House of Commons Hansard #61 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was money.
Deepak Obhrai Reform Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have a right to know. Why are the taxpayers funding deals for the friends of the Prime Minister?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, I reject the allegations of the hon. member. These innuendoes are not acceptable in the House. I think it is absolutely ridiculous to come back on one particular case which I have already volunteered to look into very carefully. I will look into it with our responsible people at EDC.
The one thing I can say is that EDC lends on a commercial basis and does a very good job for Canadian companies on international markets. That is the reality.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, we now know enough about the Alberta legislation on private for-profit hospitals, to be tabled in one hour's time, to realize that Premier Klein's bill is contrary to the Canada Health Act. We know it is a clever ruse and that it is a crafty strategy. It separates out some procedures done in hospitals and it establishes overnight stay patient surgical facilities. It is truly a Trojan horse for the privatization of health care.
Will the minister now act immediately to close the door to two-tier health care?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I understand that the legislation will be tabled later today. It has not yet been released publicly. I have already told the House that I will look very carefully at that legislation. I have already expressed real concern about many aspects of this proposed policy. I raised serious questions with the minister of health of Alberta.
I can assure the hon. member and the House that as soon as we receive that legislation we will examine it very carefully to determine whether it complies in letter and in spirit with the Canada Health Act.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, the minister will know, as we know, that the act very clearly opens the door to private for-profit health care in Canada. It is a dangerous precedent and I would hope that he would have a more definitive answer today.
The minister will also know that the best defence against the likes of Premiers Klein and Mike Harris and others who advocate two-tier health care is cash for health care.
Will the minister finally agree to fully restore the cash transfers to health care today?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I have already made the point. The government has significantly increased cash transfers and overall payments for health care. It takes more than just money. It takes the additional money. It takes planning, ideas and constructive change.
What is very disappointing about the NDP's position is that by talking this way, by pretending that we are not doing our share financially, it is opening the door to people like Mike Harris to talk about two-tiered medicine.
Will the NDP stop helping Mike Harris? We will never accept two-tiered medicine in this country.
Department Of Indian Affairs And Northern DevelopmentOral Question Period
Progressive Conservative
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
Can the minister confirm that selected journalists have been or are being offered by a member of his department a briefing on an internal departmental audit?
Department Of Indian Affairs And Northern DevelopmentOral Question Period
Kenora—Rainy River Ontario
Liberal
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that indeed we are not.
Department Of Indian Affairs And Northern DevelopmentOral Question Period
Progressive Conservative
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, will the minister confirm that an internal audit of his department has been completed, and can he inform the House when it will be released?
Department Of Indian Affairs And Northern DevelopmentOral Question Period
Kenora—Rainy River Ontario
Liberal
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, at the department of Indian affairs we do audits on every first nation. We do hundreds of audits every year. Exactly which one is the member referring to?
I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, so you will know, that we are letting the press know exactly what the department of Indian affairs is doing so that they will have all the facts before they write the stories.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, the voluntary challenge and registry program, which was established in 1995, is an integral part of Canada's National Action Program on Climate Change. That program now includes 900 businesses across the country.
Could the Minister of Natural Resources tell us what benefits this initiative has had?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the voluntary challenge and registry was created by my department in partnership with the private sector a number of years ago. It is now entirely under private leadership.
By proactive, voluntary means, it shows exactly how to marry strong environmental stewardship with strong economic success. It is saving energy. It is saving greenhouse gas emissions. It is saving money.
In the budget recently we have added another $600 million to our search for climate change solutions. Tonight, the Minister of the Environment and I will award the 1999 awards to the VCR champions from all across Canada.
Diane Ablonczy Reform Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade is clearly clueless, so let us paint the picture for him yet again.
International TradeOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member for Calgary—Nose Hill.
Diane Ablonczy Reform Calgary Nose Hill, AB
We have a money losing company. In fact just last year it lost nearly $2 million. After finding two friends of the Prime Minister on its board, and after meetings in Ottawa, which it posted on its website, it comes up with a $10 million taxpayer backstop line of credit. The man supposedly in charge of all this pleads ignorance. I guess he backstops so many companies with $10 million loans and lines of credit that they just get lost in a blur. Maybe this is the question—
International TradeOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. secretary of state.
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, maybe I could help the opposition.
My colleague has so far said that there is nothing in his department. However, there is an agency called Canada Economic Development, of which I am in charge. Our role is to get involved and to help corporations to better develop, not only in the national market but at the international level as well. We were involved with a corporation called Earth Canada. Since their facts are not straight we are not sure if it is the same corporation.
Let me tell the hon. member that we are talking about a very small amount of money and we are talking about the repayment of those contributions. They are doing well. We will keep being involved in such corporations—
International TradeOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.
Stéphan Tremblay Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister for International Trade said that he had had very good conversations with his deputy minister, that he had every confidence, and that he wanted to reassure the House.
The minister must also have had some good conversations with his former deputy ministers at CIDA and Human Resources Development Canada. But we see nothing but disaster and scandal in his wake.
How can we believe the minister and have confidence in him when he has in his hands a budget of over $1 billion that is completely exempt from the Access to Information Act?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, I must say that I obviously do not agree with the allegations of the member for Lac-Saint-Jean.
I spoke with my deputy minister at International Trade and I can assure the House that the funds we have been allocated fully respect the criteria of our programs to help SMBs do well internationally.
I can also assure the House that the Export—
Minister For International TradeOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. Members will please listen to the response. The hon. Minister for International Trade.