Debates of Feb. 18th, 2000

Research And Development

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

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

In October the Prime Minister shared his vision for the new millennium: a nation built on learning, innovation and excellence. Can the parliamentary secretary outline the Government of Canada's commitment to creating a positive research environment where Canadian researchers can achieve world class potential here at home?

[Yvon Charbonneau, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague the member for York West for her question.

I am pleased to tell the House that earlier this morning the Minister of Health announced nearly $66 million in medical research funding in Ontario at seven different universities through the Canadian Medical Research Council.

This follows the announcement made in Quebec last week concerning a $165 million federal investment, over a five year period, to support the work of 500 health researchers. Funding will double over a four year period.

Agriculture

[Howard Hilstrom, Reform, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has its priorities all wrong.

While the government has been busy giving subsidized money to multi-billion dollar companies like Wal-Mart, the official opposition has been out in the countryside consulting with farmers. As many as 75% of farmers believe that the future of their farms is very bleak.

The human resources development minister is part of the problem, not part of the solution. How can the minister justify wasting millions of dollars subsidizing companies like Wal-Mart when she should be helping farmers save their farms?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question was totally off base from the beginning.

No money was given to Wal-Mart. He is wrong about that. He is also wrong in saying that we are not working to help farmers. We are working to help them. We are putting forward programs worth billions of dollars. We are going to continue to do our best to help them deal with this serious income crisis at the present time.

Human Resources Development

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, as a result of the government's policies, western farmers cannot even get a break-even price for the products of their hard labour. Yet RMH Teleservices, a U.S. company worth $80 billion, was given $1.6 million to set up in the minister's riding. This was money it did not ask for, money it did not need. In fact it would have set up there anyway.

The minister has attempted to excuse the abuse of taxpayers' money by saying that grants are needed. Can the minister explain how RMH Teleservices—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Human Resources Development.

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I would love to invite the hon. member to come to my riding where he could see the call centre in operation. There are men and women working in that call centre who had not had the opportunity to work for six or seven years. They had been on social assistance.

The kind of work that this opportunity provides to my community spoke directly to our labour market needs. The people in the riding of Brant are very thankful for the role the Government of Canada played in that undertaking.

[Michelle Dockrill, NDP, Bras D'Or, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister of HRDC. My question is not about job creation, it is about the integrity of the government and the minister.

Yesterday the minister could not explain how a $750,000 grant became a $2 million cheque to a Liberal supporter. Today her officials acknowledge a million dollar top-up.

My question is simple. Who approved the top-up?

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

Mr. Speaker, this was a combination of moneys from ACOA and HRDC.

The chambers of commerce praised this operation. The municipalities praised this operation in Cape Breton. The people of Cape Breton praised 250 permanent jobs in this area.

When is the NDP going to get in step with its own constituents?

[Michelle Dockrill, NDP, Bras D'Or, NS]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. I have documents from the minister's own department stating that $2 million was received from the transitional jobs fund for this company. Call after call to my office in Glace Bay tell stories of recent layoffs at Scotia Rainbow, bounced cheques, and public records indicating legal action against Scotia Rainbow.

It appears the only cheques that have not bounced from this company are the cheques contributing to the Liberal Party.

I am asking the minister, is that job creation?

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

Mr. Speaker, 250 permanent jobs in an area devastated by the downturn in the groundfish industry. The NDP always supported that kind of job creation. Perhaps it is because of their last convention. With their leader pulling to the right and their backbenchers pulling to the left neither of them know whether their membership is following them or chasing them.

[The Deputy Speaker]

I appreciate that there is a lot of enthusiasm on both sides for questions and answers today but it is difficult for the Chair to hear when everyone is making their points at the same time.

[Jean Dubé, Progressive Conservative, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources Development seems to have problems with geography in her own riding. She reminds me of the Fisheries and Oceans official who did not even know where Newfoundland was. Just imagine.

Can the minister now confirm that her riding is part of economic region 5-50, which is called Hamilton—Niagara?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that my riding is part of the economic region for Niagara and has been for a decade.

[Jean Dubé, Progressive Conservative, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the cost to move Duchess Foods to the minister's riding was just over $20,000 per mile. It cost Canadian taxpayers an additional $2 million to move the minister's riding to the Niagara economic region.

The minister is clearly lost in her portfolio. Will she now admit that her riding did not qualify?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely not. Under the terms and conditions of both the transitional jobs fund and the Canada jobs fund the undertakings were appropriate.

This is a member who himself has benefited from these programs and knows the importance that they have played in his region. Likewise, in my region where individuals needed the support of the federal government to provide opportunities, it was given. Surely he understands that there are things that are the same in his region as in my region and that these kinds of programs really do make a difference in the lives of individuals.

The Environment

[Rick Limoges, Liberal, Windsor—St. Clair, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Canadian government is launching negotiations with the United States on cross border smog. In Windsor and Tecumseh we are on the firing line.

I ask the minister: If Ontario is not yet keeping up with most U.S. states, how can Canada expect to gain the respect of the U.S. negotiators in these talks?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the area of Windsor is a particularly important one in this respect as so much of the smog comes from American sources.

It is true that in dealing with the Americans we need to have the province of Ontario very clearly doing more than has been done in the past. I take the Ontario minister's word that he will match all American standards. In fact, I took some consolation from this morning's newspaper when, in response to a criticism that air quality might decline, he said “If that happens, I will `eat my shorts'.”.

Human Resources Development

[Gary Lunn, Reform, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a lot of questions have been asked of the HRDC minister regarding excessive grants in her riding. It is no wonder Canadians question the competence of this minister when we look at the different answers she has given.

First, she cited pockets of unemployment. Then, it was periods of unemployment. Then, it was her deputy minister's fault. Then, it was based on the EI boundaries. However, when we asked her to table this information she refused.

Will the minister stop the charade and admit to Canadians that she is now trying to redefine the rules after the fact to justify these grants?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I think what will be helpful for the members on that side is that I table the terms and conditions so that they do understand that the transitional jobs fund was a particular program with its own terms and conditions and then it transformed into the Canada jobs fund with another set of terms and conditions.

Day after day they confuse the issues by not taking the time to understand the details of these programs and to understand the support that they have given to Canadians right across this country.

Audiovisual Productions

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Canadian Heritage released her report on federal support mechanisms to audiovisual production.

Suzanne Aubry, the president of Quebec's Société des auteurs, recherchistes, documentalistes et compositeurs, reacted by saying that she had been hoping for the release of the actual amounts given to producers.

Considering that the industry itself is asking for greater transparency in the management of public funds, why did the Minister of Canadian Heritage choose to have all the information subjected to Revenue Canada's confidentiality rules?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I did not subject the information to these rules. This is the law.

Agriculture

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a reasonable question for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Yesterday I met with Saskatchewan farmers, as many members have. They are down here lobbying about the farm crisis. They asked me to ask the Prime Minister a question on their behalf. They want to invite the Prime Minister to come to Saskatchewan to meet farmers face to face to learn about the farm crisis.

My question for the Deputy Prime Minister is will he take this invitation to his boss, the Prime Minister, and invite him, on behalf of Saskatchewan farmers, to come to our province for a face to face meeting on the farm crisis.

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will be very happy to transmit the hon. member's request.

However, I can confirm, from my own discussions with the Prime Minister, that he is already well aware of the crisis. As Prime Minister of all of Canada, he is working hard to help Saskatchewan farmers and other farmers to live through this crisis and get back to a period of prosperity once again.

Human Resources Development

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, no one is questioning the value of properly managed accountable administration of public money. But these shifty efforts, the backtracking and the coverup of what was obviously a corrupt and disastrous plan that was inherited by the current minister has left public confidence in shambles.

When will the minister just set the record straight and admit that her riding did not qualify for TJF or CJF funds?