House of Commons Hansard #66 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was provinces.
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I have already declared publicly my strong belief that Bill 11 is bad policy. Based on evidence in Alberta itself, it will cause longer waiting lists and more costs.
However, we do not know whether Bill 11 will become law. Premier Klein may yet qualify it. He may yet amend it. Or, as he has done twice in the past, he may listen to the people of Alberta and withdraw it.
Bev Desjarlais NDP Churchill, MB
Mr. Speaker, Canada's aboriginal people have been held in captive poverty for decades, robbed of their culture, robbed of their families, robbed of their economical opportunities.
The most recent budget failed to provide sufficient dollars for aboriginal housing and health care. If that was not bad enough, now they face the danger of private health care because of this health minister's failure to take on Ralph Klein.
What is this minister afraid of? If the minister truly supports universal health care, why does he not tell Ralph Klein today that Bill 11 must go and why does he not put sufficient dollars into our health care system?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quite wrong of course. She knows of this government's commitment. She knows the action we have already taken. She knows that we have said in the budget and since that we are determined to do what is right for Canadians.
Rick Borotsik Progressive Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, this weekend Liberal members will be discussing Progressive Conservative agriculture policy once again. Under priority resolution No. 27 they will be asking for the reinstatement of the GRIP program, ironically the same program that this government killed in 1995.
I wonder if the minister of agriculture can tell us today if he will be supporting that resolution and reinstate GRIP.
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I will tell the member one thing we will not be discussing at the convention this weekend and that is the fact that we will not be putting the agriculture department in with other departments. The hon. member should look back at his platform before the last election. They were even going to do away with the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Rick Borotsik Progressive Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, I assume that means, yes, he will be supporting the reinstatement of GRIP.
In the 1994 auditor general's report, the total administration costs for GRIP and crop insurance was less than 2% of the program dollars. Right now AIDA is seven times that amount in administration costs.
Will the minister now admit that AIDA was the wrong program and perhaps we should be going back to GRIP?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, this government has demonstrated very clearly that it will be there to assist farmers as much as it possibly can.
In closing, I thank the hon. member for his interest in the Liberal convention this weekend. I know he is looking for a place for a home and we would welcome him.
Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the parliamentary secretary to the minister responsible for Canada Post.
E-commerce is growing rapidly worldwide with more and more Canadians ordering products through the Internet. Is Canada Post ready to participate in the tremendous opportunity presented by e-commerce?
Carolyn Parrish LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I would like the hon. member for Peterborough to note that Canada Post is a world leader in the distribution business and has developed many innovative online solutions.
E-parcel helps Canadian small businesses set up websites to sell their products online. E-parcel allows e-commerce shoppers to choose how quickly their purchases are delivered and at what cost. With e-parcel, Canada Post is proving to be an active player in the new world of electronic commerce.
Lee Morrison Reform Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, you have to admire the chutzpah of the Minister of Human Resources Development.
Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I think you should get by the first line and give us the rest of the question.
Lee Morrison Reform Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, you have to admire the chutzpah of the Minister of Human Resources Development. First, she administers the bungling of a billion dollars of taxpayer money. She then botches every one of her attempts to hide the facts. She fumbles every attempt to get out from under this scandal, and yet she has the conceit to stand here day after day and smirkingly insist that she is competent.
When does the minister expect to receive her Oscar for smirking arrogance?
Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. Those words, at the very best, are borderline. I see the Deputy Prime Minister on his feet. If he wishes to answer, I will let him.
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member wants to ask a sensible question, I will give him two other words which more accurately describe his question and the questions of the Reform Party. When it comes to his questions, he used the same language. His questions are all gornisht and absolute narishkite .
Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I have no way of knowing whether or not those words are parliamentary.
Pauline Picard Bloc Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, while more and more grant scandals keep coming to light at Human Resources Development Canada and millions of dollars in grants are spent without creating a single job, the minister is abandoning hundreds of older workers who find themselves out of work when plants shut down.
How can she squander the money of Human Resources Development Canada and do nothing for older workers, like those of the Celanese plant in Drummondville, who will lose their jobs on March 31 and will be doomed to despair?
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, indeed we are doing something for older workers and we are doing it in partnership with the provinces including the province of Quebec.
I am glad to say and to repeat again that as a result of the hard work of Canadians and of the government we have unemployment levels at the lowest they have been since Montreal hosted the Olympics.
Rick Laliberte NDP Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, the industry minister has received petitions on a recent CRTC decision which would abandon affordable telecommunication services in rural and remote communities.
The decision runs against the Prime Minister's beliefs that the redistribution of wealth is one of Canada's greatest successes. The high cost regions must be respected and kept connected. Has the industry minister recommended to cabinet to overrule this bad CRTC decision?
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, both the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments have filed a joint appeal of the CRTC's decision with respect to high cost service areas. The consultation process that is required under section 12 of the Telecommunications Act has been launched both by Gazette notice and by requests of the provinces.
In the meantime I want to assure the member that affordability and availability of service is a key part of the government's connecting Canadians strategy. It is fundamental to this strategy that Canadians in every part of Canada have regular affordable access not just to basic telephony but to Internet service.
John Herron Progressive Conservative Fundy Royal, NB
Mr. Speaker, this weekend Liberal members attending the convention will be voting on a resolution about adopting a strategy for Atlantic Canada called “Catching a New Wave”.
We do know that for the most part Liberal public policy has really missed the boat when it comes to Atlantic Canada. One component of “Catching a New Wave” is to develop a modern shipbuilding policy that is non-subsidy driven and incentives based such as revising the leasing regulations for Revenue Canada.
My question is for the Minister of Industry. Will the minister be supporting this resolution? If it does pass, will he be ignoring it as he has—
Liberal Party Of CanadaOral Question Period
The Speaker
I cannot find a connection here to the administrative responsibility of the government. This has to do with a convention. I see the hon. Minister of Industry rising to his feet. I judge this question to be out of order. If he wishes to answer it, he may.
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, in order or out of order I want to assure the hon. member that we are concerned with the state of the shipbuilding industry in Canada. That is why I have taken the time to meet with union representatives, with owner representatives and with the organizations that represent shipbuilders and ship users across Canada.
The simple answer is not as easy as the hon. member might think. The problems that are implicit in the industry are ones that arise not just domestically for Canada but out of a 40% overcapacity worldwide and the facing of increasing subsidies in various parts of the world.
I would like to ask the hon. member if he thinks he is prepared to suggest to his electors that they put increasing subsidies into the shipbuilding industry.