Debates of April 14th, 2000

Canada Development Corporation

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member is criticizing the report of the ethics counsellor. If he has questions about the report he might want to address them to the ethics counsellor.

The ethics counsellor looked into the matter thoroughly. He not only reviewed and released documents, he also carried on discussions and interviews with persons who played key management roles at the relevant time. They confirmed that the CDC board never discussed the question of tainted blood during the relevant period in which the person who is now the finance minister was on the board.

In general, the ethics counsellor found that the Minister of Finance had not—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Nanaimo—Alberni.

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister may be in a conflict of interest by being on the board of the Canada Development Corporation because of discussions about the tainted blood issue at the cabinet table.

We know that the Deputy Prime Minister has said that the ethics counsellor has the board minutes of the CDC and Connaught Labs. There is one way to clear this issue up and that is to release all of the minutes of those boards. Why does the government refuse to issue those board minutes?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that certain documents belong to private corporations. They are not under the control of the government. The decision of whether or not to release them belongs to the companies in question.

As to whether more efforts can be made in that regard, I suggest my hon. friend address his question to the ethics counsellor who, I repeat, found that the present Minister of Finance is not in a conflict of interest nor was he because of his service on the board of Canada Development Corporation.

Plutonium Shipments

[Dennis Gruending, NDP, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, in January the government quietly granted approval to allow weapons grade plutonium into Canada. Now we hear about plans to import an even larger amount from Russia, something which may well be illegal. The Americans who are part of this deal are being up front about it, but our government is less forthcoming.

Can the minister tell us how much plutonium is coming from Russia? When is it coming? How will it be transported to Chalk River? Will the public be consulted if the shipment is larger than that approved last year?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, the details of what AECL is proposing was laid out through the public consultation process last fall. That methodology as described by AECL at that time was approved. If it is to change in any material way, AECL would have to reapply for a different undertaking.

Transportation

[Gordon Earle, NDP, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the Minister of Transport announced funding for VIA Rail service across the country.

The NDP believes that public passenger rail strengthens the federation and brings Canadians closer together. However, I wonder if the minister knows that the province of Newfoundland is no longer served by passenger rail. I wonder if he knows that Newfoundlanders have been waiting for 12 years for needed upgrades to the Trans-Canada Highway and for improvements to existing ferry service.

Will the minister commit today to timetables with targets to deliver on four laning and improved service to the mainland which Newfoundlanders have been expecting for years?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as one of the conditions for the elimination of the rail service some 10 or 12 years ago, the former government entered into a long term financial arrangement with the government of Newfoundland to upgrade the highways. That province has been particularly well served by that agreement. I am surprised the hon. member was unaware of this.

On the larger point, this has been a great week for passenger rail in this country. We have turned the corner and we are saying that in the new millennium there is a role for passenger rail.

Other countries in the world are supporting their passenger rail systems. It will become an even more important fabric of Canadian life.

Taxation

[Gilles Bernier, Progressive Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians who are repaying their Canada student loans have been able to claim a 17% tax credit on the interest paid on their loans.

Thousands of students each year have to scramble to get a student loan privately because the federal government turns them down. Yet the government does not allow them to claim that tax credit on their student loan.

Why not allow all students to claim the student loan interest tax credit? Why is there a double standard?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, these issues are ones which we have addressed very fulsomely in past budgets. The plight of students and the need to have a highly educated Canadian populace, the best educated and the best trained in the world, has been part of our strategy from day one, even when we were in deficit. This is why we have had all sorts of tax incentives made available to students. We have enhanced them fulsomely. This is why we brought in the millennium scholarships.

If the member has further representations he wants to make as to how to help make post-secondary education more affordable, we would be happy to listen to him.

[Gilles Bernier, Progressive Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, was that an answer?

The average debt for a Canadian student has tripled to $25,000. To help in repaying that debt some students can now claim the interest paid on their income tax but tens of thousands of students cannot. Only those who qualify for government loans are eligible for the tax credit.

When is the government going to treat all students equally and allow all students to qualify for the student loan tax credit?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I bring to the hon. member's attention not only the millennium scholarships that we have brought in but also in past budgets we have enhanced the tax incentives for those who want to go back to school, for those who have dependent children and for the fees students have to pay in addition to their tuition. All of these have been enhanced in a way to make it possible.

The student loans program has been enhanced so the repayment provisions relate to the capacity of the individual student to repay. We do not believe—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Essex.

Health

[Susan Whelan, Liberal, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Cancer Society issued its 12th annual report entitled “Canadian Cancer Statistics 2000”. The report contains some positive news for the decline in the incidence of some types of cancer but reveals that areas such as breast cancer and tobacco related cancers need more attention.

Can the Minister of Health tell the House today what the government is doing to reduce the incidence of cancer?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the report released yesterday contains both good news and bad.

On the positive side, the incidence of some cancers is down. Recovery rates are higher because of new treatments and early detection. But there are also troubling signs. We know that the death rates particularly in lung cancer and especially among women are way up. We are told that in 15 years the incidence of new cases is going to increase by 70%.

The signals are clear. First of all, lifestyle and other changes to prevent cancer, early detection, but also new treatments and renewing medicare so that we can afford to properly treat the—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster.

Canada Development Corporation

[Gerry Ritz, Reform, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the government's ethics counsellor is accountable to no one but his boss the Prime Minister. He has no independence and no incentive to come clean about his findings. In fact, there is a big disincentive if his report embarrasses members of cabinet. Only two pages of minutes from six years of meetings, that would be an embarrassment.

If the finance minister has nothing to hide, why will the Prime Minister not instruct his ethics counsellor to release all the minutes we know he has?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Prime Minister has said that the report of the ethics counsellor be made public. It was made public.

In addition to documents, the ethics counsellor's office conducted interviews with people who are involved with the board meetings in question. I am told that some documents are not under the direct control of the government or the ethics counsellor. If I am wrong in this, I will be happy to correct my statement. My hon. friend should go to the office of the ethics counsellor and see what further things he has to say about this.

The important point is that the finding was that the Minister of Finance was not and is not in any conflict of interest. That is the important point.

Importation Of Plutonium

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to this morning's La Presse , Canada is preparing to import from Russia five times the planned amount of plutonium: 600 grams. This plutonium will, moreover, be brought in by plane, a practice that is banned in the United States.

How can the Minister of Natural Resources endanger the safety of his fellow citizens by allowing plutonium to be carried over Canada by air?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, what has been approved in the regulatory procedure last year is a shipment volume from Russia that could rise up to something just below 400 grams. If AECL proposes to change the volume, that would require reapplication through the regulatory process.

With respect to the transportation mode, the American system is not approved in Canada and the Canadian system is not approved in the United States. If I have a choice between the two, I will follow Canadian law.

Giant Mines

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the history of Giant Mines in Yellowknife is one of tragedy, violence, corporate greed and now environmental degradation, because yesterday it was fined $1.4 million for dumping cyanide into the water system. Ironically, that is about the same amount of money that workers were cheated out of in terms of severance pay and cuts to their pension plan. The federal government played a role in negotiating away the rights and benefits of those workers in terms of those two figures.

Will the government intervene again, this time on the workers' behalf and apply this $1.4 million to the pension plan and the severance packages which Peggy Witte cheated these workers out of?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, the issue of the shortfall in the workers' pension plan is one that the government takes very seriously.

We have been investigating and looking into it on behalf of the pensioners. We have brought a claim against the receiver. We are contemplating other possible action because when this type of thing happens to pensioners or people who will eventually be pensioners, we take it very, very seriously.

Along with the other members of parliament involved, including the member for Western Arctic, we are committed to pursue all possible avenues to making those pensioners whole.

Fisheries

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to include fishermen and processors in negotiations with first nations in Atlantic Canada. The minister skirted the answer because he has not listened to processors or the fishermen. Yet in order for this interim agreement to work, he absolutely needs their support and, I might say, their input.

Will the minister re-open dialogue with the east coast fishermen and processors immediately?

[Lawrence O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to the hon. gentleman that so far we have concluded eight agreements with the aboriginal parties, i.e., first nations. We have eight more agreements in principle in negotiations right now. We are making great progress in concluding agreements.

I can tell the hon. member also that last Tuesday the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans met with the standing committee. He released information on licences at dollar value by species. We will continue to release information as it becomes available. But most important, we will conserve our stocks—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Ottawa Centre.