House of Commons Hansard #21 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-11.
Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski-Neigette-Et-La Mitis, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister is directly responsible.
By deciding to cut she forced the NFB to cut without actually intervening and saying “Do it”. She told them. There are limits nevertheless.
What does the minister intend to do to better support the NFB and to develop new creative talent in the area of film, by giving them funding, among other things?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, we may be proud of the fact that over the past five years, we have increased the Canadian Heritage budget in many areas, just about the opposite of what is currently happening in Quebec.
This explains the MAL movement in Quebec: “Ça fait mal chez Mme Maltais”.
Lynne Yelich Canadian Alliance Blackstrap, SK
Mr. Speaker, last week Senator Eric Berntson lost his final appeal and promised to resign his seat in the other place. What about his replacement?
If the Prime Minister can appreciate the value in allowing Canadians to hold their representatives accountable, will the Prime Minister allow the people of Saskatchewan to elect their next senator?
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the obligation of the Prime Minister is to follow the Constitution of Canada. When there was a vote in the House for an elected Senate the Reform Party, now the Alliance Party, voted against it. The hon. member should remind her constituents of that and be reminded of it herself. This is a point that should be borne in mind.
Lynne Yelich Canadian Alliance Blackstrap, SK
Mr. Speaker, however, it is not required to open the constitution or launch rounds of backroom discussions to reform the institution of parliament.
British Columbia and Alberta already have laws in place to elect senators. Saskatchewan would gladly welcome the same opportunity to elect its representatives. Would the Prime Minister commit today to allowing Canadians to elect their own senators?
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, why does the hon. member say that it is democratic for someone to be elected until age 75 with no right of recall? That is not my idea or most Canadians' idea of democracy. I think she ought to go back to the drawing board.
David Pratt Liberal Nepean—Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for Minister of Transport. The minister will know that there is a tremendous amount of local interest in having VIA Rail establish a new station in the western part of Ottawa. Meetings have occurred between VIA Rail and OC Transpo to examine the feasibility of this project on a site in south Nepean.
Could the minister tell the House the status of this project, what he thinks of it, and whether or not it is something that can be done in the near future?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, this is an excellent project the hon. member has pursued for over 10 years, first as a councillor in Nepean and now as the member for Nepean—Carleton. He should be commended for his tireless efforts on behalf of his constituents and on behalf of the travelling public by rail.
The arrangements are now being worked out between VIA and OC Transpo to establish a train station at Barrhaven. I hope this can be announced in the near future. I have also asked VIA to look at the feasibility of starting its Montreal trains at a new station in Barrhaven.
Jay Hill Canadian Alliance Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, under pressure from the Competition Bureau, Air Canada agreed yesterday to reinstate its previous air fares on three routes. However, a complaint launched by CanJet two weeks ago included two additional routes, one of which is its prime Toronto to Halifax corridor.
Even one week of predatory seat sales is devastating to an emerging airline, let alone two or more. Why is the government willing to sit idly by while Air Canada crushes its competition?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I might remind the hon. member that his party joined with all parties in the House to support Bill C-26 in the last parliament to establish rules dealing with predatory behaviour and predatory pricing.
The Competition Act was amended. It is working. I am sure the commissioner of competition will be looking at each and every case very closely.
Jay Hill Canadian Alliance Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is a small consolation to the competition, in this case CanJet. In September 1999 CanJet filed an abuse of dominance complaint with the Competition Bureau, a complaint that has yet to be heard some six months later and could result in permanent protection.
On the one hand, Air Canada wants protection from the big, bad American Airlines. On the other hand, Mr. Milton does not think that smaller domestic airlines that are just getting started need protection from him and his announced discount carrier. Will minister allow Mr. Milton to have it both ways?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that the Competition Bureau operates at arm's length from the government. The Competition Act was amended last June. His party worked with everybody in support of those amendments.
Let the Competition Bureau do its job and ensure that the air environment, which is improving in terms of competition, continues and all small companies have a chance to compete head on with Air Canada.
Marcel Gagnon Bloc Champlain, QC
Mr. Speaker, Lake Saint-Pierre is extremely rich in flora and fauna. For several years now, this body of water has been being polluted by the Canadian army, which has fired more than 300,000 shells since the 1950s.
In 1982, a man died after coming across a shell. We also know that children play with them. These shells are a danger to commercial and recreational fishers.
The Minister of National Defence is now looking at the possibility of cleaning up this body of water. Will he tell us what measures he intends to take to ensure that the public has safe access to Lake Saint-Pierre?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, since the early 1990s we have cut test firings in the area. We have put up a stop butt rather than firing directly into the lake. We now fire into an embankment so that we are preventing further pollution to the lake.
Meanwhile, a very detailed examination is being done to see what needs to be carried out in terms of cleaning up the pollution that existed prior to that, which was caused by the munitions that were fired into the water. We have changed the practice. We are determined to clean up the lake.
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
Mr. Speaker, as members are aware, heart disease and stroke are a leading cause of death and disability in Canada. As February is heart and stroke month, it is appropriate to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health to tell the House what new initiatives the government has undertaken to research these diseases.
Yvon Charbonneau LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Don Valley West for asking this very important and very relevant question.
It gives me an opportunity to announce the Canadian government's decision to provide $24.4 million in funding for research into heart disease. This is in addition to $9.2 million already announced a while ago in Alberta for stroke research.
This funding is evidence of the Government of Canada's commitment to leading edge research in Canada in this very important field.
Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral Bloc Laval Centre, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has just said that Mr. Amodeo's presence in Canada was justified because, according to her, he had been accepted in Quebec's immigrant investor program.
Should we not be worried by the minister's answer when we know that, under this program, security checks are not Quebec's responsibility?
Are we to understand that she thought otherwise and that she was relying on Quebec to do her work for her?
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. The process for applying for landed immigrant status is that if someone wants to apply to Quebec then he or she must receive a selection certificate called a CSQ from the province of Quebec.
The federal government maintains the statutory requirements, which include medical and security checks, but no one is granted permanent resident status in the province of Quebec unless he or she has received a CSQ. That is the Canada-Quebec accord. That is the way it works.
Diane Ablonczy Canadian Alliance Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister just confirmed that her department is responsible for the security checks, so I would ask her how someone on Interpol's 500 most wanted list got a visitor's visa to Canada in 1998 and is still in the country. How did he get that visitor's visa when she is supposed to be doing security checks?
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, the question of the member opposite is uninformed. I would also point out to her that the reason it is uninformed is that when individuals from certain countries, including western Europe, Italy, France and others, arrive at our ports of entry their passports are stamped. That is their visa. They do not have to apply for it in advance. They do not have to satisfy anyone except the port of entry official as to their reason for being in Canada.
That is different from permanent resident status. I would say to the member opposite—
ImmigrationOral Question Period
The Speaker
I am afraid we have run out of time. That will conclude question period for today.
Art Hanger Canadian Alliance Calgary Northeast, AB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-277, an act to amend the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act.
Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure and optimism that I am reintroducing this bill today. Its purpose is to ensure that a person serving time in prison will not be able to sue the federal government or its employees under any federal legislation in respect of a claim arising while that person is under sentence.
If enacted, the bill will put an end to the practice of prisoners engaging in frivolous lawsuits against the federal government and to their abuse of the legal system.
I urge all members in the House to give serious consideration to the bill and to support it.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Art Hanger Canadian Alliance Calgary Northeast, AB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-278, an act to amend the Criminal Code (prohibited sexual acts).
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to reintroduce this private member's bill. It seeks to raise the age of sexual consent from age 14 to age 16. It would thus make it a criminal offence for an adult to engage in sex with children 16 and under.
The bill was first introduced in 1996 and was reintroduced in 1997 and again in 1999.
I rise again in the House and must unfortunately appeal to the better nature of every member of parliament. The widespread concern over child pornography and child prostitution in the country makes it even more urgent for enactment of the legislation to protect the young and the vulnerable in our society from the predators among us.
For the sake of our children, I appeal to members of the House to give serious consideration to the bill and to lend their support accordingly.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Jim Gouk Canadian Alliance Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-279, an act respecting the commercialization of VIA Rail Canada Inc.
Mr. Speaker, I am reintroducing this bill which I had introduced in the previous parliament. It deals with several problems with VIA Rail, the biggest one being the use of taxpayer money.
VIA Rail has a subsidy of $500,000 a day 365 days of the year and had a recent injection of $400 million in taxpayer money to keep it going.
It competes with the private sector. The private sector is able to operate this company. Why should taxpayer money continue? The bill will see an end to that taxpayer subsidy and put it in the hands of the private sector, which will run it without cost to the taxpayers.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Jim Gouk Canadian Alliance Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-280, an act to amend the Canada Health Act (conditions for contributions).
Mr. Speaker, this is also the reintroduction of a previous private member's bill in regard to our very dedicated emergency response workers in this country, who attend to accidents and deal with all kinds of emergency situations. On occasion they can be exposed to infectious diseases.
There is no official notification protocol for those people to be notified of the potential harm to themselves, their co-workers, their families and other community members. This bill puts into place a notification protocol system whereby those people will be notified while the confidentiality of the patients themselves will still be protected.
We owe it to the people who put their lives on the line for us to ensure that their lives are looked after as well.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)