Debates of Nov. 4th, 1998

Forest Industry

[Claude Drouin, Liberal, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during last January's ice storm, 30,000 woodlot owners in Quebec sustained heavy losses.

Yesterday, the president of the Fédération des producteurs de bois du Québec, Jean-Claude Nadeau, asked the governments of Canada and Quebec to come to an agreement as soon as possible on a joint program to help these people, with each level of government providing 50% of the funding.

Is the government prepared to provide adequate assistance to affected producers, as it managed to do for small businesses and farm producers in Quebec?

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

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the woodlot owners' request.

We agree that the best way to deal with this situation is for both levels of government to sit down together as soon as possible and work out a plan, with costs being shared 50:50, to solve the problems experienced by woodlot owners and compensate them.

Now, this means that the provincial government has to agree to sit down with all interested parties in the next few weeks and to ensure that the program will be funded according to a 50:50 formula.

Agriculture

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister of agriculture suggested that farmers should get another job off the farm in order to survive. Is this the answer to the farm income crisis? A survey in my constituency showed that up to 76% of the farmers were working off the farm in order to survive.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Do you agree with the minister of agriculture that farmers should have—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member should address his questions through the Speaker.

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, does the right hon. Prime Minister agree with the minister of agriculture that farmers should have to work off the farm in order to survive?

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the minister of agriculture said no such thing yesterday. He said that this government is putting in $1 billion a year along with the provincial counterparts to help out the farming industry in Canada. This is year after year after year. That is in addition to crop insurance and Farm Credit Corporation policies. The questioner is way out of line with his question.

[Jake Hoeppner, Reform, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the justice department has a double standard when it comes to punishing farmers for selling their wheat outside the Canadian Wheat Board. Dozens of poor farmers who cannot afford high priced lawyers have been prosecuted relentlessly by this Liberal government, but one wealthy farmer who disputed a huge fine has been left alone completely for three years. Is this the justice minister's policy, to only prosecute poor farmers who cannot hire top notch lawyers?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is disgraceful.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Justice.

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I apologize for that description of the hon. member's question. The prosecutions that are taking place are taking place on the basis of due process of law. They are taking place and moving forward as any other prosecution would. At this point because there are prosecutions before the court, I have no intention of commenting on any particular case.

Banks

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions.

The Canadian Imperial bank of Commerce is now selling postage stamps through 23 automatic teller machines in southern Ontario. If this becomes a common practice for the banks throughout all of Canada, some 1,700 small retailers that rely on stamps will find their businesses at risk.

Can the minister explain to the House why the government allowed the banks to get into this business when it is clearly not in the charter?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, this issue came to my attention two days ago. I have asked our officials to look into it. I will be pleased to report back to the House as soon as I have an answer.

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have with me a copy of the Bank Act. I can assure the minister there is nothing here that allows them to sell postage stamps. The post office is now collaborating with the banks to allow the banks to do this. It is 75 cents a pop. There is a service charge.

Will the minister stand in the House today and make a commitment that he will not allow the banks in Canada to get into yet another market, namely selling postage stamps through their ATMs, in other words becoming a vending machine for this product and God knows what other products in the future?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, concerning the question of the Bank Act, the legalities are not quite as clear cut as the member might let on. There is a question of whether it is the sale of goods or of services. Having said that, we have asked our officials to look into it. I will be very pleased to hear from the House and Senate committees looking into this to see what their suggestions are as to any potential expansion of the powers of banks. I look forward to the members' suggestions.

Apec

[André Bachand, Progressive Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

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

In light of what is going on in Malaysia, the members of the foreign affairs committee asked that Canada's participation in the APEC summit be discussed.

However, since the Prime Minister has made his decision and is about to leave with his entourage to travel to Malaysia, can he tell us what message he will deliver to his Malaysian counterpart regarding human rights and more specifically the fate of Anwar Ibrahim, who is imprisoned in Malaysia?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.

This issue was raised before in the House by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance, who have both protested, on behalf of the government, against the treatment reserved to the former Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. I also made similar remarks here in the House.

I can assure the hon. member that I will raise this issue when I am in Kuala Lumpur, next week.

[André Bachand, Progressive Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is the first step in the right direction. The government must now take the second step.

The Minister of Finance, as the Prime Minister pointed out, personally phoned Mr. Ibrahim's wife to assure her of his support.

If the Prime Minister of Malaysia refuses to improve the human rights situation in his country, if he refuses to free Mr. Ibrahim, what will be Canada's official position and will the Prime Minister—

[The Speaker]

The question as worded is hypothetical. I would ask the hon. member to quickly rephrase it.

[André Bachand, Progressive Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I do hope that Mr. Ibrahim's liberation will not be hypothetical.

If Mr. Ibrahim is not freed, can the Prime Minister tell us what Canada's official position will be, and whether he is prepared to cut short his participation in the summit, so as to send a clear message on human rights in that country?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, a trial is currently going on in Malaysia and, as a rule, foreign governments do not get involved in a country's internal procedures.

However, we clearly indicated to the Malaysian government that we find totally unacceptable what was done to the former Minister of Finance of that country.

I intend to raise the issue. I have had contacts with the other governments that will be present in Kuala Lumpur, and I am convinced that several of my counterparts also intend to make representations to the Prime Minister of Malaysia when we are in Kuala Lumpur, in a week from now.

[Sophia Leung, Liberal, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In November Canada will be attending an APEC meeting in Malaysia. What is our government doing to support the participation of citizens and NGOs in the Asia Pacific people's assembly during the APEC meeting?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government will give $50,000 to the people who will participate in the people's summit that will be held in Kuala Lumpur. We did it last year in Canada. We invested even more money to have the parallel summit held in Vancouver and we are helping the one that will be held in Kuala Lumpur next week.

National Defence

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Louise Richard served in the military in the gulf war. She and many others in our military have suffered permanently from gulf war syndrome. This government discharged those people and refused to give compensation.

I would like to ask the minister what loving, caring excuse does he have today as to why these people have been shafted by this military and have not been looked after?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, all of these cases have been examined very thoroughly. We have provided medical services to look at all these individual cases and to deal with them fairly. We will continue to do that.