House of Commons Hansard #100 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was services.

Topics

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, the minister admitted this morning to the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development that her six point plan was intended only to correct the administrative problems encountered in her department.

Does the minister realize that she is in fact saying she had no concern about the real problems that worried the public, namely fraud, patronage, influence peddling and cronyism?

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, indeed the six point plan is addressing the administration of grants and contributions in my department. I think that was made clear this morning.

Separate from that, I have always said that if there is ever any information that comes to light either from within the department or from outside that suggests that moneys may be misused, we take swift action. We refer it to the appropriate authorities as necessary. Should they come back to us and suggest further action, we take it.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I hope that she does not think we believe her. This report is smoke and mirrors—

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

The Speaker

I would remind hon. members that here we take the word of someone who provides an answer or puts a question. Believing or not believing is not an issue. It is simply a matter of what is presented as facts.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

The facts are totally wrong, Mr. Speaker. No one can believe these facts, this version of the facts, neither us, nor the public, nor the members of the opposition, and I know of many on the other side who are uncomfortable with what the minister has done.

How can she have us believe that this report is valid and truthful, when the 13 files under investigation amounting to $6 million are not part of these audits? Can she say the opposite? Is she going to tell me that these 13 files are part—

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

The Speaker

The Minister of Human Resources Development.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman refuses to accept the facts. He refuses to accept that the audit was a focus on the administration of grants and contributions and that indeed we are fixing that.

He also refuses to accept, even though there is very evident proof, when we are informed of possible breaches, when there is a possibility that moneys may have been misused, that we take swift action, that we may indeed refer it to other authorities and then those authorities do their job.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Bloc

Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

Mr. Speaker, one of the OECD'S principles for the protection of personal information, and one on which there is international consensus, is that information files must be regularly cleaned up, which means that they must contain quality data. I would remind hon. members that Canada has subscribed to these principles.

Can the minister explain to us how she can prove to us that such a file clean-up has taken place, when we know there are 34 million records, yet only 30 million Canadians?

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member may be referring to a reference by the auditor general to social insurance numbers. As I have told him and as I have made clear to the committee, we have taken significant action. We have reduced the number of social insurance files within the database. We have taken the references and the actions suggested by the auditor general in this case very seriously. The hon. member knows that.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have to give permission right on my income tax return for my name to be put on the voters list, which is perfectly in line with one of the OECD principles, namely that the consent of those whose personal information they want to keep on record must be obtained.

Out of the 34 million records on file at Human Resources Development Canada, how many people's consent has the minister obtained?

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development

Mr. Speaker, precisely the issue of how Canadians know how the information they provide is used is important. That is one of the issues that the privacy commissioner makes reference to in his report and in the correspondence we have had with him. That is why I would like my department to sit with him and his department in a working group to determine how we can ensure that Canadians do know how their information is being used.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, again the government has lowballed the surplus. It is $11.5 billion more than Canadians were led to believe.

With health care hemorrhaging, with the CBC amputating limbs and students staggering under education debt, what is it going to take for the government to address the real priorities of Canadians and if not now, then when?

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Willowdale Ontario

Liberal

Jim Peterson LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)

Mr. Speaker, along with putting our fiscal house in order, we have addressed, with respect, the priorities of Canadians. In the past three budgets we have brought in tax measures, a 25% reduction. At the same time we have increased the investments in health care by a record 25%, another $2.5 billion in the last budget. In the previous budget we brought in $7.5 billion for students and for education.

Health CareOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, Canadians' priorities are not just about money. They are also about political leadership and some sense of political will.

In 1984 when the Canada Health Act and medicare were under attack, Monique Bégin did not make excuses, she made laws. When is the government going to muster the political guts to strengthen the Canada Health Act and outlaw American style two tier for profit health care?

Health CareOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Etobicoke Centre Ontario

Liberal

Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, the member lauds the Canada Health Act. Now she ought to read it. If she does, she will find that we have already in the Canada Health Act the principles and the rules we need to safeguard medicare. What this government has said consistently and unconditionally is that we will use the powers in the Canada Health Act to protect the principles in the Canada Health Act. That is not true just in Alberta, that is true across the country.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, industry sources are expressing grave concern at reports that the government is preparing to announce a sole source contract for the Sea King replacement.

Will the Prime Minister guarantee to the House that the Sea King replacement will go through a fair and competitive public tender process and not a private political one?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

York Centre Ontario

Liberal

Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, it certainly is not going to be a private political process. It will be a very open process. We are going through the final stages of the procurement strategy for the replacement of the Sea King which, as I have said many times, is our number one procurement priority.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has had the statement of requirement for the Sea Kings on his desk for almost a full year. Why has the Prime Minister not called for industry bids? What reason does he have for not doing it today? Why the delay?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

York Centre Ontario

Liberal

Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, there is more to a procurement strategy than a statement of requirement. A statement of requirement is part of it.

This is a very complex purchase, not only in terms of the air machine, but in terms of the equipment that goes inside. In fact, the equipment that goes inside is at least as much of a cost factor as is the helicopter.

There are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration. It is a very major government undertaking, requiring government approval. We are moving on the file, as I have indicated many times. We hope that an announcement will be made soon.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, here is the situation.

Private citizens grudgingly give personal information to government departments on the understanding that it will be kept confidential and never go beyond that particular department. Now we find out that this confidential information is freely traded between departments, collected on a master list and, according to the privacy commissioner, even traded with the private sector.

When did the government decide that its desire to do government research should trump one of the most basic rights of a free people, the right to privacy?

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development

Mr. Speaker, there is a Privacy Act in this country and it applies to its citizens. We respect it. The privacy commissioner himself has said that we are not breaking any laws.

The privacy commissioner has looked at the way we operate this file. He has said that there has never been a breach of information.

Indeed, we have to make sure that that secure system maintains itself into the future, and that is why it is important for us to continue to work with the privacy commissioner to ensure that is the case.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, I remind the minister that yesterday the justice minister said that the Privacy Act probably needs an overhaul.

There are big problems with that department and the minister knows it. All we have heard just now is a rationalization for big brother to collect personal dossiers on 30 million Canadians. Big sister, the minister, says whatever she wants.

The public is alarmed at the idea that their most—

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please. I would ask the hon. member for Medicine Hat to put his question.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, with whom has HRDC shared this information since the database was created, and will she table that information?