Debates of May 5th, 1998

Hepatitis C

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberal MPs are looking for ways to spend the unexpected $4 billion surplus, is it not obscene that the Minister of Health wants to add to the provinces' burden, when they are having a hard time maintaining the quality of health care, precisely because of federal cuts?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has already said, every year we transfer $12.5 billion to the provinces, Quebec included, and one of the things this is for is the health care system.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is encouraging to see that the ministers of health will sit down with representatives of the victims of hepatitis C.

It is also encouraging to see that the provinces will contribute to the compensation of all the victims. However, to ensure that all the governments take part, the next move is up to the federal government.

Is the government prepared to assume the lion's share of the compensation of those excluded?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said, we had a very firm agreement with the provinces, which we honoured.

At least one province has decided to break the agreement and so we will have to sit down again to see what sort of consensus we can reach, because, for a health system to work in Canada, the same services must be available to all citizens in all provinces.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the upcoming health ministers' meetings with hepatitis C victims will only be a success if the federal government is prepared to put more money on the table. Otherwise we will have two classes of victims and an unacceptable Balkanization of compensation, as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health admitted earlier today in debate.

Is the Prime Minister now prepared to put new cash on the table to extend fair compensation to all victims of hepatitis C?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we will stick with the provinces. The leader of the Reform Party introduced a notion of responsibility when he talked about negligence. Did negligence start in 1986 or in 1981? What about the victims before that? That would be a third category.

It is very important for the ministers to meet as soon as possible. I think there will be a meeting next week to look at all aspects. In order to have a good system in Canada we have to work to find a consensus between the provincial governments and the federal government. It is exactly what happened with the accord we have—

[Greg Thompson, Progressive Conservative, Charlotte, NB]

Mr. Speaker, given the outrageous and extreme positions taken by the health minister— and I guess we know what those are—unless he is willing to swallow himself whole, what moral and intellectual leadership can the minister possibly bring to the table when he convenes with the health ministers from across this country to re-examine the hepatitis C issue?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the best way of responding to that kind of question is to remind the member and the opposition parties that had it not been for this government, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, there would not be a single victim with compensation of any kind.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health said yesterday in an interview, and I quote “We must now consider what is in the public interest”. I wonder whose interest he was considering last week. We do appreciate, however, that he is prepared to take part in a special meeting with the provinces.

A number of provinces have in fact promised to ensure that the compensation program is open to all victims of hepatitis C.

Could the minister in turn confirm that he will be attending the meeting with the commitment of the federal government to settle once and for all the fate of all the victims?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I intend to meet my counterparts to discover if the various governments can reach a consensus. We had one.

Yesterday, Ontario shifted. It changed position. It is now vital that the governments look for a new consensus, which is the aim of the upcoming meeting.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for a solid month now this health minister has dismissed the claims of hep C victims as trivial.

It became clear that ordinary Canadians from coast to coast were not buying the government's excuses and the provincial governments right now are reconsidering. They are very concerned about it.

I ask the Prime Minister today, is this file closed or not?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have made a deal with the provincial governments. Last Friday they all said they were sticking to the deal.

All the ministers were on the phone with the minister of health of Saskatchewan. After that, through a press release, the minister from Ontario said she was not speaking on behalf of the province because the premier of Ontario pulled the rug from under her. That is one provincial government that decided it would not respect the deal. That is why we are calling another meeting to develop a new consensus.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the provincial government in Ontario offered a couple hundred million dollars. I think that is pretty substantial.

The health minister has said that abandoning victims was the right thing to do. He felt that for a solid month. He put every single obstacle imaginable in front of these victims. As recently as last night the health minister said “the file was closed, honest to God” it was closed. He closed his mind, he closed his heart and the victims know it. They do not trust him.

Will the Prime Minister today close the file on this health minister once and for all?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, they can ask questions today because it was our Minister of Health who advocated finding a solution. The minister of health for Ontario did not want to do anything. Reform wants to cut all social programs but they are bleeding hearts on this one. Only 10% of Canadians think the Reform Party members are doing this because they are compassionate but 75% of Canadians think they are doing it for politics only.

Millennium Bug

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board.

The Treasury Board recently published the Braiter-Westcott report on the conditions to be met in order to deal with the so-called millennium bug. According to senior officials, there will have to be a considerable reduction in legislative and regulatory initiatives between now and the year 2000 if readiness is to be achieved.

Are we to understand that, according to this report, the government should go into neutral so it can deal with the millennium bug and that there will be no more major legislation between now and the year 2000?

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

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague mentions an important problem, and we have given thought to how the government can most thoroughly ensure that the millennium bug will be properly dealt with.

We have warned departments to be careful not to add new electronic systems relying on year 2000 information so as to ensure that the system is not overloaded.

This is just a precaution so that we can ensure that the millennium bug has been properly dealt with.

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Mercier.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the report says, however, and I quote “[Contemplated] legislative, regulatory or administrative changes should be examined for their impact on solving the Year 2000 problem prior to proceeding”.

Will the minister level with us and admit that government priorities between now and the turn of the century will be driven not by poverty, unemployment or health, but by the millennium bug, if the government wants to be ready in time?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is normal for a government to have to face a great variety of difficulties. One of these difficulties, and there is no denying its magnitude, is the millennium bug.

The Treasury Board is ensuring that too onerous a burden of administrative pre-requirements is not being introduced, because it is important that we deal with the millennium bug. There is no doubt that our legislative agenda will continue to include the government's priorities.

Hepatitis C

[Reed Elley, Reform, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would really like to know to whom the Prime Minister has been talking. I do not think it has been hepatitis C victims. The Prime Minister has not been clear. Either he is for full compensation or he is not. Either he will commit funding or he will not. Enough excuses. Enough hiding from the victims. Enough insulting the provinces. What exactly does the Prime Minister believe in today?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should have prepared his question on the day of this question period rather than the day before. At this moment everybody knows that the Minister of Health has asked to meet with all the ministers of health of Canada next week. In terms of money, we have put $800 million on the table while the provincial governments have put only $300 million on the table.

[Reed Elley, Reform, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister seems able to spend money on polls to tell us the truth but he does not seem to want to tell us what money he has for victims. Is this file open to compensation for all hep C victims or not?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

The member should consult with his own leader. His leader wants to pay them when there was negligence so we will have to find out when the negligence started.

Assistance To Ice Storm Victims

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have learned that there are no more funds in the federal program to assist maple syrup producers restore their operations following the ice storm. This will force the closure of a number of work sites and the layoff of 300 workers.

However, three weeks ago, the Minister of Human Resources Development announced an additional $5 million to help victims, which we have yet to see.

Will the Minister of Human Resources Development confirm this information and tell us where he put the extra $5 million, whose whereabouts remain a secret?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot for giving me another opportunity to tell this House how quickly we acted in response to the ice storm.

By January 20, we had announced $40 million in addition to employment insurance and an extra $5 million. The other $5 million was used to set up regular teams across the area affected in Quebec, while $5 million was used to buy equipment so others could do their job properly. And we have heard nothing but favourable comments from the people of Saint-Hyacinthe.