Debates of May 3rd, 2000

Public Works And Government Services

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

Mr. Speaker, over $1.2 million has been raised by the governing party from companies that received CIDA contracts, TJF grants and public works contracts. Over half of the public works contracts that went to Liberal donors were untendered.

Section 11 of the Auditor General Act allows the cabinet to launch an investigation into companies that have received government contracts.

Will the minister invite the auditor general to fully investigate these untendered contracts awarded since 1997?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I will say this very slowly so the hon. member can understand. Since we have been in government, 94% of Public Works and Government Services contracts have been posted in MERX, the electronic procurement system, so that everybody can participate.

This is an open system, not like the system the previous Conservative government had where only 50% were tendered.

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

Mr. Speaker, more than 3,000 contracts have slipped through the cracks.

When was the last time the Minister of Public Works and Government Services ordered an independent audit of untendered contracts? I do not recall.

Is the minister prepared to call for an independent audit of all untendered contracts awarded by his department since January 1, 1997? And if not, why not?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, four times a year, the auditor general tables his report in the House.

In November 1999, there was a report on this and, as I have just said, 94% of contracts awarded by my department are posted in the MERX electronic procurement system.

Sierra Leone

[David Pratt, Liberal, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa.

There are reports that United Nations peacekeepers have been abducted and killed earlier today in Sierra Leone. Can the minister tell the House how Canada intends to respond to this very serious situation, especially since we have five military observers as well as relief and development personnel in that country?

[David Kilgour, Liberal, Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

To our knowledge no Canadian has been abducted or hurt in the matter he refers to. Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence that is occurring in Sierra Leone. We call on the rebel leaders there to comply with the Lomé accord.

Yesterday in London the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, including our own Minister of Foreign Affairs, called on the RUF to disarm in accordance with the Lomé accord. We earnestly hope they will do so.

National Defence

[Jim Hart, Reform, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, three weeks ago Canada's ambassador to the U.S., the Prime Minister's own nephew, told me that Canada would be foolish not to participate in the national missile defence system. He said that it would be harmful for Canada-U.S. relations.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister directly, does the Prime Minister support the national missile defence system, yes or no?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence spoke for the government on this issue. When the time comes to make a decision, we will welcome the views of everybody, including the views of my own nephew.

Amateur Sport

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport.

Despite the announcement he made recently of support for trainers and preparations for the Olympic Games and despite the commitment made to me by the Minister of Canadian Heritage last July, there is still no federal program to enable high performance sports trainers to learn French.

Will the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport promise today to help francophone athletes by establishing a program as soon as possible to help trainers learn French?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Secretary of State (Amateur Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.

Obviously, not only since the Minister of Canadian Heritage has been looking after sport but since yours truly has been doing so as well, we have worked extremely hard to ensure that sport in this country functions in both official languages.

I am currently establishing a national policy on sport, and I think that the sport community must be so pleased with the work we have done because we are being congratulated daily on it.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The premier of P.E.I. and the legislatures of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have called on her to save CBC local supper hour news programs. Even the Liberal House of Assembly led by her good friend Brian Tobin has called for more federal money to save their local news show Here and Now .

Will the minister admit that the decades of cuts begun by Mulroney have gone too far? Will she listen to the unanimous will of Newfoundland and Labrador and find the money to give Here and Now a future?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, first I want to underscore that over the past five years the Government of Canada has given $4.682 billion directly to the CBC. I think that is a significant indication of the commitment that it has for the organization.

I will also underscore the comments that were made by the president of the CBC, to which I expect he will adhere, when he appeared before the standing committee earlier this month. He spoke about the Broadcasting Act in terms of our responsibility to work on introducing and explaining one region to the other. I know we will honour that. We believe it is very important.

Vietnam

[André Bachand, Progressive Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, nine days ago, a Canadian citizen of Vietnamese origin, proclaiming her innocence, was tied to a post and shot.

My question is for the Prime Minister. On the eve of considering CIDA's estimates, what sort of excuses, what sort of statement is required from the Vietnamese government for relations between Canada and Vietnam to return to normal?

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, the actions of the Vietnamese government have been abhorrent to us and I have indefinitely postponed all discussions on existing and future programming. The only programs we are running in Vietnam are poverty reduction programs.

I will be meeting with my colleague the Minister of Foreign Affairs when he gets back to Canada. We will be looking at further action.

At this point, I have no plans to resume consultations with the Government of Vietnam.

Government Response To Petitions

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table in both official languages the government's response to 10 petitions.

Committees Of The House

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 28th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding its order of reference of Friday, April 7, 2000, in relation to Bill C-445, an act to change the name of the electoral district of Rimouski—Mitis.

The committee studied Bill C-445 and is reporting it with amendments.

Petitions

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by 45 residents of British Columbia and Alberta and duly certified by the clerk of petitions on the subject of marriage.

The petitioners ask parliament to affirm the opposite sex definition of marriage in legislation and to ensure that marriage is recognized as a unique institution.

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure also to present a petition signed by some 2,400 people from across Canada concerning the payment of assessed annual dues to the United Nations organization.

The petitioners express concern about the financial health of the United Nations. As of March 31, 2000 nearly $3 billion U.S. were owed to the UN by member states.

The petitioners call on the Canadian government to urge states to pay their dues in full and on time. They also ask that the Canadian government give consideration to proposals that would establish alternative revenue sources for the United Nations.

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present two petitions. The first petition is one which calls on the government to recognize that based on the historical fact that this year 2000 we celebrate the arrival of Leif Ericsson to Canada 1,000 years ago. It calls for the attention to recognize the 1,000th anniversary of this voyage from Europe to North America. Having a designated day to remember and celebrate the importance of this occasion, the petitioners note, will be a great opportunity and benefit for our children to learn more about it in schools and libraries and for the rest of us who appreciate such events in our country's history.

Therefore, the petitioners call on parliament to consider the designation of such a day starting this year 2000. It will be quite a loss in the history of Canada to go through the year 2000 without recognizing such an important occasion as Leif Ericsson's voyage to Canada. I note that the petition has over 100 signatures mainly from the Scandinavian Centre in Burnaby collected by Celeste Wiberg.

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition which was sponsored by the Muslim Students' Association at the University of British Columbia. It notes that the atrocities taking place against the innocent people of Chechnya are a campaign of brutal and unjust terror that violates the human rights code of justice and freedom. Therefore the petitioners request that parliament intervene immediately and take action by condemning the attacks on civilians forcing Russia to stop her aggression and brutality of unarmed civilians and also to suspend economic aid to Russia.

[Mark Muise, Progressive Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I would like to present three petitions. Two petitions affirm the opposite sex definition of marriage in legislation and ensure that marriage is recognized as a unique institution.

[Mark Muise, Progressive Conservative, West Nova, NS]

The third petition, Mr. Speaker, is signed by a number of my constituents who are opposed to child pornography.

[Paul Forseth, Reform, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first one is from residents who believe that the family is the essential building block of a healthy society. The petitioners want the government to amend the tax code so that it does not discriminate against single income families with children.

[Paul Forseth, Reform, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition the petitioners pray and request parliament to oppose any amendments to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or any other federal legislation which will provide for the exclusion of reference to the supremacy of God in our constitution and laws.

[Odina Desrochers, Bloc, Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present to the House a petition signed by 123 people. The petitioners call upon parliament to quickly pass legislation making it mandatory to label all foods that are totally or partially genetically modified.

Once again, the residents of Lotbinière are showing their support for the efforts by the hon. member for Louis-Hébert on this issue.