House of Commons Hansard #95 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was terrorism.
Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, according to the very broad definition of what constitutes a terrorist activity in the Minister of Justice's bill, many participants in the Quebec City summit could have been considered terrorists.
How can the minister assure us that with a definition as broad as this, some of the demonstrators at the Quebec City summit would not have been apprehended as terrorists?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member cares to read the definition of terrorist activity he would find that it is a fairly finely defined definition and one that we have taken great care with to ensure that those who would carry out lawful and legitimate activities, be it political protests in relation to labour movements or other things, are not affected by the legislation.
If the hon. member wishes to discuss this point further I would be happy to do so at committee.
Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, concerns were raised during preliminary consultations involving those who have read the section in question, that such a broad definition of what constitutes a terrorist activity would lead to abuse.
My question is quite simple. Given these legitimate concerns, does the minister intend to tighten up this definition in order to avoid mistakes and the risk of abuse?
Will the minister issue clear directives to try to avoid, as much as possible, abuse of this legislation? That is what I am asking the minister.
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we believe the definition is clear and we believe there will be no abuse of the definition of terrorist activity.
As I have said, I will be more than happy to take up this matter with the member in committee. In addition, the hon. member should remember that we have a three year review period built into the legislation. Unlikely as it may be, if there is some abuse we can certainly deal with it at that time.
Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canada's trade flow with the United States is the lifeblood of our economy sustaining thousands of Canadian jobs.
Today B.C. premier Gordon Campbell is in Ottawa representing the majority of provincial premiers to lobby the Prime Minister for a continental security perimeter. A perimeter will not threaten our sovereignty but rather strengthen our personal and economic security.
Will the Prime Minister tell the House today whether or not he will work with the premiers on this issue?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of being with the premier for lunch and we discussed that. He understands that the goal of the federal government is to make sure that the flow of goods with the United States will not be interrupted by terrorist activities. It is the best thing to do.
This is not the time to be talking about there being a big problem because in reality there is no danger at the Canadian border. We will make sure of that. Those who come to Canada can only come by plane and we have seven airports to take care of them. The people walking from the north to the south are not very numerous these days.
Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, maybe the Prime Minister should visit the borders and he would realize there is a different reality than the one he has.
Eight provincial premiers, the international trade minister, business leaders and Liberal and opposition MPs, along with the vast majority of Canadians, are calling for a continental perimeter to secure our trade with the U.S. It seems the only one out of sync is the Prime Minister.
Will the Prime Minister tell the House why everyone is wrong and he is right? Is it because Brian Mulroney is calling for the perimeter?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, long before they asked questions I was on the line with the president of the United States.
The president of the United States told me that it was in the interests of Canada and of the United States that the free flow of goods at the border be accommodated quickly. That is the exact goal of this government and the government of the United States despite the gloom and doom of the official opposition.
Pierrette Venne Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, the existing Access to Information Act allows the government to refuse to disclose information, and it is up to the commissioner and eventually to a tribunal to decide whether such refusal is justified.
By contrast, the anti-terrorism bill gives to the attorney general the power to decide alone not to release certain documents.
Can the minister explain why she is giving this responsibility to the Attorney General of Canada, that is, herself, rather than to the information commissioner?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated yesterday, there may be information in relation to national security and the security of our allies and others that we do not want disclosed in a judicial or other hearing. The legislation would permit the attorney general to certify the non-disclosure of that information.
I would hope that nobody in the House would suggest that we should be disclosing information that could possibly undermine national security or threaten the lives of those who work on behalf of this country and our allies.
Pierrette Venne Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, since the beginning we have been told that we must not change our way of living and that democracy must prevail because it is the best protection against terrorism.
How can the minister reconcile these reassuring comments with the provisions of the bill that seek to take the powers of the commissioner and the courts and transfer them to the attorney general alone, thus making the latter judge and jury regarding what the public should or should not know?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member deliberately misconstrues the extent of the provision to which she refers.
It is a very limited provision in which the attorney general can certify the non-disclosure of certain limited information that is clearly in the national interest or affects the international relations of this country and its allies.
Myron Thompson Canadian Alliance Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canada Customs has instructed its officers not to stop, detain or arrest people suspected of being armed and dangerous.
In the policy guidelines, paragraph 16 instructs officers to let these individuals go through and then to call the local police.
Will the minister equip our customs officers to do their job properly and get rid of this ludicrous policy?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, customs officers are well trained. We know that based on the brand new legislation they have been given what is called officer power. Therefore they have the right to arrest people when they show up at the border.
We all know that customs officers are not police. Over the past decade we have been working with national police forces and local police forces. As the safety of our employees is of prime importance, they must be allowed to use their judgment. If they believe a person could be a threat to their life they only have to get in touch with the local police who will arrest those people and make sure we--
Myron Thompson Canadian Alliance Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, those people roam around a long time. Bill C-18 was supposed to give customs officers the power to enforce the criminal code at the border. The problem is that the bill applies to less than one-quarter of the crossings and to none of the international airports. This means agents at 115 land crossings and all of our airports cannot detain and arrest criminals.
Does it not make sense to the minister during these times of security to grant the same powers to the officers at customs all across Canada?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, customs officers have the necessary powers to fulfill their duties.
A question I would like to ask is, why does the opposition member always try to blame Canada? We are doing a wonderful job on this side of the House. We are working in co-operation. We are one component in the first line of defence. We are working with immigration, the RCMP and CSIS. It is through co-operation that we will fight terrorism.
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Health.
Canadians are concerned about the recent reports of anthrax exposure in the United States. Just yesterday parliamentarians and our staff members were concerned when we heard about a suspicious material on Parliament Hill.
Could the minister please tell the House what stockpiling of supplies has been done to respond to the heightened public concern about anthrax?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, Health Canada is stockpiling for 100,000 people. We already have stock on hand for 40,000 people to meet our goal in the immediate future.
As for yesterday, we were all relieved to learn that the tests disclosed that the samples proved negative. I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of the House, I am sure, to thank and congratulate the emergency response personnel who did their usual superb job in the circumstances.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, my question is on the same topic. The fact of the matter is that by the minister's own reports this country is not prepared for a bioterrorist attack and does not support our first responders, particularly our firefighters, with training and support to deal with a biological or chemical attack.
In fact, the reports all show that Ottawa may be the only centre that is fully trained and prepared to deal with an anthrax attack.
My question for the Minister of Health is how long do the rest of Canadians have to wait before they have trained professionals in place to deal with bioterrorism?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, across the country provincial medical officers of health, local authorities and, indeed, provincial ministers are well aware of the need to co-ordinate efforts and Health Canada is providing leadership in that regard.
Months before September 11, we sent the Ottawa model across the country. We have been engaged in training personnel across the country. The kind of strong response we need was shown here in Ottawa yesterday.
Health Canada is working to make sure that we provide that strong response wherever it is required.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP have confirmed that students of Arabic background studying in Canada are being questioned and investigated, particularly if they are studying engineering or sciences.
I would like to ask the Minister of Justice what the legal basis is for this practice. Does she believe that singling out a particular group based on ethnicity, country of origin or what they are studying contradicts the intent of Canada's multiculturalism policy to full and equitable participation in all aspects of Canadian society?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. colleague is aware that there are measures to take if it is felt the RCMP has acted inappropriately. The tragic events of September 11 are being investigated by the RCMP and CSIS in co-operation with the FBI to make sure that we find the terrorists and bring them to justice.
Chuck Strahl Canadian Alliance Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, ministers have been announcing a lot of new spending lately and while some of it is very necessary, most of it is not in the last budget. The finance minister's own website states:
Most years the Government releases one major document that sets out where and how it plans to collect and invest taxpayers’ money. How much money will go to pay down the debt? How much to health care? Will taxes go up or down? The answers affect all Canadians, and they will be in that document, the budget.
It has been almost 600 days since we have seen such an elusive document. Will the finance minister share the answers with Canadians by presenting a full fall budget?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, first I want to congratulate my colleagues in the government on the series of announcements demonstrating just how clearly Canada has taken a leadership role in dealing with terrorism.
I also want to point out to the hon. member that it was last October that the government brought down an economic statement in which the largest tax cuts in Canadian history were presented, the largest transfers to the provinces for health care and education were presented, and in which there was the largest debt paydown.