Debates of Oct. 18th, 2000

Poverty

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a few minutes ago the Prime Minister said the Alliance did not care about poverty. I want to say that the Prime Minister has nothing to crow about. The public records clearly show that poverty and homelessness have become tragic growth industries under this Liberal watch. There is a very clear choice here. Is it shovelling out huge tax cuts to the corporate elite or is it funding our basic human needs to shelter?

I would like to ask the Prime Minister how does he defend his government's shameless choice of billions for the few and crumbs for the many? How does he defend that?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the crumbs are in the unsupported insinuations of the hon. member's question.

The fact is that we have been spending billions of dollars to help the least well off in our country through programs like the national child benefit and our $700 million program for the homeless. We are helping the least well off in this country and we will continue to do so even if the NDP does not know how to help bring about those results.

Auditor General's Report

[Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Earlier in the House the Minister of Public Works and Government Services said that no public money was being spent on Downsview Park. Then the Minister of National Defence admitted money was being spent by national defence.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister tell me which minister is telling the truth?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I find the words used might be a little toned down. If the government would like to respond I will permit it.

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

Mr. Speaker, the only money being received from the government are reimbursements, like the Minister of Defence said before, from DND as Canada Lands managed the commissioning of the size. Maybe if the hon. leader of the Conservative Party did a little bit of research he would have found that out.

Veterans Affairs

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

Will the minister commit to the House today that every eligible merchant navy veteran or surviving spouse will receive their full 100% compensation package owed to them as guaranteed by the previous Minister of Veterans Affairs?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification) (Francophonie)]

Mr. Speaker, this new Minister of Veterans Affairs wants to compliment my predecessor for the excellent work he has done.

I also want to assure the House that whatever commitments he has made I will try to respect.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I would like to draw members attention to the presence in our gallery of the hon. Milos Kuvzart, Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

Earlier today many of you will have taken part in the unveiling of the statue of the five women who won the Persons Case. With us today in our Chamber are the recipients of the Governor General's award in commemoration of the Persons Case. I would like you to hold your applause until I have introduced them all.

I would ask them, as I call their names, to please stand: Sonia Bitar of Edmonton, Alberta; Yvonne Bourgeois of Kent, New Brunswick; Bindu Dhaliwal of Mississauga, Ontario; Cherry Kingsley of Richmond, B.C.; Elizabeth McKenzie of Rae, NWT; Sabine Sonnemann of Newmarket, Ontario.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Points Of Order

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, earlier I put a question to the government and to my great surprise you ruled the question out of order.

I would still like an answer so I will put the question to you because the figures I wished to give come from the report on party financing.

The report on party financing is a public report. According to the report of the chief electoral officer, Groupe SM donated $1,098 to the Liberal Party in 1993; $4,379 in 1994; $232 in 1995; $7,000 in 1997; $955 in 1998; and $22,000 in 1999.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I must remind the hon. member that here in the House we may not ask questions about political parties.

That is the kind of question I heard and my ruling stands.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I want to understand and I am not contesting your ruling, but we simply want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

In the past on a number of occasions if I remember correctly, we have put questions to the government on various matters linking the government's decision to partisan action, such as in the case of a contribution to the party in office. In all these cases the Chair allowed these questions.

Before you rise, I would simply like to point out that there is a problem. We cannot obtain information because documents are no longer circulating. We cannot obtain satisfaction because the information commissioner is stymied. We can no longer ask questions in the House of Commons. I do not know how to proceed.

[The Speaker]

I cannot tell the hon. member how to phrase a question. But questions about political parties and contributions are not in order in the House of Commons.

Therefore, as I said, hon. members have to ask questions that are in order. That is the end of this point of order.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Far be it from me also to wish to oppose your decision in any way. I would respectfully request that you read the blues and listen to the recording of this portion of oral question period. Listening to the preamble and to the question, at least the portion of the question we are able to hear, it will be clearly seen that it is a matter of a government decision.

[The Speaker]

I will review what went on and what was said. I will get back to the House on this, if necessary.

[Antoine Dubé, Bloc, Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise also on a point of order. Since the hon. member for York South—Weston indicated he would be unable to present his motion during private members' business today, I would seek unanimous consent, notwithstanding any standing order, for the House to proceed today at the end of government orders to examination of Bill C-213 at the report stage and, if possible, to move on to third reading of this bill.

[The Speaker]

Is there unanimous consent to proceed in this fashion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

Parliamentary Delegation Report

[The Speaker]

I have the honour to present to the House the report of a parliamentary delegation I led which visited Israel from May 21 to 24, 2000 at the invitation of the Knesset; and the West Bank and Gaza from May 24 to 28, 2000 at the invitation of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Holocaust Memorial Day Act

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-510, an act to establish the Holocaust Memorial Day.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to introduce an act to establish the Holocaust memorial day. Many of us in the House have been touched in some way by the horrors of the Holocaust. For me it was a recent pilgrimage marking the 55th anniversary of the liberation of Holland and a visit to Camp Westerbork where the Dutch Jewish population was sent on route to the death camps.

In total, six million Jewish men, women and children perished as the result of a deliberate and planned state sponsored persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945.

The bill proposes to establish a national, annual Holocaust memorial day to be called Yom haShoah. Why do we need this as a nation? It is because the terrible destruction and pain of the Holocaust must never be forgotten. It is because systematic violence, racism and hatred continue to occur. It is because as a parliament we must do everything to uphold human rights and value the diversity and multiculturalism of Canadian society. It is because this part of our history must never be allowed to repeat itself.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Petitions

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from people in Peterborough who believe that rural Canada is not a dumping ground for urban garbage.

The petitioners point out that reduce, reuse and recycle is the only way to deal with garbage. They point out that northern Ontario deserves respect. They call upon parliament to do all in its power to stop the dumping of Toronto's garbage in the Adams mine in Kirkland Lake.