House of Commons Hansard #224 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cmhc.
Sophia Leung Liberal Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, every summer Revenue Canada uses university and college students to deliver customs services at airports and border crossings.
My question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue. Is Revenue Canada putting Canadians at risk by using students to do those important jobs?
Beth Phinney LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Revenue
Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker.
Revenue Canada's student hiring policy serves not only to provide much needed employment to young Canadians but complements and enhances the department's role to provide both quality service and protection at the border.
In 1998 Revenue Canada helped almost 800 Canadian university and college students to acquire life skills and gain work experience through our successful customs internship program. Student customs officers perform selected routine duties which allows our customs inspectors to concentrate on higher risk tasks.
Jim Hart Reform Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC
Mr. Speaker, the economic artery to the south Okanagan is about to be cut off. Talks between Transport Canada and the Penticton Indian band over the land claim against the Penticton airport site are at an impasse. We are now just eight days away from the next transfer date and the Penticton Indian band is still opposed to the transfer of the airport to the city of Penticton.
When will the government act and appoint a mediator to end this deadlock for the south Okanagan?
Stan Dromisky LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we realize that there have been problems in the negotiation process in this situation. It is a very delicate one.
The government as well as the parties concerned, the municipality, as well as the chief and representatives of the Indian band, have been working diligently in this area. We hope that on May 15 they may come to some conclusion and settle this issue once and for all to the betterment and to the benefit of all parties concerned.
Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral Bloc Laval Centre, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who is concerned—and rightly so—about the dumping of American magazines in Canada, is certainly not indifferent to the problems caused to Astronomie Québec by the French edition of the Sky News magazine, which is funded by a federal museum.
Since the Museum of Science and Technology did not deem important to comply with the request made the standing committee on heritage to negotiate an arrangement with Astronomie Québec before publishing its own astronomy magazine, how does the minister intend to compensate the Quebec publication, whose excellence has been recognized for decades in the Francophonie?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, here is a political party looking for problems. I have here a question put by the hon. member for Québec on June 22, 1995, in which her party was specifically asking that the Museum of Science and Technology publish the magazine in French.
Now, they are blaming us because the magazine is published in French, while four years ago they were blaming us because it was not published in French.
Rick Laliberte NDP Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, northern fishers and producers are facing an economic crisis in their communities. This message was heard 30 years ago in 1969 when the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation was created with a northern transportation program.
Will the government now listen to northern fishers who are facing an economic crisis in 1999? Will the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans review the FFMC monopoly on processing and marketing, and will he reinstate a fair transportation program?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct at least in reference to the importance of the inland fishery. Freshwater fish are a very important part of our exports and, indeed, a very important part of the economy of the small communities of the northern prairie provinces.
Where he is incorrect is to say that we have not followed up and done everything we can to encourage the maximum return to the fishermen. Breaking up the Freshwater Fish Marketing Board is very similar to the arguments which we hear in the House about breaking up the wheat board. If the New Democratic Party wants to go on record as being against the wheat board and the Freshwater Fish Marketing Board, let it say so clearly. We think that both serve a useful purpose.
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, downstream petrochemical producers and consumers are fearful of an increased carbon tax being charged at the gas pump.
Can the Minister of Finance assure the House that no increase in federal gasoline tax is about to be levied?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has addressed this question. The Minister of Finance has addressed this question. The Minister of the Environment has addressed this question. The former Minister of Natural Resources has addressed this question. I have addressed this question. Every answer, every time, has been “no carbon tax”.
John McKay Liberal Scarborough East, ON
Mr. Speaker, this is Mental Health Awareness Week.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health tell the House what Health Canada is doing in the area of mental health research?
Elinor Caplan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that very serious question.
During Mental Health Awareness Week it is important for everyone to know that, while it is the provinces that deliver front line services, the federal government plays a very important role in helping to remove the terrible stigma of mental illness and to do the research that is necessary. We have invested some $19 million in mental health research. We know that the new Canadian Institute of Health Research will continue the important work on mental health.
I thank the member for his question because there are a number—
HealthOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
I am sorry to interrupt, but the parliamentary secretary can continue at another time.
David Anderson LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 109, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the government's response to the seventh and eighth reports of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, entitled “The Nunavut Report” and “The Prince Edward Island Report”.
I thank the committee members and chair for the time and effort they put into preparing these reports, and I am sure that the response will be well received.
Mauril Bélanger LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.
Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Government Operations.
In accordance with its order of reference of Monday, April 26, 1999, your committee has considered Bill C-78, the public sector pension investment board act, and agreed on Thursday, May 6, 1999, to report it with amendments.
Guy St-Julien Liberal Abitibi, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.
This is a provisional report on the pressing problems noted by the committee when it traveled to northern Quebec and Nunavut in May 1998 as part of its study of aboriginal economic development. It recommends that the government act quickly to meet the basic needs of northern Quebec's Cree and Inuit with respect to housing and Nav Canada infrastructures.
The committee has asked that the government respond within 30 days.
Susan Whelan Liberal Essex, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Industry on the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2000.
Mac Harb Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present a petition signed by many Canadians. The petitioners are asking parliament to amend the Divorce Act to include a provision, as supported by Bill C-340, that would allow the grandparent of a child to have access to the child and to ensure the well-being of the child without having to go to court.
Rey D. Pagtakhan Liberal Winnipeg North—St. Paul, MB
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to present petitions on behalf of those who seek the amendment of the Divorce Act to allow grandparents to have access to their grandchildren. It is a very laudable objective indeed.
Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Ottawa—Vanier Ontario
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-66, an act to amend the National Housing Act and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act and to make a consequential amendment to another act, be read the third time and passed.
Nelson Riis NDP Kamloops, BC
Mr. Speaker, with your permission I would like to split my time with the hon. member for Churchill.
I rise today to say a few words regarding Bill C-66, an act to amend the National Housing Act and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act and to make a consequential amendment to another act.
The impression we get is that the government is actually doing something about housing in the country. Perhaps this comes as a surprise to people. When we think that the government is going to change the National Housing Act and the CMHC act, it could be implied that it has decided to take some initiative to improve the housing situation in Canada.
We know, without any question, that there are tens of thousands of people in the country who do not have a home, period. They are living on the streets, in parks, under bridges and so on around the country. We heard earlier today the government whip indicating that the government had appointed a cabinet minister, the Minister of Labour, to co-ordinate some activity to deal with this issue of homelessness in Canada. We would assume that when we are dealing with Bill C-66, an act that deals with housing in Canada, there would be some reference or some indication that the government is actually going to do something about the homeless situation, but in fact the answer is that it is doing absolutely nothing. This is not a good day for the people who are living under bridges and the homeless in the country.
Let us agree, among ourselves at least, that to have a housing problem in Canada is rather unusual. We have more land available than every single country in the entire world, except one. We have land from coast to coast to coast. We have billions and billions of hectares of land.
We have trees in every single province and territory. When we fly across the country we see that we have trees from coast to coast. We have millions of hectares of trees, except for Nunavut which does not have any trees, but we could always ship a few up to those people if they need some. For most people, we have trees coming out of our ying yang. We have trees everywhere.
Think about it. Our banks are filled with money. We have an unbelievable amount of land at our disposal. We have lumber from coast to coast to coast. To have a housing problem, we have to work at it. We have to really work at it. There is not a single reason there should be a housing problem in this country. We hardly have any people compared with most other countries. We have housing technology and everything else. There must be a reason for this problem.
The problem is sitting right over there. That is the problem. We do not have a government with any inclination to improve the housing situation in this country. We should take this legislation, tear it up, throw it away and say enough—