House of Commons Hansard #103 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was health.
Myron Thompson Canadian Alliance Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, as a result of September 11, it is obvious to everyone that we need each and every RCMP officer on duty in our fight against terrorism.
Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage explain why we have RCMP officers filling the job of park wardens when we have capable professionals sitting on the sidelines?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, what is taking place is there is an agreement between Parks Canada and the RCMP. As my hon. colleague is well aware, the RCMP provides support for many agencies of government and Parks Canada happens to be one of these agencies.
Myron Thompson Canadian Alliance Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised the minister answered that question. He cannot run his own department. I hope he is not looking after parks.
Parks Canada is spending over $40 million over the next two years for 140 RCMP officers to carry out law enforcement duties in the parks.
Does the minister not think that when our RCMP officers are crying for more resources in our fight against terrorism, that $40 million for them to chase poachers is a complete waste of our valuable and limited resources?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I certainly would not lower myself to the language that my hon. colleague used in his question.
As I have indicated, the RCMP provides security for many agencies, including Parks Canada, to make sure the law is abided by all people in this country. We will continue to do that.
Sarkis Assadourian Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions. Fintrac is taking an expanded mandate with increased funding to combat terrorist activities in Canada.
Could the secretary of state inform the House how this will work and benefit Canadians in general?
Jim Peterson LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, as members know, Fintrac's current mandate is to deal with and fight money laundering. We have expanded that mandate so that it will also include tracking down terrorist funds. Yesterday we announced that we would add $10 million to its budget.
This is just part of the government's fight against terrorism; $280 million was recently announced, which brings the funding to $1.8 billion announced in the last year for defence, security and fighting terrorism.
Wendy Lill NDP Dartmouth, NS
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister for ACOA. His ministry has produced a report saying that 23,000 jobs in Atlantic Canada will be lost in the next 26 months. The minister calls the situation very mild.
Is very mild what the minister thinks the impact of unemployment will be on the tens of thousands of Atlantic workers and their families who are out of work and who are on the verge of being laid off?
How can he be so flippant with these good people who are being forced to survive with reduced EI, reduced provincial transfers and totally inadequate social and infrastructure spending from his government?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the hon. member for a very good question. The report in question was prepared right after the tragic events of September 11, when we were having trouble getting our goods across the border. With thanks to my colleagues for the good work, the situation has been a lot less severe than had been predicted.
I met this morning with Premier Lord who confirmed that with me. I have been speaking with officials in the government of Nova Scotia. I am quite confident for the future of Atlantic Canada.
Wendy Lill NDP Dartmouth, NS
Mr. Speaker, the minister well knows that the current infrastructure program was inadequate before September 11. For example, the community of North Preston is in urgent need of a recreation centre. This project is an infrastructure priority for the Halifax regional municipality, but where is the federal commitment? The people of North Preston need this facility now, but the infrastructure program is underfunded.
Will the minister commit to increase the size and rollout of this program in Atlantic Canada so communities like North Preston can get the facilities they need?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, again I thank the member for her question. I was in the community of North Preston a few weeks ago. I saw the site and talked to them about their plans. I agree with her wholeheartedly. I agree with the municipality also.
I do not think it is a question of underfunding. I think it is a question of rollout. We have been fast at getting infrastructure programs out to Atlantic Canada. That one is under review and is going under an environmental assessment right now. I hope to have a favourable response at a future date.
André Bachand Progressive Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, before the Standing Committee on Health and here in the House, the Minister of Health insisted that all of the relevant information regarding the Cipro affair was included in his department's affidavit and that it answered all our questions.
We have now learned that a second generic drug company, Novopharm, was approached on October 15 to meet the demand for Cipro.
If the affidavit was indeed complete, why then did it make no mention of Novopharm?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the facts are now clear for members and for the public. What is clear is that Health Canada and my officials always acted in good faith to protect the health of Canadians and to ensure access to the needed drugs.
We will continue to be aggressive in taking the necessary measures to protect the population.
Chuck Strahl Canadian Alliance Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, at the end of this week when the health minister hit rock bottom, let me remind the Prime Minister what he said when he was in opposition. He said:
--every minister in the cabinet that I will be presiding over will have to take full responsibility for what is going on in his department. If there is any bungling in the department, nobody will be singled out. The minister will have to take the responsibility. If there are errors...people who cannot defend themselves will not be singled out, and left hanging out there in front of the public.
Why has the Prime Minister allowed his health minister to hang his junior officials out to dry over the bungling in that health minister's own department?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I will chuck that one right back and say that the member has not really understood what has gone on this week.
What has gone on this week is that we have stood behind the officials who, in good faith, took steps to protect the public interest. We have stood behind officials and got the facts of what really happened. We have not allowed the big pharmaceutical company to bully our officials and pretend that they did not tell the truth.
We have defended them. We have done the right thing. We have also protected the health of Canadians and the government is proud that this is the case.
Charlie Penson Canadian Alliance Peace River, AB
Mr. Speaker, against the recommendations of the Competition Bureau, Air Canada won a six month delay in a predatory pricing hearing brought forward by WestJet.
The tribunal bought into the monopoly's argument that the post-September 11 restructuring made it impossible for Air Canada to devote the time it needed to present its case. However, Air Canada had ample time to start its new discount airline, Tango, during that period.
Why is the minister determined to preserve Air Canada through stop-gap measures that will not solve the airline industry's long term competitive problems?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend knows that Bill C-26, which was passed recently, provided for Competition Bureau powers to deal with predatory pricing.
Application was made to the tribunal after the findings of the commissioner. The tribunal has adjourned those proceedings, but that is a matter that is separate from the government. It is a quasi-judicial tribunal that will deal with the matter in its own time.
Charlie Penson Canadian Alliance Peace River, AB
Mr. Speaker, the bottom line to all this is that the Liberal government has consistently ignored the advice of its own competition commissioner on the airline issue.
The government's handling of the airline industry in Canada has been a dismal failure. Some of the casualties of Liberal incompetence are Canadian Airlines, Greyhound, Air Nova and RootsAir, and now it is having to prop up Canada 3000.
Why does the minister think that Canadians will not recognize that the $75 million bailout of Canada 3000 just sets the stage for the massive bailout to follow for Air Canada?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I am very surprised. The Alliance Party, Reform as it then was, actually supported the government's policy. There were no divisions. In Bill C-26 we enacted the recommendations of the commissioner of competition, so I would ask the hon. member to get his facts straight.
With respect to the announcement I made last night with Canada 3000, is he telling Canadians that the government is wrong to give short term cash support to the number two airline to provide competition? Is that where the Alliance Party is?
Monique Guay Bloc Laurentides, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the U.S. secretary of defence, Donald Rumsfeld, expressed doubts that Osama bin Laden could ever be captured and described the campaign in Afghanistan as more difficult than expected.
Does the Minister of Defence share the doubts of his American counterpart?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, everything is being done to suppress terrorism. We do know that many of the terrorist activities in this world, including those of September 11, originate with al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Every effort is being made, in fact, to deal with that organization and to deal with its supporters in the Taliban. Every effort is being made to target them in Afghanistan and to not target the people of Afghanistan. That country and its people have long suffered. Indeed, what is needed is to continue with the efforts against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Monique Guay Bloc Laurentides, QC
Mr. Speaker, in a context where more and more members of the public are questioning the present coalition strategy of strikes on Afghanistan and the impact on civilian populations, what are we to conclude from this message from the U.S. government, seemingly questioning its own strategy of bombarding Afghanistan?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, not every aspect of a strategy is going to be discussed publicly, obviously. We are not out to telegraph to Osama bin Laden and his supporters what the next strategy will be in dealing with him.
It has been said right from the beginning that this campaign will not be a short one and it will not at all be just a military one.
We are absolutely determined, and I know the Americans are absolutely determined, to bring about the suppression of the kind of threat from terrorism that their country, our country and other freedom loving countries in the world are experiencing.
Cheryl Gallant Canadian Alliance Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, joint task force 2 is well trained for its role in domestic hostage rescue. Claiming that this unit is intended for a special forces role in overseas operations is a smokescreen intended to hide the fact that the Liberal government blundered in disbanding the Canadian airborne regiment in 1995.
The minister is needlessly putting the lives of Canadian soldiers at risk by stretching our limited resources to cover his mistakes.
Will he admit today that Canada needs and must have a unit like the Canadian airborne to carry on the international war against terrorism?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, that is a lot of nonsensical rhetoric.
The JTF2 will be involved in this endeavour. It is a well trained force. It has the equipment that is necessary to do the job. It is the equivalent of the organizations it will be working with from the United States, Britain and other allied countries.
I think we can be proud of what our forces can do. We should not run them down the way the Alliance runs them down. We should be supporting them.
Cheryl Gallant Canadian Alliance Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, lest we forget the lessons of Somalia, knowing Canadian soldiers will be at risk if they are used in inappropriate roles overseas, all the government has learned so far is, when Canadian forces need help, to blame Canadian soldiers and dismantle army resources rather than fix the problems.
Canada, and indeed her allies, needs units like the Canadian airborne now more than ever. Will the minister commit today to giving Canada's military the frontline resources it needs and restore the Canadian airborne regiment to active service?