Debates of May 15th, 1998

Immigration

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is what is needed, more complete answers.

Does the minister intend to take steps to end this discrimination, which limits opportunities for Canadian baseball players to play professionally, as soon as possible?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I must thank the hon. member for taking a pan-Canadian political position instead of a separatist one.

Hepatitis C

[John Reynolds, Reform, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

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

He tells us that the meeting went fine yesterday and that everything is moving ahead. We were not there so we have to take his word for it.

Let us listen to what the minister for Ontario says. The Ontario health minister says:

The lack of proposals from Ottawa will frustrate victims and disappoint Canadians.

We came looking for actions and asking the federal government to provide financial assistance to those who were infected with hepatitis C prior to 1986 and we did not get any response.

Will the minister stop attacking the member for Macleod who has brought this issue to Canadians and to where it is today and tell Canadians what their—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Health.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, if it were not for the government a year ago putting this item on the agenda and if it were not for the government persuading provincial governments to take the issue seriously, there would be no discussion of hepatitis C compensation and no offer to the 22,000 victims between 1986 and 1990.

Coming to the member's question I can report from yesterday's meeting another development. The governments of the country deplored the kind of unilateral action taken by Ontario. When the minister from Ontario goes to the microphone to condemn the Government of Canada she is asking—

[The Deputy Speaker]

On a supplementary question, the member for Edmonton—Strathcona.

[Rahim Jaffer, Reform, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this working group is a step backward, not a step forward. It will not be working on ways and criteria for compensating all hepatitis C victims like Krever recommended. Its mandate is to determine whether or not there can be compensation. What a joke.

Why is the minister putting the so-called working group ahead of the royal commission report? Why will he not compensate all hepatitis C victims instead of coming up with more excuses?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member should know that Jeremy Beaty of the Hepatitis C Society has said that he and his group are prepared to work with the working group examining the options. So have other representatives of affected groups.

The options that the working group will examine are options that will enable governments to act together to deal with the interest of all those who got hepatitis C through the blood system. That is the purpose. Those options are constructive and they will all be examined.

Varennes Tokamak Project

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of the Environment.

Two weeks ago, in response to my question concerning the Tokamak project in Varennes, the Minister of Natural Resources said it was unlikely that any results in the short term, say within five or ten years, could help further issues like climate change.

Does the minister recognize that the impact of climate change will be extremely long lasting and that a sound vision for the future in this respect depends on research and development of renewable energy of the type that was being conducted at Tokamak in Varennes?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, this department and this government are very concerned about environmental issues.

As a department we are very engaged in research. Science is the basis of the department. We are working collaboratively with provinces across the country to make sure that we focus on major priority issues.

The Environment

[Charles Caccia, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is also for the Minister of the Environment.

In view of the latest proposal in Newfoundland to export water, and considering the important non-commercial role water plays within its natural watershed in the maintenance of a healthy ecosystem, could the Minister of the Environment indicate whether she plans to introduce legislation this fall banning water exports?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned as Minister of the Environment for the security of our freshwater resources.

My department is reviewing our freshwater policy which has been in place since 1987. As part of our review I am meeting with provinces this summer to set our priorities with them.

At the moment we do not have legislation which specifically legislates against the export of freshwater, but one of our priorities could be to put such legislation in place.

Hepatitis C

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

Mr. Speaker, all victims who contracted HIV tainted blood prior to 1986 were compensated.

Could the minister explain why hepatitis C victims who contracted their disease by the same tainted blood during the same period of time will not be compensated?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we have had this exchange before in the House. The government of the day which offered compensation to those infected with HIV acknowledged that there was something that could have been done and should have done during that period but was not done. It accepted responsibility for that.

I want the member to recall that all governments will be participating in the working group which over the next several weeks will look for ways we can act together to accommodate the interest of all those who contracted HCV through the blood system.

[Howard Hilstrom, Reform, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, for weeks now we have heard from the Liberal backbenches that there was hope the file was open.

The member for St. Paul's, the member for Sarnia—Lambton and the member for Gatineau all made promises of compensation. Yet the government delivered nothing.

Is the Deputy Prime Minister proud of the fact that he killed both the hopes of the victims and the integrity of his backbenchers?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we would not be having this exchange in question period at all if the federal government had not shown leadership, brought the provinces to the table and put $800 million on the table. That is why we are having this discussion.

Now that two of the provinces broke the original consensus, as the Minister of Health has said, we have gone back to talk with them to try to develop a new consensus. That is why this working group is taking place. If Reform is sincere and serious it should be supporting this working group process instead of attacking it.

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday B.C.'s minister of health said that the federal government knows it will have to move in some direction, but we just do not know what direction.

The federal government seems to be the only government which came to the table yesterday without any position at all.

How can a consensus be developed when we do not know the views of all the players? How could the Minister of Health in all conscience have gone to the table yesterday with no money and nothing to say?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday there were a number of views expressed around the table. There was also a clear awareness first of all that governments should try to find a way acting together to accommodate the interests of those who got hep C through the blood system.

Second, there was no consensus yesterday and there cannot be one until the options are fully understood, their implications investigated and we have the facts before ministers. That is what Canadians would want us to do, take a responsible position, not simply act unilaterally, to find a truly lasting solution.

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

Mr. Speaker, the matter of hepatitis C has been before the House and the Canadian public daily for six weeks.

The Canadian consensus is clear, fair compensation for all. What other options are left for the minister to consider?

Yesterday the minister did a great disservice to blood injured Canadians by not bringing a position to the table.

Today could the minister tell all Canadians what is the position of the federal government? Is there new money on the table for compensation, yes or no? Does the government support the principle of fair compensation for all hepatitis C victims, yes or no?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada as an objective has a consensus position among governments that will deal with the interests of those who got hep C through the blood system.

Yesterday we identified a variety of options, put them before a working group to come back to ministers with the facts and the implications so that ministers can recommend to their governments a co-ordinated approach. That is what Canadians would want responsible governments and ministers to do.

Job Creation

[Mark Muise, Progressive Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, a major Liberal promise of the 1993 election campaign was job creation.

We have all heard those promises of jobs, jobs, job. However, according to the 1996 census there are over 2,500 fewer jobs in my constituency of West Nova than there were in 1991.

When is the government going to live up to its promise of job creation and by what means will it going to encourage industry to invest in our small rural communities?

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

Mr. Speaker, jobs have been the preoccupation of the government.

This is why since we took office there have been over 1 million new jobs created, 450,000 in the last year alone. Unemployment has gone from 11.4% down to 8.4%. We have the highest job creation growth in the G-7. We have the highest economic growth rate in the G-7. Interest rates across the board are now lower than American rates.

[Mark Muise, Progressive Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the hon. member that there are provinces other than Ontario.

With the serious downturn in the fishery and with the agricultural sector struggling to overcome numerous obstacles including last year's devastating drought West Nova residents are very concerned about the kind of future they will be able to offer their children.

The 1996 census report recorded a decline of over 2,600 people in West Nova since 1991. Our children, our future, are leaving our rural areas in droves.

Can the Minister of Human Resources tell us what specific programs he is looking at to assist our young people to stay in our rural communities?

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

Mr. Speaker, the future of Canada's young people is the future of all of us.

This is why we have allocated so much in tax cuts and new funding to ensure that young Canadians are the best trained and the best educated in the world.

We have been able to do this in spite of incredible budget difficulties.

We have been able to do this at a time when we have balanced our budget, the first in the G-7, when we are now paying down our debt without ripping the guts out of our social programs.

Met Life

[Marlene Catterall, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

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

The proposed purchase of Met Life, an Ottawa institution, by Mutual Life has already led to layoff notices for hundreds of people and will lead to hundreds of more people losing their jobs within the next year.

The severance packages offered to these unfortunate people are far less generous than the average that have been ordered by the courts, well at the bottom range and even less for lower income workers.

What will the government do to make sure that these hundreds of people—