Debates of March 23rd, 1998

The Senate

[Val Meredith, Reform, South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the Prime Minister also appoints female nominated candidates. But the most recent female appointee of the Prime Minister, Joan Cook, also sought public office. She ran twice for the Newfoundland assembly and was defeated. She is noted for strongly supporting the Prime Minister's leadership candidacy.

Who does Senator Cook represent in the Senate, the people of Newfoundland or the Prime Minister?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it so happens that the Senate is a partisan political body. It is organized along party lines. Why should the Prime Minister not appoint people who would support his party and the government program?

For that matter, the hon. member is worried about people supporting the Prime Minister. It is clear from the polls that most Canadians support the Prime Minister. Why does she not wake up to that reality?

Wolf Hunts

[Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Liberal, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, over the last few weeks Canadians from coast to coast to coast have expressed their grave concerns over concentrated wolf hunts in the Northwest Territories.

Can the Minister of the Environment tell this House what she and her department are willing to do with the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board to ensure the population is not endangered?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, since this issue has come to the attention of Canadians, I have had the opportunity to communicate with my territorial counterpart on a couple of occasions, the last being last week.

My department has offered resources and personnel to assist the minister to do an assessment of the population of wolves in the area affected. As well, we are very concerned about the fact that native peoples in the north are dependent upon living off the land. We want to ensure, with the minister in the Northwest Territories, that their practices are sustainable. We have agreed to help him in meeting with aboriginal peoples to make sure that they are so.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

Before we go to the next question, which would be the hon. member for Winnipeg Centre, we have a supplementary for the hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre which I missed. The hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre.

Health

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is for the Minister of Health.

If the Minister of Health is already doing what Liberal delegates called for this weekend and is establishing a process to measure the quality of health care in Canada, why will he not agree to a formal process as proposed in our amendment to ensure that there is an annual medicare check-up and that there is a way for members of Parliament and all Canadians to participate in that process and to be assured that medicare is on solid footing?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, my point is simply that this government engages continuously in that process.

The appointment of the National Forum on Health was itself a formal way of asking a blue ribbon independent panel to look at the state of the health care system, to examine the dynamic of the transfers and to assess whether the transfers were sufficient for the purpose. In fact the forum recommended that the cash floor be moved to $12.5 billion which of course we have done.

In the months ahead we will continue to assess, as we have always done, the needs of the health care system to ensure that we are fulfilling our responsibility to keep it strong.

Atomic Energy Of Canada Limited

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, for over two years more than 600 workers at AECL Pinawa have been living with the uncertainty of the sale of the company to the private sector company CNPL.

The sale is delayed yet again and hundreds of layoffs are scheduled for March 31. As it stands, hundreds of these workers could lose their access to early retirement initiatives and resettlement packages.

Will the minister responsible for the Treasury Board guarantee the workers at AECL that they will not lose their right to ERI because of stalled negotiations that are clearly beyond their control?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. gentleman and also the people in the Pinawa district of Manitoba that the Secretary of State for Western Economic Diversification, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of Treasury Board, the Minister of Finance and myself have been seized with this issue. We have been working very hard to find the best solution for all concerned.

The most immediate issue relates to the employees' status in the circumstances of the potential layoffs to which the hon. gentleman referred. He may be assured that we will take all steps necessary to make sure that their positions are protected.

Health Care

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

Mr. Speaker, at a meeting with provincial health ministers, the Minister of Health stressed how important home health care was. He reiterated this conviction at the Liberal convention on the weekend, and repeated it in the House.

Can the Minister of Health tell us why he is always saying that home care is a priority, when his cabinet colleagues do not seem to agree with him? And if they do share his view that it is a priority, why is money not being earmarked for it right away?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign almost one year ago, we stated the Government of Canada's position regarding the priority of home and community care.

In Halifax a few weeks ago, we organized a pan-Canadian conference. Representatives from hospitals, provincial governments and professional service providers were there to discuss home care. There is recognition for the importance of such care, not just by the Government of Canada, but throughout the country.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska.

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

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the Minister of Health seems to be the only one who thinks it is important, and his view is not shared by his colleagues, because this program will not take any sort of concrete shape before at least the year 2000.

But if the program ever were to get off the ground, could the Minister of Health make sure that it is run by the provinces, and that they are treated with the respect they deserve, and not say, as the Prime Minister did, that they are unable to run the health sector, and that any health problems in Canada are their fault?

Will the minister promise to respect the provinces' jurisdiction over health with respect to the home care program?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Of course, Mr. Speaker, as always.

Right now, we are contemplating such an approach, and I naturally intend to discuss it with my provincial counterparts. In the months ahead, I will be there to discuss needs and the best way the federal government, in partnership with provincial governments, can meet those needs.

Western Economic Diversification

[Sophia Leung, Liberal, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Western Economic Diversification.

Many rural areas of western Canada are suffering from high unemployment rates and the needs of potential entrepreneurs are not being met. What is the government doing to help business in rural areas out west, particularly for people who want to start new businesses and provide jobs for others?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Secretary of State (Science]

Mr. Speaker, western economic diversification has a rather extensive service network throughout western Canada. For example, over 90 community futures development corporations cover virtually 100% of non-metropolitan areas in western Canada. These corporations last year gave out over 1,200 loans, over $25 million in loans which created over 3,200 jobs. In the non-metropolitan areas, western economic diversification has offered info fairs which have given information to over 18,000 western Canadians.

Young Offenders Act

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, every time we have asked the justice minister when she is going to amend the Young Offenders Act we get the same pathetic unacceptable answer that she will move in a timely fashion.

Everyone except the justice minister has done their job. Hundreds of witnesses submitted briefs or appeared before the standing committee. They have done their job. The committee submitted its report together with its recommendations to this House almost a year ago. It has done its job. The AGs have submitted their recommendations. They have done their job.

I ask the justice minister—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. Minister of Justice.

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

Mr. Speaker, as perhaps you have noticed, this is Academy Awards evening and the hon. member is rehearsing his part.

Mr. Speaker, more seriously, the hon. member raises a very important issue. As I have said before in this House, the government will respond to the standing committee's report in a timely and thorough fashion.

Legalization Of Marijuana For Medical Purposes

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, morphine is derived from heroin, a hard drug which was legalized for therapeutic uses and is very beneficial to the sick.

Marijuana, on the other hand, is a soft drug whose use for medical purposes is outlawed, despite the fact that many physicians consider it could be used to alleviate pain.

My question to the Minister of Health is the following: In light of these facts, could the minister tell us when he plans to set the process in motion to ultimately legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes?

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

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague the Minister of Health and I have said on a number of occasions, our officials are at work reviewing this very important question. When we have recommendations to make to this House, we will bring them forward.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board will know that tomorrow the Senate agriculture committee begins hearings in western Canada on amendments to the Canadian Wheat Board.

Bill C-4 includes an inclusion clause that would admit new grains to the board's jurisdiction. Not surprisingly, the inclusion clause has been bitterly opposed in an attack by the business lobby and the transnational corporations.

Can the minister assure this House that he will not accept any attempt to delete or in any way weaken the inclusion clause by the unelected—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. minister responsible for the wheat board.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, the Senate is indeed beginning its work with respect to Bill C-4. It is obviously not up to me or any other member of this House to reflect on the work of the other place. It will conduct its hearings and make its recommendations in due course.

I think the thing that is fundamental with respect to that legislation is to ensure that farmers, not politicians, not bureaucrats, not minority interest groups, have the democratic authority to shape their marketing agency as they would see fit. That is the kind of result I am looking for.

Children's Health

[Diane St-Jacques, Progressive Conservative, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 1998, there are nearly 1.5 million children living in poverty. Consequently, their health is at risk, they are malnourished and their living conditions are inadequate.

The Minister of Health said health was his priority. What does his department intend to do to help these children, who are more likely to have health problems?