Debates of March 8th, 1999

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member made remarks about the textile industry in New Brunswick. He has to understand that while there are some hit and misses with the system, basically we have been very successful.

I have to tell the hon. member that in the province of New Brunswick in the last decade the textile industry has increased five times, going from $60 million to $300 million. That is a success.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently announced that it would suspend training at its Regina training academy until further notice. My question is for the solicitor general.

The RCMP is our national police force. Canadians want to know how we will provide training for our future police recruits.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, all areas of government, including the RCMP, had to deal with the financial mess which this government inherited when it took power.

Because our Prime Minister was able to put us back on a proper financial track, remove our deficit and work on the debt, I am pleased to indicate that training will resume at the depot in Regina on April 6.

Taxation

[John Nunziata, Independent, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, earlier in question period the Minister of Finance referred to it as a problem. Before the problem can be fixed the minister must acknowledge that discrimination exists.

Would the finance minister not admit that Canadian tax law discriminates against single income, two parent families? Would he not agree that the discrimination exists, yes or no?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what I do recognize is that we have a progressive tax system and, as well, we tax on an individual basis.

The government also recognizes that it has, in each of its budgets, the responsibility for government to partner with parents in the raising of their children, and we intend to do that.

That is why we brought in caregiver credits. That is why we brought in the child tax credits. That is why we brought in the prenatal nutrition program. That is why this matter is being referred to the House of Commons finance committee.

Canada Marine Act

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, as predicted by the Reform Party, Liberal insider Merv Russell has been appointed director of the new Halifax port authority.

Old Merv is not going to be lonely because the transport minister also appointed Liberal playmates Al Abraham Jr., Elaine Gordon and Gregor Fraser.

The new Canada Marine Act is supposed to devolve control of seaports to local stakeholders. Why are Liberal connections so important for federally appointed directors to the Halifax port authority?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, positions under the Canada Marine Act or the seven positions of the port authorities are nominated in consultation with users. The names that he just raised came through that process.

Mr. Russell served as the previous chair. He served with distinction and was nominated by one of the user groups. It is obvious that he would be a choice for the new chairman. He was not appointed by us as chairman, he was elected by the new board.

Reproductive Technologies

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, ten years after the establishment of the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies, Canada is the only country still without a clear policy regulating the use of medically assisted human reproductive technologies.

How does the Minister of Health explain that, after all this time, the only standard in the matter is a voluntary moratorium, whose effectiveness is not measurable?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the member indicated, we established this voluntary moratorium a few years ago.

In the last parliament, we introduced Bill C-47. At the end of that parliament, we had begun consultations to determine the best way to proceed. We will act when we are ready.

The Environment

[Rick Laliberte, NDP, Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the multimillion dollar Seaborn panel on nuclear fuel waste recommends that a management agency be established that is at arm's length from industry. However, this Liberal government ignored the panel and set up a fast track process, including an industry-based waste management organization. This is completely contrary to the panel's recommendation.

When will the government commit to establishing an independent waste management body that protects our public and environmental safety?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, in our response to the Seaborn report we agreed with the vast majority of Seaborn's recommendations. He did recommend a waste management authority that would be in the nature of a federal crown corporation.

It was our view in the response that we published last December that the ownership responsibility for that waste belongs with those who produced it. Accordingly we believe it is more appropriate if the responsibility for the agency rests with the producers and the owners of the waste, subject explicitly to the oversight and regulatory authority of the Government of Canada.

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

[Mark Muise, Progressive Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Nova Scotia economy has been devastated by the serious downturn in the fishery, the financial crisis within the agricultural sector, and most recently by the closing of Cape Breton's Devco mines. The Liberal government's response has been to reduce funding for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency by $40 million.

Could the minister responsible for ACOA explain why the government is turning its back on Atlantic Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would invite the hon. member to have a closer look at these figures.

Basically the ACOA program is made up of a core program and a non-core program. The money that he is talking about is essentially the sunsetting of some TAGS programs and other programs such as the infrastructure program. We have also saved over $3 million in running the organization. I think that is pretty good.

Order In Council Appointments

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table in both official languages a number of order in council appointments which were recently made by the government.

Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1), these are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of which is attached.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Adams, 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 six petitions.

Petitions

[Randy White, Reform, Langley—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have several petitions to present. The most important one indicates that between April 14, 1997 and February 1998, ten months, four sexual assaults took place in the Abbotsford area. All four were committed by residents of the Sumas Correctional Centre. At least the last sexual assault was committed by a dangerous repeat offender with 63 prior convictions.

The petitioners are alarmed to see that 28 offenders walked away in the last eight months, an average of 3.5 per month from February 9, 1998 to September.

They ask that parliament enact legislation to ensure that Sumas Community Correctional Centre officials will have the right to refuse violent, repeat and dangerous offenders who could pose a danger to society, and that habitual violent offenders and sexual perpetrators should not be allowed to reside at Sumas Centre any longer.

The next petition I have contains 1,500 signatures. It asks that everyone who commits an offence under section 253 or 254 is guilty of an indictable offence or an offence of punishment on summary conviction and is liable for a first offence to imprisonment for not less than seven days, for a second offence to imprisonment for not more than fourteen days, and for each subsequent offence to imprisonment for not less than ninety days.

The final petition I have is in addition to another 7,500 signatures, making a total of 15,000 signatures from sincere and concerned citizens from the Fraser Valley and beyond.

They ask that reasonable action be taken promptly by government and that parliament enact legislation to ensure that the Sumas Community Correctional Centre's officials have the right to refuse violent repeat and dangerous offenders who could pose a danger to society and that habitual violent offenders and sexual perpetrators should not be allowed to reside at Sumas Centre any longer.

It is about time the government took action on this matter.

[Claude Drouin, Liberal, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present two petitions to the House.

The first one, which was circulated in the riding of Beauce, is from Claude Gilbert and concerns Bill C-68.

[Claude Drouin, Liberal, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition, also circulated in the riding of Beauce, is from André Grégoire and concerns pay equity.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present today the first of a series of petitions collected by Kawartha Ploughshares, a peace group in my riding.

They point out that whereas sanctions, far from helping to destroy the oppressive government of Saddam Hussein, have actually strengthened it and destroyed any useful opposition since instead of struggling for their rights the civilian population has had to struggle for survival.

They therefore call on parliament to strongly appeal to the United Nations, the United States and Britain for a rejection of any further military action against Iraq and call for a serious attempt at peace negotiations with Iraq and its neighbours.

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents of Longueuil, who believe sincerely in the equality of men and women and in justice being done, I have the honour on this International Women's Day to table, and more importantly to support, a petition calling on the federal government to withdraw its appeal against the public service pay equity decision and to give effect to the court ruling that it pay its employees what it owes them.

This petition is the first in a series that my colleagues in the Bloc Quebecois will be tabling this week. I am also tabling the same petition for my colleague, the member for Louis-Hébert.

[Dick Harris, Reform, Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the several hundred signators to a petition from Prince George—Bulkley Valley pray that parliament enact Bill C-225, an act to amend the Marriage Act and the Interpretation Act, so as to define in statute that a marriage can only be entered into between a single male and a single female. I agree with this petition.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today I have two petitions to present. The first petition is signed by a number of Canadians including from my own riding of Mississauga South on the subject of human rights.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that human rights abuses continue to be rampant around the world, particularly in countries such as Indonesia. They also acknowledge that Canada continues to be recognized internationally as champions of human rights.

Therefore they call on parliament to continue to speak out against human rights abuses around the world and to seek to bring to justice those responsible for such abuses.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

The second petition, Mr. Speaker, is on the matter of public safety officers.

The petitioners would like to draw the attention of the House that police officers and firefighters are required to place their lives at risk on a daily basis as they execute their duties and that when one of them loses their life in the line of duty we all mourn that loss.

The petitioners therefore call upon parliament to establish a public safety officers compensation fund for the benefit of families of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition pursuant to Standing Order 36 on behalf of a number of constituents who point out a whole number of concerns they have regarding the export of freshwater.

They make a number of suggestions on what the Government of Canada and parliament ought to consider.

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by 189 Canadians, mostly residing in the districts of Edgeley, Edenwold and Fort Qu'Appelle, just east of Regina.

Their formerly very peaceful and crime free rural area is being plagued by break-ins, sometimes while householders are at home. They say that whereas break and enter often involves serious loss or damage and whereas serious sentences for property offences are ordinarily minimal, especially when the offenders are minors, they call upon parliament to recommend more stringent sentencing for property crimes and to make laws requiring those convicted of vandalism and/or break and enter and theft to make financial restitution for damages.