House of Commons Hansard #158 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was program.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the new ice breaking fees are so much ad-libbing.
The proof is that, in Rivière-du-Loup, the ferry operator will have to fork out $68,000 in ice breaking fees between December 21 and January 5, date of the last winter crossing, when ice breaking services have not been needed for this period since 1973.
Is this ridiculous proposal not a clear indication that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans should go back to the drawing board?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, industry stakeholders have been consulted over the past three years. There is no ad-libbing about it. The industry's proposals are now being considered.
In a few days or weeks, the new revised fee schedule will be available for examination by industry stakeholders. There is nothing unusual about that.
Shaughnessy Cohen Liberal Windsor—St. Clair, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Lim Guan Eng is a Malaysian opposition MP who has been wrongly incarcerated for simply doing his job, which is to oppose the government of the day. Canada has made a concerted effort to assist Lim Guan Eng and today his father, Lim Kit Siang, is in Ottawa to meet with parliamentarians.
Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us whether the case of Lim Guan Eng was raised by Canada at the APEC summit in Kuala Lumpur?
Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, while we were at the meeting in Kuala Lumpur I had the occasion to meet with Mr. Lim's father to discuss the treatment that his son had received in terms of raising issues as part of his parliamentary duties.
Subsequent to that we were able to raise with the minister of foreign affairs the way in which the judicial system was being used to suppress certain statements and expressions of freedom of point of view.
I also asked our high commission there to register officially our concern and to continue to monitor the situation. I am hoping we will be able to meet with Mr. Lim during a meeting on human rights that will be held in Edmonton this weekend.
John Duncan Reform Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, Greenpeace and other lobby groups have launched an all out war on logging in B.C. That is not fair because B.C. forest practices are among the best in the world.
Greenpeace's attack on jobs is being helped in its campaign by money from CIDA. Why are Canadian tax dollars being used to help a campaign to destroy the jobs that pay those very same taxes?
Diane Marleau LiberalMinister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, CIDA does not do any direct funding of Greenpeace. As a matter of fact, CIDA tries to transfer the good forestry practices practised in B.C. to the developing world.
John Duncan Reform Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, the minister and the minister's officials do not know where CIDA money goes. We do. The money goes to the World Resources Institute, a lobby group that supplies Greenpeace with its information and political ammo.
Why are tax dollars from CIDA being spent to kill Canadian logging jobs?
Diane Marleau LiberalMinister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, there has been no direct funding of this particular group since 1994. It is very important for Canada to show the developing world the good practices we have here. Whether they believe it or not, we do have wonderful practices and the developing world appreciates our help.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today is the anniversary of the all-party motion to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000. Shamefully we are one year away, but farther than ever from reaching that goal.
What does the finance minister do? He has the gall to stand up at a Liberal fundraising bash and call child poverty a national disgrace. It is his policies that are a disgrace. Six billion dollars in cuts have forced more than half a million more kids into poverty. Where is the real commitment, backed up by real dollars and not empty promises?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, poverty is definitely an issue that has concerned this government in a very big way, and child poverty in particular. We should look at the record of what this government has done over the past few years.
We have been able to negotiate with the provinces the national child benefit in which we are investing $1.7 billion per year to help children in low income families.
We have also developed the Canadian opportunities strategy. We have developed the transitional jobs fund—
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, the minister should take his head out of the sand. Each time he is questioned on poverty he says that the child tax benefit scheme is the cure-all, but the truth is that most kids on welfare will gain nothing from this scheme and many of the poorest children will receive less in real dollars than they did in 1984.
While the government dines on rubber chicken at Liberal fundraisers, more than a million kids are waking up hungry. Half of them have been pushed into poverty during this government's term.
Again, will the minister keep the promise that was made in 1989?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, I do not think that $1.7 billion per year toward the national child benefit is nothing. I think it is a lot of money for children in low income families. That money helps parents to leave welfare and to get a job, which is a lot better for fighting poverty.
We have also implemented the family income supplement to help the poorer families on employment insurance. The transitional jobs fund helps to fight unemployment in regions where unemployment is high. That is the way to fight poverty and to help the economy.
Mark Muise Progressive Conservative West Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, Canadian farmers across the country are struggling to survive in the grips of the most severe crisis to hit our farming communities since the Great Depression. Faced with a worldwide downturn in prices for grain and hogs, wheat prices have dropped by 41% and hog prices have dropped by 65%. Canada's farmers cannot continue to produce at a loss and hope to survive.
Why will the minister of agriculture not stand up for farmers by providing them with immediate financial assistance?
Joe McGuire LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, it is pretty early for the hon. member to be self-righteous in demanding compensation from this side of the House. If his party were in government it would have cut $600 million from that department. It would not even be called the department of agriculture.
This government and this cabinet know the situation of the farmers and are duly addressing it.
Mark Muise Progressive Conservative West Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, even the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has said that our farmers are at risk.
Despite this admission, the minister and the government are still refusing to step in. The hog industry is in crisis, as Quebec producers have recently brought home to us. These farmers will soon be forced to declare bankruptcy.
The United States and the European Union are offering financial assistance to their farmers. When will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announce a program to assist our imperiled Canadian farmers?
Joe McGuire LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, our minister of agriculture has met with the minister for Nova Scotia, his deputy minister, and the producers of Nova Scotia.
The facts are coming in. They are being distilled and the response will be forthcoming very soon.
Réginald Bélair Liberal Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources.
Today is mining day on Parliament Hill. Business leaders from Canada's mining community are in Ottawa to meet with members of parliament, cabinet ministers, senators and other government officials.
Will the minister inform the House how deep is the impact of the mining industry on northern Ontario's economy, as well as Canada's economy?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the mining industry contributes $26 billion to the Canadian economy every year. It accounts for 16% of our trade exports. It adds $7 billion to Canada's positive trade balance. It generates 368,000 Canadian jobs. It is the lifeblood of 128 communities, especially in rural, remote, northern and aboriginal areas, and it is very much a sophisticated high tech industry that leads the world in sustainable development.
Darrel Stinson Reform Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The government revoked the charitable status of Greenpeace in 1995. That has not stopped that group's efforts to tarnish Canada's image around the world and destroy Canada's forest industry.
Will the minister ask Germany and the United States to revoke the charitable status of Greenpeace before it can do more damage to Canada?
Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, over the years Canada has undertaken a very active campaign in support of the forest industry and many of its stakeholders to promote the interests of the Canadian forest industry in Europe.
We are certainly in a position to provide good, strong evidence that Canada does follow proper forestry practices. We are using all of that information to take the message to European countries. Perhaps the most effective way is to tell them what Canada does best.
Yves Rocheleau Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, judging by his responses to our questions on ice breaking, it is quite obvious that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is confirming that his proposed fee schedule will not hold water.
Since his policy kicks in less than a month from now, does it not seem urgent for a moratorium to be called on fees, allowing the minister time to go back to the drawing board, and time for discussion of a new and fairer fee schedule for Quebec users?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, the proposed fee schedule was established by the industry representatives themselves. Seven of the ten representatives were from Ontario and Quebec.
This is not the end of it, I am currently involved in examining the representations that have been made, and within the next few days, or weeks, I will be providing the hon. members and the industry with a revised fee scale. So far, no final decision has been made.
Lorne Nystrom NDP Qu'Appelle, SK
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.
Recently the Royal Bank announced a profit of $1.82 billion, the largest profit of any company in the history of our country, and at the same time prairie farmers are in their worst economic crisis since the 1930s.
I have a suggestion for the Minister of Finance. Will he consider calling in the CEOs of the large banks in this country to try to get from them the idea that they might seek to share the wealth in terms of imposing a moratorium on farm debts in the country? Will he do that?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I will be meeting with the presidents of financial institutions, including the large banks. Obviously, as in the case of other areas that are in severe difficulty, we will certainly ask those institutions to be as understanding as they can be.