Debates of June 1st, 2000

National Defence

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, it is most regrettable the suffering that Matt Stopford has gone through over many years. I am sorry that it has taken some seven years for this information to come out on the disgraceful action of a few people.

The matter is now being examined by a special review board that the chief of defence staff appointed today. It will report within two weeks so that we can then proceed to deal with the issue of both the perpetrators of this matter as well as those in the leadership who failed at that point in time.

I am sorry that Mr. Stopford has gone through all of this and has gone through the illnesses he has experienced over the years.

[Peter Goldring, Reform, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for his apology. It was long overdue.

What specific concrete decisive action will the minister take to ensure that the soldiers involved in the Stopford Affair, no matter where they are in the chain of command, are held accountable?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, no matter where people are in the chain of command, if they have done something that is in violation of the code of conduct of the Canadian forces we will in fact weed them out.

Let me say that we are on a direction now that will move quickly, fairly and decisively to do that. Let me also point out that we should not smear the many because of the actions of a few. Most of the men and women of the Canadian forces provide vital and essential services to Canadians and do so with great honour.

Organized Crime

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

Mr. Speaker, the government may have given itself a standing ovation a little too early on the issue of crime prevention. In the fall of 1997 I rose in the House and called for an investigation into allegations of corruption and the spread of organized crime in our ports resulting from the disbandment of the ports police.

At the same time I raised concerns about important investigative case files that were being destroyed or lost while biker gangs took control of the ports. Those concerns have not gone away. In fact they have resurfaced this week.

After three years of warning, will the minister admit that we were right and that he was wrong? More important, will he take steps to re-establish the ports police?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I said a number of times in the House, our number one law enforcement priority is fighting organized crime. In fact the RCMP backs up any provincial or municipal port police or any other police force in the country in order to fight organized crime. That is what the RCMP does.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the response from the solicitor general is just more of the same old excuses. He might as well put up a neon sign in Vancouver saying that it is open season for the international drug trade. I have been fighting tooth and nail to help stem the drug crisis in the downtown east side. Without the port police, people in that community are threatened by crime and corruption.

Where is the commitment? Will the minister commit today to reinstate the ports police so that people in this community and all communities will be safe in terms of the waterfront?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I am very surprised my hon. colleague would even challenge our support to policing when this government allocated $810 million of new funding to my department. Before that $115 million were put in place to make sure that CPIC was up to date.

We want to be sure that all police forces in the country have the tools to do the job and to be able to fight organized crime, and that is what is happening.

National Defence

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, an RCMP source has informed us that the problems with the Delta Company go much deeper than with six soldiers. We have had a conspiracy. We have had confessions. I am now concerned we might have a cover-up.

Why is the Minister of National Defence afraid to do the right thing and launch a fully independent public inquiry into this scandal?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I have indicated quite clearly that we will do what is necessary to get to the bottom of this matter. We will leave no stone unturned. We will ensure no matter where the fault lies, in whatever rank, that we will in fact seek out that information and weed out any people who have not been properly following the procedures that are expected of them.

We will do that expeditiously. I do not rule out or rule in any particular mechanism at this point, except that over the next two weeks we will have a special review group, of which one is a regular military person, one is a civilian with links into the reserves and two are totally civilian.

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP witness tells us that there were severe command problems in Delta Company seven years ago. Why will the Minister of National Defence once again allow senior officers to investigate themselves?

Things must not only be right. They must appear to be right, so why is the minister afraid to authorize an arm's length inquiry to investigate every aspect of this out of control company? Then the military will have a positive picture of them.

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, all allegations will be looked into. As I pointed out, the four person review group has one regular military officer, General Joe Sharpe, who did a good job with respect to the previous inquiry on Croatia, plus other civilians who will be part and parcel of determining what action is necessary.

We will get to the bottom of it and ensure that all information comes out and the right remedial action is taken.

Unesco Institute Of Statistics

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after fierce competition with Great Britain and France, Canada has been selected to be the site of the UNESCO institute of statistics.

Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell us what the presence of this institute in Montreal will mean in economic terms for Canada and the Montreal region?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we are thrilled with the choice of Montreal as the site of the UNESCO institute of statistics, especially since this also comes under a policy whereby Montreal will become an international site for both the environment and statistics.

I think it is thanks to the work of several MPs and ministers that Montreal, Canada, was chosen by UNESCO to create jobs in Canada and to raise our international prestige.

Agriculture

[Gerry Ritz, Reform, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, earlier today we saw the government deny a simple request to table the report on our assistance for struggling agricultural producers.

This report is the result of 70 public meetings, and that means open to everyone who wanted to come, across the country which heard from nearly 4,000 farmers about the issues that affect their livelihood.

What is the government afraid of? Is it the fact that the minister's AIDA program is a flop? Some 90% of farmers told us that, or is it that the Liberal government is seen more as the cause than the cure of our agricultural problems? In other words, are the Liberals afraid of facing a grassroots report card on their failing grade agricultural policies?

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the answer to the last question raised by the hon. member is obviously no. The government is proud of its achievements.

If the government were to be asked by the opposition to table a report, it has every liberty to do so at the meeting of House leaders when consultations are regularly held. I can just imagine that he either did not have the time or perhaps he is not on speaking terms with his own House leader.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, two days ago, the provincial health ministers reaffirmed the strong consensus that exists among them regarding health care funding. Minister Pauline Marois reminded the federal government that it will have to answer for its actions during the next general election.

How can the minister claim that he is defending the principles of the Canada Health Act when his government now contributes only 14 cents out of each dollar spent on health in Quebec? This is a shame.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, that is false. We ourselves invited the provincial ministers to discuss the future of our health care system.

I remind the hon. member that it is this government that added more money to transfers, to the tune of 25% over the past four years. We increased transfers and we are prepared to put more money in, but under a plan of action developed with our provincial partners.

National Defence

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago the court martial case against Winnipeg Sergeant Mike Kipling was dismissed. The judge made this decision based on a finding of the fact that the particular batch of anthrax vaccine that Mike Kipling was ordered to take was unsafe and dangerous. The judge actually said that the government could never be justified to impose the inoculation of soldiers with unsafe and dangerous vaccines.

How could the government make the unbelievable decision to appeal this decision? Is that what the minister means by leaving no stone unturned?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the director of military prosecutions within her jurisdiction has filed an appeal. Quite frequently there are decisions of courts in both civilian and military courts where one side just simply does not agree with the judge's ruling and therefore appeals it.

There are implications here in terms of the conduct, the cohesiveness and the discipline of the Canadian forces that are felt by the director to be important. Therefore an appeal has been launched.

Taxation

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I contacted the office of the Minister of Finance to find out what it was doing to eliminate policies that discourage sustainable forestry practices on small private woodlots. Those inheriting woodlots are taxed on the value of the tree land, which encourages clear-cutting. In addition, unlike farmers woodlot owners are unable to deduct maintenance expenses from their income or claim the capital gains exemption.

In a letter to woodlot owners the Minister of Finance agreed that the tax system should not produce environmentally perverse practices. This has been a 12 year chase for 420,000 woodlot owners. When will the government sort it out and get it right?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Fundy—Royal for his notice to me on this issue and for his very valuable ongoing input.

I know that some of these issues were addressed in the information bulletin put out by the CCRA. I also know there are ongoing issues such as, as the member mentioned, intergenerational transfers and the ability to deduct expenses incurred on the woodlot from other sources of income.

I understand there are ongoing consultations with the Canadian Federation of Woodlot Owners and with individual owners. I will be happy to keep the hon. member abreast of our discussions.

Francophone Entrepreneurs In Western Canada

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval West, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Western Economic Diversification.

Could the secretary of state explain what his department is doing to meet the needs of francophone entrepreneurs in western Canada?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification) (Francophonie)]

Mr. Speaker, we have jointly defined the priorities for francophone communities in western Canada.

We have determined how to meet their needs and, together, we have decided to set up, in each province, an economic development office to ensure capital access. We have also determined that these communities needed to put the emphasis on entrepreneurship.

Finally, all the provinces have created a francophone corridor for tourism which will soon be linked to the Canada-wide tourism corridor.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

Today we have a very special group of young Canadians with us. I want to draw the attention of members to the presence in our gallery of 11 boys and girls, the Children's Miracle Network 2000 Champions from across the country. These youngsters have overcome life-threatening illnesses or injuries and have been chosen to represent the two million children who are treated annually by the Children's Miracle Network hospitals and foundations across Canada.

Today, these young people will receive a medal to recognize their courage and their efforts at a reception in my office. I invite hon. members to join them in room 216-N, after oral question period.

I will read the names of the 2000 Champions, and I would ask that members hold their applause until I have finished. The names are: Daniel Alexander Ennett, Edmonton; Adrien Gagnon, London; Michael Korenowski, Calgary; Matt MacDonald, the Maritimes; Leah McLoughlin, Newfoundland; Simone Pabreza, Toronto; Lauralee Philippe, Ottawa; Crystal Rondeau, Manitoba; Jennifer Vail, Saskatchewan; Matthew Williams, British Columbia; and, Melissa Woodard, Quebec.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.