House of Commons Hansard #84 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was billion.
The Speaker
As is our practice on Wednesday we will now sing O Canada, and we will be led by the hon. member for St. John's East.
Steve Mahoney Liberal Mississauga West, ON
Mr. Speaker, today I have an ode to the Canadian Alliance and the former Reform Party:
C.A. so it seems Are still living in dreams As they continue to strive To merely survive.
Changing their name Still makes them the same Changing their leader Won't help them much either.
With Klees backing out, & Long jumping in The battle within is about to begin. So it's east versus west To determine their best.
And so we must wonder When we'll see their next blunder 'Cause as sure as the sun More errors will come.
So it's back to the west With pretensions of zest After leaving in their wake A political mistake.
Reform or C.A. “What's the difference”, you say As Canadians all know, They're the “same ole”, “same ole”.
Cliff Breitkreuz Reform Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal plan to register firearms is shot full of holes.
In 1995 the Prime Minister vowed registration would cost taxpayers $85 million. Now documents reveal that the justice minister overshot that target, spending a cool $81 million in the last four months and the finance minister recently tried to plug another hole by pouring in $46 million. To date, gun registration has cost a staggering $330 million.
Only 13% of law-abiding owners have licensed their firearms. To meet the deadline, the CFC must process 2,630,000 applications and that does not include all the criminals the minister is convinced will line up to register.
Go figure. Liberal math at its finest. Why does the minister not put a gun to their useless legislation and just blow it away?
Eleni Bakopanos Liberal Ahuntsic, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw hon. member's attention to an atrocity committed against the Armenian people on April 24, 1915.
A total of 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. This year marks the 85th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
The Hellenic Republic was the first NATO member to denounce this crime against humanity, followed by Belgium, which passed a resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide in 1998. A number of other nations have followed their lead and I trust that my government will soon do the same.
This coming Saturday in Montreal I will have the honour to represent the Prime Minister at a ceremony organized by the Armenian National Committee commemorating the victims of 1915.
Whether we choose to name it a tragedy, a massacre, an ethnic cleansing or a crime against humanity, it remains an historical event that today would be described by the United Nations as genocide.
I invite all my colleagues to join Canadians of Armenian origin in remembering the victims of the first genocide of the 20th century.
Sarmite Bulte Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, April 9 I attended ceremonies in Toronto to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.
For many the name Katyn has little meaning. However, to the Polish community the name is associated with a crime without parallel.
On September 17, 1939 forces of the Soviet Union crossed the eastern border of Poland on the pretence that they would protect the Polish people. More than 15,000 Polish officers were sent to three Soviet secret police prison camps. On April 13, 1943 authorities discovered the mass graves of approximately 14,500 Polish officers in the Katyn forest, a short distance from Smolensk, Russia.
It took the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 to create an atmosphere where the truth would finally be revealed.
To honour the memory of the Katyn victims, memorials have been built and wreaths will be laid on April 13 because these are crimes so odious that even the lapse of time cannot lessen their impact. Katyn is not only a Polish issue but one that affects the conscience of the entire world.
Hec Clouthier Liberal Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, one year ago today the voters of Windsor—St. Clair faced a dilemma: go to the opening game of the Detroit Tigers or stay at home and vote for a new member of parliament. Wisely, they stayed at home and hit a home run when they elected a personable rookie to the House of Commons.
There was some concern that the fourth party might squeak through because the late, great Shaughnessy Cohen was a tough act to follow. But our candidate did not strike out, and he powered past the token NDP opposition. I am positive that our colleague from Windsor—St. Clair has inherited some of the true grit from Shaughnessy whose spirit and tenacity is very evident in her successor.
The constituents of Windsor—St. Clair can rest assured that their member of parliament has more than lived up to their expectations by going to bat on their behalf time and time again. He is upholding the Liberal values of a caring, compassionate commitment to all Canadians.
Congratulations to our colleague on his first anniversary.
Grant McNally Reform Dewdney—Alouette, BC
Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago today Terry Fox started a courageous journey that touched the hearts of all Canadians. I remember seeing his own handwritten notes around our communities in Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam promoting his upcoming venture.
Terry started out as a regular active teenager and ended up as a Canadian and international hero. What made Terry a hero? He had a vision and he pursued that vision with passion and persistence. After losing his leg to cancer, he was determined to raise funds and awareness to find a cure. As a result, millions of dollars have gone to cancer research.
Terry once said “I want to set an example that will not be forgotten”.
His example has encouraged others to pursue other goals and accomplish great things. Terry did not just talk about his dream, he took action to make it happen. Although Terry is now gone his vision lives on through the actions of others.
Thank you Terry for daring to dream and daring to do.
Larry McCormick Liberal Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox And Addington, ON
Mr. Speaker, today in our gallery we have a very special select group of young Canadians from across Canada who are attending their 2000 National 4-H Citizenship Seminar to increase their understanding of the function and structure of the Canadian political system.
The theme of this year's conference is “Canada: One Nation, One Heart, One Future” which features a comprehensive orientation of Canada's political system and culminates with a group presentation on the topic of “What I Want For Canada In The New Millennium”.
The 4-H Council is hosting a conference entitled “Celebrating Our Differences, Recognizing our Similarities” which includes rural and urban youth from Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
At the many summer and fall fairs in my riding and across Canada, 4-H members celebrate the heritage of rural Canada with their very successful projects and displays.
I invite all members of the House to join me in welcoming the 4-H Council to this Chamber.
Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, the Quebec finals of the Bell Super Science Fair were held in Chicoutimi. Top honours were carried off by a 12th grader from Sherbrooke's École Montcalm.
David Laflamme won first prize for his life sciences experiment on the “art of neuromodulating”. In it he studied the process by which neurotransmitters release acetylcholine, low levels of which may cause Alzheimer's disease.
This win at the Super Science Fair takes him on to the Canada-Wide Science Fair in May, and then on to the international event, to be held in Grenoble in 2001.
This is not David Laflamme's first such success. He presented his research on the ageing process of the brain at the last congress of the Association des médecins de langue française du Canada.
I wish to convey to David heartiest congratulations from the people in the riding of Sherbrooke. There is no doubt that his passion—
Darrel Stinson Reform Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Speaker, on April 1, one inmate at Joyceville Institution in Ontario was found carrying a concealed knife.
Rumours had been circulating for days among the 170 Joyceville guards that cyanide had been smuggled inside with the deadly potential for use in terrorism. However, prison management refused to conduct a thorough search on, guess what, grounds of violating prisoners' rights.
A minor riot erupted that Saturday night, so the warden finally decided to lock inmates in their cells while he sent two teams of eight guards to search the entire place, including possessions of the 475 inmates.
It is no wonder that guards feared for their safety and that of the prisoners when one realizes that the search uncovered needles for illegal drugs, escape equipment, contraband used to brew alcoholic beverages and more than 60 weapons, including over 20 homemade knives.
Today's lesson for the solicitor general is that the safety rights of guards and well-behaved prisoners should get a higher priority than those who continue breaking the law even while they are in prison.
Denis Paradis Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we were treated to another example of Bloc Quebecois incoherence and twisted logic. The leader of the Bloc is concerned about Canada's international reputation. From the leader of the party mandated to break up Canada, this takes a lot of gall.
Before he starts giving lessons, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois should think back to the comments made by his own boss, Lucien Bouchard, who, last week while still in France, attacked Canada on the quality of its democratic life. This is the same Lucien Bouchard, who has said in the past that Canada is not a country, but a prison.
Let's get serious. On the subject of Canada's international reputation, the Bloc has nothing to offer but crocodile tears.
Nancy Karetak-Lindell Liberal Nunavut, NU
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Mr. Peter Irniq on being appointed as the second commissioner of Nunavut effective April 1, 2000.
Peter has long served the people of Nunavut and this appointment will give him the opportunity to advance the Inuit culture and language which is his great interest.
This is a crucial and challenging period for Nunavut and I know my colleagues in the House will want to join with me in wishing Commissioner Peter Irniq all the best in his new role.
I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the first commissioner of Nunavut, Helen Maksagak, for having been such a gracious ambassador for the people of Nunavut as she carried out her duties.
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, in recognition of national poetry month, I would like to read this untitled work by Winnipeg poet Patrick O'Connell.
it's the thing you held most dear to you, what you called an emptiness or a genuflection, having made your bargain with the oval night with the shuttle in the darkness of your loom... and the way you were startled by the brittle air when it call came back to you, what you called a song from a room while you did a perfect pirouette before a mirror, when a whole new language when another way of reckoning appeared deep inside the crevice of your knowing... O turn turn and turn again were the words, you wrote, on the sky
This is published by Patrick O'Connell in a book entitled The Joy that Cracked the Mountain .
Jocelyne Girard-Bujold Bloc Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment keeps saying that a reduction in greenhouse gases is one of his government's priorities. However, oddly enough, at the meeting of environment ministers in Otsu, Japan, Canada remained on its own, dissociating itself from Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Japan and Russia by refusing to set 2002 as the deadline for the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.
Canada is certainly not in the lead pack. It had made a commitment to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 6% of their 1990 level by 2010. But the federal government is doing nothing. If it continues to do nothing, the figure Canada will achieve by 2010 is a 35% increase, contrary to its international commitments.
Instead of limiting itself to awareness programs and voluntary action, Canada must specify its reduction objectives. Really, the Liberals' will is nil.
Bill Graham Liberal Toronto Centre—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canada's Middle East relationship is important. We have a long record of contributing to the peace process and we are now forging closer ties to the region by developing new dynamic trade and economic relations.
To reinforce these links, the Prime Minister is presently engaged in an intensive program in the area, meeting with business and political leaders, providing frank exchanges of views with his hosts, signing important bilateral accords and visiting our Canadian peacekeepers in the region, of whom we are all so very proud.
The opposition is challenging what we are trying to achieve in the region and is criticizing the Prime Minister's straightforward approach and direct style, the very features which have earned him popularity among Canadians and the widespread respect of other world leaders.
Canada is a trading and peace-loving nation. The Prime Minister is representing these central facets of our society to the business and political leaders of the Middle East. I salute him for his leadership in the area and suggest that his critics abandon their partisan hyperbole in favour of supporting Canada in its important endeavours in this region which has great potential for our country.
André Harvey Independent Chicoutimi, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec government announced a $4 billion investment to improve the greater Montreal area's road system. It welcomed the participation of the federal government and the private sector.
The Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region and the greater Quebec City area are still waiting for a modern and safe road system to link them to the major North American trade corridors. The region's economic health and development are at stake.
I realize that the greater Montreal area is experiencing major problems, but this is no reason to neglect the regions. If public and private consortia, with federal government's participation, are acceptable in the Montreal area, they are just as acceptable in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region and in the greater Quebec City area.
Gurmant Grewal Reform Surrey Central, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has visited only two places on his seven state trip to the Middle East and now he has both feet in his mouth. His failure rate is 100%, like an HRDC audit report.
First he upset Palestinians by refusing to meet them in East Jerusalem and joking about it. Then he upset Israelis by telling Arafat to use UDI as a bargaining chip in the negotiations.
Yesterday he stepped on a landmine between Israel and Syria, and in reference to the Sea of Galilee he said “It is better for the Israelis to keep this body of water”. He is not taking the high road of diplomacy and fairness.
Canadians enjoy a reputation of peacekeeping and peacemaking won from our decades of efforts to alleviate conflict.
The Prime Minister is writing Canada's foreign policy on the bus between luncheons. He should have listened to Canadians, done his homework and delivered Canada's message.
Bring him home. He is not fit to lead. He is damaging the peace process rather than making progress in the region.
Deborah Grey ReformLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, leave it to this government to run one of Canada's greatest national symbols right into the ground.
The auditor general has revealed widespread organizational and financial problems in the RCMP. These problems leave Canadians, first, vulnerable to criminal activity and, second, they threaten the security of our country, all because of mismanagement by this government.
Why is the solicitor general not following up on these serious concerns of the auditor general?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated yesterday, we have and always will take the auditor general's suggestions very seriously, and we have in this case too. For example, the RCMP has appointed a deputy commissioner to ensure that the recommendations made by the auditor general will be followed.
Deborah Grey ReformLeader of the Opposition
Perhaps with another six point plan, Mr. Speaker.
The auditor general has made many of these same complaints year after year. Canadians rely on the RCMP for a lot more than just photo ops with tourists. Millions of Canadians count on them as their only local police force. CPIC, which is the nationwide tracking program for criminals, is run by the RCMP and police forces right across the country depend on it. Law-abiding citizens are threatened because of this government's management and the lack of it.
I ask the solicitor general again, why is he and his government more concerned about pork-barrelling than policing?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that the RCMP have far more competency than just posing for photo ops. They are a very competent, well recognized police force in this country and around the world.
This government is committed to the RCMP. That is why last year, before the auditor general's report, we committed $115 million to ensure that CPIC was upgraded. This government will ensure that all of the recommendations made by the auditor general will be followed.
Deborah Grey ReformLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, let me say too that under the circumstances I think our RCMP are as competent as they can be, which is in spite of this government, certainly not because of it.
It is a matter of priorities. This government could protect public safety, but instead it buys fountains for Shawinigan, a high priority I am sure. We would think the government would do everything it could to protect the taxpayers who fund its very grant giveaways. It is sort of like being smart enough to guard the goose that lays the golden egg.
The auditor general, time after time, has listed serious concerns about the RCMP's ability to protect Canadians. Why is it that boondoggles are more important to this whole government than the safety of Canadian citizens?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the only place I hear boondoggle talk is from the Reform Party, and it is not about the RCMP.
The RCMP is a competent police force, which is well respected in Canada and around the world and will continue to be so. That is why this government gave $810 million in new money to ensure that the RCMP has the resources to ensure the safety of the people of Canada.
Jay Hill Reform Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister continues to muddle in the Middle East, the auditor general released a damning indictment of his government here in Ottawa. We would think the guy who had an armed intruder in his own home would place a higher priority on the RCMP. Yet the auditor general now confirms that the RCMP's criminal tracking abilities are seriously hampered and that its computer system is in desperate need of an upgrade.
This government's financial commitment in its latest budget, while welcome, is totally inadequate. Does the solicitor general intend to get his grant from the HRDC minister for the computers?