Just be cautious in your words.
House of Commons Hansard #173 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was citizenship.
House of Commons Hansard #173 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was citizenship.
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
The Speaker
Just be cautious in your words.
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Reform
Val Meredith Reform South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC
Here are the facts. The RCMP can still investigate. Prosecutors can still lay charges, but criminals can elect in which court to be heard in this particular instance and criminals can elect to be heard in the provincial court, not the supreme court.
What is happening is that these charges will be dismissed. That is fact. What will the minister do to ensure that does not happen?
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Edmonton West Alberta
Liberal
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member does not understand that in fact it would be possible for the Attorney General of British Columbia to proceed by indictment, which takes the matter directly into the trial court in the province of British Columbia.
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Reform
Val Meredith Reform South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals will be spending a lot of money this spring to find out why they are so unpopular in western Canada. Let me save them some money. It is because the Liberals continually treat western Canadians as second class citizens.
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member may pose her question.
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Reform
Val Meredith Reform South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, 15% of Canada's children live in British Columbia. Why is the justice minister denying them the same protection as every other child in Canada?
JusticeOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
Edmonton West Alberta
Liberal
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I have outlined, the children of British Columbia have the same protection as all children in the country as it relates to being free from child pornography.
Let us seriously talk about how the Reform Party cares about children in the country. They were the only people in the country to speak out opposed to the national child benefit. Every government, provincial and territorial, agreed, and they were opposed. It was the only party in the House to oppose the community action program for children so that children could get a hot lunch.
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:45 p.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, in a leaked document an HRDC official is bragging that the disqualification rates increased from 14% in 1997 to what he called a reasonable 33%. He bragged about millions being cut from the Canadian economy. Acadie—Bathurst has lost $69 million a year. Marystown, Newfoundland, has lost $81 million a year.
My question is for the Minister of Human Resources. This is an insurance program. Why are you trying to cut more people off EI benefits—
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
The Speaker
Always direct your question through the Chair.
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
This is an insurance program. Why is the government trying to cut more people off EI benefits and treat them like criminals?
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, it is high time the member realizes that EI is not an employer. He treats EI as if it were an industry creating employment in the regions. That is the wrong way; that is the way of the seventies.
We now have the Canada jobs fund to help business create real long term sustainable jobs in Atlantic Canada. We have a youth employment strategy to help the young integrate into the labour market. Employment insurance is not the answer to all these problems and it is not an employer or an industry. It is a support—
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
The Speaker
Surely you want to hear the answers, my colleagues.
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, a mother with cancer was asked to repay $3,000 in EI benefits. Ever since she passed away, Revenue Canada has been harassing her young children, demanding that they pay up. By going after children who have lost their mother, this government shows it will stop at nothing to take money away from the unemployed. The unemployed are not the ones who depend on EI, the government is.
Will the Minister of Human Resources Development stop targeting workers and chasing after money?
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, in our employment insurance reform we have included a family income supplement specifically designed to help those families that qualify for the guaranteed income supplement under the EI program. This measure is aimed at financially struggling mothers in particular.
The EI program helps get people back to work by investing a lot more money in active measures. The members opposite focus only on passive measures, part I of the act. They keep forgetting to mention part II of the act, which helps people get back to work so they can feed their children properly.
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Rick Borotsik Progressive Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is destroying one of the most effective police forces in the world. The Liberal government has destroyed the effectiveness and the morale of the RCMP.
Recently Canada's RCMP training academy in Regina had to be closed until spring or perhaps longer. No longer are RCMP officers being trained.
When will the solicitor general reopen the RCMP officer training school in Regina?
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Cardigan P.E.I.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that we have trained our Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the country will continue to train the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Rick Borotsik Progressive Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, the answers that come from the solicitor general are becoming more frustrating all along.
Police detachments have been forced to amalgamate at a time when more police are required on the streets. Rural areas across the country and in my riding which depend on the RCMP have been forced to cut back in detachments and manpower.
Is the solicitor general's intention to continue to cut back on RCMP presence in Canadian communities?
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Cardigan P.E.I.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated previously, we have given the RCMP the tools to do the job with the anti-gang legislation and the proceeds of crime units which have operated very well and have recovered $30 million.
We will provide the funding to make sure as we always have that we have a very effective Royal Canadian Mounted Police presence in the country.
Health And SafetyOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Liberal
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health.
Last night a TV program highlighted bunk beds, the safety of their use and potential dangers inherent in their manufacture. I was surprised to learn that there does not appear to be any regulations governing their design and construction.
Is the department preparing measures to correct the problems so that parents can be assured of the safety of the use of this product for their children?
Health And SafetyOral Question Period
2:50 p.m.
Thornhill Ontario
Liberal
Elinor Caplan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the TV program to which the member refers. In fact Health Canada takes its responsibility for the health and safety of children very seriously.
A process has been initiated to bring in regulations for bunk beds. We are in the process now of consulting with the Canadian Standards Association and hope that those regulations will be in place perhaps as soon as the spring.
National DefenceOral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Reform
Peter Goldring Reform Edmonton East, AB
Mr. Speaker, veterinarians say they will not even give expired anthrax vaccines to animals. Yesterday the minister admitted he knew that expired vaccines were given to Canada's soldiers.
Why did the Minister of National Defence knowingly order Canada's soldiers to take expired vaccines that veterinarians will not even give to animals?
National DefenceOral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
York Centre Ontario
Liberal
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, all vaccines that are given to Canadian forces personnel are tested regardless of whatever date may be on the container.
They are all thoroughly tested to make sure they are effective and to make sure they are safe. That has been the case in all the vaccines we have used and we will continue to use.
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Bloc
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, in a memo dated July 31, 1998 and addressed to the PEI regional director for employment insurance, departmental officials were congratulated for exceeding the target of $53 million, since this will result in the saving of 150 jobs that the government had planned on eliminating.
My question for the minister is this: How do we call a government that threatens to eliminate 150 jobs if its public servants do not make sufficient cuts to the employment insurance benefits for the unemployed?