Debates of March 24th, 2000

The Environment

[Paddy Torsney, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, actually the government has been working with governments at the provincial and territorial levels and with experts across the country to put in place an action plan that will see us meet our Kyoto target.

On Monday and Tuesday the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of the Environment will be meeting with their provincial and territorial colleagues to get that agreement battened down and to make sure that we are getting things in place, because we have a huge responsibility to Canadians and to people across the world.

Voluntary action is important. It is not the only thing. We have to do other things, but it is a critical component.

Employment Insurance

[Angela Vautour, NDP, Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the government just released its third monitoring and assessment report, following the drastic cuts to the employment insurance program. This report shows a 5.7% reduction in the number of claims from frequent claimants.

In light of this report, has the minister concluded that everything is fine regarding seasonal unemployment in our communities?

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, for the NDP even good news is turned into bad news. The fact is that this report reflects the strong performance of the economy and the creation of 400,000 new jobs last year, of which 85% were full time. Today the economy is stronger than ever and the unemployment rate is at its lowest level since 1976.

[Angela Vautour, NDP, Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, this issue is too important to me to be joked about. While the government is saying everything is well, as we speak I have constituents in my riding who see themselves with no income because of the actions taken on the part of the Liberal government.

Why is the minister refusing to recognize the degree of hardship caused by the drastic cuts to the EI program and refusing to introduce measures that will put an end to the suffering which we are seeing in our seasonal communities? Does the minister have an answer for the people who have no income now? Everything is not well.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult to make the argument that as a group frequent claimants and seasonal workers have been treated unfairly.

This year's report indicates that frequent claimants such as seasonal workers benefit from the hours based system. They now have an average entitlement period of 32.8 weeks, three weeks higher than it was before the reform to EI.

Even with the intensity rule in place, the average weekly benefit rate of frequent claimants exceeded the average for all claimants of regular benefits by 8.2%. They are having higher benefits and they are having them for a longer period.

Export Development Corporation

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade. Would he once and for all refute the comments and the allegations that were made in the House by a desperate Reform Party looking to smear the government?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely. All week long Reform has made all sorts of allegations, now denied by its only source of information.

Let us be constructive in the House this morning after the denials and let us read the quote from Mr. Malcolm Stephens, former chief executive of the British equivalent of the EDC who said:

In my experience the facilities available to Canadian exporters are flexible and are administered with the professional expertise which has few rivals in other countries around the world.

This is what Canada stands for.

Member For Brant

[Cliff Breitkreuz, Reform, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in the Liberal Party members earn rewards for blowing billions of dollars while they receive applause at conventions, standing ovations in the House and even protection from an angry public.

In the real world managers would be fired with cause, but in Liberaldom they are congratulated and handed a bigger portfolio. When is the member for Brant getting the finance job?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious the hon. member is getting ready to seek the job of either leader of the Reform Party or the united alternative. In spite of that his baseless question is not going to get him any brownie points even in his own party.

The member for Brant is doing a great job as Minister of Human Resources Development. The Minister of Finance, the member for LaSalle—Émard, is doing a great job as Minister of Finance. We are all very happy with that, as are Canadians generally.

National Defence

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a federal investigation at the Department of National Defence revealed that a number of expenses had been paid twice.

Moreover, instead of trying to recover the moneys paid by mistake, it appears the department preferred to consider these undue payments as losses.

Does the minister intend to take disciplinary and administrative action to correct this situation?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the reference that perhaps the hon. member is making is to a duplicate payment, which was noted in the media of recent times. It has not been written off. We are taking every action we can to collect it.

We have substantially cut down this kind of problem. We are taking corrective action to reduce this kind of situation and to make sure that people are properly trained to ensure respect for the taxpayer dollar.

Transportation

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Is he aware that if he took VIA Rail from Halifax to Vancouver and he flushed the toilet along the way, the toilet would be flushed directly on to the tracks, leaving a trail of poo from coast to coast?

In light of the workers along the tracks and consideration for the environment, would he announce that the government will finally take steps to clean up this dreadful situation?

[Stan Dromisky, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we can truly appreciate the kind of environment in which these individuals are working when the toilets are being flushed along the tracks. There is no doubt about it; it is a stinky situation.

However, I point out that we have a policy that any new passenger car providing railway service must have containers. Any passenger car today that is being renovated must also have the new container system, and we are hoping that the old cars will be renovated in a very short period of time.

Employment

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the HRD minister has changed the application date for the student summer employment program. This was done without contacting former program recipients. This was done without advertising in local papers. This was done without contacting opposition MPs.

Did the minister contact her government MPs to indicate that the application date had been changed?

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, all initiatives under the student summer job action are designed to create or help students get employment.

It is my understanding that the deadline for applications under this program is March 31, 2000, the same as it has been every other year.

National Defence

[John Richardson, Liberal, Perth—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence. Yesterday, the Panamanian flagship with a crew of 31 carrying a cargo of salt from Spain en route to New York began to take on water and sank quickly. The crew was unable to utilize its life rafts and lifeboats.

Could the minister inform members of the House on the role played by members of the Canadian armed forces in the rescue of the members of the Leader L ?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, there was a Canadian naval task group, comprised of three frigates, a supply ship and a destroyer, on their way to exercises when this tragedy occurred 370 kilometres northeast of Bermuda.

The HMCS Iroquois , Charlottetown , Halifax and Toronto and the ship Preserver participated in the rescue. Sea King helicopters were deployed and, along with the Hercules and an Aurora aircraft, they rescued six of the crew members from two life rafts.

I think we owe our congratulations to the members of the Canadian forces for some fine work.

Export Development Corporation

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for days in the House we have been asking questions about Export Development Corporation based on its annual reports and based on the Public Accounts of Canada.

All we have received from the minister is a bunch of blather with no answers. He seems more intent on talking about the Ottawa Citizen than answering questions in the House. Why does he not answer the questions that are put to him?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I have to refute the allegations that members of the Reform Party have made. All week we have heard talk of billions of dollars of losses and now we recognize that their source of information, their articles, contain errors.

If the opposition had any dignity it would apologize for having led Canadian public opinion in the House on the wrong track in believing that this crown corporation is not doing good work for Canadians exporters all around the world.

Genetically Modified Foods

[Hélène Alarie, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on June 23, I submitted an access to information request with a very simple question: what is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's process for approving genetically modified foods. Nine months later, I received some documents, but no answer to my question.

My question is for the Minister of Health. What reason is there for this lack of transparency other than that there is no approval process or that the process is so deficient that the minister is too ashamed to make it public?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we provided a full response.

Points Of Order

[Jay Hill, Reform, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my point of order is with regard to Bill C-206 and the fact that it has been dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence.

Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, the status of the bill was challenged by the member for Athabasca, resulting in a committee study by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

The Speaker ruled on the complaint of the member for Athabasca and based his ruling on the recommendation from the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, which recommended:

That the Speaker require (the Member for Wentworth—Burlington) to demonstrate that Bill C-206 has the current support of at least 100 Members, including at least 10 Members each from a majority of the recognized parties in the House, by filing with the Clerk a list, in accordance with Standing Order 87(6)(a), prior to Bill C-206 being set down for the first hour of debate at second reading. For these purposes only, and without prejudice to any future cases or recommendations, “support” shall mean support that the item be added to the Order of Precedence. If (the Member for Wentworth—Burlington) is unable to demonstrate such support within the specified period of time, the Speaker should order that Bill C-206 be dropped from the Order of Precedence and replaced by the next eligible item under Standing Order 87(6)(b). Any such removal of Bill C-206 would not affect in any way (the Member for Wentworth—Burlington's) use of this procedure for Bill C-206 in the future.

During the discussions at committee, it was suggested that the member for Wentworth—Burlington be apprised of the intentions of the committee before the committee actually finalized its report, in order to allow him time to seek the recommended support for his bill. The reason for this urgency was because the committee intended the deadline to be the first opportunity for the bill to be considered for its first hour of debate. That should have been today.

By arranging to prevent his bill from being considered today, the member for Wentworth—Burlington has gone against the intentions of the committee and the spirit of the Speaker's ruling. His procedural manoeuvre blocks the next eligible bill from making it on the order paper pursuant to Standing Order 87(6)(b).

No other member enjoys the advantage of securing a position on the order of precedence until such time as he or she can obtain 100 signatures. All other members are now required to wait while the member dithers.

The House has been patient enough and it is unfair to all members to delay this any further. In the Chair's ruling of March 21, 2000, the Speaker said:

Failing the filing of the necessary list with the Journals Branch prior to Bill C-206 being set down for the first hour of debate at second reading, the item will be removed from the order of precedence. It will, of course, remain eligible to be returned to the order of precedence through a later filing of such a list or by the normal process of the draw.

The member for Wentworth—Burlington rose after the Speaker's ruling and sought further clarification. He clarified with the Chair that if he could secure 100 signatures by Friday, March 24, 2000, today, his bill could remain on the order paper. It is obvious that the member did not obtain the required support in time.

The member had his chance. He should now proceed as suggested in the Speaker's ruling. He should file through the normal process and stop tying up a position on the order of precedence that would allow other members to take advantage of Standing Order 87(6)(b).

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened carefully to this representation. While I would not disagree with all or the greater portion of what was said, I suggest to the Chair that it would be inappropriate at this juncture to interpret what the procedure and House affairs committee reported to the House. It is equally or even more inappropriate to second guess the ruling of the Speaker.

If what we have here is a stick handling, a legal compliance with the rules of the House for Private Members' Business, that is every member's right and privilege. I am not so sure that the procedure that has been used to date is so egregiously out of order that it should cause the Speaker to further intervene.

[Jay Hill, Reform, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is obviously not my intention to get into a lengthy debate today about this issue of what I feel is a circumvention of the intent of the Speaker's ruling regarding private member's Bill C-206. However, I would like to be on record as completely disagreeing with the hon. member opposite with regard to it being up to every member to stick handle through the rules.

[The Deputy Speaker]

The Chair has heard the submissions of both the hon. chief opposition whip and the parliamentary secretary to the House leader. Obviously, in light of the allegations by the chief opposition whip in particular, it is important that the Chair hear from the hon. member for Wentworth—Burlington. The hon. member suggested that he has taken advantage of the rules to avoid having the bill called today for debate. The indication was that he was unable to proceed today. He is not present in the House and accordingly is unable to give comments today on this matter and clarify the issue for the benefit of all hon. members and for the Chair.

However, the Chair does regard the matter as serious and wishes to take it under advisement. Hopefully we will hear from the hon. member next week and then a decision will be made in due course.

I appreciate the hon. chief opposition whip drawing this matter to the attention of the Chair.