Debates of Oct. 23rd, 2001

Health

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

No, Mr. Speaker, absolutely not. I have already explained the measures taken by officials.

I ask the hon. member to recall the circumstances of last week, with the crisis situations in the United States and the concern here in Canada.

Officials reacted immediately, after being told by Bayer that it could not supply this drug.

Immigration

[Lynne Yelich, Canadian Alliance, Blackstrap, SK]

Mr. Speaker, too often we have seen bogus refugee claimants hopping from country to country shopping for a nation that will take them in. Too often that country has been Canada. Even the United Nations has called on us to act.

Will the minister of immigration commit to reopening talks with the United States for a new agreement on determining from which countries both our nations will agree not to accept refugees?

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

Mr. Speaker, both the existing immigration law and the new immigration and refugee protection act known as Bill C-11 contain the provision for discussion of safe third country agreements.

In the past my department has initiated those discussions with the United States. For a number of reasons the United States at that time was not interested in concluding the agreement.

We have indicated our interest in those discussions. It is not the be-all and end-all as far as a solution goes but we do consider it one of the important methods whereby we can ensure that people are given a fair hearing at the first place where they arrive and--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Blackstrap.

[Lynne Yelich, Canadian Alliance, Blackstrap, SK]

Mr. Speaker, since September 11 it has become painfully clear that there is a need to agree as North American partners on what defines a refugee and how we determine what is a safe third country.

Will the Prime Minister commit to the House that harmonizing our refugee determination system will be part of his upcoming summit with the presidents of the United States and Mexico?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, the discussions our Prime Minister will have with his American and Mexican counterparts will cover a large number of subjects.

Certainly it is possible that this could be on the agenda, just as we may ask the United States what it is doing to tighten up and toughen up its system, bearing in mind the three million or four million illegal immigrants who entered that country from places other than Canada.

International Aid

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with bombs raining down on Afghanistan, U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell has rejected out of hand the idea of a Marshall plan, saying that a fairly modest contribution could be more than enough.

Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs intend to put forward a reconstruction and development plan that will meet the needs of Afghanis, or does he feel that, because they are poor, reconstruction efforts should be modest?

In other words, is he prepared to spend as much on reconstruction needs as he is on bombs?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we have already announced our contribution toward reconstruction plans for Afghanistan.

We will be working with our international partners because this is a project that will be very important.

It is clear that the first step is to root out al-Qaeda and the Taliban movement but there is no doubt that we will make a serious contribution to the needs of Afghanistan.

Agriculture

[Howard Hilstrom, Canadian Alliance, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, bioterrorism against our agricultural industries is a real threat. A report from the solicitor general on April 18 stated “There is now a growing awareness that the agricultural sector, that is, crops or livestock, has to be considered a potential target for terrorist attacks”.

Has the minister of agriculture ordered any new specific initiatives since September 11 to increase the security of Canada's agricultural industries?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, there has always been an emergency preparedness plan in case there is agricultural terrorism or a danger to our food supply, whether it be accidental or intentional. That plan has been reviewed since September 11. It is in place in case that unfortunate situation takes place so we can be prepared to act accordingly.

Infrastructure Program

[Yolande Thibeault, Liberal, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for infrastructure for Quebec.

A year ago, the Government of Canada signed a memorandum of agreement with the government of Quebec concerning cost shared infrastructure projects involving the municipalities.

Given the very low number of projects that have already been accepted in Quebec, will the minister give us an overview of the status of applications?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her important question and would like to draw the public's attention to certain facts.

First of all, we are all aware of the importance of the infrastructures program, both for the communities and for job creation. We also know that the applications must be submitted to the province of Quebec.

At this point in time only 176 such files have been submitted to the federal government, and of that number we have approved over 100. I am told that there is a backlog of 1,900 on Quebec government desks.

What is the Quebec government waiting for before it passes them on to us to help us create employment?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

It is my impression that this situation smacks of a government wishing to use this matter for political purposes.

Agriculture

[Howard Hilstrom, Canadian Alliance, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the agriculture minister seems to be sleepwalking his way through this crisis.

Since September 11 the United States has announced $350 million to keep its food supply safe. Today in the agriculture committee André Gravel of the CFIA could not name one new initiative the government has put in place to protect our agriculture industry.

Does the minister not see any need to be more active and initiate a new initiative to ensure we have a safe agriculture industry?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know when the hon. member is going to realize that Canada has the safest food system in the world.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has shown its vigilance and diligence through the use of its resources and personnel. For example in cases such as the foot and mouth disease situation this year, those resources are there. The emergency preparedness plans are there. We do not always have to spend more money to do a good job.

The Environment

[Andy Savoy, Liberal, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, in budget 2000 the Minister of Finance announced $9 million to develop feasible and nationally acceptable sustainable development indicators. As a result the Minister of the Environment created the Canadian Information System for the Environment task force.

After consulting with Canadians the task force has released a report proposing the next steps to develop an integrated environmental information system. Could the Minister of the Environment tell us how these task force findings move us toward that goal?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the task force findings will of course go before provincial and territorial stakeholders for their views. We will however move forward as quickly as we can to implement the $9 million made available in the 2000 budget by the Minister of Finance to maintain and establish a system which will measure significant progress on the environment. We will have improved capacity to collect, manage and use that environmental information.

Anti-terrorism Legislation

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada's watchdogs have clearly indicated that the new anti-terrorism bill goes too far in denying disclosure of information to Canadians and that it is open to abuse. Both the privacy and information commissioners were clear and forceful in condemning the attempts at secrecy by the government.

Proposed amendments to Bill C-36, to the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act give the government overreaching powers to, without explanation or oversight, refuse to disclose. Without sunsetting, this bank of information will be permanently lost.

Why is the government now using the security threat to try to justify a clampdown on the free flow of information?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, the government is not involved in any clampdown on the free flow of information. We are charged with protecting Canadians and ensuring national security. The limited power provided to the attorney general to issue a certificate is in relation to a very discrete aspect of information involving international relations and national security. It is my view and the government's view that that provision is not only defensible but necessary to protect national security.

Health

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minster of Health.

In the ongoing struggle between corporate intellectual property rights and the public interest, I wonder if the events of the last few days have caused the minister any moments for reflection. Could he tell us whether in his party there is a rekindling of the flame that once burned, now extinguished, for the protection of Canadian public health interests against the rights of the multinational drug companies, or do the Liberals insist on pursuing the course that they have since 1993?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that our preoccupation is not with the profits of companies but with the health of Canadians. We act to secure the health of Canadians.

Yesterday we made an agreement to make certain that Canadians would have access to a drug they may need in the unlikely event of a biological attack.

Our bottom line is the health and security of Canadians and it will remain so.

Air Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Air Canada and the union representing its non-flight employees reached an agreement to set up a work sharing program, which will need to be approved by the Minister of Human Resources Development.

Can the minister tell us if she intends to approve this agreement as soon as possible, and to do the same for the other categories of employees?

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

Mr. Speaker, with regard to work sharing, I can assure the House that my department is working on a daily basis with Air Canada and its unions. I can tell the House that the information as we receive it we are reviewing quickly. There are also issues which remain on all sides that must yet be resolved.

We appreciate the importance of work sharing to the employees of Air Canada. We will work expeditiously to ensure that our response is in favour of the employees.

Health

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has insisted today that he is stockpiling the necessary drugs to combat the threat of bioterrorism. This is not the case.

Smallpox, unlike anthrax, is contagious. If the minister is so committed to stockpiling the necessary drugs, why has he not started buying the smallpox vaccine?