House of Commons Hansard #119 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was gas.
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, the member knows that we are doing a study of the changes that may be necessary to the Competition Act.
But the member has perhaps noticed that gasoline prices are a problem not just in Canada but in Europe too. And our Competition Act carries no weight in Europe.
John Cummins Reform Delta—South Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, today the minister claims to be shutting down the lobster fishery on Miramichi Bay for conservation reasons. Yesterday he was offering fishermen on the Miramichi $12,000 to turn a blind eye to illegal fishing on the bay.
Rather than protecting the resource and shutting down the fisheries, the minister chose what he thought was the path of least resistance: hush money, paying fishermen to look the other way while the lobster resource is under attack, while the viability of their fishery is jeopardized and while illegal fishing continues unabated. How can he justify this distasteful offer?
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
As usual, Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has his facts all wrong.
Of course the mediator was there talking to all the parties trying to bring them together. This was the proposal he was talking about to all members there to try to get a common peaceful resolution on this matter.
The hon. member should check his facts before he brings them forward to the House. It has been the attempt of this government to resolve it peacefully. For Canadians right across the country the rule of law is fundamental, and we will ensure that we follow the rule of law for all Canadians and will protect the resource for all Canadians and future generations.
John Cummins Reform Delta—South Richmond, BC
I did check my facts, Mr. Speaker. There is no doubt of the source of the offer. It was the minister's mediator, the eminent Canadian.
A fisherman from Miramichi asked me last night “What kind of country do we live in when our government would bribe its citizens to look the other way while the law is being broken?”
FisheriesOral Question Period
The Speaker
I ask the hon. member to withdraw the word bribe.
Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC
Mr. Speaker, with his cuts to the provinces, the Minister of Finance has put enormous pressure on the health care system.
In his discussions with the provinces, the Prime Minister indicated he did not have the money to index health care programs.
How does the Prime Minister explain his saying he did not have enough money to index the health care programs, when his Minister of Finance is announcing surpluses of $12 billion, which were confirmed by documents that had no doubt gone to press at the time the discussions were held with the provinces, and may even have been known to him?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would simply provide you with a few figures. In 1999, Quebec received $2.7 billion from the federal government as part of the social transfer. In 2000, it received $600 million.
Two weeks ago the Prime Minister signed an agreement with the provinces, and Quebec will be getting an additional $5 billion.
In a 20 month period, Quebec will be receiving an additional $8.5 billion from the federal government.
Steve Mahoney Liberal Mississauga West, ON
Mr. Speaker, last March the Government of Canada announced a contribution of $12 million to the fourth games of la Francophonie in 2001 to be held in Ottawa-Hull. The National Post , Diane Francis and a few members of the Ontario legislature recently accused the government of spending much more on these games than on any other major sports event and also stated that these games showcase only third rate athletes. As usual, they are more interested in fiction than facts.
Could the minister responsible for the games of la Francophonie—
La Francophonie GamesOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
Don Boudria LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as usual, journalist Diane Francis and the provincial member in question have got things totally twisted.
The Government of Canada's contribution to fourth Games of La Francophonie were only one quarter of what it contributed to the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg and one fifth of its investment in the Commonwealth Games.
Secondly, to describe Donovan Bailey, who gained world renown at the Jeux de la Francophonie in Paris, as a third rate athlete is unfair. It is also an insult to Bruny Surin, who agreed to serve as ambassador of the—
La Francophonie GamesOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for Vancouver Island North.
John Duncan Reform Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, the minister of fisheries has no credibility when he talks about closing the lobster fishery in Miramichi. The fisheries department's own estimates show that the Burnt Church lobster catch is already over four times what was approved. The minister's regional director general has said, and I quote, “Continued fishing will have a serious detrimental effect on the stocks”.
The minister must uphold his oath of office. He must enforce the law. When will he pull all the traps?
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier today, due to conservation concerns we have closed the lobster fishery at Miramichi. I would urge the community of Burnt Church to abide fully with that because I know they believe in protecting the stock for their future generations and I know they want to abide by the law. If they do that it will be the right thing. All members of the House should urge them to fully abide by the law and protect the resource because the rule of law is important to Canadians.
John Duncan Reform Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, despite the minister's assurances, there are more traps in the water today than there were yesterday.
Yesterday the minister wrote to the chief at Burnt Church and said “The fishing activity to date is detrimental to conservation. The current situation cannot continue if conservation and an orderly fishery are to be insured”.
There is no orderly fishery and no law and order. The illegal fishing at Miramichi must stop. When will the minister pull not just some but all the traps?
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is right in that I have written to the chief. There has been ongoing communication for a very long time urging a negotiated agreement just as 29 other first nations have done where we have an orderly transition program for them to fully participate in the commercial fishery.
The variation order to close the lobster fishery has been issued and I know that they will want to fully comply with the law. I would urge them once again to pull all the traps in the Miramichi so that we can go on to the more constructive things we can do.
Dick Proctor NDP Palliser, SK
Mr. Speaker, last spring the minister of agriculture guaranteed that all western grain and oilseed farmers would enjoy a $5.92 reduction in their freight rate bill this year but that is not what farmers are telling us. They are saying that they are getting nowhere near that kind of savings. Some are getting as little as 22 cents, some zero and, in a few cases, because of a lack of real competition amongst the railways, they are actually paying higher costs than they were absorbing last year.
Having guaranteed $5.92 this past May, will the government be making up any shortfall to the farmers who fall far short of this $5.92?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that we talked about $178 million legislated by this parliament that will flow to the pockets of producers right across the board. That works out to the per capital tonnage amount that he mentioned.
Farmers will receive the benefit of this legislation. It is forward looking. It is legislation that has had, by and large, the support of all members of the House and the Senate. I do not think the hon. member should start quibbling at this stage when we have provided $178 million for western producers.
Dick Proctor NDP Palliser, SK
Mr. Speaker, some quibble, 22 cents versus $5.92. He is still on numbers that do not add up.
The minister indicated recently that to put us on parity with U.S. support payments would require some $18 billion to $20 billion. Farm groups are saying that they do not need that much of a commitment. In fact, $4 billion has been suggested by at least one major organization.
Would the minister tell the House how he arrived at this large figure because it is much higher than what he had said in the past? I hope by inflating this number it is not an excuse to ignore the plight of Canadian farmers in a desperate situation.
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, what I said when I gave those numbers was that if we compare what the United States is doing, based on the size of its industry and the size of our industry, that would be the requirement here in Canada.
I recognize the fact that the industry and the producers have said that is not the amount of money they desire and that they understand the resource constraints that we have in this country. I have said to them that we will continue, as we have shown in the past, to do all we can to level the playing field between Canada and the United States and that there is also a necessity to level the playing field among provinces within Canada.
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is planning an enforcement action at Burnt Church. What steps has the minister taken to ensure the safety and good order of all of the citizens living on Miramichi Bay?
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, not only for this minister but for all ministers in the government, public safety is number one.
Whenever enforcement action is taken, we ensure that the safety of our own officers as well as the public is our number one priority and every opportunity is taken to make sure that we avoid confrontation. This is important for myself as well as for the solicitor general.
Angela Vautour NDP Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, NB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.
We have a very serious situation in Burnt Church. I cannot imagine that anybody here would not agree. After speaking with the RCMP this morning, there is a real chance of violence in that region. It is clear that the Minister of DFO is not going to Burnt Church and it is clear that he has failed.
I am asking on behalf of the native and non-native people living in the Miramichi area, will the Prime Minister intervene and make sure that this is settled in a humane, secure fashion?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the minister has shown a lot of flexibility so far. He has tried everything possible to negotiate a peaceful resolution. As there is no possibility to accommodate the situation at this time, the minister was absolutely right to close the fishery in Miramichi Bay. He is also absolutely right to make sure that every fisherman in that area respects the law of Canada.