Debates of Sept. 30th, 1997

Tamil Eelam Society

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism)(Status of Women)]

Mr. Speaker, any organization as I said before that is funded by multiculturalism programs is insured. We evaluate them to ensure the money is spent on the programs that they specifically are funded for and nothing else.

Fisheries

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. When asked to have a judicial inquiry into the current and past practices of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, his response was that an inquiry would be a waste of time and money.

If he fails to hold an inquiry, his portfolio will soon be reduced to the minister of oceans. This government promised written agreements to maintain the income supplement known as TAGS until May 1999, but without consultation it ripped up this agreement which will now expire one year earlier in May 1998.

Will the minister please tell the House that he has recommitted to maintain the TAGS program to its promised contractual date of May 1999?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the preamble of the hon. member's question, in my view an inquiry would serve very little in terms of advancing the interests of fishermen on either coast. It would be costly, it would take a lot of time, and it would mean that resources would be devoted to an inquiry and legal costs instead of to science in the fisheries itself.

I should point out that there have already been two studies done and I believe the auditor general will comment as well. The reasons given are overfishing, overestimating stock size, fishing abuses such as high grading and discards, changes in the marine ecosystem and finally, failures of the then political—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Sackville—Eastern Shore.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite obvious that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has difficulty with this question. The question once again is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Will he recommit to this House today the contractual agreement that this government signed with the fishers of Atlantic Canada and Quebec to maintain the TAGS program until May 1999?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's knowledge of history of the TAGS program is defective. There was a change in it which changed it from a five-year to a four-year program. I should remind him that this was done with the agreement of the individuals concerned.

Endangered Species

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

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

Her predecessor, the current Minister of International Trade, committed Canada to the protection of endangered species that crossed international borders. To date, the minister has refused to make the same commitment.

Before she attends tomorrow's meeting with her provincial counterparts, will the minister guarantee to this House that her government will demonstrate federal leadership in protecting endangered species that range or migrate across interprovincial or international borders?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague refers to our government's endangered species protection legislation. We have a commitment to reintroduce that legislation into the House. Our government has a strong commitment to endangered species and is in fact making progress. At my meeting tomorrow with my provincial counterparts, hopefully we will bring this agenda forward. I hope my hon. colleague will help us when that legislation is reintroduced into the House.

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, this government has already declared it will fail to meet its targets on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It is now backing away from an earlier promise to protect endangered species that range or migrate across international boundaries, such as the swift fox and the eastern cougar.

In the face of serious backroom pressure from her provincial colleagues on Wednesday in Newfoundland, will the minister now pledge to Canadians that she will safeguard the federal role to protect Canada's precious endangered species?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the federal government has an important leadership role to play in our country with regard to protecting endangered species. However, we cannot do this alone. I have to work collaboratively with my provincial colleagues and with representatives of other sectors across our country. I have been listening to them and will continue to do so. Hopefully the meeting tomorrow with my provincial colleagues will help us to iron out some of the difficulties around protecting endangered species.

Access To Information

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board with regard to the concerns raised in the most recent report by the access to information commissioner.

Too often, requests for information are not responded to in a timely manner. Given the government's commitment to openness and transparency, what will the minister do to respond to what the commissioner has called a festering silent scandal?

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, the government of course remains committed to the principles of openness and accountability that are inherent in the Access to Information Act. We recognize that there is a need for amendments to the act. It is up to the departments to apply the act and we will support these amendments as soon as they come forward.

Justice

[Jim Hart, Reform, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the solicitor general.

Kevin Machell is the prime suspect in a double murder in Summerland, British Columbia. Machell was on day parole at the time of the murders. Officials at the solicitor general's department failed to take action for some 24 hours after Machell did not report to his halfway house even though the minister's own policy is to report within the hour.

Can the minister tell me, does he condone his department's decision to wait some 24 hours to report that Machell did not report to his halfway house?

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I am aware of his interest in this and I share his sympathy for the family.

I would like to reiterate as we pointed out in the throne speech that public safety is a priority of the government. In hindsight everybody would like to have seen a different decision given the benefit of the information that the minister has. The fact of the matter is that Canada has the second highest rate of incarceration in the western world. The National Parole Board and Correctional Service Canada—

Radio-Marine Vcn

[Yves Rocheleau, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

During the weekend, hundreds of residents of the Magdalen Islands expressed their opposition to the closure of the Magdalen Islands marine radio station, which the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is about to announce.

Is the minister aware of the security risks the closure of Radio-Marine VCN on the Magdalen Islands could create?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, in attempting to use the best technology possible and at the same time achieve a system which is economical to the Canadian taxpayer, changes have been made to the radio system in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

I can assure the hon. member that safety is a primary consideration of the department and no changes will be made if it reduces the safety levels.

Trade

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade.

We in the NDP find it ironic that while we debate sovereignty in the House, whether it be Quebec sovereignty or Canadian sovereignty, the government may be negotiating away our sovereignty in Paris, as we speak, in the multilateral agreement on investment.

I want to ask the Minister for International Trade, will he commit now to public hearings on the multilateral agreement on investment so that the many Canadians who are concerned about this can have input as to what the government should and should not be doing at those negotiations?

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, let me first congratulate my hon. friend on being appointed the critic for international trade for the NDP.

Second, we are doing no such thing in terms of undermining Canadian sovereignty. On the contrary if there has ever been a government in the last number of years that has always stood up for Canada, it is this one.

I have written the member and the other trade critics. I have told them that among a number of issues once the foreign affairs and international trade committee is constituted MAI is one of those issues on which I wish to hear the views of that committee. I think he knows that perfectly well.

Community Organizations

[André Harvey, Progressive Conservative, Chicoutimi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the leader of the official opposition wants to communicate with Quebeckers, poverty is spreading in numerous regions across the country.

In the Speech from the Throne, I saw nothing that could be called a well thought out policy on social infrastructures. Community organizations help the poorest people. The Canadian conference of catholic bishops called those people the new marginals who are abandoned to themselves without any help from the government.

Can the Minister of Finance tell us if his government has provided for precise measures to support these programs, of which only the United Way, with means—

[The Speaker]

I am sorry to interrupt the hon. member, but the Minister of Human Resources Development has the floor.

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quite right to mention the extraordinary work accomplished by hundreds of voluntary agencies throughout Canada. I believe those organizations already rely largely on the support of Canada, in particular the Department of Human Resources Development. They are our partners and we are very proud of that.

Have we changed infrastructures? The hon. member should know that we have made the most important leap forward in the area of social policy with the creation of the national child benefit. We have significantly improved the situation of children living in low income families.

Justice

[Jim Hart, Reform, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the solicitor general.

Canadians are clearly asking for a parole system that is earned, tightly monitored and limited. Why was the minister's own policy at Correctional Service Canada not followed in the Machell case?

Does the minister agree or disagree that a 24 hour delay in reporting Machell not returning to his halfway house is acceptable? Yes or no.

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the National Parole Board and Correctional Services Canada are investigating this incident. They will be doing a report and will be reporting when it is available.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I would like to draw to your attention the presence in the gallery of two guests. The first is His Excellency Yevgeny M. Primakov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.