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.
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can see the facts and what matters most.
And what matters most is health, putting in place measures to effectively meet threats.
This is precisely what we did. We at Health Canada took action to have the necessary drugs available and now they are.
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
The government decided to ignore the recommendations made by the members of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development, which were supported by the Liberals, outlined in a report entitled “Beyond Bill C-2”, regarding changes to the employment insurance program.
Given this decision, what steps does ACOA intend to take in order to help people who will have to deal with the gap next January?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, ACOA continues to work together with the communities and provinces of Atlantic Canada to create jobs, which are long term, not short term and to promote sustainable economic development.
I invite the member to work with me for the future of Atlantic Canada.
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, I have been working with the government for four years now to find solutions for our regions, but the government has been unable to come up with any.
Employment insurance belongs to the workers.
With respect to employment insurance, what is the minister going to do, in the short term, to create jobs for this coming January, so that people will not have to cope with the gap that the Liberals force them to deal with every year?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, Atlantic Canadians are very happy with what ACOA is doing for economic development. There have already been 62,000 jobs created in Atlantic Canada and we continue to work with the community.
In the short term, there is the infrastructure program between Canada and the provinces. We are leading the rest of Canada when it comes to signing agreements with communities and the provinces.
Jay Hill Canadian Alliance Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, the report of the security intelligence review committee expresses concern about CSIS priorities. Our overseas CSIS agents are apparently so busy assisting with the processing of legitimate refugee claimants that they do not have time to track and catch illegals who pose a threat to our national security.
Yesterday we learned of a high tech stowaway in a container destined for Canada but we had to learn of his existence from Italian authorities rather than from CSIS.
Why has the solicitor general not issued a ministerial directive for CSIS to refocus its foreign operations from pushing paper to actually identifying and preventing illegal immigrants from entering Canada?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, part of the reason would be because they caught him in Italy.
Another thing is the RCMP and CSIS work in co-operation with Italian authorities and all other authorities around the world to make sure that individuals who pose a threat to the security of this country or other countries are brought to justice.
Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, somehow the Prime Minister thinks that all refugees who are terrorists are going to arrive by planes. There is a story about cargo boy, a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist bound for Canada, who was picked up in a routine inspection in Italy, which shows that people still do travel by boat.
Ships are requested to call customs 96 hours in advance. The coast guard, our first line of defence since the Liberals cut the ports police, had 250 positions eliminated. Its radar only provides 20% coverage.
How can the government possibly justify its actions, which have left our massive coastline so vulnerable to terrorists? What happens if the terrorists simply decide not to call?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, again it is a prime example of security agencies working together around the world. What we must have is an efficient security intelligence agency and police force, and we have it.
I believe what took place yesterday in Italy is a prime example of what co-operation can do for the security of all nations around the world.
James Rajotte Canadian Alliance Edmonton Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, we need to encourage research and development in Canada so that Canadians can have access to well paying, long term jobs. For companies to do research and development in Canada, they need clear legal guidelines and a commitment by the government to enforce and respect those guidelines.
How will research and development companies every trust Canada as a safe place to do business and employ Canadians when our own government violates patent laws?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I will take that question because I recently had experience with those laws. I can tell the member we do respect them. Patents are a way to reward and encourage innovation.
This week we sat down with the patent holder, Bayer, and we resolved the matter. We resolved it on a basis that is good for Canadians because we got access to the drugs we need at preferred prices. We did not spend a nickel more than we had to in order to achieve that.
The member should know that we do respect patent laws. We also respect the need to protect the health of Canadian.
James Rajotte Canadian Alliance Edmonton Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the government did not respect the patent laws.
The Minister of Health has defended his actions by arguing against the bottom line. The reality is that both the generic and the brand name pharmaceutical companies are large scale business operations. Both need clear legal guidelines to invest in Canada and provide Canadians with drugs to address their medical needs.
How can the government defend breaking arbitrarily its own laws?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the member should know that we took steps to make sure the health of Canadians was protected.
When the patent was an issue we met with the patent holder and resolved the matter with them through agreement. However what was really at issue this past week was not so much the patent law. The issue in this episode was if we were in a position to respond to protecting the health of Canadians should something happen. We are in a position to do so.
Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government and the Minister of Health are bungling when faced with a potential emergency, and their actions show that they feel they can break the law.
At the same time, parliament is working on anti-terrorism legislation, Bill C-36, and a number of voices are condemning the abuse that could result from this legislation.
Since the government is clearly showing that it overreacts in a crisis, is the Deputy Prime Minister prepared to make major amendments to Bill C-36 and include, among other provisions, sunset clauses?
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we will take a serious look at all the committee's recommendations. I also wish to thank the Bloc Quebecois member for supporting a very important federal measure.
Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that panic is not the best policy, as evidenced this week by the actions of the Minister of Health. It is in emergency situations and in crises that democratic controls are most necessary.
Can the Deputy Prime Minister assure us that, as a minimum, his government will pledge to include sunset clauses in its anti-terrorism bill?
Stephen Owen LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member brings up a good point and that is the advice coming from the Senate and the House committees looking into Bill C-36. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice have said in the House repeatedly that the government, while it has put forward preferred options, is willing to consider all reasonable advice coming from those committees.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, first the solicitor general claims the RCMP and CSIS are adequately funded and staffed. Then he jumps on his soapbox explaining why there is a need to throw more money into the security forces. The fact is he is the one who gutted them in the first place. Now police and CSIS investigations are being sidelined because the RCMP does not have enough manpower.
Will the solicitor general stop playing a shell game with the RCMP and immediately ensure that it has adequate personnel so nothing is put on the back burner?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times in the House, the government provided in the last budget and since the last budget about $2 billion to the public safety envelope for the security of this nation.
In the last couple of weeks we provided about $100 million extra for police and security intelligence. We have a public safety committee in place to make sure that if any more funds or any more technology are needed it will be provided.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, the minister talks about the money that was put in since the budget. The budget was so long ago, we cannot remember.
SIRC reports that CSIS is so overloaded with work that it can take years to determine if potential newcomers to our country pose a security threat. This was occurring long before September 11. Since then its workload has increased dramatically.
Again, I ask the solicitor general this. When will CSIS receive the necessary funding to hire more agents so no one slips into this country who poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. colleague is well aware that the director of CSIS has said many times that he has the financial resources to fulfill his mandate. In fact, just a week ago we provided another $10 million in that area.
I am aware there was a backlog in dealing with immigration screening. However I can tell my hon. colleague that that backlog has been cleaned up.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, throughout the negotiations on climate change at the Bonn conference last July, Canada made its four conditions abundantly clear through the press.
At the end of the conference, all four of its conditions for ratifying the Kyoto protocol were met. They were: market mechanisms, carbon sinks, clean development mechanisms, and a compliance regime.
If the minister got everything he wanted in Bonn, why has the Kyoto protocol still not been ratified?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, it is true that we made great strides in Bonn, and I congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister, the hon. member for Windsor West, on his success.
However the Government of Canada cannot act without the support of the provinces and without consulting them. We want the broadest consultations possible with all sectors, including the provinces, before deciding whether Canada should ratify the protocol.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister is well aware that the national assembly has passed a unanimous motion calling on the federal government to ratify the Kyoto protocol.
The fact is that the minister set four conditions in Bonn and these four conditions have been met.
Today Canadians and Quebecers have just one question: What new conditions will Canada set on the eve of the conference of the parties to open in Marrakesh next week?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the member that Quebec's minister of the environment has supported the position of Ontario and Alberta that more consultations with the provinces are needed before the protocol can be ratified. This was just one week ago, the resolution of the National Assembly of Quebec notwithstanding.