Debates of Feb. 2nd, 1999

International Development Week

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure today to remind members of the House and the people of Quebec and Canada that this is International Development Week.

On this occasion, I would like to acknowledge the terrific job done by the NGOs involved in this area. Their generous dedication brings relief to and helps improve the living conditions of millions of human beings.

But can the same be said of the Government of Canada? No. Since 1993, this government has literally been draining the development assistance budget, cutting it by $617 million.

I am calling on the common sense of the Minister of International Co-operation and the Minister of Finance to take immediate steps to make international co-operation a government priority. If the government is still committed to devoting at least 0.7% of the GDP to development assistance, as it promised the UN, it should make this clear in the coming budget.

The Late Wiarton Willie

[Ovid Jackson, Liberal, Bruce—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a country with long winters and we all look forward to an early spring.

Today is Groundhog Day. The home of Wiarton Willie, a constituent of mine, is located in my riding of Bruce—Grey. Unfortunately on Sunday night Wiarton Willie passed away in the middle of the town's annual festival in his honour. I express my sincere condolences to the people of the town of Wiarton.

I would like to issue a Canada-wide recovery call for Willie Junior. Willie walked in the shadow of his father but it is time for him to come home and take up those duties.

Song For The Millennium

[Jim Jones, Progressive Conservative, Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while most of the public attention and discussion on the year 2000 focuses on what might go wrong, there is good news from my riding of Markham.

Justin Hines, a grade 11 student at Unionville High School, has co-written Song for the Millennium , an inspirational tune that was recently selected as the town of Markham's official anthem for the millennium celebration.

I had the privilege of attending the debut of Song for the Millennium . The audience was so moved that we jumped to a standing ovation before Justin could finish singing.

This is just the latest of Justin's songwriting achievements. Last year he won the YTV youth achievement award for singing and his award winning song Kid at Play was also nominated for a Grammy award for vocal performance.

Moreover, this 16 year old who uses a wheelchair has also become an example to other young Canadians with disabilities.

On behalf of all members I congratulate Justin Hines and urge the Deputy Prime Minister as minister responsible for Canada's millennium celebrations to designate the town of Markham's Song for the Millennium as Canada's official anthem for the year 2000 millennium celebrations.

Poland

[Carolyn Parrish, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to congratulate the government on the success of Team Canada's recent visit to Poland, the first ever by a Canadian prime minister.

As a Canadian of Polish heritage I was honoured to accompany the Prime Minister and the Minister of International Trade as well as some of Canada's most dynamic business people to this proud and prosperous country.

Our hosts admired this government's balanced budgets and low interest rates which are powering Canada's economy and fuelling job creation.

This may go unnoticed on the opposition benches but not in Poland where the Prime Minister was awarded an honorary doctorate in economics. Polish business people are determined to strengthen the economic partnership between our two countries.

Stolat. May our two countries continue 100 years of good health.

Child Pornography

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, child pornography is poison. The minister is justifying another lengthy court battle about this whole case.

It may be a lawyer's dream to see this tragedy played out in the court system, but it is our responsibility as parliamentarians to protect the vulnerable and the innocent.

How could the minister justify one more day to make it legal in any jurisdiction in the country for someone to own child pornography? How could she justify it?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me clarify some of the inaccuracies. I would presume the hon. member knows the law in question is constitutional and in full force and effect in nine provinces and two territories.

I presume she also knows that we acted quickly. We have indicated our intention to intervene before the B.C. court of appeal. The B.C. attorney general has indicated his intention to appeal. He is seeking that the case be expedited before the B.C. court of appeal. Indeed we have acted quickly to protect the children of the country.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when the minister talks about expediting things her track record is not great. She has been the Minister of Justice for 601 days and she was going to look after the Young Offenders Act in a timely fashion. That is not expedited service.

For one terrified child one day is too long. She has the power to do something about this. When will she end this nightmare?

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

Mr. Speaker, I return to the fact that the government has acted quickly in conjunction with the Attorney General of British Columbia. This matter will be dealt with by the B.C. court of appeal in an expedited manner.

I resent the fact that, because we perhaps choose to adopt a different process than that proffered by the Reform Party, somehow we on this side of the House do not care as much about children.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows that over 60 Liberal members have signed a petition asking for exactly what will be happening tonight in the vote in the House of Commons.

Could the minister actually believe that the whole child pornography industry will just go on hold and sit tight for awhile while she expedites things through the court case? How can she take responsibility for inflicting such terrible and intolerable obscenity on one child in the country? How could she do it?

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

Mr. Speaker, perhaps by omission, to give them the benefit of the doubt, they misrepresent the situation for Canadians. For example—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

We want to hear the answer from the minister and I would ask her to be cautious about her words.

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I reiterate for the opposition that the government has acted quickly in defence of this law.

I also remind the hon. opposition that in nine provinces and two territories the entire section remains in full force and effect. In British Columbia the laws in relation to the production and distribution of child pornography are in full force and effect. The government has acted responsibly to defend children in the country.

[John Reynolds, Reform, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this is not a partisan issue.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast.

[John Reynolds, Reform, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this is about protecting children. I will quote from a letter sent to the Prime Minister by over 70 members of the House. It says “As soon as the House resumes we ask that you consider use of the notwithstanding clause”.

How can protecting children—and I quote the minister—be silly and wrongheaded?

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

Mr. Speaker, indeed the protection of children is of paramount importance to everyone in the House.

What I believe is wrongheaded is the way the Reform Party chooses to politicize this important issue which involves the safety of our children. They choose to suggest, because we take a different approach to the invocation of section 33 of the charter, that we do not care about children. On behalf of everybody in the House, I resent that.

[John Reynolds, Reform, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is amazing how they do not like politics in between elections.

Does the minister believe that the entire child pornography industry has shut down while she is waiting for these courts to appeal?

How can the minister rationalize just one more day to make it legal in any way in any jurisdiction to own child pornography?

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

Mr. Speaker, those who are the purveyors of pornography in the country are investigated and charged every day under the existing provisions of the Criminal Code.

The production and distribution of child pornography continue to be offensive and possession is an offence in nine provinces and two territories.

I come back to the point that I resent the fact the opposition chooses to play politics with the children of the country.

Social Union

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as important negotiations are going on with the provinces on the social union, we discover that the federal government is negotiating with the Liberal opposition in Quebec.

Given that the Prime Minister has more than one nasty trick in his bag when it comes to negotiating with Quebec, does he think that this sort of thing will improve the climate of negotiations with the legitimately elected Government of Quebec?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I see no stigma attached to communicating with people. I would have liked to talk to the opposition, but I did not do so. If I have an opportunity, I will tell them that our proposal is reasonable and means progress for all the provinces, that we want to invest money in health and that we want Canada's social union to work better.

I am sure that all reasonable people will consider our proposals much better than the status quo, which the Bloc Quebecois wants to maintain.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Liberal Party in Quebec confirmed less than an hour ago that there had been contact and an exchange of information between the Prime Minister's office and the Quebec Liberal Party.

I would like to know whether the Prime Minister also had other contacts, other exchanges of information, with other opposition leaders in other provinces, and if so, with whom and when.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think he wants to quarrel over nothing. If someone from my office or a minister spoke with the Quebec Liberal Party to pass on information, I think that is fine.

I myself had the opportunity to discuss all sorts of problems with the opposition leaders when the opposition was Liberal in other parts of Canada. I intend to continue because I want everyone to know what we are proposing, which is progress for Quebec and not weekends spent trying to discuss things people do not want to hear anymore, namely Quebec's separation.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like the Prime Minister to tell us whether he considers the members of the Liberal Party across Canada to be the only ones that count.

Does he hold discussions only with leaders of opposition who are Liberals, or does that apply only to Quebec?