Debates of May 8th, 2000

Health

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last year Health Canada released a research plan for marijuana for medicinal purposes. It made clear that a made in Canada policy for the medicinal use of marijuana would require the establishment of a domestic source of quality, research grade marijuana.

Could the Minister of Health advise the House what is going forward with this plan and how far we have come?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member for London West has been among the most outspoken in the change of government policy which has led to making medical marijuana available on a compassionate basis for those who are very ill.

I am pleased to announce that last Friday there was a request for a proposal for quality research grade, affordable, medical marijuana, a safe and lawful source for those with exemptions and a real help with the clinical research we will be undertaking.

Lobbyist Registration Act

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister of Indian affairs.

It seems that a Liberal lobbyist has found the road to his own personal gold mine in the minister's riding. Rick Smit, the former president of the minister's riding association, has been lobbying outside the law to get the government to pay for a $3.5 million mining road in the minister's riding.

Mr. Smit has failed to register as a lobbyist as required by law. This is not the first time that laws have been bent or broken in the minister's riding.

Why do federal laws apply to all Canadians except friends and insiders of this Liberal government?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the Lobbyists Registration Act applies to to all Canadians. The matter has been raised and it will be investigated by the ethics counsellor.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that was a good non-answer.

It is really interesting to note that in the minister's riding alone, 18 companies and businessmen, who were the recipients of millions of dollars in HRDC grants, donated more than $16,000 to the minister's personal re-election campaign in 1997.

How much money will Mr. Smit donate to the minister's next election campaign? Does—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

The question is out of order.

The Economy

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister who will be aware that last week Statistics Canada released a study revealing a significant increase in foreign ownership and foreign control of our economy over the past 10 years. He will also recognize that the trend continues and, with our low dollar, it is in fact accelerating.

Canada now has one of the highest levels of foreign ownership in the OECD. As research and development and top executives transfer to corporate headquarters in United States, at what point will the government intervene and say that enough is enough and call for a national debate on this very crucial issue?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we can have a national debate at any time. The real point is that what we see in those numbers is a continuing global trend. Not only are there more international acquisitions of Canadian companies but more than ever Canadians are acquiring interests abroad.

For the last several years, as a real measure of its maturity as an economy, Canada has been an exporter rather than an importer of capital as more Canadian investment has flowed out than foreign investment has flowed in. That is an example of the fact that Canada is very much in the forefront of globalizing trends.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a small difference. When Canadian investment goes into the United States it is like a pebble going into a pond. When American investments come into Canada it is like an avalanche of boulders coming into our country.

The difference today is that now CEOs of major corporations are indicating their concerns. Peter Lougheed, the CEO of Manulife, Willard Estey and many others are now saying that this has reached significant proportions and some action is now required.

Will the Minister of Industry at least join with his corporate colleagues and say that enough is enough and initiate a national debate on this very crucial issue?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the member from Kamloops is glad to have found something upon which he agrees with those individuals he mentioned.

In the meantime, let us think about some of the things that have happened over the last few years. Nortel acquired Bay Networks. Now, there is a pebble. As a result, in the last few weeks a Canadian company was named by a British research organization as the world's top multinational corporation. That is what Canada can benefit from. Yes, there are reasons for us to be concerned but it also provides an amazing opportunity for Canada to succeed.

Natural Resources

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

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

I recently had the opportunity to view some federal documents obtained under the Access to Information Act. In these documents the federal government is estimating that between now and the year 2020, Newfoundland's electrical needs will only grow by seven-tenths of 1% per year.

Is the minister saying that the federal government has written off the possibility of a smelter being built in Newfoundland at Argentia, a smelter to process ore from the Voisey's Bay nickel mine?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member would know, matters relating to the ownership and management of resources, such as this one, are matters that are entirely within the prerogative of the provincial government. It is up to the province as the owner of the resource to work out the appropriate arrangements with the developers of the resource.

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

Mr. Speaker, these are federal forecasts. These are documents obtained under access to information from the federal government.

The minister knows that a nickel smelter would be a heavy consumer of electricity and that should figure prominently in electrical demand forecasts.

Is the minister saying that the ore from Voisey's Bay would best be smelted at facilities already located on the mainland of Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, again, the hon. gentleman is inviting the federal government to intervene in a matter of provincial jurisdiction. It is entirely within the prerogative of a provincial government as the owner of the resource to work out the arrangements with the potential developers of the resource. The Government of Canada cannot intervene in that situation.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

There are reports today of demonstrators being killed and wounded in the streets of Freetown, Sierra Leone while hundreds of UN peacekeepers are being held hostage by RUF rebels.

Can the minister tell the House what the government is doing in response to this very serious deterioration in the security situation of this West African country?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to report that for Canadians in Sierra Leone we have made co-operative consul arrangements to ensure their safety and security.

On the broader issue, just having been in that country a week ago, I can report that valiant efforts were being made to secure the situation, to help children and to move toward elections but these efforts were wilfully being broken by rebel units.

Canada is now working actively at the Security Council and in other fora directly with other countries to see how we can provide serious options to ensure that the UN mandate to keep the peace and protect the people is maintained.

National Defence

[Art Hanger, Reform, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I can appreciate the fact that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence is unable to find the words that would reflect the government's inaction regarding the replacement of Sea King helicopters.

We heard again today empty assurances that the defence minister will replace the ageing Sea Kings. There are no deadlines and no timelines. It has been seven years.

How much longer will Canadian military personnel have to bum rides from our allies to get the job done?

[Robert Bertrand, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I assure my hon. colleague that the minister has stood in the House and said that we would have replacements for the helicopters by the year 2005.

I want to go back to why the CDS had to take another helicopter. It had nothing to do with mechanical problems on the Sea King helicopters. It was purely weather and operational considerations. I hope the member takes that into consideration.

Genetically Modified Organisms

[Hélène Alarie, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the plans for reorganization of the federal Department of Health, released this past April 17, there are no specific provisions guaranteeing the safety of genetically modified foods?

Despite the crying lack for expertise relating to GMOs, the Deputy Minister of Health has announced federal government plans to approve 500 new GMOs over the next five years.

How can the Minister of Health plan to approve more than 500 new genetically modified products when his own department does not have the capacity to guarantee the safety of GMOs?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, all genetically modified foods must be submitted to Health Canada for evaluation and determination of whether they are as safe as other foods available in Canada.

As well, Health Canada has struck a committee of experts to examine Health Canada regulations in order to ensure that we are acting in an appropriate manner.

The Environment

[Peter Mancini, NDP, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the government has moved closure on Bill C-11 denying many mining communities in Cape Breton hope, but there is another group of Cape Bretoners looking for a hopeful sign from the government.

On Friday, Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians and Elizabeth May of the Sierra Club launched their book, Frederick Street: Living and Dying on Canada's Love Canal . It is a condemnation of government inaction on this national environmental disgrace.

Will the Minister of the Environment show some leadership here? Will he explain where this is on his list of priorities and what he might do in the future?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, as the member should be aware, but apparently is not, there is a citizens' group of the local residents that is working to put together the plan for dealing with the Sydney tar ponds problem. The problem is very serious. There are health risks. It is perhaps the most polluted single site in Canada.

However, I do not think it is appropriate for me to step in and overrule the work being done by the citizens' group. We tried before to interfere and impose a solution, first in Ottawa, then in Halifax and then both together. None of those efforts worked despite the expenditure of tens of billions of dollars.

This time we want the local people to agree that they have the right solution.

Human Resources Development

[Angela Vautour, NDP, Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

The minister is aware that certain rural areas, such as the counties of Albert, Petitcodiac, Hillsborough and Salisbury, are part of an urban economic zone, when they are in fact rural communities with high rates of unemployment.

Will the minister tell the House when she is going to begin the process of consulting members with a view to redefining economic zones? I remind the minister that workers need an answer before next fall.

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the House that by statute every five years the Employment Insurance Commission must review the economic zones, the data from which are used to establish employment insurance benefits. This process is underway.

I am hopeful that in the very near future the proposals of the Employment Insurance Commission will be made public so that the MPs can review them and other Canadians can comment on them.