Debates of Feb. 15th, 1999

Agriculture

[An hon. member]

I cannot hear you.

[The Speaker]

Order. We cannot hear at all. Please let us hear the questions and the answers.

The hon. member for Brandon—Souris.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is having some difficulty in his portfolio.

On February 5 the World Trade Organization ruled against Canada in an interim report on the United States question on milk exports into the United States. I am asking the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food right now, if the WTO upholds this ruling, what has the minister got as a backstop? What does the minister have for his strategy with respect to trade on the supply management of dairy?

[Bob Speller, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I say to the hon. member that I do not agree with the premise of his question.

The hon. member should know that we do not comment on interim reports. The final report is the final report. We will wait for that report to come out.

Foreign Affairs

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Today 90% of casualties of war are women and children. This contrasts with the second world war where it was 48% and the first world war where it was only 5%.

In light of Canada's leadership at the security council, what is the minister doing to highlight the issue of the protection of civilians in armed conflict?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, there was a special initiative at the security council which allowed us to present the case that the hon. member just presented to the House.

I am pleased to report that we had unanimous support for a series of statements and resolutions condemning the practices of atrocities against civilians. What is more important, there was an agreement that the secretary general will prepare a series of recommendations on which the council can act. To support that, on the same day we announced a major contribution to the United Nations special office protecting children.

Public Works

[Rob Anders, Reform, Calgary West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Alberta is being discriminated against.

Since 1994 B.C. got Royal Roads Military College and $25 million—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. We will hear the member's question. The hon. member for Calgary West.

[Rob Anders, Reform, Calgary West, AB]

Since 1994 B.C. got Royal Roads Military College and $25 million, Ontario got Downsview military site and $22 million, Quebec got St. Jean Royal Military College and $25 million. Mount Royal College in Calgary is 20% overcapacity and it turned away 1,500 qualified applicants. It needs land to expand. The federal government has land from the closure of CFB Calgary which is right beside the college campus. Why has Alberta been refused equal treatment?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, this issue has been debated in the House. There have been different meetings between the premier of Alberta and the Prime Minister. Canada lands is looking at the issue. There are Treasury Board guidelines for transfer of land between the federal government and the provinces. If the province wants the land for its college and it is ready to apply the Treasury Board guidelines, we will be pleased to give it.

Employment Insurance

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, another of the Minister of Human Resources Development's bright ideas is to tax back benefits paid to the unemployed if they find employment paying more than $39,000.

Does the Minister of Human Resources Development plan to demonstrate to us once again that it is for the good of the unemployed that he is going to recover benefits paid to them if they get good jobs? Is this one of his wonderful strategies for improving the situation of the unemployed?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, our reform is made up of a very large number of elements. There are elements of fairness.

It is true that under some conditions we will go back to the $39,000 income level and take back some of the benefits that have been paid out, but not the first year, only after five years in which the person has been back in the work force and has systematically reached that level.

It is therefore a matter of progression, connected first and foremost with the question of fairness to all workers, and a matter of being sure that we are able to do as much as possible for the least advantaged.

The Economy

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in advance of the budget, various trial balloons advocating selective tax cuts and grants were floated. It sounds suspiciously like the old return to the trickle down economic school of thinking.

I want to tell the Minister of Finance that Canadians are sick and tired of being trickled on. I want to ask him a serious question. Will there be enough in the budget to give hope to hardworking Canadians who have recently lost their jobs, lost their businesses, lost their farms, lost their livelihoods, or will they have to wait for the trickle down to occur before anything in terms of hope returns?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member raises a very important problem. If actions are any indication of the future budget, let me indicate what we have already done. In the last budget we took 400,000 of the lowest income Canadian taxpayers right off the tax rolls. Over the last two budgets we introduced the child tax benefit, starting at $850 million and doubling it in the last budget for our biggest expenditure on a social program aimed at helping the poorest working families. That is our record.

National Defence

[David Price, Progressive Conservative, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week I attended joint committee information sessions on Kosovo.

At this time we already have 2,000 people taking part in foreign operations, and it was explained to us that deployment of a new tactical group to Kosovo would stretch us to the breaking point.

My question is for the Minister of National Defence. While the 1994 white paper states that Canada must be capable of deploying 10,000 at a time, how can it be that we will be stretched to the breaking point if we deploy another 1,200 soldiers to Kosovo?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, no decision has been made with respect to Kosovo. Preliminary discussions are going on now as to the possible use of ground troops. Should an agreement come out of the discussions in Rambouillet that would result in ground forces going into Kosovo, at that time the government will make a decision with parliamentary consultation.

It is a question of priority. If that is where we feel our troops should be then that is where we can put them to help end the bloodshed in Kosovo.

Health

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health.

One of the main recommendations in the final report of the advisory council on health infrastructure is the provision of a public report card so as to improve the general accountability of our health care system.

Since the Government of Canada is responsible for health care standards, does the department support this recommendation and will it undertake discussions with the provinces and territories with the aim of—

[The Speaker]

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health.

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge the member's interest in this question.

The government is very much supportive of developing a report card to Canadians. We acknowledge the work done by the Advisory Council on Health Infrastructure and its very important report entitled “The Health Info Way”.

We accept its recommendations and believe that all governments should be working together so that we can be more accountable to Canadians for the delivery of the health services they receive. We believe that a report card will assist Canadians in having confidence that services will be there for them when they need it.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I wish to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the honourable Gordon Wilson, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs for the province of British Columbia.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

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

Canada Elections Act

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-478, an act to amend the Canada Elections Act.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to introduce this bill which will amend the Canada Elections Act.

The bill prevents the disaster that happened in the last federal election in which people in Saskatchewan voted behind everybody else. This amendment to the act will remove that embarrassment.

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

Recognition Of Crimes Against Humanity Act

[Sarkis Assadourian, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-479, an act to establish by the beginning of the twenty-first century a permanent museum exhibit to recognize the crimes against humanity as defined by the United Nations that have been perpetrated during the twentieth century.

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to present my private member's bill. This act shall be cited as the Recognition of Crimes Against Humanity Act.

The purpose of the bill is to mandate the establishment at the beginning of the 21st century of an exhibit in the Canadian Museum of Civilization recognizing all crimes against humanity that have been perpetrated during the 20th century.

Canadians from many diverse backgrounds have been affected by crimes against humanity that have taken place throughout the 20th century. The suffering of any group of victims is no less significant than that of any other group.

In introducing the bill I hope to address the concern that the creation of a museum to recognize only one group of victims would severely diminish the significance of the millions of other lives that have been lost or ruined as victims of crimes against humanity.

How can we as a government support one group of victims and ignore the suffering of others?

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