Debates of Feb. 16th, 2001

The Environment

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it was clearly and correctly demonstrated yesterday that Canada has a very different view of the death penalty than the United States. Nevertheless, the states of New York and Connecticut assert that Ontario coal fired power plants are guilty of exporting death through deadly contaminants to residents of those two states.

Last month the environment minister indicated that he would ask the Canadian environmental review agency to review this issue. Will the minister update the House today on the status of this review?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, as I am sure the member is aware, in late December I signed an agreement with my counterpart in the United States government with respect to air quality in the eastern half of North America.

We will be reducing smog causing chemicals going into the air in the province of Ontario by some 70% during the smog season of April through September. The United States will be reducing its emissions some 50% year round.

I can assure him that the letters of the attorneys general of both Connecticut and New York are under advisement. The question is indeed whether the requests they have made for an inquiry will illicit new material or whether it will simply point out what we already know, which is the basis of the decision taken.

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the attorney general in the United States suggests that even with scrubbers and other anti-pollution devices that are to be installed in some of the power plants in Ontario by 2004, this will not in and of itself be sufficient to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions and the acidic rain, et cetera, that are spewing into the Adirondacks and that area.

Could the minister comment on that, given what he has said in his previous answer?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, certainly I could comment on that. The American authorities are putting forward information which was made available to them, I understand, in part from Environment Canada.

We agree that the proposal of Ontario will be inadequate to meet our goals. We are now discussing with the province of Ontario ways to upgrade its proposals to make sure we do in fact meet the targets I outlined in my answer to the previous question.

We are very pleased that we have American states working with us. I remind hon. members that 50% of the air quality damage done in Ontario comes from the United States in the first place.

Gun Control

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week came the revelation that the Minister of Justice was flirting with the notion of setting up and privatizing the ill-conceived and problem plagued gun registry.

Now facing non-compliance and non-enforcement from frontline police officers, could the minister confirm that she has recently created a stand alone police force called the national weapons enforcement support team, NWEST, to be headed by Bob Frolic, which has been mandated with the sole purpose of enforcement of the new gun registry?

[John Maloney, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we have not set up a new police force. The enforcement of the gun regulations will be done by the regular RCMP and provincial police authorities.

Employment

[Loyola Hearn, Progressive Conservative, St. John's West, NL]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development. Yesterday I raised concerns about the fact that under the summer student placement program this year municipalities are being treated like the private sector and must contribute 50% of the wages.

Many municipalities cannot do that. Could the minister review the regulations to make it possible for municipalities to hire students this year in worthwhile employment?

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, the best way of helping our young people is to encourage them to stay in school—and that is one of our goals—and to acquire the training they need to build a career.

That is why we have invested over $1.2 billion annually in assistance to young people as part of the youth employment strategy, including Youth Service Canada.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Betty Hinton, Canadian Alliance, Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the government paid the AMA native health agency in Manitoba twice for medicines and dental services it had not even delivered once. This means that children have gone without dental care and families have gone without the prescriptions they need.

The auditor general has been reporting about these problems for the past four years. When will the minister be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health is carrying on a special audit into this matter. I understand that the AMA agency is co-operating.

We look forward to the results of the audit, and in the light of those results the department and government will take any and all necessary action.

[Betty Hinton, Canadian Alliance, Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago the Eskasoni Band of Nova Scotia was $13 million in debt. Today that band is more than $35 million in debt, thanks to the federal government's third party management.

I think it is a perversion of logic to call that successful. Third party managers do not get to the root of the problem; forensic audits do. When will the minister institute forensic audits whenever financial problems are so obvious?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I want to report to the opposition, because it has asked this question a couple of times, that this minister and this department do not have the authority to implement forensic audits. That is done by the RCMP or the proper policing authority.

If there are allegations or misrepresentation of funds in any way, those allegations should be brought forward to the police authorities and they will take the action as it relates to forensic audits.

Pay Equity

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Canadian Human Rights Commission tabled a special report on pay equity, criticizing the current formula, which is based on the lodging of complaints.

This formula subjects the process to judicial control, as we have seen from the behaviour of the federal government, which, for 13 years, used the courts to avoid its statutory obligations.

My question is for the Minister of Labour. When will there be proactive legislation on pay equity favourable to women based on the law in Quebec, among others?

[Alex Shepherd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, on October 29, 1999, the Government of Canada announced a review of section 11 of the Human Rights Act.

The review responds to numerous concerns about the current pay equity regime and how it is administered. The minister remains very committed to the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. I look forward to contributing to the review and the support of the Minister of Justice.

In addition, the government is currently examining options for implementing a gender neutral job classification system.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 200,000 public servants waited over 13 years to see justice done and through, for more than 20 years, the application of a vague and ill defined law.

And yet the Liberal government voted in favour of a Bloc Quebecois motion on economic equality for women.

When will this government finally introduce proactive legislation to correct the inequity women still face?

[Claudette Bradshaw, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, last October, the Minister of Justice and I appointed R. E. Bilson, the dean of the faculty of law at the University of Saskatchewan, to chair a task force to review federal legislation on pay equity and present a report in the fall of 2002.

Coast Guard

[James Lunney, Canadian Alliance, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the west coast has one of the most heavily travelled marine corridors in Canada, making the waters near Vancouver one of our busiest rescue centres. Now the government is planning to abandon coast guard search and rescue diving activity even though the team has saved lives and has a spotless safety record.

The coast guard has primary responsibility for marine rescue. Why exactly is the minister cutting important search and rescue capabilities on the west coast?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has raised an important question and I thank him for it. I will take the question as notice and will get back to him with a full response as quickly as possible.

[John Duncan, Canadian Alliance, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this story has been on the west coast news for the last five nights running. The government should be embarrassed that it has to take the question under advisement.

The value of these divers is recognized by the RCMP and by other police forces in the lower mainland that call on them for underwater rescue. Their diving capabilities have saved lives and are essential for any aircraft mishap in the waters off Vancouver airport.

Will the minister stop this wrongheaded, bureaucratic initiative now?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member again has asked an important question. When these types of specific questions are of interest to members, if they would give us notice ahead of time we would have the answer in the House. Under our system we have questions without notice. I just point that out as a matter of fact.

I again thank my hon. friend for the question. We will get back to him in writing before the end of the day, or we can respond to the question again on Monday. We do treat the matter seriously.

Organized Crime

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Montreal four individuals were convicted under Canada's anti-gang law. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice inform the House of the government's commitment to the fight against organized crime?

[John Maloney, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the government is very pleased that section 467.1 of the criminal code is being used by prosecutors with success. The section of the code established the offence of participation in a criminal organization and was introduced by the government.

The Minister of Justice is continuing to work to break the back of organized crime. We have undertaken talks with our provincial partners and with law enforcement agencies, and we anticipate introducing new legislation which will fight organized crime.

Canadian Mint

[Ken Epp, Canadian Alliance, Elk Island, AB]

Mr. Speaker, several years ago the government approved the building of a coin plating facility at the Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. This was in direct competition with a business in my riding. I warned that the world demand was inadequate to support this facility, but the government bullied forward anyway.

The demand is not there. Forty-five mint employees have now been laid off. Today is the last day for 26 of them. Another 30 jobs are at risk.

How could the government and the mint so badly misread world markets and make the mistake of getting into the coin plating business?

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

Mr. Speaker, we supported the mint project. We believed that the mint project was appropriate and we continue to work with the mint.

Actually the situation is only temporary, but the demand is there not only in Canada but around the world. I am sure that in the near future the situation will be the way it was before.

[Ken Epp, Canadian Alliance, Elk Island, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in a February 8 press release the director of the mint said the facility could not sustain the rapid growth of the last two years and that there was a fall off in demand in the foreign market. We told them this two years ago, but they would not listen.

Here now is a very important question. Will the government get out and stay out of competing with private businesses in the country?