Debates of Nov. 8th, 2001

Health

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that defeating terrorism and bioterrorism will take an international effort. It is for that reason I was delighted yesterday to host the G-7 and OECD health ministers in Ottawa.

I am also pleased to tell the House that Canada will play a major role in international collaboration. At the request of those ministers, Canada will take the lead in co-ordinating international efforts to link laboratories, to share information, to have surveillance systems work together, and on pharmaceutical and vaccine stockpiling and other issues. Canada will lead this effort because we believe strongly in protecting public health.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it has now been 10 years since Health Canada did the research showing pressure treated wood in decks and play structures contains dangerous toxins and poses a threat to the health of our children. For most Canadians this would be an urgent matter, a no-brainer, but not for the health minister.

Could the minister tell us what possible reason he has for not acting on this research, knowing the danger to our health, and could he tell us what deadline he has now for ensuring that children are not exposed to arsenic laced wood?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, for many years Health Canada has worked with partners to make sure that we research, understand and respond to the health needs of Canadians in connection with treated wood.

Health Canada is now leading an effort among many departments of government and other stakeholders to look at this issue with up to date science, not 10 year old science that the member relies upon. Next spring we expect to issue a consensus report to protect the health of Canadians in relation to this subject.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the question today is: Whatever happened to Canada being a leader in public health here at home and around the world?

It is an embarrassment to all of us in this country that at the WTO next week Canada will be one of five countries in the world opposing a declaration that would ensure access to essential medicines for millions of people.

Why has the government brought such shame to bear on all Canadians? How can the health minister justify the government not supporting countries like Africa, struggling to cope with an AIDS epidemic?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely incorrect. The government has put forth language which will achieve exactly what the member is calling for.

The government is on record as wanting to help the countries that are facing pandemics. The minister will be making that point very clearly in Doha.

Shipbuilding Industry

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. It is clear that Canada's military needs rebuilding. That includes the navy: smart ships and supply vessels. Meanwhile the Saint John dockyard, Canada's shipyard of excellence, sits empty.

Workers are fed up waiting for the industry minister to table his report on Canada's long term procurement needs as promised this fall and demanded by the defence committee.

When will the minister give Canada's shipyard workers a straight answer on long term procurement? The minister's negligent inaction is jeopardizing the livelihood of thousands of Canadians.

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the structured financing facility is now up and running with the new shipbuilding policy. It is a key element of the new program. It has been very well received by shipyards across the country.

I do not know why the member is saying that he is waiting to find out what is the policy. The policy was announced months ago. The structured financing facility is up and running. There has been a take up at yards all across Canada.

If the member were doing his job and paying attention to these announcements, he could communicate that information to his constituents.

Finance

[Jay Hill, Canadian Alliance, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a week away from hosting our first international gathering of democratic nations since September 11. Yet there are no indications that the government is taking any serious steps to protect the city of Ottawa and its residents from potential riots or violent demonstrations that unfortunately usually accompany such meetings.

The citizens of Ottawa want to know. Does the solicitor general intend to erect a fortress Ottawa fence around Ottawa as he did in Quebec City?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware, international events are under the authority of the RCMP. It puts the plan in place in order to make sure that all foreign people who come to this country to conduct business are protected in a proper manner.

Canada has been and will continue to be one of the safest countries in the world to conduct these meetings. It will continue to be that way.

Airline Security

[James Moore, Canadian Alliance, Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this Sunday will mark two months since the tragic attacks in the United States where commercial airliners were used as weapons.

In the past two months the House and Senate transport committees have studied three transport related bills: Bill C-34 to create a transportation tribunal, Bill C-38 to amend the Air Canada Act and Bill S-23 to update an airline liability convention passed in 1929.

Airport security is the top priority of the industry right now. Yet no legislation at all has come forward from the transport minister. When will the transport minister show leadership and table legislation to get people flying again so we can have first tier security in our skies?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should be aware that under the Aeronautics Act the Minister of Transport and his officials have all the appropriate powers to deal with security measures that occurred not only in the aftermath of the September 11 but obviously for the security issues that were there before September 11.

We plan to bring in further amendments to the Aeronautics Act, but there has been no need for legislative changes to put in place the very tough measures that have been in place since September 11.

[James Moore, Canadian Alliance, Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I think the transport minister is coming dangerously close to setting an indoor record for missing the point. The fact is that airport security in this country is not good enough. There are stories all over the place and on the front page of the Globe and Mail today.

The member for Mississauga South has said that the transport security system is not good enough. Senator Colin Kenny has said it is not good enough.

When will the transport minister table legislation and show leadership on this issue rather than deferring it to his bureaucrats and give Canadians the confidence they need to return to the skies? When will he table legislation?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member obviously has not been reading his mail because we have issued a number of communications since September 11 detailing the very strict measures that have been put in place, measures put in place under existing legislation.

The hon. member talks about incidents of security lapses and he refers to one that is in one of the newspapers today. This is a very serious allegation. It will be investigated, it is being investigated, and if the facts warrant, disciplinary action will be taken.

Employment Insurance

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Matapédia—Matane, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Coalition-Chômage Gaspésie—Îles—Matapédia—Matane strongly denounces the unacceptable attitude of the government and of the Liberal member for the region, who refuses to support the unanimous report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development on changes to employment insurance.

How can the government and Liberal members allow the promises they made during the election campaign to be broken, in complete disregard for those who believed them and who trusted in them?

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

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the commitments that we made were kept. As a result of decisions taken by the government, improvements to the employment insurance system have been made.

I want to point out to that side and to the House that the Bloc chose to vote against those changes. It chose to vote against support for seasonal workers in the Gaspé and right across the country.

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Matapédia—Matane, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how can the Minister of Human Resources Development remain impassive in response to the legitimate claims that her Liberal colleagues from Quebec misled people during the election campaign, by leading them to believe that employment insurance would be changed to meet their demands, to take into consideration the difficult economic situation that the regions are experiencing?

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

Mr. Speaker, I say again that changes were made. They can be found in the changes in Bill C-2. They can be found in the decisions that we made to make the small weeks pilot project permanent and in changes to undeclared earnings.

What is also very important to understand is that our members of parliament are working with their communities to find new ways of diversifying their economies because Canadians want jobs.

Immigration

[Peter Goldring, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Centre-East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Mr. Creuso, a disgraced Italian senator, has been investigated for corruption, sentenced to jail and skipped out on his fine, and then he emigrated to Canada, the land of new golden opportunity.

Mr. Creuso, a convicted felon, was rewarded with a Canadian citizenship and a $60,000 a year government contract.

Canadians would like to know if Mr. Creuso is under investigation to have his citizenship revoked for false declarations, and if not, why not?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that privacy legislation does not permit me to give details on individual cases. What he should also know is that there are procedures under the Citizenship Act of Canada where anyone who has information can present that information so that investigations can take place, and if an individual through fraud or misrepresentation obtains Canadian citizenship there are provisions to revoke that citizenship.

[Peter Goldring, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Centre-East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the public works minister said he was not aware that his special adviser, Mr. Creuso, was a criminal in Italy before coming to Canada.

Canadians want to know why convicted criminals can pose as business people and ministerial advisers and have unrestricted access to foreign leaders because of lax Canadian security.

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, let us make it clear Mr. Creuso was not my special adviser. He was acting as marketing agent for one of the corporations, or two corporations, I am responsible for.

I said from the beginning that I do not intervene in current operations of crown corporations. There is a board of directors and there is a management board.

The Economy

[Claude Duplain, Liberal, Portneuf, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Revenue.

In light of the current economic situation, the regional chamber of commerce of the Portneuf RCM held, on November 6, an economic forum entitled “Signé Portneuf”, which the minister attended.

Following this visit, could the Minister of National Revenue tell the House what he noticed about Portneuf's economic situation?

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank the hon. member for his excellent question.

Indeed, the hon. member and I had the pleasure of attending the “Signé Portneuf” economic forum. This initiative, which reflects the dynamism of all the business people and residents of this great and beautiful region, helped create new partnerships, while allowing the whole region to target and prioritize certain issues.

When I delivered my closing speech, I had the pleasure of announcing that the Rural Enterprise program would be part of the regional strategic initiative and apply more specifically to this great and dynamic region.

Congratulations to the people of Portneuf.

Veterans Affairs

[Roy H. Bailey, Canadian Alliance, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Last October a supreme court judge ruled that the federal government wrongfully withheld interest payments to the funds it managed on behalf of those veterans who were unable to manage their own money.

Now we learn that the government lawyers want the judge removed. Government lawyers are claiming that the judge's ruling is biased against the government. Is the government to keep changing judges until it gets a ruling it agrees with?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the government will follow the process as outlined in the law. That is what we are doing now and that is what we will continue to do.