Debates of Dec. 17th, 1999

Health

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has been working very closely with the provinces to initiate a pharmacare and a home care program that would be universal across the country.

Perhaps the member has the ability to convince her colleagues in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to buy into our process. We certainly would like to. The minister has already indicated that he would like to see it move a lot quicker, but without the provinces willing to help us in this regard we cannot get to where we would like to go as soon as we could.

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

Mr. Speaker, it now seems likely that we will end this year and this millennium without a penny flowing to a single victim of hepatitis C. It appears that the hepatitis C compensation package has been put on hold once again and the government is not prepared to step in, stop the legal wrangling and flow the cash.

Is the government prepared to end this sorry chapter in Canadian history by paying before 1999 is over what it promised and by starting the new millennium with the commitment of fair compensation for all victims of hepatitis C?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as the member is aware, these negotiations have been ongoing with the provinces for a number of years now. Once the provinces and the federal government have agreement then the money will flow.

Airports

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. On August 27, 1998, the Department of Transport signed an agreement with the Halifax International Airport Authority which included the statement: “Transport Canada agrees to continue to be responsible for the pyritic slate runoff existing prior to the transfer date.”

I asked this question on Wednesday and the minister said there had been another agreement signed but did not answer my question. Why did the government renege on this signed contract with the Halifax International Airport Authority?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member is quite aware of the fact that in this situation the government has been working very closely with the airport authority. An agreement has been made with the government and the process will continue until it is completely resolved.

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, that is not an answer. With all due respect, I want an answer. This is the fourth time I have asked the question. I simply want to know why the Government of Canada reneged on a signed contract with the Halifax International Airport Authority.

If the parliamentary secretary does not know, will he commit to report back to the House on why the agreement of August 27 was broken?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has clearly indicated that the government has reneged after signing a contract. I would like the full country to know, including the member, that the government never reneges on a signed contract.

Western Diversification

[John Harvard, Liberal, Charleswood—Assiniboine, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Secretary of State for Western Diversification which relates to WD's activities in Saskatchewan.

I know that his department is very active there, but could the secretary of state tell us about some of the things his office is doing in the great province of Saskatchewan?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification)(Francophonie)]

Mr. Speaker, a number of examples come to mind. In the Canada infrastructure works program there was a federal share of $69 million; Synchrotron, the Canadian light source, almost $100 million; the Saskatchewan-WD partnership, $24 million; and the Moose Jaw base closure, another $4 million.

There are community futures development corporations in the rural areas. There are the women's enterprise centres. The operating and loans fund injects another $10 million. There is still a lot to do and we will do it.

Airlines

[Val Meredith, Reform, South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 16,000 Canadian Airline employees are being used as bargaining chips as Air Canada negotiates with the federal government. Air Canada apparently wants an airline industry where there are no government restrictions on its operations but plenty of restrictions on the creation of any serious competition.

What steps is the minister or his associate taking to protect the interests of the Canadian travelling public and the 16,000 Canadian Airline employees whose careers are in jeopardy?

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

Mr. Speaker, I point out to everyone present that the hon. member was a very conscientious, dedicated contributor to the policy recommendations which came out of the transportation committee.

What is going on at the present time? There are ongoing deliberations between the private concerns and the competition bureau. When the entire process is settled we will share the information not only with the hon. member but with everyone else concerned.

Millennium Scholarships

[Stéphan Tremblay, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my last question of this millennium is the following.

In the matter of the millennium scholarships, the federal government is in possession of the Quebec student associations' agreement with the Quebec ministry of education's proposal to ensure that they will have access to these scholarships.

Can the minister assure us that her government will give its agreement to the proposal submitted to the Foundation, as we find ourselves only 15 days from that new millennium?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased at the entry point of the new millennium to talk about the millennium scholarships, to see that the Bloc has finally agreed that they are a very important piece of our partnership together, and to say that the foundation recently announced, in advance of its original timeframe, 70,000 grants to needy students across the country.

I have received on behalf of the foundation the suggestion from Mr. Legault in his proposal. I am glad to say that our officials are working to look at its details. I am very optimistic that we will be able to have an agreement with the Government of Quebec.

Housing

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, a number of homeless Canadians froze last winter. Another winter is here with hundreds of thousands of Canadians without homes or in substandard or inadequate housing. It took a year for the government to announce any funding to try to avoid deaths this winter. I hope it is not too late.

If the government is to avoid yearly quick fixes, we need a national housing strategy which ensures at least a $1 billion investment for the next 10 years to provide enough housing for all Canadians.

The economic spinoffs and social benefits of this housing investment would greatly reduce the overall cost. Will the government commit to this investment?

[Judi Longfield, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised in that $753 million is a significant investment on top of the $1.9 billion the government already spends on housing.

The member opposite would know that the situation with the homeless is multifaceted and multijurisdictional. The government is addressing the root causes and trying to alleviate homelessness. That is more than housing. That is access to appropriate care and a continuum of services. We are addressing the problem.

Correctional Service Canada

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, here is a whale of a tale. A coast guard ship was called off search and rescue standby, stripped of its helicopter pad to make room for a dance floor, and dispatched on a party cruise for Correctional Service Canada. The party was dubbed a special project, given its own special assignment code and cost close to $7,000 for such essentials as liquor and lobster tails.

During the cruise a fatality occurred in the waters off Newfoundland. Why were senior CSC officials tripping the light fantastic on the deck of a lifesaving vessel at the expense of taxpayers while potentially putting people's lives at risk?

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister has already made it clear that all the rules and guidelines will be followed in the future and this kind of use of coast guard vessels will not happen again.

The hon. member might want to check around in his own caucus to see if any of his caucus members have ever been on one of those trips.

Food Labelling

[Murray Calder, Liberal, Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question may be one of the last of the century and the millennium. It is for the minister of agriculture.

I have had many inquiries in my riding about what the federal government intends to do about the labelling of food derived from biotechnology or genetically modified products. What does the minister intend to do about this issue?

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

Mr. Speaker, we know this is a very important issue. The Canadian consumer wants to know. The Canadian consumer has a right to know.

That is why the government, the industry, the Consumers' Association of Canada, the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors and many other organizations are working with the Canadian Standards Council to put together a set of criteria which is meaningful, enforceable and can be used in labelling food.

That is an important step that has to be taken so that it is meaningful, credible and enforceable and supports the desires and needs of the Canadian consumer.

Employment Insurance

[Ken Epp, Reform, Elk Island, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I will ask the finance minister a question. If he changes the subject to talk about something else, I will assume that he has no reasonable explanation.

In our finance committee hearings a number of presenters called the excessive EI premiums a breach of trust. The act does not permit the minister to use EI as a source of general revenue. Why does the finance minister not just take the premiums down to $2.05 as recommended by the chief actuary?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that the three commissioners were the ones who agreed that this was within the preamble and the precepts of the act.

Having said that, our government has taken EI premiums down from $3.07 to $2.40, a reduction of close to $5 billion a year. Unlike the Reform Party we made those cuts for the workers, not just for the employers alone the way it has advocated.

Institutes Of Health Research

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has introduced a bill to create the Canadian institutes of health research.

The Bloc Quebecois has always been in favour of increased investment in biomedical research. In the case of the institutes of health research, however, the government has just created additional structures that will reflect its health research priorities.

Can the Minister of Health make a commitment before this House that no institute of health research will be designated in Quebec without its government's consent?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Kenora—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, anything that has to do with Quebec and the improvement of health care will be discussed with the province of Quebec.

Parks

[Rick Laliberte, NDP, Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The panel on ecological integrity of Canada's national parks will be creating a picture on the devastating effect of program review on national parks in this country. The situation across Canada has deteriorated from a lack of research and interpretative personnel to threats of a lack of buffer zones around our cherished national parks.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage commit the support from the cabinet and support our national parks in the new millennium?

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, undoubtedly.