Debates of Oct. 1st, 2001

Terrorism

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the opening of the general assembly, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that, because the UN includes all countries and can convey legitimacy in this struggle against terrorism, it must be the primary forum for this coalition.

Does the Prime Minister intend to take up Kofi Annan's plan, which would make the UN the central figure in the international fight against terrorism?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the general assembly began its debate today. The party leaders were there and we all congratulated Mr. Annan and said that we were very happy about the decision made by the security council on Saturday. The debate is taking place today. I am sure that the general assembly will approve the security council's resolution.

Canada has always led other nations in supporting the United Nations. I am very happy to see that the United States recently decided to pay their membership, after refusing to do so for many years.

Airline Industry

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

There was a lot of turbulence at Air Canada before September 11. The terrorist attacks have intensified the threat of massive job losses. What is called for in this crisis is not a bailout of the CEO and the shareholders but an urgent, co-ordinated, comprehensive program to stabilize the airline industry and to minimize job losses through pension enhancement, training programs and job sharing.

Will the Prime Minister make that commitment today to the thousands of airline workers threatened with job loss?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there will be a debate tonight on that issue. The member wants me to commit before I hear from members of parliament. I want to hear what members of parliament think about it and a decision will be made later. She can make her speech tonight.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, people are looking not for speeches but for leadership.

Securing airline jobs depends in part on restoring confidence in travel safety. The American government recognizes the urgency of government taking direct responsibility for baggage and airport security. The Canadian government speaks only of setting security guidelines. That is not good enough. Canadians want to know that their government will back its words with action and that means making airport security a direct government responsibility.

Will the Prime Minister give that assurance today?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, some would be surprised to hear the leader of the NDP say to me that leadership would be to bypass the House of Commons. As I said earlier, these points can be made tonight in the debate. Some may have a different point of view. Everybody will speak. The government will take note of all views. As the government, we will have to decide. If there is need for legislation, the House will have to pass the legislation.

Terrorism

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

In order to plan effectively, a responsible government must make a basic assumption about whether the September 11 terrorists will strike again. Does the government believe that these terrorists are planning other major attacks somewhere in the world, or is Canada operating on the assumption that the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks were a one-off assault and not the beginning of a pattern?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP and CSIS are working very closely with our counterparts around the world. As I have said many times in the House, they are working closely with the U.S. to make sure that the people who are responsible are brought to justice.

We are not naive. This is a global problem and we must be prepared for that, and we are.

[Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, one more time the minister refuses to answer a direct question in the House of Commons.

How long is this comedy going to continue? The terrorist attacks occurred three weeks ago tomorrow. When will the Prime Minister bring a detailed and comprehensive plan against terrorism here to the elected House of Commons?

And will this plan of action be presented to parliament before the end of this week, and to the House before being presented anywhere else?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the fifth party indicated to the people of the country that he is not very serious when he makes presumptions like he did. We do not want to have any terrorists coming to Canada.

We are making preparations and have taken a lot of action. He was very disappointed some weeks ago because there was no Canadian connection. He just wants to score political points while we have an extremely serious problem facing all nations of the world.

[Vic Toews, Canadian Alliance, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Justice contradicted a finance department official who advised that the government has no legislative authority to seize terrorist bin Laden's assets and bank accounts. The Minister of Justice contradicted the finance official and stated that the government does.

Would the minister admit today that she has no legislation in place to seize the bank accounts of the terrorist bin Laden?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I believe what I was referring to last week was clear. Section 3(2) of the United Nations Act does have a provision on civil forfeiture.

[Vic Toews, Canadian Alliance, Provencher, MB]

In fact, Mr. Speaker, there is no authority to seize bank accounts. That is what we have been trying to get at and it is what the minister will not admit.

It has been six years since the UN told Canada to implement anti-terrorist legislation. While other countries were leaders in the fight against terrorism, would the minister advise why she failed to bring forward anti-terrorism legislation or why she has failed to seize one thin dime of terrorist assets?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, the country and the government have taken a leadership role in the fight against terrorism worldwide. Look at our new extradition act. Look at our new mutual legal assistance agreements. Look at the fact that we have ratified and implemented 10 of the UN terrorist conventions. Look at our new money laundering legislation.

In fact, I have made it plain in the House that we will implement the UN convention on the suppression of terrorist financing. It would be useful if you people on that side of the House got behind us and helped us.

[The Speaker]

All hon. members will want to address the Chair, of course.

The Economy

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has been claiming for some weeks now that the measures he took last year were sufficient to deal with the situation the Canadian economy is facing at this time.

By avoiding any deficit, does the federal government intend to assume its responsibilities in order to slow down the increasingly obvious downturn, and does it intend to draw up a precise plan for dealing effectively with it?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, when we see the actions taken by the Bank of Canada, the 50 base point drop in interest rates ten days ago, the actions taken by the Minister of Human Resources Development in improving the EI system, when we look at the infrastructure program being pushed ahead by the government and the President of Treasury Board, we see that the Canadian government is meeting the needs of Canada's workers.

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last fall the Minister of Finance brought down a minibudget and curiously, on the eve of the election, directly issued cheques for $125.

How can the Minister of Finance explain such great creativity for electioneering purposes, and such lack of urgency to act today, when thousands of jobs have disappeared in just one week?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear the hon. member's reference to last October's mini budget, which placed Canada in the forefront as far as most industrialized countries are concerned.

Not only did those cheques go out to Canadian families, but at the same time there was a tax cut of $100 billion over five years. We have seen the most significant decrease in the Canadian debt in the history of our country, which puts another $2.5 billion into the pockets of Canadians every year.

National Security

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian industries are facing the most significant problem in decades as a result of the security issues at the Canada-U.S. border. Recent polls show that a vast majority of Canadians are ready to make changes to create a North American security perimeter even if the government is not.

So far the industry minister seems to be really silent on this issue. What specifically is the minister doing to help business in Canada by creating this security perimeter?

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

Mr. Speaker, discussions have been going on for quite some time with the Americans about mutual security for both Canada and the United States. Of course we are discussing perimeter issues. However we are doing that as well as securing the Canada-U.S. border, not instead of.

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian industry wants to know who is standing up for business in this country in these difficult times at our borders. They want the minister to address U.S. security concerns. This must be a priority to ensure that free trade continues to cross our border and can be maintained.

While the industry minister appears to be sidelined, and that is pretty evident this afternoon, Canadian business organizations are already working to resolve this problem. Canadians need to know, what is the industry minister doing to stand up for them?

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the member opposite and his party, members of the government are working together. That is why I have great confidence in saying that all of the measures that need to be taken are being taken by each of the respective ministers to install and restore confidence.

Of course the Prime Minister has raised this matter with the president. In fact traffic at the border is moving very well. If members opposite cared about the good of the country instead of trying to score political points, they would get behind the government on the actions we are taking today.

Canadian Airline Industry

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tonight in this chamber there will be a take note debate on the future of Air Canada. We know that Air Canada is asking the government for huge grants to get itself out of the jam it is in. What we do not know is what the government's response will be.

Will the Minister of Transport tell us what the government's position is? Does it plan to provide generous grants to Air Canada or will it limit itself to compensation for losses directly related to airport closures and increased insurance premiums?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, before making any decision to help the airline industry, I think it would be wise to listen to all the arguments that will be raised by members in the House of Commons.