Debates of Nov. 5th, 1999

1906 Census

[John Cannis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is a well known fact that Statistics Canada, which is an arm's length agency, has a well earned reputation.

In response to the question, we are considering setting up an expert panel of eminent Canadians who would review the implications of releasing historical records right now.

Elections In Haiti

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Haiti will be holding democratic elections in March of next year. What will the federal government be doing to support this process?

[Eugène Bellemare, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, Canada, along with its friends in Haiti, is actively supporting the election process now under way. It is anxious to see a parliament restored to Haiti.

This week, the minister was in Haiti, where she announced $1.5 million in support for the legislative, municipal and territorial elections to be held in that country on March 19 and April 30, 2000.

The minister has also conveyed Canada's encouragement to President René Préval and Prime Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis during her visit.

Veterans Affairs

[Peter Goldring, Reform, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a $1 billion betrayal of war veterans' trust. In 1990, the government legislated to deny interest on veterans' trust accounts which should have been paid from World War II to 1990. This is gross mismanagement and possibly negligence.

What is the minister going to do to investigate this and correct this wrong?

[George Baker, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)]

Mr. Speaker, the bill in question was passed in 1990. There was a clause in the bill that prohibited payments from being made retroactively prior to 1990.

I will just remind the hon. member that in 1990 the party that the hon. member's party wishes to join under the United Alternative was the party in power.

Pollution Of Drinking Water

[Ghislain Fournier, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the summer of 1998, the Minister of Transport acknowledged responsibility for the contamination of the water table supplying the Plages sector, in Sept-Îles. He indicated on several occasions that the situation would be corrected. Eighteen months have passed and we have yet to hear anything more from him.

My question is for the Minister of Transport. When does the minister plan to remedy the situation?

[Stan Dromisky, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we realize the seriousness of the situation there. It was the Department of Transport that identified it and started the whole process. Work has been done. There have been investigations, studies and commitments to clear up that situation.

We will continue with this progress until the entire problem is solved.

Immigration

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Immigration.

It is really important to clarify why the government is actually condoning the smuggling of children into Canada.

During the gulf war, Masomé Aliabadi was separated from her children. It took her two years to find out where her children were. They had been smuggled into Canada and in fact were here on a minister's permit.

It has now been four years that Masomé has been in this country trying to be reunited with her family. She has refugee status in Denmark and her husband is there. She has been obstructed at every turn and she now has leukemia. All she wants is to be with her family and the minister will not allow this.

Since Masomé cannot be returned with her children to Denmark, will the minister at least let the father come to Canada to help her?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, I cannot discuss individual cases as a result of privacy laws. If she would like to give me a written consent that will allow me to answer those questions in the House of Commons then I would be happy to discuss it here.

I would suggest to the her that there are often many details which are unknown to the member. When cases are raised, the whole story is often not told.

I would encourage her to work with the department so that we can explain those issues to her, but I cannot comment on them publicly.

Fisheries

[Greg Thompson, Progressive Conservative, Charlotte, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal front benches look like the old Abbott and Costello routine “Who's on First?”.

When I asked the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans a question he sat on his hands, kept his mouth shut and did not stand up to answer the question.

Does he support the aboriginal claim to a 50% share of the Atlantic fishery? I will remind him that he is meeting at 12.30 with the leadership of the Atlantic fishery. Who is going to represent him there, the Minister of Health or somebody else?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty obvious that if the hon. member would put his questions clearly we would know who he was talking about. His question was so murky that nobody understood what he was talking about.

If he is talking about the aboriginal fishery, the hon. member clearly knows that we have set up a federal representative. They are talking to him. The only solution we have heard from members of the Conservative Party is to go back and use the notwithstanding clause. That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard. They should go back and learn that we cannot do that.

The Senate

[Rob Anders, Reform, Calgary West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Alberta government is preparing a referendum to mandate Senate elections.

Last year the supreme court ruled that the federal government must negotiate with a province that votes in favour of a clear constitutional question. We should keep in mind that the Prime Minister needs no constitutional amendment to appoint an elected senator.

When Alberta holds its referendum, will the Prime Minister respect Albertans and the supreme court by appointing our elected senator?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, first, the hon. member has not correctly stated what the supreme court held.

Second, I do not know why Albertans would want the Prime Minister to appoint somebody for life. The big flaw in the Reform position is that if the Prime Minister appointed somebody, that person would be there until age 75. That is not democratic.

We would have had a truly reformed elected Senate if members of the Reform Party had not caused the defeat of the Charlottetown agreement. If we do not have an elected Senate today, it is clearly on their shoulders. They ought to admit it and stop raising these weird questions.

People With Disabilities

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today the employees of CAMO are getting their termination notices. The minister's compassion is not sufficient.

Can the Minister of Human Resources Development make an immediate commitment to put the necessary funding into the opportunities fund in order to keep these people employed until the next budget?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of this concern and the department is working on it.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the hon. Clint Dunford, Minister of Human Resources and Employment for the province of Alberta.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Ways And Means

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 83(1), I have the honour to lay upon the Table a notice of ways and means motion to amend the Excise Act and the Income Tax Act, along with explanatory notes.

I ask that you designate an order of the day for the consideration of the motion.

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 109, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the government's response to the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans entitled “The Seal Report”, presented to the House on June 9, 1999.

[John Cannis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 109, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to the 19th report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, entitled “Research Funding—Strengthening the Sources of Innovation”.

Government Response To Petitions

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions.

Committees Of The House

[Ian Murray, Liberal, Lanark—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the first report of the Standing Committee on Industry concerning its order of reference from the House of Commons of Tuesday, November 2, 1999, in relation to Bill C-4, an act to implement the agreement among the Government of Canada, Governments of Member States of the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of the Russian Federation, and the Government of the United States of America concerning co-operation on the civil international space station and to make related amendments to other acts.

The committee reports the bill with one amendment.

Manitoba Claim Settlements Implementation Act

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, for the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-14, an act respecting an agreement with the Norway House Cree Nation for the settlement of matters arising from the flooding of land, and respecting the establishment of certain reserves in the province of Manitoba.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is in the same form as Bill C-56 was in the first session of this parliament. In accordance with a special order of the House of October 14, 1999, I request that the bill be reinstated at the same stage that it had reached at the time of prorogation.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[The Speaker]

The Chair is of the opinion that this bill is in the same form and at the same stage as Bill C-56 was, at the time the first session of the 36th Parliament was prorogued.

Accordingly, pursuant to order made Thursday, October 14, 1999, the bill is deemed read the second time, and referred to a committee, considered by a committee and reported without amendment.

(Bill deemed read the second time, referred to a committee, reported without amendment)

Statutory Instruments Act

[Ted White, Reform, North Vancouver, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-310, an act to amend the Statutory Instruments Act (disallowance procedure for statutory instruments).

Mr. Speaker, this enactment would establish a statutory disallowance procedure that would be applicable to all statutory instruments subject to review and scrutiny by the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations.

In doing so, this enactment would ensure that parliament would have the opportunity to disallow any statutory instrument made pursuant to authority delegated by parliament or made by or under the authority of the cabinet. This would bring us in line with the standard practice used by the rest of the Commonwealth.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)