Debates of May 4th, 1998

Calgary Declaration

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I did not go into politics to sell the idea of distinct society; I went into politics to help my fellow Canadians keep their country together.

Canada in its present form, without constitutional changes, and with the forces of change seen in this country, is infinitely preferable to the Bloc Quebecois' separatist approach. The Constitution can, however, be improved. This will be done in stages, after serious debate.

I would ask my colleague, however, if he finds fault with any one of the principles in the Calgary declaration?

The Senate

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, an Environics poll taken in Alberta this year indicated that 91% of Albertans would prefer to elect their next senator as opposed to having a senator appointed through the patronage system. Ninety-one per cent of Albertans means that people of all political stripes want an elected senator.

Premier Klein has called a Senate election for this fall. Will the Prime Minister and the government appoint these elected senators, or do they hold Alberta voters in too much contempt?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have the greatest regard for the views of Albertans. I might make an exception for the guy who asked the question.

Were Albertans asked whether they wanted to elect senators for life without any recourse if they were not happy with what they were doing? That is the weakness of the position asserted by my hon. friend. With the election of people who were then appointed, they would be there until age 75 no matter what they did or did not do. That is not democracy.

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on lectures on democracy from a government that just ran roughshod over its own backbenches, if the government is unwilling to respect the wishes of its own members, how will it respect the wishes of millions of Alberta voters?

They will go to those ballots on October 19. Hundreds of thousands of Alberta voters will choose their next senator. Will the government appoint those elected senators or will it not?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has not answered my question. Why does he want to elect people for life? That is not democracy. I notice there is no resolution in the Alberta legislature calling for an amendment to the Constitution.

The only way to reform the Senate in a meaningful way is to amend the Constitution. Until that happens the Prime Minister is obliged to live by the Constitution. That is what he will do and that is the right thing to do.

Atlantic Groundfish Strategy

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

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

We have learned that the federal government is preparing to buy back fishing licenses from some of the fishers currently benefiting from the Atlantic groundfish strategy.

Since there are many people who will not qualify for this new buyback program, what does the minister intend to do exactly to support the others benefiting from this program—fishers or fishery workers—who will soon be faced with nothing?

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

Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Atlantic groundfish strategy will come to an end this August.

A number of my colleagues and I are working very hard at the moment consulting communities and individuals and collaborating with the provinces to be sure that we will deal with the post TAGS situation in the most appropriate way possible in order to help communities and individuals, since the fish will not be returning to the waters of the Atlantic as we had hoped.

Nuclear Waste

[Lynn Myers, Liberal, Waterloo—Wellington, ON]

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

A Canadian environmental assessment agency panel recently decided against allowing enormous vaults inside the granite of the Canadian Shield as the best and safest method of disposing of nuclear waste.

In light of this decision, what does the government plan to do to dispose of nuclear waste in Canada?

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the storage of nuclear wastes is currently done in a very efficient and very responsible manner. The Government of Canada is always interested in making sure that we have a long term solution, one that is appropriately put.

The Seaborn panel investigated deep geological disposal of nuclear waste. The panel came back with the conclusion that while technically feasible and while environmentally feasible there were concerns from a sociological perspective. People felt that this was not the right method.

We will continue to work with stakeholders to provide suitable solutions.

The Senate

[Randy White, Reform, Langley—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Alberta is not the only province where the vast majority of voters want the right to elect their senators.

In a major opinion poll conducted recently Marketrend Research found that 84% of British Columbians demanded the right to elect their senators.

We know the Prime Minister thinks he is smarter than his average backbench MPs. That is why he did not let them vote freely on the hepatitis C issue. Does he really think he is smarter than the B.C. voter when it comes to selecting their own senators?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know if in answering that poll question the respondents in B.C. knew that if they followed the Reform proposal the senators would be elected for life and they would never have a chance to unelect them?

It seems to me that the best way to deal with this matter is through constitutional amendment. So far I have not noticed any province putting forth an amendment by way of resolution in its legislature to call for a fully elected Senate. Until that happens, the Prime Minister has no alternative but to follow the Constitution, which he is doing.

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

Mr. Speaker, Western Opinion Research just conducted a huge poll in Manitoba. Eighty-six per cent of Manitobans want their senators elected. Only seven per cent said “let the Prime Minister appoint them”.

We know how the Prime Minister treats his backbench MPs like sheep who cannot think for themselves. He whipped them so hard on the hepatitis C vote that some of them cried while they were voting.

Is this how the Prime Minister plans to treat 86% of Manitobans on Senate elections?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, did the 86% of Manitobans who answered the poll realize that the Reform proposal was that people be elected for life to age 75 and that they be allowed to stay there no matter how they did their jobs?

I am sure that Manitobans, like the others who answered the poll, thought that the election, if there was one, would be for a limited fixed term so that they would have a chance to unelect the people who were originally brought to the other place by election.

Until that happens, that is to say until the Constitution is amended, then the Prime Minister has no alternative but to follow the Constitution.

Hepatitis C

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

Mr. Speaker, we appreciate the first sign of openness that the government has shown today on the matter of compensation for hepatitis C victims, but we also know we have to act quickly to end the confusion.

Although I know I cannot refer to documents, the fact is that the premier of Ontario did issue a press release indicating precisely that this government was prepared to enter into discussions regarding compensation for all hepatitis C victims.

Given this situation, will the minister give assurances to the House today that he will call a meeting of health ministers and announce—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Health.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, once again I acknowledge the constructive approach of the hon. member and I thank her for it.

I will be speaking again with Minister Serby from Saskatchewan, who is the chair this year of the provincial ministers. The ministers will no doubt have their own responses to this development in Ontario.

If it would be helpful, I am certain that the ministers will be prepared to meet and discuss this matter.

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

Mr. Speaker, we in the House all want to do the right thing on this issue. We know we have to end the confusion in the country. We have to end the confusion in the House. We have to end the confusion for blood injured Canadians.

Given that the minister has said he will look into this matter and given the fact that we have the facts before us, will he announce today that a meeting of the health ministers will take place in the very near future?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I think out of respect for the ministers I should communicate with them directly and I intend to do that.

I will have a response for the member at the earliest possible date in connection with the prospect of a meeting of all ministers on this subject.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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

Mr. Speaker, last week the President of the Treasury Board stated that he did not see any problem with what his employee, Jacques Roy, was doing since the information he gave up for legal fundraising was actually public information.

Will the minister stand in his place today and tell the House that applications for funds for federal departments are public information prior to their governmental approval?

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

Mr. Speaker, that information has been given totally, every fact, to the RCMP.

It has made an investigation. It has concluded the investigation. There is no new fact here. There is nothing more to add.

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

Mr. Speaker, I think there is more to add.

Canadians need to know that private information given to the government is not being used for a Liberal Party graft.

Last week it was confirmed in a Montreal courtroom that Jacques Roy, special assistant to the President of the Treasury Board, turned over government information to a convicted extortionist, Pierre Corbeil.

My question to the minister is, what disciplinary action has been taken for his employee, or does he condone this activity by his employee?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a minister of this government that has asked the RCMP to make an investigation. All the facts were in front of it. It made its investigation. It has concluded the investigation. It has gone in front of a judge. There are no new facts. This investigation has been done.

Once again, the RCMP knew all the facts involved. There are no new facts. There is nothing more to add.

Rural Canada

[Susan Whelan, Liberal, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Essex I have many rural constituents whose economic interests and needs are different from those in large urban centres.

How is the minister responsible for rural affairs determining what rural Canadians want and need from their government?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, building on the Canadian rural partnership that this government has initiated with rural Canadians we will be conducting a number of rural dialogues coast to coast in rural communities across this country, giving rural Canadians yet another opportunity to have discussions about partnerships with the federal government on how we can serve them and what they need from the federal government.

I am looking forward to the results of those rural dialogues to build an even stronger rural Canada.

Gun Control

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were told by the justice minister and her government that gun registration would help control the black market in firearms and reduce gun smuggling in Canada. Now the minister's own bureaucrats are saying that her gun registration scheme will have the opposite effect and increase black market trade in firearms.

What is the minister going to do now that she knows the legislation will have the opposite effect of its intention?