Debates of Oct. 18th, 1999

Audiovisual Productions

[The Speaker]

I ask everyone to be very careful with their choice of words.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Alain Lacoursière of the Montreal urban police told Le Point on Friday that there should be an administrative investigation along with the police investigation. He said “This is the investigation that Telefilm should be doing. It should give me a file so I can lay criminal charges”.

My question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. In view of the links that appear to exist between the chairman of the board of Telefilm and one of names used by CINAR, is it the minister's intention to give Telefilm such a mandate?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I have already asked the RCMP to investigate. I think the RCMP is capable of investigating all the names, all the alleged names and all the people implicated in the matter.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since the police themselves are calling for an administrative investigation to complement their own investigation, and the minister does not seem to be aware that people in her department or in agencies responsible to her could have links to this matter, how can she claim that this matter will be fully brought to light?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, it is precisely because of the allegations made last week that I took responsibility for requesting an RCMP investigation.

Bill C-80

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

Mr. Speaker, 200 food safety scientists have sounded the alarm today. They are warning that our government is not able to ensure the safety of our food and that the whole food safety system is in jeopardy.

The scientists are especially worried about Bill C-80, the proposed food marketing bill, that it will further erode our ability to ensure the safety of our food.

My question for the health minister is simple. Will the government abandon this dangerous bill?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, let me respond to that part of the question dealing with the food safety employees of Health Canada.

I did indeed receive a letter from them last week. I asked the deputy to meet with them and deal with it, but I want to reassure the member that we take very seriously our responsibility to ensure food safety for Canadians. Since I have been minister we have done a number of things to try to ensure it.

One of the first things I did when I got there was to cancel the proposed cuts to the food directorate. We have $65 million from the most recent budget to improve food safety. We are continuing with the recommendations of the science advisory board—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre.

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister and the government are so concerned that they are prepared to throw the do not harm principle right out the window. The scientists are coming to the minister and to the public because they have deep concerns. They do not believe what he has just said.

They have said we are in a disastrous situation and we are on a perilous course of action. I want to know from the Minister of Health: Are the scientists wrong?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the scientists are of course right to express concerns they honestly feel.

I am responding to them as I am responding to the hon. member by saying we are both on the same side of this issue, which is the side of consumer safety and safety of food. So long as I am minister the scientists at Health Canada will have the resources and the mandate required to ensure that safety.

Agriculture

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last week the minister of agriculture in a CBC interview said he would use all the resources at his disposal to help farmers.

Last week Alberta provided $100 million. The U.S. government provided $8.7 billion. When will the minister use his influence to put forward similar resources to help stop the bleeding in agriculture?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have already demonstrated that in that we have already put $900 million into assisting farmers. I think farmers are very glad that we formed the government because the hon. member's party platform last time said that they would merge the agriculture, environment, natural resources, and fisheries and oceans ministries.

The projected savings they said they would make in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada would be $600 million. We put $900 million in and they wanted to take $600 million out.

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in the provinces where Canada delivers the AIDA program they have delivered $90 million to date. To date, 8,000 AIDA applications have been approved and 10,000 have been denied.

Does the minister not believe that those 10,000 farmer do not need assistance? If he does believe that then when will he give them some hope and put some money in their pockets?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's statement about how much the AIDA program has delivered already is incorrect.

To four provinces where the federal government delivers the program it is now well over $200 million. Last fall the hon. member's party said that it believed the emergency assistance could be delivered at a cost to the federal government of approximately $276 million. That is all it said was needed. We are putting in $900 million, over three times what it said was needed.

Fisheries

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a lot of us are alarmed at the increasing level of friction and tension in the east coast fishery.

Today we learned that the West Nova Fishermen's Coalition is going back to court to do what this government should have done all along, which is to apply for a stay of judgment in the Marshall decision to allow first, for a cooling off period for everyone involved and second, to give time to determine the future role of non-aboriginals in the fisheries.

Will the government support their appeal to the court which asks for a stay and a clarification of the Marshall decision?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the government's position is very clear. We very much respect the supreme court ruling that there is a treaty right. We said that we would live within the spirit of that judgment. In fact, there was a meeting this morning with chiefs from Atlantic Canada to look at how we can move on the process. My colleague the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is continuing to meet with them to see how we can look at the broader implications and continue that discussion so we can have a long term solution on this issue.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the fishermen want a clear answer to this question.

During last week's emergency debate on this fishery, the Liberals joined with the NDP and Conservative Party in refusing to consider a stay of judgment. This past weekend we saw the result of that bullheadedness. There is increasing friction with hundreds of boats in the harbour and potential for violence hanging over everybody's head.

This is the last day to apply for a stay of judgment, which I repeat, will allow for a cooling off period and clarification of the Marshall decision to establish what the roles are for both aboriginals and non-aboriginals in the future fisheries.

Will the government support the West Nova Fishermen's Coalition application for an appeal of the Marshall decision?

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

Mr. Speaker, it should be pretty clear to everybody in the House that it is better to negotiate than to litigate. That is our position. We want to negotiate. We want to make sure that we sit around the table.

We have always said it is through dialogue and co-operation that we are going to get the real solution, not through going back to the courts, not through asking that we have another look at the supreme court ruling. We have a supreme court ruling. We will recognize that right. We will live within the spirit of that judgment.

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[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage has just told us that she requested an RCMP investigation into the copyright case.

Will she confirm that there had already been an RCMP investigation into this case prior to 1997 and that no charges were laid?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I do not comment on RCMP investigations. On Friday, further to allegations made in the media and by the opposition member, I requested an RCMP investigation.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, to make things perfectly clear, the minister requested an RCMP investigation. But an RCMP investigation was conducted prior to 1997. We do not know why, or how, but no charges were laid.

The Montreal urban police conducted an investigation and found that there had been criminal dealings. How does the minister think this new RCMP investigation will come up with anything different from the first investigation, if indeed there was nothing?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot make any comment about an earlier RCMP investigation. All I know is that, on Friday, allegations were made in the media and by the Bloc Quebecois member, following which I asked the RCMP to conduct an investigation.

Agriculture

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

Mr. Speaker, the agriculture minister still is not willing to admit that thousands of farmers will not get any AIDA money out of this government.

A year after Reform forced the government to debate the farm income issue in the House, only 30% of Saskatchewan farmers have received a federal cheque.

Why can this government not get emergency assistance to farmers who fell through the AIDA cracks, and do it before the end of October?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the government responded very early to the issue.

We have had discussions and are continuing discussions with the farm safety net advisory committee, with my provincial colleagues and with my cabinet colleagues.

We have responded to the issue. We are directing as much support as we possibly can to those farmers who are under financial stress.

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

Mr. Speaker, the problem is the program has not worked. The agriculture minister has failed to deliver on his December 1998 promise to get cash to all financially stressed farmers in time for the spring planting. Premier Klein has his $100 million plan that includes disaster relief and low interest loans. The farmers in Alberta will get their money immediately. Why will this government not follow the Alberta lead and use disaster relief and low interest loans, those two things specifically, to provide immediate assistance to farmers?