Debates of June 14th, 2000

Land Mines

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, in fact it is not as bad as the hon. member says.

First, there were 800,000 refugees on the move back to Kosovo. The United Nations asked for emergency action on the part of Canada. There were some problems at the outset of the program and that was why CIDA commissioned an internationally recognized consultant to look at the projects. We implemented every recommendation. In fact, the UN even wrote to CIDA asking that both projects be extended by a month, stating that they had “provided the UN mine action program with a much needed capability”.

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, that does not have a lot of credibility coming from this minister because high ranking UN officials and Canadian consultants accused CIDA, the minister and foreign affairs officials of shoddy planning which resulted in ill-equipped Canadian de-mining crews.

Delays in the most recent contract awards mean that work cannot begin until late this summer, more than halfway through the removal season. Our international reputation has been diminished yet again, reminiscent of the Prime Minister's farcical foray in the Middle East.

Can the Prime Minister tell us if the Minister of Foreign Affairs has finally abandoned his Nobel Peace Prize winning aspirations in light of Canada's—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. minister for International Cooperation.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, the accusations are absolutely false. First of all, Canada is not out of the de-mining situation in Kosovo. We gave $500,000 in core funding to the UN mine action committee early this spring to assist. As well, a team that was chosen will be on the ground within two weeks and in operation within the next month.

The process has been a very good process. When we went through the bidding, the UN had a part in the process to ensure that the winning company in fact would do a good job on the ground.

Human Resources Development

[Dave Chatters, Reform, Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the HRDC minister's job creation scheme seemed to be limited to just a few professions. Liberal fundraisers, police investigators and forensic auditors seemed to be some of her favourites. It has been a while since she has informed us of how many police investigations are pending.

Would the minister please tell us today how many police investigations are under way?

[George Baker, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)]

Mr. Speaker, in answer to the hon. member's question, most of the RCMP investigations have to do with ACOA operations in eastern Canada. There are 11 of them. Four of them concern only the application, for which no funds were dispersed. Four of them are to do with provincial governments and enterprise, and the remaining three have to do with grants given when the Tories were in power.

[Dave Chatters, Reform, Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed the HRDC minister could not answer that question. Whatever happens to her career, I am sure the forensic auditors will be eternally grateful for the gratuity.

The minister admitted yesterday that Price Waterhouse is conducting a forensic audit into the Strathroy community centre. Perhaps she would like to tell us how many forensic audits are currently under way.

[George Baker, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)]

Mr. Speaker, the leadership contender whom the hon. member seems to be promoting said the other day in Atlantic Canada: “Atlantic Canadians have got to get out from under their dependency mentality”. They are attacking the poor—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. Minister of Veterans Affairs.

[George Baker, Liberal, Gander—Grand Falls, NL]

Mr. Speaker, they are attacking people on welfare, people on employment insurance and people on old age security. Canadians are going to reject the elitist attitude of the official opposition.

Banking

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the bank bill, the Minister of Finance confirmed yesterday that the federal government would have the final say in any decisions concerning the acquisition of Quebec banks.

He would like us to think that Quebec's interests are well defended just because he is looking after them. We do not see it that way.

Why should we be happy that the bill gives him the power to use his own subjective criteria to decide the future of banks in Quebec, without any other safeguard? Why should that make us happy?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I have said that, in any decisions having to do with Canadian banks, the public interest will be the determining factor. In the case of banks heavily concentrated in Quebec, the criteria will be the public interest and Quebec's economy.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is all very fine and well. But, in reality, who will ultimately decide what Quebec's interest is? Will it be the Minister of Finance or his successor? In either case, we are worried and not without reason.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, first I must point out that I am a Quebecer.

I would simply like to quote what another Quebecer, Bernard Landry, Quebec's finance minister, said: “I recognize that, with respect to the objectives pursued, the interest of Quebec, Ottawa's Minister of Finance and I are on the same wavelength”.

Immigration

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has now had almost a year to deal with the boat migrants of last summer. Of the 600, fewer than one-quarter of the cases have been finalized. That is to say, they have either been accepted as refugees or deported. The rest are either still in detention—and now some are rioting—or they are quickly disappearing, including 21 children, into the hands of the smugglers who brought them here. The minister's record is shameful. She said that these cases would be finalized in six months.

Is the minister going to step in and deport the remaining cases, or is she going to set up detention centres and refugee camps right here in Canada?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, this party believes in due process. We believe in our charter of rights and freedoms. We are not going to scrap our charter. We are not going to embarrass Canada internationally by ripping up the Geneva convention. We are going to live up to our legal obligations and ensure that anyone who comes to us making a serious claim and asking for protection under our refugee protection act will receive the due process of the law.

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I believe in due process, too. However, this minister's ill-advised delay in processing is making the situation worse for the migrants, to the point that they are rioting. They languish in detention centres at taxpayer expense. Now it is too late to do anything that will act as a deterrent for boats coming this summer. The minister's weak response to this new slave trade, people smuggling, has exacerbated an already serious situation.

Will the minister commit today to cleaning up the backlog from last summer, or is she planning on setting up permanent refugee camps right here in Canada?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing that has caused a delay has been this member and his party's rhetoric in delaying Bill C-31, which is presently at committee. With their help we could pass that bill more quickly so that we could streamline our processes.

Unlike the member opposite, this party believes in the charter of rights and freedoms. We believe in the due process of law. We support the Geneva convention. We will not humiliate Canada internationally. We are proud of our humanitarian and compassionate response.

If he and his party want to be helpful, they could help pass Bill C-31, which will streamline our processes.

[The Speaker]

I notice both in the questions and in the responses that we have members interjecting without stop. I would ask for order, please.

Francophone Athletes

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

Mr. Speaker, the report of the Commissioner of Official Languages is clear: in Canada, being francophone is a handicap for an athlete.

They have to leave their language behind if they want to mount the podium, because national organizations have neither a policy nor the ability to provide services in French, and the federal government is directly responsible for this situation.

Instead of denying the problem as he did on the weekend, will the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport finally invest some money to ensure that the francophone athletes receive services in their own language?

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

Mr. Speaker, first off, I salute—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

They are not interested in the answer, but all of Canada is. One thing is sure—