Debates of May 12th, 1998

Ukrainian Heritage

[Lou Sekora, Liberal, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell all members just how proud I am of my Ukrainian heritage. If I speak in an unique way it is something I will wear as a badge of honour. My father, mother, grandmother and grandfather came to Canada in 1891 and settled near Hafford, Saskatchewan.

They were, in fact, the first Ukrainian family to settle in Saskatchewan. My family was among the thousands of immigrants from all over the world who built the west. We owe those pioneers an incredible debt of gratitude.

I am proud to speak with a Ukrainian accent, but at the same time I am shocked at the Reform Party that would be asking me to speak English.

David Levine

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Richelieu, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the appointment of David Levine as chief executive officer of an Ottawa hospital is generating a lot of controversy in Ontario.

The issue is not Mr. Levine's great competence, but the fact that he was a PQ candidate 17 years ago. He is accused of being an old stock separatist. His appointment is perceived as posing a great danger to medical services in English in the Ottawa region.

Week after week, the federalists accuse us of wanting to promote ethnic nationalism. Yet, when a non-francophone Quebecker dares to support our political option, he is publicly condemned by all these great Canadians.

The whole episode involving Mr. Levine clearly shows that those who accuse sovereignists of creating ethnic divisions are in fact the ones who try to maintain such splits.

While we fear for the future of the Montfort hospital, some are now concerned about services in English in Ontario. This takes the cake.

Sports

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, sports are an integral part of Canadian culture. In fact, during the Stanley Cup playoffs hockey becomes the cultural glue unifying Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Canadian players are very competitive, yet when it comes to competing sports teams the Americans tilt the playing field and compete with an unfair advantage. Huge local, state and federal subsidies provide unfair advantages to professional sport teams based in the U.S. and it is time for us to act.

Canadian professional sporting teams have been harmed by unfair American subsidy policies which have reduced the operating costs of United States teams. The NAFTA establishes clear rules to prohibit these unfair practices. The Canadian government should initiate a dispute with the American government under chapter 20 of the NAFTA and seek compensation for the unfair U.S. policies.

On behalf of sports in Canada let us establish a backbone rather than a wishbone. Let us take some action.

Canadian Nurses

[Greg Thompson, Progressive Conservative, Charlotte, NB]

Mr. Speaker, this week Canadians are paying tribute to our Canadian nurses. These dedicated professionals are the backbone of our health care system. With compassion and wisdom they care for us when we cannot care for ourselves.

The Canadian Nurses Association, 110,000 members strong, continues to promote its profession and share its vision for the future of Canadian health care. They are fighters for a health care system that ensures Canadians have the highest standards of health care.

The theme for this week's events is “Nursing is the Key” and marks the 90th anniversary of the association. Today is also Florence Nightingale's birthday and Canada Health Day.

Congratulations to Canadian nurses for a job well done.

A recent poll listed the most appreciated and trusted professions. Guess who topped the list? Yes, that is right, Canada's nurses.

Lucien Bouchard

[Gary Pillitteri, Liberal, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my first impulse in commenting on Premier Bouchard's one person attempt to manipulate history was to shrug and say “What is new?”

On more thought, however, I realized what a horrible insult he had made to Quebeckers.

The rest of Canada may dismiss it as one more of the premier's childish tantrums, but when one recalls the blood and sacrifice of thousands of Quebeckers in World War II one sees how his actions approach sacrilege.

How can he dismiss the record of the Vandoos, the Maisonneuve, the Black Watch and others and their fallen comrades who left their blood, their dreams, their youth on the soil of Europe so that people like Premier Bouchard would have freedom of speech?

How can he forget General and Mrs. Vanier, one of Quebec's, and indeed Canada's, most famous families and their record of service to Canada?

Mr. Bouchard should hang down his head in shame.

Liverpool Regional High School

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the riding of South Shore can claim a first that no other riding in Canada can claim. The first high school in Canada to attain the status of Earth School, having completed 1,000 environmental action projects, is Liverpool Regional High School in Queens County, Nova Scotia.

There are 1,771 green schools in Canada that have completed 100 projects. This is the first goal in the SEEDS Canada program. To qualify as an Earth School the students must complete 1,000 environmental projects.

There are only 94 Earth Schools in Canada and the only one at the high school level is the Liverpool Regional High School.

Congratulations to the students, teachers and staff at the Liverpool Regional High School.

International Nurses Day

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the famous lady with the lamp, is International Nurses Day.

I salute Canada's nurses with pride and respect, particularly my colleagues, the 67,000 nurses of Quebec. I recognize their competency, their professionalism, and above all their people skills. They are called upon to share people's suffering and grief, often in difficult, even painful, circumstances.

Nurses are everywhere, in the hospitals, in the CLSCs, in the schools, in the work place, in big cities and in outlying areas, playing a key role in both prevention and cure. The slogan of the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec is “Consult a nurse”.

That invitation will no doubt be accepted, because a CROP poll conducted in Quebec at the height of the ice storm crisis ranked nurses first among all professionals in terms of trust. You deserve our trust more than ever, and we thank you.

Quebec City Conferences Of 1942 And 1943

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to reports in this morning's newspapers, President Roosevelt was in favour of assimilating French Canadians. We are already familiar with the separatist habit of denouncing everything that is federalist or comes from English Canada.

Out of ignorance, or deliberate omission, they refused to give a statue of a Canadian Prime Minister the place it deserved on the occasion of the celebrations marking the Quebec City meetings of 1942 and 1943.

I trust that the leader of the Bloc Quebecois will acknowledge his former leader has made a mistake and that justice will be done to Prime Minister Mackenzie King.

Canadian Armed Forces

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, over the past several months the standing committee on defence has heard about the atrocious living conditions and the quality of life our military personnel are experiencing. The only real reason for this is that successive governments have overworked and underequipped the members of our forces and have left them grossly underpaid.

At one of these committee meetings Colonel Jim Calvin reported that a fully trained private after three years services, married with two children, has only $49 of disposal income a month.

At the same time we heard the solicitor general brag that our prison system is one of the best in the world, a system which provides inmates with the use of golf courses, big screen TVs, pool tables, et cetera. But most astonishingly, our inmates receive in some cases a monthly salary of $157. This is more than three times what military personnel are forced to get by on.

The bottom line is that our convicts are being given more consideration by our government than our military personnel. How can we ever hope to recruit young people to serve our country, knowing that those in jail are treated better? They have to stand and—

[The Speaker]

Oral questions.

Hepatitis C

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the country's health ministers are meeting in two days to negotiate a solution to help all the hepatitis C victims. Yet this government has still not stated its position.

Canadians know what the government is against. They know that it tried to stonewall Krever. They know that it attacked the premiers. It has even tried to divide and conquer the hepatitis C victims themselves.

What is the government for? What positive position is it taking into these negotiations in two days?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, the provinces have expressed various positions. Some want to hold with the agreement that all governments entered into in March. Some want to reopen that agreement.

It is important for us to determine where the provincial governments are in this matter. We are having this meeting because of changes they made in their positions. It is important for us to know what position the provincial governments are taking.

On the basis of that, I will see on Thursday whether it is possible to develop a new consensus. It may not be possible based on what we are hearing. We will determine whether a new consensus can be forged on Thursday.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the minister went all around the bush but he did not answer the obvious question in the minds of the victims and in the minds of the provinces.

He talked about possible positions on the part of the provinces, but what is the position of the Government of Canada? What positive position on compensating all hepatitis C victims is this minister taking to this conference in two days?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thought I made it very clear. We said there was an agreement by all governments. As a result of the change in position by Ontario and in part by Quebec and perhaps others we should look again at the question and see whether a new consensus can be reached.

We are going to that meeting to determine what the positions are of the various governments. Once that is known it will be clear whether governments can act again in a concerted fashion to deal with this issue. It is in the best interests of all that governments act together and not unilaterally. Let us see what happens on Thursday and what the position of the provinces is.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this minister is running out of excuses.

First he said that every province agreed with him. Now that excuse is gone. Then he said there was no more money available. But then the premiers found a couple hundred million more dollars to put on the table. One by one the minister's excuses for inaction and not having a position are gone.

Is it not true that the only obstacle that is now standing between these victims and a just settlement is an obstinate Minister of Health who is unable to admit that he was wrong?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, on this, as on so many other matters, we disagree profoundly with the Leader of the Opposition.

Last summer, last fall, last winter, even into this year the provincial governments, especially Ontario and Quebec, took the position that they did not want to compensate anybody. It is as a result of the leadership of the Prime Minister and this government that we have the agreement we produced. After that agreement was reached, some provinces changed their positions. It is for that reason that I say let us hear them out. Let us find out what the position of the provincial—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Macleod.

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting the way the government is treating the victims. The victims have said they do not want to be a prior audience to the meeting on Thursday.

Here is what the health minister has said to those victims: “I have proposed that we arrange to meet prior to the federal-provincial-territorial meeting of health ministers”.

Why does the health minister continue to treat these victims just like a photo op?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thought he would be the last person in this House to talk about using victims as photo ops.

Long before this member calculated what political benefit he could derive from exploiting victims, I was meeting with them. Long before this member knew what that ribbon was, I received one. Long before that man understood this issue, I was championing their cause. He ought to keep—

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, I am sure you want to hear the answers and the questions as much as I do.

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, here is what the champion of the victims' cause said to them for the Thursday meeting. It is interesting to note. They know it is in Ottawa. They do not know what building it is in. They do not know what time it is and they do not have the agenda yet.

These people have to make travel plans. They do not have a limousine that will take them there. Why is this minister treating these victims so poorly?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the trouble with the Reform Party and this member is that when they pretend to speak of compassion for the victims, they lack credibility profoundly. They just are not credible.

We supported the resolution put by the New Democratic Party last week because we agreed that ministers should meet with victims and hear their perspective on these issues.

I have written to all provincial and territorial ministers. I have asked them to agree with me to receive victims early in the day before we consider any of these issues so that we can have their perspectives in our mind as we consult.

[The Speaker]

The hon. leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

Poverty

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to the devastating statistics on poverty released by the National Council of Welfare, the Minister of Human Resources Development could find nothing better to say than this, and I quote “Canada no longer has a deficit, so poor families are richer”.

How could the minister make such a ridiculous and insensitive statement with respect to the millions of individuals who are victims of his government's policies?