Debates of Oct. 18th, 2001

Immigration

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister continues to deny that there is a problem with security in the immigration system. Her department's own numbers show that at least 70% of all claimants who are not accepted in this country are never known to leave our country. They simply disappear.

How is it that the minister can claim that her system is okay when it comes to security when 70% of those who are refused entrance to our country, denied refugee status, are never known to leave the country?

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

Mr. Speaker, immigration officials check people coming into Canada. When we have a deportation order and we remove someone, we know that they have left. However, many people leave voluntarily. That is the way it works. We do not have exit controls in this country. We do not track individuals who leave the country.

I can tell the member that the overwhelming majority of people who come to Canada are law abiding. If they have a hearing, they show up for the hearing. We do not want to turn Canada into a penal colony by detaining everyone as the member opposite would have us do.

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we fully support genuine refugees. We are talking about people who have been rejected by her department already. They have been rejected. They are not refugees. Her department has said they are not refugees, yet fully 70% of those people who have been rejected stay in Canada.

How can the minister continue to stand and say that security is just fine in the refugee determination system?

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

Mr. Speaker, the number of people who are successful refugee claimants in Canada is about the same as in other countries that have refugee determination procedures. I will give an example. Approximately 57% of claimants are accepted in Canada and 53% in the United States. That is a fact.

What I can tell the House is that every country in the world has difficulties with removals, often getting travel documents. Canada has one of the best removal records of any country in the world. Last year over 8,000--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Pierrefonds--Dollard.

Trade

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry.

It was reported today that the World Trade Organization will issue an interim ruling on the Air Wisconsin transaction and that this ruling will be against Canada. In light of the expected ruling, what will happen to the financing commitment which convinced Air Wisconsin to buy 150 regional jets from Montreal based Bombardier?

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we expect to receive the panel's interim report tomorrow, October 19. I cannot comment on the contents of the report until such time as we see it.

On behalf of the government I want to make it very clear today, and members from the Montreal area will be most interested, that the Government of Canada nevertheless will stand firmly by the decisions we have made to assist Bombardier in the trade dispute it has had with Embraer. That means the provisions and the financing put in place to assist in the securing of contracts in the United States remain firm.

Immigration

[Keith Martin, Canadian Alliance, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister just does not get it. The fact is our immigration minister has been allowing terrorists and criminals to enter Canada through our porous and faulty immigration laws. Earlier this week the premier of B.C. said:

With regard to illegal immigration, we have to be clear politically and our political leaders have to be clear that this is not something we can accept in Canada post September 11. We are going to be far more strict about our enforcement of refugee laws.

If the minister will not listen to Canadians, if she will not listen to our ambassadors, if she will not listen to the opposition, will she at least--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

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

Mr. Speaker, in fact we have listened and introduced Bill C-11 in the House. It is before the Senate at present.

We know that we have to do things better and that we have to be faster, but we are determined to remain fair, to give due process of law and to make sure that when people come to Canada making a serious claim of persecution we do not prejudge the claim and we do listen to them, because we are proud of our humanitarian tradition.

[Keith Martin, Canadian Alliance, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians support true refugees. They do not support terrorists masquerading as refugees, so much so that the government of Ontario is putting together teams of Ontario Provincial Police to track illegal immigrants and arrest them.

Why is the province of Ontario forced to do that minister's job?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the province of Ontario for putting more funds into police work. That is exactly what is needed. It is following the lead of the federal government, which put $1.5 billion into the public safety envelope.

I thank Ontario for following the federal government's lead.

Air Canada

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, having tried in vain since October 1 to convince the Minister of Human Resources Development, hundreds of Air Canada employees who are losing their jobs staged a demonstration today on Parliament Hill in order to bring home to the minister the urgent need for a decision to provide them with aid.

Will the minister agree, as she did for travel agencies, to authorize a work sharing program, which would significantly reduce the number of layoffs among Air Canada employees?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, my department is working hand in glove with Air Canada and the unions on precisely this issue.

Softwood Lumber

[Charles Hubbard, Liberal, Miramichi, NB]

Mr. Speaker, for more than six months the Canadian softwood lumber industry has had trouble accessing American markets.

We heard recently that there has been a change with our lumber producers in some provinces and some industries are trying to make separate deals with the United States.

Could the Minister for International Trade bring us up to date on his position in terms of that arrangement?

[Pat O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the only irresponsible personal attack we have heard against the Minister for International Trade has come from the official opposition, which was so interested in the file that it went weeks without a trade critic.

There is an ongoing series of discussions taking place. At those discussions there are federal and provincial representatives. It is very important that we discuss forestry practices at those discussions. It is a series of ongoing meetings of officials. It is not negotiations in any sense of the word.

The Economy

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, private sector economists are already saying that Canada is in a recession, perhaps a deep recession.

Every day we hear of more layoffs and every day we hear of earnings reports that show massive losses in our corporations.

Could the finance minister, who says he has his finger on the pulse of Canadian finances, tell us how much the revenues have dropped? Could he also tell us when he runs a deficit who he will blame?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we had an excellent meeting with the private sector economists. They pointed out, as we all know, that there is considerable short term uncertainty but they were quite confident as to the medium and longer terms.

They also pointed out that Canada was in much better financial shape to weather this storm as a result of the actions taken by the government.

They also pointed out the dramatic difference between the financial conditions in Canada today and those in 1990 when the hon. member's party was in power.

Employment Insurance

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Alcan announced that it was laying off 3,640 workers. Since September 11, there have been thousands of layoffs in Canada, and there are more to come.

In a few days, the Minister of Human Resources Development must give her reaction to the report on employment insurance prepared by the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development.

With all these layoffs, will the minister reduce the number of hours needed to qualify for EI to 700 from 910, so that a greater number of unemployed workers are eligible?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, let me again make it clear for the House that the employment insurance system is there now to help Canadians. Our priority is to ensure that those who may unfortunately have need of the system have access to it and we will work very closely with all employers and unions in this regard.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the recipients of the Governor General's Awards in commemoration of the Persons Case. Perhaps hon. members could refrain from applause until all have been introduced.

The recipients are: Mrs. Vera Danyluk of Montreal, Quebec; Ms. Linda Silver Dranoff of Toronto, Ontario; Mme. Madeleine Gaudet of Fredericton, New Brunswick; Ms. Kathleen Mahoney of Calgary, Alberta; Ms. Lynda Sorenson of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; and Ms. Anila Umar of Calgary, Alberta.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

I also draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Clint Dunford, Minister of Human Resources and Employment for the province of Alberta.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Business of the House

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the government House leader the usual Thursday question in regard to the business for the rest of today, tomorrow and next week.

I wonder if he could also advise the House, now that we have the first terrorism bill through the House and into committee, how soon we might expect terrorism bill number two, which I know will deal with some transportation issues and other important issues of the country.