Debates of April 28th, 1999

Government Contracts

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

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the judgment. My department, in co-operation with the justice department, is analysing the judgment. Whenever we complete the analysis we will make our decision known.

Small Business

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Western Economic Diversification.

The Prime Minister's task force on the four western provinces heard from a number of small businesses and business groups during its recent meetings in Manitoba. These groups consistently called for additional federal support for small and medium size businesses.

Will the secretary of state tell the House what his department is doing to meet the needs of small businesses across western Canada?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Secretary of State (Science]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was in Edmonton. On behalf of the Government of Canada I had the honour of announcing $90 million over five years in operational funds for 90 community futures development corporations that cover virtually the whole of western Canada.

These organizations are run by local volunteers. They work with partners in assessing the community and economic development needs of their communities. They provide a wide range of services to the private sector, particularly the small businesses. This is good—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Langley—Abbotsford.

Dangerous Offenders

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not through yet. I have heard it all in my area: golf courses in prisons and a first degree murderer bringing in a horse to ride in prison. Now a man considered dangerous by police who is doing five years for armed robbery got a bus ticket from an Alberta prison with a request to go to another facility unescorted.

I would like the solicitor general to tell the House that under no circumstance will prison inmates receive unescorted bus passes to go from one prison to another.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, if my hon. colleague really wanted an answer on a specific issue, he would give me notice. The fact is my hon. colleague just wants to put on a show with his question.

Young Offenders Bill

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the flexibility of the new young offenders legislation is a myth. In fact, under the legislation, Quebec's courts will have to hand down sentences similar to those given adolescents elsewhere in Canada for the same offence.

When will the Minister of Justice wake up and realize that Quebec's approach is seriously threatened, particularly by the principle of harmonized offences in the bill?

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

Mr. Speaker, I wish the hon. member would wake up and stop spreading these misrepresentations and half truths.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I would ask the hon. minister to withdraw the word misrepresentations.

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw those words. In fact, what I would do is call upon the hon. member and all those wherever they live in the country who care about the challenges of youth justice to understand that the proposed youth justice legislation represents a balanced approach, understands the diversity of approach in the country and will permit Quebec to continue to deal with young offenders in the way it always has.

Hepatitis C

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Qu'Appelle, SK]

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

Last summer Joey Haché travelled across the country collecting over 35,000 signatures asking for fairness in compensation for victims of hepatitis C. Joey Haché was with us today in Oral Question Period and a lot of people who have hepatitis C are watching what is happening here.

I want to give the Minister of Health an opportunity to speak directly to Joey Haché and others who suffer from hepatitis C and to tell them why they have not been fairly compensated with a just compensation and why it has not been done over the last several months.

[The Speaker]

The hon. minister will of course address himself to the Chair.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier in Oral Question Period to anybody who is listening, the government has acted on something that perhaps the opposition does not recognize.

We acted on a principle. That principle was that those who are ill deserve care, not cash but care. Those who became ill because of the public blood system will get the care they need for their whole lives if the provinces will accept our offer.

We have offered to share the costs for the whole of their lives to make sure that any medical service they need, whether it is drugs that are not covered by insurance or nursing care, is provided without those people paying from their own pockets.

Privilege

[The Speaker]

Earlier this week one of our colleagues in the House, the hon. member for Skeena, raised a question of privilege wherein he alleged that another of our colleagues whom he mentioned in his statement, the hon. member for Provencher, evidently made a statement in the House and the information could only have been forthcoming, as I understand the allegation, from a meeting which was held in camera.

We heard the hon. member's allegations to the House and I decided that I would wait to hear from the hon. member for Provencher himself on these allegations. The member for Provencher is with us and I recognize the hon. member for Provencher.

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on April 22, 1999, in responding during question period to the hon. member for South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, I made reference to remarks made by the hon. member for Skeena at the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

In making this reference, without malice to the hon. member for Skeena and completely unintentionally, I overlooked the fact that the proceedings to which I referred were in fact in camera proceedings. I now of course fully recognize that I absolutely should not have made reference to such in camera proceedings. To have done so was a serious error that should not have occurred even in passionate debate during question period.

When the matter was brought to my attention by my House leader, I resolved immediately to set the record straight and address the matter on my first day back in the House. I have great personal respect for the dignity of the House, its traditions, practices, proceedings and, most of all, its members.

I therefore offer my apologies to the Chair, to members of the House, to members of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and, most important, I offer my apology to the hon. member for Skeena. Now, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully submit this to your hands.

[The Speaker]

There are times in the House when we do say things. The hon. member not only has made a withdrawal to the House, to the hon. member for Skeena and to the members of the committee, but he has also offered an apology which is even one step beyond.

I accept, in the name of the House, this apology. This matter is now closed.

Access To Information Act

[The Deputy Speaker]

I have the honour, pursuant to section 38 of the Access to Information Act, to lay upon the table a special report of the information commissioner.

This report is permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to table, in both official languages, the government's response to the sixth report of the Committee on Canadian Heritage, entitled “Sport in Canada: Leadership, Partnership and Accountability; Everybody's Business”. The response will be available on the Canadian Heritage and Sport Canada web sites.

I would like to congratulate all of the members of the subcommittee who prepared this report. It will most certainly advance the cause of sport in Canada.

Government Response To Petitions

[Gar Knutson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 11 petitions.

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage presented on Thursday, December 3, 1998, be concurred in.

It is important to note that there were some issues from the particular report tabled in the House. One of the issues is televised committees, which I want to address through this discussion.

Hon. members will find that the people who were travelling on this report need not have done so, had the particular committee televised its proceedings. I do not believe the committee could have televised its proceedings because the rules are such that they do not permit it, and I will tell hon. members why.

We have gone through this issue in the House and we will continue to go through it in the House until we find some way to deal with it properly.

We had a report come from the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, for instance, that dealt with televised committees. I will read one of the recommendations of that committee: “Members feel that it would now be appropriate to extend the coverage of committee proceedings. To permanently equip another room for broadcasting committees, however, is not feasible or desirable at this time, both because of the cost involved and the ongoing renovations on Parliament Hill”. This issue was unanimous in that committee.

I guess what I want to talk a bit about is what exactly is wrong with committees in the House of Commons. I have my colleagues here going from—

[The Deputy Speaker]

I hesitate to interrupt the hon. member. I know that a general discussion on committees might be of great interest, but the report that the hon. member is debating is one on sport in Canada, and I know he will want to bring his remarks within the tenor of the report.

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

Mr. Speaker, I did and I am. I am telling the House—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.