House of Commons Hansard #120 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-36.
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should not mislead the House. What happened was that after September 11 we agreed to give financial restitution to Canadian air carriers, not just the large ones but right through the system, including Air Canada, because of the forced shutdown of airspace.
That was money we believed the air industry had as its due. There were no conditions. There will be no conditions. That money is payable.
James Moore Canadian Alliance Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, the answer to the question is therefore clear. He will let Air Canada use the $100 million to drive WestJet out of business.
The minister should have put into law a mandate against using the $100 million to destroy Canada 3000.
I know the transport minister clearly does not care about the death of airline competition in Toronto. Canada 3000 is dead. Maybe the Prime Minister does not care about the death of air competition in Montreal with the death of Canada 3000. However the official opposition and in fact the House should care about the death of WestJet in western Canada because it will kill air competition in the entire country.
What will the transport minister do to prevent the death of WestJet and the creation of an absolute monopoly with Air Canada?
David Collenette Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am very glad to have the question from the hon. member. It is evident, therefore, that if the government were to bring in further amendments to the Competition Act, specifically to ensure competition and to protect the WestJets, then we know today that the Alliance will support those amendments.
Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski-Neigette-Et-La Mitis, QC
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, the government responded to the report by a panel of experts from the Royal Society of Canada with a promise of studies and committees, again.
The observers are unanimous. The government does not want to act. Worse yet, it continues to promote GMOs and to permit their marketing.
Does the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food realize that the more he tries to buy time, the more he puts consumer safety at risk and threatens producers' ability to export?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, on Friday we tabled a response to the report by the Royal Society. As the hon. member noted, we set out the position of the Government of Canada. We will look closely at some of the recommendations.
I can, however, assure the House that Health Canada and other parties will always make sure that the food Canadians eat is safe.
Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski-Neigette-Et-La Mitis, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government's report contained a mere 48 promises of committees and studies. The minister of agriculture has two obligations to consumers: safety and transparency.
By off-loading his obligations to consumers, is the minister not showing clearly that he is siding with the multinationals?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, we can demonstrate very clearly that the government and the agencies we have, the ministry of health, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the ministry of the environment, take our responsibility completely and fully to ensure that the food provided to Canadians is the safest food in the world.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, Mission, a medium security facility, is “a major feeder institution for minimum security and day parole centres”. Members will not find this information on the CSC website. It would have been there a few days ago but it was conveniently removed yesterday, as was all information regarding the resort of all, William Head. Both these institutions housed cop killer Clinton Suzack.
I ask the solicitor general: why the cover-up? Why has it been removed from the website? Why is it the government does not want the Canadian public to know about these two institutions?
Lynn Myers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we have thousands of offenders in prisons across this great country and the security needs are determined in each and every case by CSC, experts in the field. Placements are evaluated from time to time and that was the case in this instance.
Instead of taking cheap political shots on a very serious issue, the opposition should join us in congratulating Correctional Service Canada for a great job.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, these are not cheap political shots. It is an injustice to have a cop killer housed in a medium resort and then moved to another medium resort.
Clinton Suzack's heinous crime, extensive criminal record, progressively violent behaviour, parole violations and a classification as a high-risk inmate clearly define the sadistic killer as a dangerous offender. Suzack should never have been transferred to William Head and subsequently moved to a medium security installation.
Will the government see that Suzack is immediately put back in a maximum security facility where he belongs?
Lynn Myers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, these are tragic circumstances in terms of the crimes that were committed, but the fact of the matter remains that we have experts who determine these placements, and that is precisely what we have done.
Instead of turning this into cheap politics, the opposition should, as I said, join us in ensuring that our correctional service is the best in the world, which experts have determined Canada has. They come from around the world to study us because we have the best system in the world.
Carole-Marie Allard Liberal Laval East, QC
Mr. Speaker, will the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport please tell the House what action the Government of Canada has taken to help promote women in sport?
Denis Coderre LiberalSecretary of State (Amateur Sport)
Mr. Speaker, the sports news always come at the end of the hour.
Following the National Summit on Sport, we have decided to develop a Canadian sport policy that would promote fairness, and support women in sport.
To this end, we are not only putting in place a policy that has the unanimous support of all of the provinces and territories, but I am happy to announce that from May 16 to 19, we will be hosting a world conference on women in sport, in addition to a national conference.
The international conference will take place in Montreal and the national conference will be held in Hamilton, for the purpose of developing a Canadian strategy for women in sport.
Wendy Lill NDP Dartmouth, NS
Mr. Speaker, I asked this question last week but I got no response. It concerns the 90,000 vulnerable Canadians who recently received a letter from Revenue Canada telling them to reapply for the disability tax credit.
It costs many between $30 and $120 to get a doctor to agree that they are still legally blind or that they still have Down's syndrome. This is harassment. First, it makes the CPP disability program more restrictive and now it goes after those who get the tax credit.
Why is the government picking on the vulnerable? Will it order these harassing letters to be withdrawn? Will it offer the 90,000 Canadians--
Revenue CanadaOral Question Period
The Speaker
The Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State.
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, we all know that from time to time Revenue Canada reviews some of the big accounts. We are perfectly aware of the situation and the sensitivity of the issue. We are looking into the integrity of the self-assessment regime that we have in place under the Income Tax Act. We are doing our work in the best manner we can.
We do understand that it is a very sensitive issue. I repeat that the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is one of the best organizations in the world.
Ted White Canadian Alliance North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Speaker, CTV's W5 has confirmed that nobody in the justice department is willing or able to defend the government's seriously flawed DNA legislation.
Just as the official opposition warned, dangerous criminals suspected of child killings and sexual assaults are being protected from DNA testing by the legislation which puts the rights of criminals ahead of the rights of victims.
When will the government do as we have asked and amend the legislation so serious criminals can be put behind bars?
Stephen Owen LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the DNA bank that was set up through government legislation and in consultation with the provinces is effective at taking samples and banking them from people convicted of serious crimes.
The Minister of Justice and the Solicitor General of Canada are today meeting with their counterparts from the provinces and territories to discuss this and other issues related to the security of Canadians.
Ted White Canadian Alliance North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Speaker, this member knows there are murders in Vancouver that could be solved if the DNA legislation was fixed.
In Florida, when DNA testing was expanded to include burglars, the number of serious crimes solved using DNA jumped from 2 per year to 117 per year, including homicides. In Canada we have thousands of serious crimes waiting to be solved and police has said it could solve them if it could just take DNA testing of serious criminal suspects.
When will the government do the right thing, for the victims of crime in Canada, by making all suspects subject to DNA testing just like we take fingerprints?
Stephen Owen LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the legislation established in this country affects the appropriate balance between section 1 rights and other sections against search and seizure in our country. The fact is that in section 1 of the charter of rights and freedoms it is necessary for limitations on those rights of search and seizure to be bounded by rationality, minimum intrusion and proportionality. That is what this legislation achieves.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Pointe de la Cité du Havre site in Montreal is a lovely green space along the St. Lawrence River appreciated by Montrealers.
Because there is talk of developing the site, a coalition of environmentalists, academics and citizens has been formed to ensure that the space, which belongs to the Canada Lands Company and the CMHC, will be protected.
Does the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, who is responsible for the Canada Lands Company, plan on intervening in order to preserve and consolidate this green space, the Pointe de la Cité du Havre park in Montreal?
Alfonso Gagliano LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, the mandate of the Canada Lands Company is to assess and realize optimal value from the properties that it is asked to dispose of.
If the community does not want the land use to be changed, it should address its concerns to the municipal level, the city of Montreal, and ask it not to change the zoning bylaw.
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the United States National Cancer Institute confirmed that light and mild cigarettes are every bit as harmful as regular cigarettes. What is the minister doing to ensure that the tobacco industry does not mislead Canadians any longer into thinking that light and mild cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, earlier this year I challenged the tobacco industry to do the right thing and take the misleading light and mild labels off its products. In the absence of any meaningful action by the industry, today we have taken the first steps to achieve that result by regulations.
Over half of smokers in Canada smoke light or mild cigarettes and none of those people believe they are less harmful to their health than other cigarettes. That of course is wrong. It is time that Canadians be told the truth about light and mild cigarettes, and that is exactly what the government will make certain we do.
Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of National Defence confirm a report published in the Times of India today that the government has sought the permission of the government of Kyrgyzstan for the use of its airfields for our C-130 Hercules? If so, what role will they be playing in this U.S. campaign against terrorism?