House of Commons Hansard #106 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was devco.
Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, in the mind of this government, the problem of Canadian unity seems to exist only in Quebec.
I would like to ask the public works minister a question. When the CIO awards a contract to Jacques Cloutier to “assess the impact of pilot projects on regional communications pooling in Abitibi and in Quebec since 1998” and when another contract is awarded for communications at Val d'Or, is the purpose not more to inform the government than to inform the public?
Alfonso Gagliano Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Mr. Speaker, in order to inform the public, there must also be a knowledge of what the various communities are doing so as to be able to meet their needs. That is what has been happening recently with the ministers' tour.
I would like to quote an editorial from Le Soleil of Friday September 24, 1999 “The beginnings of this new era of co-operation are promising and are creating a positive atmosphere in the Quebec City region that is most welcome”.
Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, the CIO has spent $1.5 million on media surveillance.
As we have seen with Human Resources Development Canada, this government suffers from information-gathering syndrome, a malady that has now spread to the CIO.
Does the minister realize that, after first having Big Brother at HRDC, now we have its evil twin at the CIO?
Alfonso Gagliano LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to the hon. member that there is no media surveillance going on; what we are doing is monitoring the media, analysing press coverage.
Moreover, the Bloc Quebecois is doing the same thing every day; all parties do. That is what we are doing. There is no surveillance; it is media analysis and a press review to be used by various ministers responsible for the departments requesting it.
Peter Mancini NDP Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, every year thousands of tonnes of contaminated soil from more than 20 countries, including the United States, are being buried in Canada in towns like Trois-Rivières and Sarnia. The federal government authorizes the importation of waste without knowing what is going to happen to it when it gets here.
Will the government modify its regulations to ensure that Canada does not become the toxic waste dump of the world?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the member's question. The government did move to limit the importation of toxic waste. This was a decision that was subsequently overturned on a legal argument.
I can tell the hon. member that the Minister of the Environment is going to meeting with his counterparts next week in Quebec City. This is one of the issues that they obviously have on their agenda.
Peter Mancini NDP Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, I am glad it is on the agenda because we are talking here of 600,000 tonnes of foreign contaminated soil per year. Even Mexico has harsher rules than we do.
Will the government act now, or will the minister indicate to us what position the Minister of the Environment will take to ensure that the Government of Canada knows what is coming in, what form it is taking and where it is going?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, one of the results of the passage of CEPA is that the Minister of the Environment is reviewing all his options precisely in light of the concerns expressed by a number of parties.
Norman E. Doyle Progressive Conservative St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
CBC management recently announced that all regional supper hour news programs will be cut to one-half hour in length. The supper hour news program in Newfoundland called Here and Now is essentially the most successful in the country. It has a market share of 64% and a viewing audience of 157,000. How can the minister justify gutting that program and cutting the budget by 40% down to $1.8 million?
Canadian Broadcasting CorporationOral Question Period
Hamilton East Ontario
Liberal
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. It gives me an opportunity to thank hon. members on all sides of the House who expressed concerns to the board and the management of the CBC and caused them to overturn a decision which would have been disastrous. However, I do find it passing strange that the question comes from the hon. member whose party had a position in the last election of getting rid of Here and Now .
Norman E. Doyle Progressive Conservative St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, the minister knows that is not true. I am not looking for her thanks, I am looking for her action.
Canadian Broadcasting CorporationOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I would ask the hon. member to please stay away from words such as “not true”.
Norman E. Doyle Progressive Conservative St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, we are looking for the minister's action on this, not her thanks. Here and Now has a 64% market share and 157,000 viewers. This contrasts sharply with the Toronto equivalent which commands a mere 2% of the market and a paltry 36,000 viewers in that large city. I can understand that the CBC might have to tighten up in markets where its programs are not widely popular, but how can the minister justify throwing out our baby with Toronto's bath water?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, the reference to relatives gives me an opportunity to say how much my mother-in-law, Stella Thorne, enjoys Here and Now . She watches it every night and I hope she hasn't changed so she can watch me saying hi to my mother-in-law tonight on Here and Now .
That being said, I do hope that some of the modernizations that are going to be brought forward by the CBC will include increased investments in regional productions in a number of areas. I very much hope that the music and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador—something that the former leader of the PQ thinks does not exist—get a chance to be seen across the country.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, the heartburn drug Propulsid, which is linked to the causing of the death of at least 10 Canadians, has been restricted for use in the United States. Since mid-May Health Canada has had 158 reports of adverse reactions to the drug, including the death of children.
Given the drug's history and the mortal nature of it, why would the Minister of Health allow pharmacies until August 7 to continue to sell the drug in Canada? Does he want to allow drug manufacturers to use up their old stock?
Yvon Charbonneau LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, this matter has been studied by Health Canada, which recommended that the drug be taken off the shelves effective August 8.
Health Canada also took into account the fact that many patients are using the drug safely and it is recommending that they consult their health care professional to determine if they should switch to an alternative or if they can continue to use this drug. A warning will be issued on August 8, however, and the drug will no longer be sold.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, yes, some people use it safely but 10 people have died. There are 158 reports since the middle of May of severe problems. It is not good enough to wait until August 7. Some of these people may die.
In any other case the government would take action. Why will the minister not take immediate action? If it is not to protect the manufacturers with the inventories, why? Why would we allow the potential of more deaths between now and August 7? Canadians want to know that. It does not make any sense at all.
Yvon Charbonneau LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, by May 30, all health care professionals were advised of the possible risk associated with using this drug. They were told that the drug would no longer be sold effective August 8. On May 31, the public was notified as well.
It is now up to patients, with their health care professionals, to make the final decisions, but they are being asked to do so by August 8.
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, the scandal at HRDC is not going away.
The Liberal government continues to turn a blind eye to the twelve or so RCMP investigations. In order to come to the minister's rescue, the Liberal majority on the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities wants to dismantle the department without getting to the bottom of the shocking use of public money for partisan purposes.
In the end, is the government not trying to bury the whole affair?
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, we have said all along that if there is evidence of wrongdoing we will refer such files to the RCMP, and we have done so.
What they are investigating and what results they will have are in their purview at the moment and not appropriate for us to comment on.
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
The federal Liberal government is mired in the biggest scandal to hit it in a long time.
By deciding to dismantle the department without holding a public inquiry that would get to the bottom of the scandal, is the government trying to cover its tracks and evade its responsibility?
Bonnie Brown LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, when a committee submits a final report on a study it has done, the government per se has not decided anything, has not chosen anything. It is simply that the committee has made a series of recommendations to which the government will respond within the 150 days prescribed in the rules.
Darrel Stinson Reform Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Speaker, according to Statistics Canada there has been a decrease in the inmate population. Yet the cost per inmate has increased, believe it or not, to $171 per day.
Obviously Correctional Service Canada is either pampering its inmates or its executives. Could the solicitor general please explain this outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question because it gives me the opportunity to indicate exactly the excellent work that Correctional Service Canada is doing.
From the 1980s until today there has been a 15% to 20% decrease in the recidivism rate. That is what the government wants. That is what Canadians want.