Debates of April 5th, 2000

Canada Development Corporation

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all of the documentation that was needed has been given to the ethics counsellor, and I said that the report would be made public.

I understand that members opposite love dirt. They like to throw dirt. No wonder they decided that their name was to be Canadian C-R-A-P.

Health

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not satisfied with interfering in the provinces' jurisdiction over health, the Minister of Health has decided that education will be his next target, and wants to have a say in the training of nurses.

When will the minister understand that what the provinces want him to do is restore transfer payments to their 1994 level?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada recognizes that Canada's health care system is facing challenges.

Last week, I met with my provincial counterparts to discuss a joint approach to these important challenges. It is in this spirit that we must continue to raise questions and propose solutions together, in order to have a health care system that can meet the needs of Canadians.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this minister has no expertise in health administration. It is not the federal government that is looking after hospitals or direct services to the community. They have quite a nerve telling us what to do. The only hospitals run by the federal government are army hospitals, and they are in a mess.

The question is a very simple one. The federal government cut transfer payments to Quebec from 29% to 13%. When is it going to restore the money it cut the provinces?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat in French what I have said on more than one occasion in English: in 1993-94, provincial transfer payments were $28.9 billion; in 2000-01, they will be $30.8 billion.

[Some hon. members]

No, no.

[An hon. member]

That is false.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

In addition, Quebec qualifies for equalization payments. These were $8.6 billion—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

—and in 2000-01, they will be $9.5 billion.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I would ask hon. members to listen to the answer.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Health made a statement confirming once again Ottawa's desire to invade provincial jurisdictions.

What kind of claim is the minister making to justify his meddling in the field of training? What claim is he making?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the delivery of health care services is a provincial matter. But the health care system itself is a national concern.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

The Government of Canada has a role to play in this area. We intend to honour our responsibilities.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

What I suggested to my counterparts last week and will do so in the future is that all governments, including the Government of Canada, work together to develop a co-ordinated approach to all these problems.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec is not fooled by the intentions of the Liberal government in Ottawa.

Can the offensive of the federal government not be explained by the fact that it is using money accumulated on the backs of the provinces through its cuts in order to unfairly invade their jurisdictions?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we are not talking here about meddling in areas of provincial jurisdiction. The Government of Canada has an important role to play in this area and we intend to play it.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, pharmaceuticals represent the fastest growing cost in health care—$13 billion last year, which is more than we spent on doctors.

The National Forum on Health recommended that drugs be included as part of our health care system, publicly funded.

Given the government's promise to bring in a plan for pharmacare, where is the plan?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, in the election of 1997 we made an undertaking which we are respecting. In the red book that year, during the election campaign, we undertook in this mandate to develop a plan and a timetable for pharmacare nationally.

That is exactly what we are doing. In fact, last year we convened a national conference on the question of pharmaceutical coverage, brought all the stakeholders together, amassed all the relevant information, and began building the framework toward a plan. We are working toward that now and by the end of this mandate we will have achieved our objective.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the government's talk about a pharmaceutical or pharmacare plan has been absolutely vacant. It has been virtually silent. The government's main strategy for health care seems to be to delay.

Why did the minister not bring forward a plan for pharmacare at the Markham meeting? If there is a plan, where is it? What is the government waiting for?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, our undertaking was to develop a plan and a timetable by the end of this mandate, and we will do that.

With respect to Markham, try as I might to introduce the subject of substantive health policy renewal, the minister of health for Ontario, for example, refused to discuss it. Being on a tight script provided by Premier Harris, she insisted on speaking only about dollars.

Perhaps the NDP thinks the problems can be solved by dollars alone. We on this side of the House know it will take good planning too, and that is what we want to achieve.

Transport

[Norman E. Doyle, Progressive Conservative, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.

The ship brokerage community operates internationally but is relatively small in numbers. Those in the community tend to know each other. However, nobody seems to know who brokered the deal for the new gulf ferry for Marine Atlantic, and Marine Atlantic will not give out that information.

Will the Minister of Transport tell us why Marine Atlantic is so determined to keep this information hidden?