Debates of Oct. 15th, 1999

Wade Maclaughlan

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate a fellow islander, Mr. Wade MacLaughlan, on his recent appointment as the President of the University of Prince Edward Island.

Mr. MacLaughlan was installed as the fifth president and vice chancellor of UPEI on October 3. He was chosen from among the country's leading academics for, among other things, his solid record in university administration with the University of New Brunswick.

Mr. MacLaughlan holds several degrees, including a Master of Law from Yale University. His passionate commitment to the island, outstanding experience in university administration and wealth of connections to the community will help strengthen UPEI.

In Mr. MacLaughlan's address he called on governments to reinvest more generously in the university and expressed his heartfelt desire to reverse the brain drain. He said: “We have to be leaders in planning for and implementing the brain gain”. Indeed, UPEI will be the place to be as we turn the century.

Congratulations to Wade, his family and all islanders.

Organ Donation

[Carolyn Parrish, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure it will surprise many to learn that Canada has one of the lowest organ donations rates in the world.

Last spring the Minister of Health asked the Standing Committee on Health to examine this very important issue and to make recommendations about ways to improve Canada's regretful donation rates.

The committee tabled its report in April and I am pleased to inform the House that the Minister of Health tabled the government's response to that report with the clerk earlier today.

I am also pleased to note that when Canada's health ministers met last month in Charlottetown they agreed to establish a council on organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada. This will give Canada a co-ordinated, comprehensive and integrated donation and transplantation strategy across the country. The council's business plan will be reviewed in November.

It is my hope that these efforts will go a long way to improving Canada's organ donation rate.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege over the past two years of working with some of the most extraordinary Canadians I have ever met.

First and foremost is a lady by the name of Leona Freed. Ms. Freed has built the First Nation's Accountability Coalition in an effort to restore hope to those feeling hopelessness at the hands of chiefs and councils on their reserves. In a single year the FNAC has grown to include coalitions from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick.

Leona Freed is one of the most committed people I have ever met. I know she will not stop until there is true accountability on all 600-plus reserves across this nation.

I must also recognize people like Yolande Redcalf, Greg Twoyoungmen, Rita King, Edwin One Owl, Roy Littlechief, Mike Calder, Laura Deedza and Debbie Neepoose, just to name a few. Each of these people have selflessly contributed to the fight for a better life for future generations.

As I move to a new portfolio I wish all aboriginal people well and I want them to know that I will never forget the experiences we have had together.

World Food Day

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, Saturday, October 16 has been designated World Food Day.

At the world food summit in Rome in November 1996 Canada joined 186 other nations to endorse the summit's goal, which is to reduce the number of undernourished people by half by the year 2015. Canada's action plan for food security, launched by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food on World Food Day last year, is the result of that commitment.

As a major exporter of food and related products and expertise, and as one of the largest donors of food aid, Canada has made some very valuable contributions to world food security.

Fighting food insecurity is a collective effort by government, by civil society, by business and by communities. It is also an individual effort from all of us. On behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and myself I encourage everyone to demonstrate their concern by contributing a food donation to their local food bank.

This year's theme is “Youth Against Hunger”. This is a good time to remind Canada's young people of the positive role they can play in the fight against worldwide hunger and in the achievement of food security for all.

Foster Families

[Antoine Dubé, Bloc, Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we forget and all too often minimize the contribution made by foster families in our society. In Quebec, the third week of October is set aside to officially honour foster families.

I therefore take this opportunity to pay tribute to the extraordinary support foster families provide in our society.

They look after children and adolescents providing the support, protection and training these young people really need, and this help is not negligible, because the Fédération des familles d'accueil du Québec alone represents nearly 3,250 families.

We therefore honour foster families for their invaluable contribution to society. On behalf of the members of the Bloc Quebecois, I would like to thank them and congratulate them on their unending efforts on behalf of our young people.

Dystonia Awareness Week

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this past week, October 10 to 17, was designated Dystonia Awareness Week.

Dystonia is an illness characterized by involuntary spasms and muscle contractions. This condition results in abnormal movements and posture and can affect various body parts like the eyes, neck and limbs.

Dystonia is often diagnosed as another ailment like arthritis or stress. To date there is no known cause or cure, but efforts have been made to change that. The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation offers support to sufferers through patient advocacy, public awareness, professional education and fundraising for research.

I invite my colleagues to join with me in congratulating the many volunteers with the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. We offer them our best wishes for a successful campaign.

Julius Nyerere

[Deepak Obhrai, Reform, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday one of the most visionary and illustrious sons of Africa passed away. Julius Nyerere, the former president of Tanzania, who was one of the leading figures in Africa's struggle for independence in its post-colonial era, lost his battle with leukemia.

As a former citizen of Tanzania I can attest to his greatness. While I disagreed with his economic and political philosophy, he commanded a high degree of respect from all Tanzanians, Africans and other citizens of the world. He was respected because his citizens came first.

Throughout Tanzania and Africa he was best known as Mwalimu , which means a teacher in Kiswahili. After his retirement he continued to play an advisory role in Tanzanian and regional politics. The world looked upon him to play a role in carving a bright future for Africa.

To Mwalimu 's family, the government and people of Tanzania we would like to express our profound sympathy. I end by saying:

Kwahir Mwalimu.

Doctors Without Borders

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Toronto Centre—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that all members of the House will want to join with me in congratulating Doctors Without Borders on their nomination for the Nobel Prize this year.

Doctors Without Borders represents for most of us the best of what has developed in the latter part of this troubled century. It is an international NGO, formed originally in France, which is now throughout the world, including Canada. It provides the opportunity for doctors to serve their fellow human beings across the globe, often at great risk to themselves and in places such as Kosovo, East Timor and remote corners of Asia and Africa.

As we go into the 21st century the world is changing and borders are losing their significance. Doctors Without Borders is leading the way in breaking down those borders in the name of humanitarian principles which respond to the way in which Canadians see the world.

We all rejoice in their recognition by the Nobel committee and wish them well in their important work.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the New Democratic Party of Canada and its members of parliament join with the Canadian government, the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany and France and many others around the world, including of course millions of Americans and President Clinton, in regretting the tragic, stupid, shortsighted and dangerous decision of the American Senate in rejecting the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.

If some day the world is destroyed because of a nuclear war, those who are left, if there are any, may look back on this week as a negative turning point in the struggle to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

A senate dominated by right wingers decided to trust in their nuclear chariots and their determination to take on all comers in a possible nuclear war instead of encouraging and building a world in which nuclear non-proliferation and abolition of nuclear weapons is seen as the way ahead.

Perhaps the Republicans should check the historical record to see what eventually happens to empires which trust more in their weapons than in the will of God for a just, peaceful and non-nuclear world.

Ordre Du Mérite Agricole 1999

[Hélène Alarie, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on September 30, Quebec announced the winners of the Ordre du mérite agricole 1999 contest, thus giving recognition to the work of the agricultural producers, artists of the land, who have been feeding Quebec since its beginnings.

The purpose of this competition is to recognize excellence and it has long been a part of the Quebec farm scene. This was its 110th edition.

Among the winners chosen from 132 agricultural enterprises were: the Lajoie and Sons farm of Saint-Bruno, Lac Saint-Jean; the Rodrigue and Brothers farm, of Saint-Anaclet-de-Lessard; the Sim-Nord farm of Saint-Edmond-des-Plaines; the Marc-A. Turcotte farm of Val-Brillant; the Viel farm of Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska; the Carol and Alain Perron farm of La Baie; the egg producers Les Oeufs d'or of Val d'Or, the nursery La Pépinière Aiken of Rouyn-Noranda and the Pétri farm of Saint-André-de-Kamouraska.

Today I would like to draw attention to the excellence and expertise of these agricultural professionals, and to wish a continued long life to the Ordre du mérite agricole competition.

Honourable Antonio Lamer

[Yvon Charbonneau, Liberal, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this past August 21, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court announced his resignation in the following words “Having heard 1,317 cases on the Supreme Court and written reasons in 345 of them, I have decided to hang up my robes early in the next millennium”.

Called to the Bar of Quebec in 1957, Antonio Lamer practiced criminal law until his appointment to the Quebec Superior Court on December 19, 1969. In 1978, he was appointed to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Two years later he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and became Chief Justice of Canada on July 1, 1990.

Mr. Lamer has had an impressive career and the people of Canada wish him the best in his future endeavours.

Tobique First Nation

[Gilles Bernier, Progressive Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, members of the Tobique First Nation are fed up. The department of Indian affairs transfers $13 million annually to the Tobique band council, yet the council has recently run up a $10 million deficit. Over the past year many band members have met with me to show how the council's mismanagement and the department's lack of accountability have prevented band members from realizing the benefits of tax dollars.

Last year the band had to suspend medical services and lay off their nurse. At the same time, councillors voted to raise their own pay to $1,000 per week. Cheques worth $152,000 were written without invoices, authorization or approval. The council has violated every one of the remedial management plans it has signed with the department.

We must have self-government, but government money has to go toward solving the serious social problems at Tobique instead of to band politicians and accountants. The members of the Tobique First Nation and I call upon the minister to appoint a third party administrator for Tobique so we can get the band back on its financial feet and help this community thrive.

Jean Drapeau

[Robert Bertrand, Liberal, Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this past August 17, the people of Quebec paid a final warm tribute to Jean Drapeau, mayor of Montreal for 29 years.

No one could remain indifferent to this man of action. One could oppose him or support him, but never ignore him.

Jean Drapeau was a man of ideas, with dreams of bettering Montreal. He was successful in creating pride in his city, through such concrete accomplishments as Expo and the métro.

The memory of this humanist and man of action will remain forever in the contemporary history of Quebec.

Thank you, Mr. Drapeau, for your great contribution to building the international renown of Montreal.

Refugees

[Ted White, Reform, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Speaker, more than 10 years ago the Tory MP at the time, Chuck Cook, called a meeting to discuss immigration at the 800 person capacity Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver. So many people came to express their dissatisfaction with Canada's sloppy refugee processing system that hundreds had to be turned away at the door.

Within a couple of years of that meeting Chuck Cook was privately telling voters in North Vancouver that the only way to get the laws changed would be to vote Reform in the next election.

How right he was. More than 10 years later, even though the solicitor general's department has now confirmed that Canada's sloppy immigration system has turned us into a haven for organized crime, absolutely nothing has been done to address these problems. The present minister sends out meaningless form letters to the concerned Canadians who are contacting her on this issue, and Chuck Cook's truth of 10 years ago remains the truth today. The only way the system will ever be changed is when people vote Reform.

First Nations

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, the supreme court decision in the Marshall case demonstrates the negligence of the department of Indian affairs. The minister initiated “Gathering Strength—Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan” which was supposed to be a new relationship with first nations. The government would negotiate, not litigate.

Now we face old tensions and anger just because this government forces first nations into the courts and refuses to negotiate.

There should never be a question of honouring a treaty. The government makes sure we all abide by the NAFTA and the WTO, but it has ignored agreements signed with the first nations. If the government continues to force the first nations all the way to the supreme court we will face more upheaval rather than the peace and friendship the treaties were meant to bring.

Fisheries

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

Mr. Speaker, Chantal Hébert's column “Political dance on native rights” is only partially correct. She correctly states that eastern political parties are walking on eggshells but she fails to recognize why.

My colleague from West Nova and myself as the member of parliament for South Shore understand the fragility of the licensed lobster fishery based on conservation. The reason this industry is lucrative is that lobster fishers have adopted licences, carapace sizes, trap limits and an inhospitable winter season to assure a quality product for domestic and export markets.

This year one lobster fisherman in LFA 35 has been lost at sea. We can all see that the cost of being in the industry is extremely high. The real story is that the political parties do not understand this issue. The Liberals have no plan to resolve this crisis. The Reform misled fishers into falsely believing that the decision can be struck down. The NDP has completely turned its back on eastern Canada.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government needs to move quickly if it hopes to relieve tensions in New Brunswick and to prevent similar conflicts from happening in other parts of the country.

The government has an obligation to all its citizens, not just to select groups. It cannot allow the courts to draw racial boundaries through Canada's natural resources.

We have only two days left. Why will not the government petition the supreme court not to overturn the decision but to stay the decision and then ask for clarification of this Marshall decision?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do not see why the Reform Party is again using the term race. Frankly that is not the way to approach this matter. We have to approach it on the basis that we are working together to find solutions which are fair to all concerned.

Why do we not have the support of the Reform Party in this direction rather their using the term race in this matter?

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, because the government has failed to act we are forced to use the word race. By not petitioning the court it is ensuring that we will have a race based fishery in the future. Most Canadians want equality of all citizens and groups.

While both groups of fishermen have rights, both native and non-native fishermen, by not petitioning the court, by not asking for clarification, it is ensuring that one group of fishermen has superior rights over another. That is not right.

What gives the government the right to unilaterally quash the principle of equality? Both groups of fishermen have rights. Why not ask the court for clarification on that point?

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

Mr. Speaker, the supreme court came down with a judgment on September 17, 1999. We as the government respect the treaty right and we will live within the spirit of that judgment.

We have to make clear this is a right by law that the courts have recognized, a contract. This is a contract and a treaty. We respect that. The crown should respect the promises that it made whether they were made yesterday or whether they were made 240 years ago. We will ensure that we live with that.

Today I am happy to announce that I will be appointing a federal representative to start the talks immediately on a long term arrangement to deal with this issue.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is about to get bigger. Some native leaders now claim that the Marshall decision gives them the right to harvest timber without a licence. Others claim that they now have mineral rights. If the minister does not think that is true, he just has to look at what has been going on in British Columbia all summer.

I expect the minister may wish that this problem would go away. He only has two days left. I would urge him to petition the court. Why will not the government ask the supreme court to stay the ruling, not overturn it, ask for clarification of its meaning, tell all fishermen that their livelihoods will be protected and establish a fisheries policy that has equality as its cornerstone?

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

Mr. Speaker, what is really important today is that we will have a federal representative who will talk to aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups and sit down to make sure we look at the long term arrangement in the fisheries area.

In terms of the broader issues, my colleague, the Indian affairs minister, is working very hard so that we can also deal with the broader issues that go beyond the fisheries as well.

We are making excellent progress. Why will not that party support that progress? Why will it not support aboriginal people and work with us instead of always trying to tear down what we are trying to build up?

Child Pornography

[Eric C. Lowther, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are outraged by the government's unwillingness to uphold the law against child pornography. I have already submitted 150,000 signatures on petitions calling for the government to uphold the law. Today I will present another 150,000.

That is more than a quarter of a million people who have demonstrated their outrage against the government. Yet the justice minister refuses to budge. Children agenda my foot. How many more concerned Canadians will it take for this government to protect our kids?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows and as I think everyone on this side of the House is well aware, the government is committed to children and committed to a national children's agenda, unlike our hon. friends on the other side who are in the business of gunning programs that help families and children in the country.

In relation to the issue of child pornography let me say that our friends on the other side are scaremongers. They suggest there are no pornography laws in force in the country. It is against the law to produce child pornography, to distribute it, to sell it, and to import it. I would ask the Reform Party, as opposed to—

[The Deputy Speaker]

I am sorry, but the hon. minister's time has expired.