Debates of March 9th, 1998

Employment Insurance

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Papineau—Saint-Denis, QC]

Absolutely. Members can check the figures.

I can also tell the House that the preliminary figures available to us show a decrease in the number of new applications from women, and in the total number of new applications. But I do not think it very likely that this decrease can be chalked up to the reform. There has also been an improvement in the economic context, with the creation of one million additional jobs. This means fewer people needing EI.

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

Women who work part time, and have to work twice as long to get half the benefits, and mothers who are no longer entitled to maternity benefits—these are the victims of the unemployment insurance reforms, one of the most devastating offensives for impoverishing women.

How can the minister claim that the reform is good for women when 10,000 fewer women were entitled to maternity leave in 1997?

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

Mr. Speaker, our reform was also for the benefit of women, because it modified the system, which had been based on the number of weeks worked. We brought in one based on the number of hours worked, which benefits part-timers, who are very often women.

Other elements of our reform are also extremely helpful to women. For example, they now have a far stronger attachment to the work force, and can take far greater advantage of active measures to help them return to work than in the past.

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister can certainly make fine speeches. He has been subjecting us to his fine speeches for two years now.

Will the minister admit clearly and openly in this House today that his reform is a real disaster for women?

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

Mr. Speaker, the number of women in this country whose work is now insured has risen by 450,000. In other words, 450,000 more women are covered by employment insurance, because access to the system is now hours-based.

With this new system, if they have been in the work force during the last five years, they are now entitled to active measures to help them return to the work force. This is a good reform, and one that will help women get back into the work force.

Health Care

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

Mr. Speaker, this weekend the Minister of Health asked Canadians to lobby his own government for more money for medicare because he just could not get through to his cabinet colleagues. Obviously the minister pushed and lost at budget time. There was not one cent for home care and not one new dollar for health care transfers.

Will the Minister of Finance tell Canadians when they can expect new dollars for a crumbling health care system and for badly needed home care?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health is very preoccupied, as we all are, with this matter. That is why we have legislation before the House at this moment to raise the floor for social transfers to $12.5 billion, as recommended by the national forum on health.

In the last budget we committed $60 million of new money for a blood agency and $211 million over five years for an HIV strategy. There was an additional $134 million in the last budget for medical research. Money was also given to care givers—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre.

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

Mr. Speaker, even the Minister of Health did not call what was in the budget for health care an investment. He called it a forgone cut.

The health care system is crumbling yet there are no new dollars in the budget for health care transfers. Can the Prime Minister explain just what are his government's plans? Will there be an investment in home care this year? Will there be new dollars for health care transfers this year?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when I met with the first ministers in December we discussed improvements for home care and pharmacare. They told me it was not their priority at this time. They said this has to be worked out among ministers. That is exactly what the Minister of Health is doing today with his colleagues.

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last August provincial premiers asked the government to make health care funding its top priority. Instead the recent budget reflects that it has no priority. As a result, Premier Binns wrote to Premier MacLellan asking him to speak with all the premiers and territorial ministers about an immediate meeting with the Prime Minister on health care funding.

Will the Prime Minister meet with those ministers?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I had the occasion to reply to that question earlier. However, I will repeat that we have established a floor of $12.5 billion. That was the recommendation. The hon. member will be invited to vote for it. It is exactly what the national forum on health asked the government to do.

On top of that we have committed $60 million for a new blood agency, $211 million over five years for a national HIV strategy and a $134 million increase over three years for the medical research council. The Minister of Finance also introduced new care giver tax credits in the last budget. It is a fair amount for one budget.

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I take it that is a no.

Nova Scotia will continue to see federal health care funding go down over the next five years. That is the reality. Nova Scotia Conservative Leader John Hamm has called on Russell MacLellan to support a first ministers meeting on health care funding.

Last week the Prime Minister's solution to doctors who were asking for increased health care funding was to throw a $10 bill in the bucket. Is that the Prime Minister's answer to health care funding, throwing $10 at the doctors?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I realize that the leader of the Tory Party in Nova Scotia needs a lot of help.

The member has a very good premier. If I was in Nova Scotia I would vote for a man of experience like Russell MacLellan.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Bruce Starlight wrote a confidential letter to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development last year which was deliberately leaked to Chief Roy Whitney.

The Reform Party asked the privacy commissioner to investigate. The commissioner has now ruled that the minister's office broke the law and violated the Privacy Act.

Since the minister's own investigation has not identified the individual responsible, will she take personal responsibility for this illegal behaviour?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I have said on a number of occasions in the House that I took the circumstances surrounding the Bruce Starlight letter very seriously.

I asked for an investigation and it was completed. The privacy commissioner too has completed an investigation and was unable to identify how the letter got into the hands of Chief Whitney.

Having said that, it must be a very trying time for Mr. Starlight. I apologize to him for anything that my department did to create that difficult time for Mr. Starlight.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the privacy commissioner is explicit and unequivocal in his ruling. The minister's office broke the law.

The record shows that the minister's office was in the habit of breaking the law, based on testimony by hundreds of grassroots aboriginals who have written to her. Yet we have not heard the hint of an apology, until right now, from this minister to Mr. Starlight.

Will the minister now stand in her place and apologize directly to Mr. Starlight and his family for the anxiety, pain and hardship they have had to endure because of her department's illegal behaviour?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I believe I just did.

Child Care Expenses

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

In its last budget, the federal government announced that deductions for child care expenses would be increased. However, the Quebec government has already begun implementing its $5 child care services. This means that, from now on, Quebec parents will have to pay hardly any money for child care.

Does the minister realize that, once again, a so-called national tax measure is going against what Quebec has already implemented, and that Quebeckers will not really benefit from the federal initiative?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, this tax measure will greatly help parents in Quebec and I find it unbelievable that the hon. member would oppose such initiative.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

Does the minister realize that, once again, a so-called national tax measure is going against what Quebeckers want?

The Quebec government program to provide child care services for $5 will result in tax savings for the federal government. Therefore, will the minister pledge to appropriately compensate Quebec for the savings that his government will achieve?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague, the Minister of Finance, just gave a very good reply.

Obviously, we will make sure this tax measure benefits Quebeckers in an appropriate manner, as we always do. Indeed, we also make sure the Quebec government and Quebeckers get their share. This is why transfers of some $10 billion are made to the Quebec government, something which should help Mr. Landry when he tables his budget next month.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last week the privacy commissioner declared that Bruce Starlight's personal information was improperly disclosed and that his rights had been breached.

Why does the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development continue to dodge responsibility for the illegal actions of her department? If she is not responsible, who is?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as a result of the investigation that was completed there were seven recommendations which came to me for implementation to improve the administration of such letters in my department.

We are implementing those recommendations as we speak. We have taken responsible action.

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Starlight's rights have been violated, yet this minister refuses to release the full investigative report into this very serious offence. The minister has censored six out of the nine chapters of that report.

Why is the minister so good at keeping secrets that would embarrass her department and so bad at keeping secret the confidential information given to her by Bruce Starlight in his letter?