Debates of Feb. 20th, 2001

Privacy Commissioner

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, that is not true, according to the privacy commissioner. Most of these 3.5 million Canadians in the police database do not even know the police have a file on them. They do not even know that they could become targets of police action because of the incorrect information the minister has on them.

The privacy commissioner raises other concerns in his letter that information in the police database is irrelevant and exceeds the authority granted to the minister in the Firearms Act. Millions of Canadians have to abide by the Firearms Act. Why not the minister?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, let me reiterate for the hon. member that we have consulted with the previous privacy commissioner on a number of occasions over the past seven years.

If the member is referring to the new privacy commissioner and if the new privacy commissioner wishes to talk to me about concerns he might have, I am certainly willing to do that. I would expect that he would give me the courtesy of contacting me directly to discuss any concerns he might have.

Free Trade Area Of The Americas

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade just told us that he wanted the House to hold a debate on the free trade area of the Americas issue before the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.

In all logic, in order for us to have a serious debate and before parliamentarians express their points of view, will he undertake to make available to us the texts which will form the basic of negotiations for the free trade area of the Americas?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the House is perfectly aware that the free trade agreement will bear a strong resemblance to the other free trade agreements we have negotiated. Obviously, one free trade agreement is pretty much like another.

The Canadian government's negotiating position is there. I can assure the House that, on the basis of the information contained therein, parliamentarians, who have already made a large contribution to the Canadian government's position through their participation in House committees, will be perfectly able to express very interesting points of view, and I am looking forward to taking part in this debate.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, earlier, I was happy that the minister agreed to a debate, but surely he cannot mean what he just said. If we want to debate the negotiating position in the House, we must have the texts.

Why did he earlier tell us that it would be a lack of respect to make them available to us? Is he saying that the United States showed a lack of respect towards the other countries by doing what the Bloc Quebecois is asking be done?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the Americans have a process allowing the release of a certain number of documents. It is a different one from the one we have in Canada.

The Canadian system also has a large number of other advantages, because parliamentarians, through committees, have already been consulted by the government, which is not necessarily the case in other systems.

We can assure the House that we will have an ongoing dialogue on this very important issue with all parties and with every province in Canada, so that we can make a fine contribution in Buenos Aires.

Coast Guard

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

Mr. Speaker, on Friday I asked the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans a question about the disbanding of the Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue divers. Tragically on Sunday Paul Sandhu died when his car jumped a dike and landed in the Fraser River.

The search and rescue hovercraft was there within three minutes. Divers could have attempted a rescue but they were not allowed to bring their diving gear due to the minister's order. They were forced to stand by as firefighters pulled the vehicle from the water.

Will the minister explain to the House how he could justify this bureaucratic decision that has already resulted in one lost life?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I extend from all of us in the House our sympathies to the Sandhu family on this tragic accident.

The hon. member should know that rescue diving is not a core mandate of the coast guard. In fact it is a mandate of the Department of National Defence. However, the coast guard has had a pilot project which it assessed over the last six years. As a result of the comprehensive assessment it decided to discontinue that pilot project.

This was an operational decision by the experts. Judging from the question the member asked earlier, I think he wants—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Vancouver Island North.

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister's own advisory committee advised and recommended against this move. The coast guard rescue team was implemented in 1994 because there was a pressing need, and there still is. The rapid response of the Sea Island hovercraft and the diving team create a unique capability that cannot be matched by DND or the RCMP.

The minister has cancelled this against the recommendations of his own advisory group. Why is the minister saying no when his experts are saying yes?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, let me repeat for the hon. member that rescue diving is not a core mandate of the coast guard. This is consistent with the U.S. and British coast guard.

This was a pilot project for six years started by this government. There was a comprehensive assessment of the pilot project. As a result of that assessment the experts decided on an operational basis that this could not be continued, but I can assure the member that the Department of Defence will continue to provide the excellent service that it has in rescue diving.

Automobile Industry

[Sarkis Assadourian, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. Yesterday a delegation from Canadian Auto Workers, led by Buzz Hargrove, met with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Industry and members of the caucus to discuss the current situation of the Canadian auto industry in the light of the end of the Canada-U.S. auto pact.

Will the minister inform the House what impact this development will have and what the position of the Canadian government will be in the context of NAFTA following the expiry of the auto pact?

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Brampton Centre for his question. There is no doubt that Canada has been extremely successful in the auto business in North America. In fact, we make two cars for every one we sell in this country, so we have done very well.

The purpose of the CAW visit was to say that it is important to look to the future. We agreed to re-establish the auto industry advisory panel. We agreed to look at the possibility of R and D investment to keep Canada competitive and to ensure that innovation is very much present in the sector. We agreed to continue to work with members of parliament, such as the hon. member, who represent their constituents in this area and who are very concerned about ensuring that our competitive edge is maintained in this country.

The Environment

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Cheviot coal mine in my riding is still waiting for an answer from the government with regard to environmental assessment. It has been waiting for five years.

It was approved in 1997. Appeal after appeal has delayed it, so much so that the buyers now have torn up their contracts and have gone elsewhere looking for coal. Twelve hundred jobs have been lost in my riding. It sets a bad precedence and puts a chill in Canadian development.

Will the minister today commit to the House that he will streamline the government's red tape before any more jobs are lost in Canada?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, in this case there was a joint federal-provincial panel that examined the potential for any negative effects with respect to the Cheviot coal project. It determined that there were likely to be none that could not be mitigated or compensated for. Obviously in the meantime the company involved has taken some other decisions with respect to its future business plan.

The hon. gentleman raises an issue with respect to streamlining regulatory processes. That is a suggestion the government takes seriously. Over the last number of years I am pleased to say we have made some progress. We have some further—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Yellowhead.

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this is an interesting day. We blew it on Cheviot, but it is our lucky day because we have another chance. Just up the road from Cheviot there is the Grande Cache coal mine that is going through exactly the same thing in trying to reopen an existing mine and trying to complete an environmental study at the same time so that miners can go back to work.

The government has a chance to streamline that process and give a good project the Canadian advantage. Will the government show some leadership and get rid of the red tape so that Canada is open for business in the 21st century?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, in a number of cases that involve complexities with respect to regulatory procedures we have made some very good progress in recent years. I think, for example, of the development of diamonds in the Northwest Territories, the Cheviot case that was referred to earlier, and some of the activities offshore.

There are a number of regulatory agencies that are engaged in these projects. Some of them are federal. Some of them are provincial. We always do our very best to streamline the processes so there can be a very definite beginning, a clear set of rules, an end and a decision that investors can rely on. We will continue our efforts to make that system better.

Free Trade Area Of The Americas

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to the statement by the Minister for International Trade, there would appear to be two methods, the Canadian and the American.

If I understand the minister rightly, the American method appears to consist in a debate based on the texts that will make up the agreement, while the Canadian one would be a debate based on what the government, or in fact the minister, feels like telling us. Is that what I am to understand?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, there is also a third, the European method referred to by our colleague, the hon. member for Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier.

However, I can say this. Before the Summit of the Americas, an exploratory debate will be held in the House—and I think this is a piece of very good news—on the free trade area of the Americas.

This will, I believe, be of very great help to the government and to the negotiators who will be heading to Buenos Aires.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would seek consent of the House to table the documents referred to by the right hon. member for Calgary Centre with respect to the involvement of Jean Carle in the Auberge Grand-Mère file and the Business Development Bank.

[The Speaker]

Is there unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

The House resumed consideration of the motion and of the amendment.