform Dewdney—Alouette, BC
How many Liberal organizers does a region need in order to—
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board.
The Bloc Quebecois is pleased to learn that the minister has finally decided to go back to the negotiating table with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, to settle the issue of pay equity.
Can the minister tell this House whether the Minister of Finance gave him the necessary leeway to finally bring this issue to its conclusion?
Marcel Massé LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois member should not interpret the facts so loosely, because the Treasury Board has always been willing to negotiate.
In April, we indicated that we were prepared to put $1 billion on the table. We added $300 million in mid-August to arrive at an amount that must be discussed or negotiated with the union.
The hon. member should use her influence on the unions and ask them to negotiate now.
David Pratt Liberal Nepean—Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is addressed to the Minister of National Revenue.
While the entrepreneurial spirit is alive an well in my own riding of Nepean—Carleton, there is often frustration among small business owners about the complexity of information provided by the government.
I would like to ask the Minister of National Revenue what steps are being taken by his department to provide comprehensive, easily understood information for small business.
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Nepean—Carleton who has expressed tremendous interest in small business.
This morning I introduced a new guide for Canadian small business to make sure that the information it gets is focused and clear.
I also congratulate the small business advisory committee which helped Revenue Canada put this together.
I assure Canadians that small business is very important. We all know it is small businesses that are generating the jobs in this economy. This, once again, is our program to create more jobs and help small business. We are committed to small business, to ensuring that we help—