House of Commons Hansard #94 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pornography.
Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the minister knows a little more today than he knew yesterday, but two of the five cases were detected in regular pre-deployment testing.
This situation was so serious that these two individuals were not deployed out of the country. It is serious.
Since then, the minister should know that I received a phone call from a lady by the name of Robyn Walters, a mother of four, who now has tuberculosis and she was at—
National DefenceOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. Now we will have the short answer.
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I would caution the hon. member on becoming an alarmist because this matter is under control.
The fact that a person has been tested positive in terms of exposure does not mean that they have tuberculosis or any illness. It does not mean it is contagious at all. In fact, it is all under control. In these five particular cases they are receiving appropriate medication.
Diane Ablonczy Reform Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when confronted with still another clear and flagrant abuse of $700,000 of taxpayer money, the government used its tired and discredited line of pretending that the money had put people to work. It often uses this tactic to divert attention from suspicious circumstances surrounding one of its grants. Unfortunately new evidence blew that excuse apart.
Why was the House told that 162 jobs had been created when that was not the case?
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is mistaken. Yesterday I said that 162 people were working at the firm that received the grant and that they had applied for the jobs. This member, once again, is using her own tactics to twist the facts.
I also want to say that on this file the department is reviewing it as we speak. If action is necessary it will be taken.
Diane Ablonczy Reform Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, that is just unbelievable. Let us examine the players in this unsavoury drama.
A Liberal MP ended up with a whopping $7,000 from a grateful grant recipient. The HRD minister who approved the grant ended up winning the riding that had just received his generous gift of other people's money. The owner of Golf and Grants who brokered this sweet deal ended up doing business with his fired and re-hired workers.
Why did HRDC choose to ignore the evidence of political patronage and likely fraud?
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, you and I are old enough to remember the McCarthy hearings in the United States in the fifties. We also know that certain people took a set of circumstances and twisted them in a way that did harm to many people. I would suggest that party and that member are very good at that and would have fit in better in the fifties making spurious accusations against members—
Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I would ask members to please tone down the rhetoric a little. We are getting carried away on both sides.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, when they were in opposition not that long ago, the Liberals were calling for the resignation of Conservative ministers for things far less serious than what is going on at present within Human Resources Development Canada. Today the government has announced “We are going to audit this matter”.
Does the Prime Minister not understand that a government is responsible for auditing first and paying out the money later, not the other way around, as they have been so busy doing at Human Resources Development Canada?
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, once again the opposition is not listening. I did not announce an audit. I said that at the present moment the department is reviewing the new information and that if additional steps are necessary they will be taken promptly. I did not announce an audit.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government's behaviour in this matter is the greatest example of incompetence I have ever seen.
How can this government, which came into power supposedly to bring integrity back to public administration, today continue to administer with a Minister for International Trade who is responsible for what is going on, a Minister of Human Resources Development who is still in her position, and a Prime Minister who still dares to look people in the eye? This is incredible.
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, I find it odd that members opposite are talking about integrity if in fact further action is needed on the files that they are obsessed with. We could have moved sooner on them if only they had shared their information sooner.
Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Modes Conili grant scam is a disaster. The MP for Ahuntsic lobbied the government for a $700,000 grant for Modes Conili and received a $7,000 donation from Modes Conili, the single biggest donation to her re-election campaign. Then, instead of creating new jobs, we see jobs transferred from Paris Star to Modes Conili. There are people in prisons for scams less serious than this one.
Why did the minister allow this to continue three years after it was first discovered?
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, once again we have these allegations of connections between political donations and government grants. I would challenge that member to say those things outside the House.
Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear. The truth is that $7,000 went to the hon. member for Ahuntsic—
Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I ask the hon. member to please go to his question.
Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, the government gave out money to this Liberal friendly firm. How can the minister expect us to believe that she is serious about rooting out all the scandals and problems in HRDC when they sat on their hands for three years after they first discovered the shenanigans going on with Modes Conili?
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct in that we did do a review in 1997, but with the information at that time, we could not establish that there was anything going on that was wrong. It is the new information that has been brought forward in the last few days that is causing us to review this file again.
Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the CBC informed us that the Ontario government had improved its compensation package for hepatitis C victims who contracted the disease before 1986 or after 1990, who are excluded from federal compensation.
Initially, each victim was to receive $10,000. This has now been increased to $25,000.
Will the Minister of Health agree that he should take a page from the book of Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec and finally extend his program to all victims, regardless of when they contracted the virus?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, we have already shown our compassion. We have already responded to the needs of the victims of our blood supply system.
Almost two years ago, we announced a program to introduce, in partnership with the provinces, services for those who were ill. This is what is most important for victims.
Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister has no compassion. I remind him that right now, according to our information, only the lawyers of those who were infected between 1986 and 1990 have received any money from the federal government.
My question, clearly put, is this: When will the minister finally decide to do something for the victims, who need this compensation badly?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois' position is completely absurd. We have avoided ten years of litigation. We have agreed with the provinces to offer compensation to victims and, with the provinces, we have established services for those who are ill. The measures which are—