Debates of Oct. 13th, 1999

Peacekeeping

[Sarkis Assadourian, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Co-operation. She is a brand new minister and I congratulate her.

Will the minister inform the House of Canada's response to a call for humanitarian assistance as we commit resources and expertise to the UN peacekeeping efforts in East Timor?

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, I must say that as soon as the East Timorese situation broke Canada offered $420,000 immediately. We were the first country on the ground with CARE Canada to provide assistance to the East Timorese who were being held in West Timor. It was rather risky but we did that.

In addition we had $300,000 from the Canada fund on the ground which was redirected. We also had $300,000 from another program which was redirected, for a little over $1 million.

We are monitoring the situation and in a few days I will be in a position to announce in the House some additional assistance as the situation in East Timor becomes such that we can go in and actually do our job in there as well.

Agriculture

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

Mr. Speaker, today the Prime Minister verbally proved he does not understand the farm income crisis, let alone able to devise a solution. Let us try the agriculture minister.

There is a 98% drop in realized net income and not a whisper of concern in yesterday's throne speech. There was no any mention of children going hungry or parents wondering if they could stay on the farm. Farmers never knew how far away Ottawa was until yesterday.

My question is for the minister of agriculture. Why is the plight of thousands of farm families not a priority for the agriculture minister and the government?

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

Mr. Speaker, I remind the opposition and all Canadians that even prior to last year's budget in February the government announced $900 million and, along with the provincial contribution, $1.5 billion to assist producers who are under stress and need that help across Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government cannot in good conscience allow farmers to head into winter with no hope. The government likes to throw around compassionate sounding buzzwords such as the children's agenda. There are thousands and thousands of farm children whose parents are trying desperately to make ends meet. Real children need real help and the government is turning its back.

If the agriculture minister and government are truly interested in helping children, what do they plan to do for them to get them through this winter?

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

Mr. Speaker, I remind Canadian farmers again that they are very fortunate the Reform Party did not form the government, the party that was going to cut $600 million in support to the agriculture industry in Canada, mostly at the primary production level.

We have a safety net program in place. We are working with it. We have made changes to it. We are not done making changes to it. We will continue to do all we can to find all the resources we can in co-operation with the provinces and the industry to assist all those that we can assist.

Airline Industry

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that the Onex takeover of Air Canada is strictly a private sector issue. The Minister of Transport has said that there might be some public interest at stake.

Has the Liberal government made up its mind? Will it listen to Canadians or let only shareholders decide the fate of our Canadian airline industry?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, we have chosen a market driven solution as the option for us to follow at this stage. It is up to the parties in the private sector to determine any arrangements in reorganizing the companies.

Once the private sector determines that, and once a conditional offer comes to the government, the government will be fully engaged in making sure that the five principles I enunciated a couple of weeks ago are adhered to and that the protection for Canadians on prices and other issues in the public interest is rigorously adhered to.

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's market driven solution and his five principles just will not cut it.

Canadians were promised a healthy competition within the airline industry when it was deregulated. Instead we have seen fewer flights, wages driven down, jobs threatened, reduced service, more American influence and less Canadian influence, and now a weakened major airline.

Will the government now admit that its policy on deregulation has been an utter failure?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, to make the assertion the hon. member does about deregulation is a very facile way to approach the debate.

Deregulation had many successes but there is no question that severe problems have occurred in the last few years especially with one company, Canadian Airlines. Those issues have to be addressed and addressed in a way that protects the public interest to ensure that as we go into the next century we have a very viable air industry.

Fisheries

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

Mr. Speaker, if conservation of lobster stocks is of primary importance, will the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans insist that native fishers abide by the same seasons as non-native fishers?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I assure the member and the House that conservation is a priority. We shall ensure that we protect the resource.

However we do have a judgment of the supreme court. I took great honour in recognizing that treaty right and will ensure that we live in the spirit of the judgment.

We need to focus on the long term and make sure that we bring everybody around the table to work on a long term arrangement to fulfil and ensure that the Mi'kmaq and the Maliseet can exercise their treaty rights.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have another question for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

In the short term the lobster fishery is regulated by licences, trap limits, size restrictions, seasons and lobster fishing areas. Regulations ensure conservation and conservation ensures a viable fishery.

How could the minister allow any fishery not to based on conservation? Will the minister answer that question?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, all fisheries are based on conservation. There is no fishery that is not based on conservation.

As I said in my statement last week, if there is a fishery it will be a regulated fishery. I assure the hon. member that the fisheries out there now are regulated. We are enforcing conservation practice and conservation rules.

National Defence

[George Proud, Liberal, Hillsborough, PE]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.

In light of its embarrassing performance and inability to get to East Timor in time, could the minister tell the House when the government will replace the old and unreliable Hercules aircraft?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that one aircraft took a number of attempts to get off to the mission in East Timor. I must say that it was the high maintenance standards of our crew that ensured that the safety of our personnel was of paramount importance.

When the plane was fixed it did get off. It was one of the earliest to arrive in East Timor and it has provided terrific service to the allied troops that are there.

In addition, it is going through an upgrade. The avionics and navigation systems are going through an upgrade in the last couple of years and over the next couple of years so that they will continue to provide excellent service.

Immigration

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, people smuggling is rampant in Canada. Boatloads of human cargo land on our shores. Our airports are increasingly becoming sieves for illegal migrants and the government does not even care enough to prosecute the captains involved in people smuggling.

Canadians, especially new immigrants, have called on the government to make this issue a priority, yet there is no mention of it whatsoever in the throne speech.

Why is the smuggling of human cargo, the enslavement of thousands of people and the infiltration of organized crime not important to the government?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the throne speech identified that people smuggling as a great concern to the government. We will not tolerate trafficking in human lives.

The concerns we have when it comes human smuggling is that not only does it endanger the lives of the people who are in the hands of transnational organized crime but it diverts our attention from genuine refugees.

Nine people have been charged and they are presently before the courts. We have the toughest laws and we are looking at making them even tougher to ensure that smugglers know they will not succeed in Canada.

Organized Crime

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in light of the threats made by organized crime against Quebec farmers, their families, and even my colleague, the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, regarding the illegal growing of marijuana, would the Minister of Justice not have been better advised to table effective legislation in the House in order to finally do something about organized crime, instead of drafting legislation that Quebec does not want, legislation that would brand young offenders for life?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that organized crime does exist. That is why fighting organized crime is the number one law enforcement priority of the government.

I assure my hon. colleague that the RCMP has supported the SQ in fighting organized crime in Quebec against the farmers.

Fisheries

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in light of the Marshall decision the severe lack of leadership has caused a devastating effect among the lobster fishermen in my home province of Nova Scotia.

Let us note the date. Tomorrow area 35 of the Bay of Fundy opens up to commercial fishery and Bay of Fundy inshore fishermen and the aboriginal people are working together toward a co-operative solution. Unfortunately they are doing it on their own.

Will the minister commit the necessary resources to help the Bay of Fundy inshore fishermen reach a co-operative settlement with aboriginal people for the future of the lobster fishery?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, in fact I went to Moncton and met with the commercial people. I also spent a whole day with the aboriginal people.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

I would ask hon. members to try to contain their exuberance.

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Vancouver South—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party which makes the most noise spends the least amount of time with the aboriginal community hearing about aboriginal concerns.

I went to Atlantic Canada and in fact encouraged dialogue and discussion. I was very happy to see that in Nova Scotia native and non-native fishing communities working together. We have said that we needed community based solutions and we have been there encouraging that.

I am very happy. I think we should applaud what is happening there. This is the way to resolve the problem. We have been working on a long term solution to get all the groups together to have a long term arrangement.