Debates of May 8th, 1998

Bobby Curtola

[Rahim Jaffer, Reform, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I was not born when Bobby Curtola was at the peak of his fame, but I am no less proud of him as a Canadian and a fellow Edmontonian.

Yesterday Bobby received the Order of Canada and I know that Canadians from all walks of life will join me in congratulating him not just for the award but for a lifetime of achievement.

Bobby was one of Canada's first international pop music stars, a pioneer in demonstrating that Canada is blessed with an abundance of talent.

Long before the Beatles drew throngs of screaming teens to their shows Bobby was out there on the road doing the same. Most important, Bobby Curtola proved that you can be both a superstar and a nice guy. That is what his fans will say today. Super stardom never went to Bobby's head. He was, is and will remain the sort of man we are proud to call a friend and a fellow Canadian.

Congratulations on behalf of all Canadians and Edmontonians to Bobby Curtola.

Restigouche River Rats Hockey Club

[Jean Dubé, Progressive Conservative, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate all members and volunteers of the Restigouche River Rats hockey club.

Last season they finished in last place as an expansion team. However, this year they won the maritime junior A hockey championship.

Unfortunately this past weekend they lost the Fred Page cup in the championship game bringing their season to an end. They finished as the number 2 team out of 37 from Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

I say with great pride they are number one in the hearts of hockey fans in Madawaska—Restigouche. My hat is off to a job well done.

Polyvalente Sainte-Thérèse

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Saint-Eustache—Sainte-Thérèse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome a group of students from my riding of Saint-Eustache—Sainte-Thérèse.

Welcome, my friends from École polyvalente Sainte-Thérèse.

Hepatitis C

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, newspapers across the country are publishing government documents that show clearly that from the seventies and the eighties the Liberal government knew and did not act on the tainted blood issue. It had information that could have prevented this tragedy.

Is the real reason this government will not go back and compensate before 1986 because the Prime Minister was a member of the cabinet that could have prevented this tragedy?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the documents referred to in this morning's reports were all in the hands of Mr. Justice Krever. He took them into account when he prepared his report in three full volumes.

A reading of that report makes it clear from the chronology that it was really 1986 when those responsible should have and could have acted to put tests in place to verify the presence of these contaminants in the blood supply.

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the documents are a real potent reminder of what exactly this government did.

The regulators ignored reports in the New England Journal of Medicine , a prestigious medical journal. They also ignored what other countries were doing. They grossly underestimated the numbers of people infected.

This Liberal government shirked its responsibility in those days. Why is it shirking that responsibility today?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Justice Krever said that compensation for hepatitis C victims should come from the provinces. He made no reference to support coming from the federal government.

In spite of that, this government through the Minister of Health took the lead in bringing the provinces to the table to work out a compensation plan and put $800 million on the table, with the provinces coming up with only $300 million.

This shows our concern. This shows our sense of commitment.

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the file is still open and I think the noose is tightening.

The truth of the matter is the government in the seventies and eighties had access to that information. When Judge Krever asked for the documents to show what the cabinet said about this, what did it do? It closed the file. It would not let anybody see it.

Is not the reason that those files were closed is that the Liberal government cares more about its own than about victims?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, he is misstating completely. I reject this premise with respect to the position of this or previous governments and the position of the Krever commission.

All this material was made available quite freely and openly to the Krever commission. Mr. Justice Krever took it fully into account. He commented on it to the extent he considered necessary and he said compensation should be paid to all victims and it should come from the provinces. In spite of this we have exercised our concern. We have expressed our concern through bringing the provinces to the table and offering $800 million.

The hon. member should stick to the facts and not talk the way he has been talking.

[Jim Hart, Reform, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is a senior partner in this issue and the Deputy Prime Minister knows better. The facts are clear. The federal regulators knew the blood system was contaminated prior to 1986.

The federal regulators knew that surrogate testing was available. The federal Liberal government of the day chose not to implement that testing. As a result thousands of Canadians were infected with tainted blood and have hepatitis C.

When is the government going to do the compassionate thing, the right thing, and compensate all victims?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member overlooks the fact that all the documents referred to in the report this morning were in the hands of Mr. Justice Krever when he examined the history and came to his conclusions.

It is clear from his report, it is clear from a reading of his chronology, that it was in 1986 when those responsible could and should have acted and put tests in place.

Let me emphasize the point made by the Deputy Prime Minister. Even after his lengthy years long study and his three volume exhaustive report, Mr. Justice Krever recommended compensation be paid by the provinces. Notwithstanding that, this government showed leadership by arranging for compensation—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. member for Okanagan—Coquihalla.

[Jim Hart, Reform, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is responsible because it was the federal regulators who made the error.

For a solid month now we have been hearing the government denying its liability. In fact, it has been blaming other governments. The Liberals have no problem fingering a government when they were not in power. The fact is this scandal goes back to the Trudeau Liberals. Why does this government insist on protecting its own political butts instead of protecting Canadians through a healthy blood system? Compensate all victims.

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, a week ago in the House the hon. member's party was urging us to accept the Krever report. If that is the case why does it not continue with that position and accept that Mr. Justice Krever called for compensation of all victims but he said it should be done by the provincial governments? He did not find the fault that the Reform Party is inaccurately and unworthily trying to attribute to previous Liberal governments.

Millennium Scholarships

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the education coalition has now been joined by the three largest employer organizations in Quebec, the Chambre de commerce du Québec, the Conseil du patronat du Québec, and the Association des manufacturiers et des exportateurs du Québec, in its opposition to the millennium scholarships.

These groups are demanding that Ottawa show the top priority it attaches to an agreement by postponing passage of its bill, in order to finalize the negotiations under way and, if necessary, amend the bill accordingly. The consensus is clear.

So that negotiations have the best possible chance of succeeding, is the minister prepared to suspend consideration of the bill—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. Deputy Prime Minister.

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are seeking an agreement, but we are not prepared to negotiate in public.

The hon. member must await the results of our efforts to negotiate in good faith and not try to turn this important issue into a battleground.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, will the Prime Minister finally realize that he is running directly counter to the Quebec consensus against the millennium scholarships? And when will he get out of the education sector?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have no intention of interfering in a provincial area of jurisdiction. We have the right to enter into direct contact with young Quebeckers, just as we do with young Canadians anywhere else in the country.

We are trying to arrive at an agreement to co-operate with the provincial government, and our negotiations are continuing.

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

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is in such a hurry to create a place in history with its millennium scholarships that it is shamelessly fiddling about with its financial statements and including an expenditure of $2.5 billion in 1997-98, when the foundation does not yet exist and no scholarships will be given out until 2000.

How many times will the auditor general have to rap the knuckles of the Minister of Finance before he understands he has to stop his financial juggling, which discredits the government's financial statements?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are prepared to take the auditor general's opinion into account. We do not share his viewpoint and are prepared to continue negotiations with the Province of Quebec.

I wonder why the Bloc Quebecois in the House is opposing the interests of young Quebeckers, who need scholarships to continue their education.

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

Mr. Speaker, if ordinary citizens behaved like the Minister of Finance, they would have Revenue Canada after them and would be considered tax evaders.

Why is the government not setting the example by complying with the objective accounting rules of the public sector, as the auditor general has been asking for the past three years?

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the government has made it clear from the outset that when we take a policy decision that involves taxpayer money we will book the money right away. Gone are the days when the government would rack up billions of dollars in promises and leave the bill to be picked up sometime later.

The auditor general clearly disagrees with us. However, we believe our approach is one that Canadians will support because it is the most honest, transparent and accountable one.

Hepatitis C

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last week in the House the Prime Minister told Joey Hache that if he wants full compensation for hepatitis C victims he should go see the Ontario premier, go knock on someone else's door.

Joey Hache did go to see the Ontario premier and the premier put provincial money on the table. Quebec and British Columbia have indicated they are prepared to do the same.

When will the Prime Minister tell Joey Hache that the federal government is ready to end its silence and bring more money to the table?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I have already announced my preparedness to meet with ministers of health from across the country. In fact, we are arranging that meeting for next week.

We will work toward developing a new consensus among governments. I am waiting to see what the position is of various other provinces. Some of them have not clearly stated their position. Those that have been stated are really very different. So it may be difficult to reach a consensus.

However, that is the purpose of the meeting and I will be at the table with that objective in mind.