House of Commons Hansard #24 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was helicopters.
Jason Kenney Canadian Alliance Calgary Southeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, the bad economic data continues to arise from the United States and the finance minister continues to tell us that there is no issue in terms of the downturn.
Why will the minister not clearly commit to bringing forward a budget that addresses the new economic climate in which we find ourselves and which places a much greater priority on protecting us from potential downturn?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that right from the very beginning I have said that Canada is not immune from a downturn in the United States.
I have also said that is why the prudence in our October statement was so important in protecting the national fisc. It is also why it is so important to recognize that on January 1 Canada brought in more fiscal stimulus to counter that kind of a downturn than has any other industrial country.
Jason Kenney Canadian Alliance Calgary Southeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister knows that the tax cuts being discussed in the United States, even at the low end, will far exceed the kind of tax relief that he has talked about, which is about $47 billion over four years when we take out the CPP tax increase, the reindexation and the non-increases in taxes.
What does he plan to do to increase the country's competitiveness with the United States in terms of taxation apart from just giving us this sort of empty rhetoric?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the tax cuts represent $17 billion in this year. That is six times greater than the tax cuts contemplated by George Bush.
In terms of improving the country's competitiveness, in addition to the corporate tax cuts and the capital gains tax cuts the government has put unparalleled amounts into research and development, opposed by the Alliance. The government has put major amounts of money into education and into research chairs, opposed by the Alliance.
The fact is that the government has given the Canadian economy a foundation for the future, all of which was opposed by the Alliance.
Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, the federal government keeps telling us that it is consulting provincial governments extensively, but Quebec's Minister of Industry and Trade, Guy Julien, said that it did not consult the provinces so much as inform them. His statements were corroborated by social groups that have met with the Minister for International Trade. My question is as follows.
How can a government claim that it is engaged in extensive consultations with the provinces, given what Guy Julien has said?
Pat O'Brien LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, facts are facts. The Minister for International Trade met very recently with the provincial trade ministers of all provinces, including the minister for Quebec.
He met one on one with the minister of trade from the province of Quebec. In fact there was a planned meeting of some three hours and the whole time was not even necessary.
Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, there is a big difference between being informed and being involved, and the government should know what it is.
The Quebec National Assembly's institutions committee asked that, before the free trade area of the Americas agreement was implemented, it be submitted for the approval of the National Assembly and of all legislative assemblies in the case of matters falling within their jurisdiction.
Does the Prime Minister intend to proceed in this way and submit the agreement for the approval of the House of Commons, before approving it officially?
Pat O'Brien LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, it is quite clear that we have a Minister for International Trade who is a proud Quebecer and the Right Hon. the Prime Minister who is a proud Quebecer. I think the interests of Quebec are being very well taken care of in this file.
As I have said and as we said in the debate a week ago in the House, the normal process will be followed. When the Government of Canada is satisfied that a proposed trade deal is in the interests of Canada, it will sign that agreement and bring it to the House of Commons for full debate.
The minister has agreed to a take note debate prior to that, but the normal process will be followed, amendments will be possible, and then the legislation will be voted on.
Randy White Canadian Alliance Langley—Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, Dr. Earnest Dick of Matsqui penitentiary recently said that eight out of ten prisoners can be stoned on heroine at any one time. That is quite a remarkable record of zero tolerance after seven years. This was on the same television show that the solicitor general appeared and said how horrible it was.
Maybe the solicitor general could stand in the House and enlighten us all on how it is possible to have enough drugs that 80% of the population could be on heroine at any one time?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware and as I informed him before, positive results from drug testing have been reduced from 39% to 12%.
We are well aware that we have a drug problem in our institutions. That is why we put ion scanners in the institutions. That is why we will put dogs in the institutions. That is why we will make sure we have searches of all people, including employees, at each of the institutions so we can stop the flow of drugs in and educate—
Correctional Service CanadaOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for Langley—Abbotsford.
Randy White Canadian Alliance Langley—Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, he needs more than ion scanners and dogs, because about half an hour ago five employees of Kingston penitentiary were being suspended for drug trafficking within the prison.
According to crown counsel no charges have been laid. If drug trafficking occurred outside the prison, drug charges would have been laid. I would like to know from the solicitor general how it could be easier to traffic inside the prison with less penalty than it is to traffic outside the prison.
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague has raised an issue that is being investigated by the RCMP, but I think what he said previous to that statement indicates how important it is that we put the measures in place which the government has put in place to make sure that the flow of drugs is stopped from entering the institutions, and to make sure that offenders in institutions are aware of what they are doing to themselves: possibly committing a death sentence on themselves by using needles and drugs.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we asked the Prime Minister to make the documents to be used in the negotiations at the summit of the Americas available to the members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, which will be dealing with this question. The Prime Minister answered that he would consult his minister.
I ask him today: has he had the opportunity to consult his minister and is it his intention to make them available, as Quebec is doing?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I will speak to my minister, who is out of the country at the moment. I will speak to him about it as soon as I have the chance.
We have already made Canada's position public. It is even on government's website. So the members may access it easily. We will make public everything we can.
However, we must honour our commitments to the other countries. If they do not want us to make public the documents they give us, we will keep them confidential.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec is doing exactly what the American government is doing.
Are we to understand that, for the Prime Minister, by its actions, namely, making the negotiation documents available to elected officials, the American government is failing to keep its word to the partners?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, this is a conference that Canada will be chairing. It is very important I follow all the rules agreed upon before the conference, in order to guide it to a successful conclusion.
I will make public all the documents I can make public. That will give me great pleasure. However, I will do nothing that will reduce my credibility with the 34 heads of government who will be there.
John M. Cummins Canadian Alliance Delta—South Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday's earthquake centred 35 miles southwest of Seattle caused my daughter's teacher in Delta to stumble against her desk while my daughter's classmates dived under their desks.
When the big one hits the lower mainland, help is now 750 miles away in Edmonton because the government shut down the military base in Chilliwack. That means that U.S. army engineers will be in a better position to help British Columbians than our own Canadian army.
Why must Canadians look south to our U.S. neighbour for help, for their safety? Why has the government abandoned the third largest city in Canada?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, that is simply not true. There is a national earthquake support plan. We are prepared to move troops or do whatever we need to do in terms of emergency support into the area.
We have regular troops at Esquimalt and at Comox. We have regular troops in British Columbia. We have reserve units throughout the province of British Columbia. At a moment's notice we could bring in support from other parts of the country, as we have been able to do in other disasters that have occurred in Canada.
John M. Cummins Canadian Alliance Delta—South Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, that is pathetic. A state highway collapsed in Puget Sound, highway overpasses were shut down and the Seattle airport was shut down.
If, no, when a major quake strikes British Columbia the lower mainland of B.C. will be isolated from the rest of Canada. We will have to rely on Americans for our safety. Why has this government abandoned British Columbia?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, again that is absolutely not true. We have a national earthquake plan. We have the troops. We were able to move troops during the ice storm. We were able to move troops during the Saguenay flood. We were able to move troops during the Red River flood. When they were needed we were able to move troops to all parts of the country.
We do have regular troops and reserve troops already in British Columbia. If necessary, hopefully this will not happen, but if necessary we will be there to support the national earthquake plan.
Murray Calder Liberal Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture.
For months now the members on this side, both rural and urban, have been lobbying the minister to get more money for farmers to help them through this difficult time. He has made an announcement today of an extra half a billion dollars worth of funding for farmers.
I want to know how that will work coupled with the programs that we have in place already.
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank all of the caucus members for the support that they have given to the government in finding the resources to help farmers.
When agriculture and farmers in Canada have special circumstances we try to find all the resources we possibly can to help them. The half a billion dollars in federal money that I announced today brings the safety net support for Canadian farmers to $1.6 billion. Coupled with the 40% added by the provinces, the total safety net support for farmers this year alone is $2.26 billion.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, again another report today zeros in on the government's failure to meet its own objectives with the national children's agenda because of its refusal to provide safe affordable housing.
There are 1.7 million families living at risk in mouldy, damp and expensive housing where exposure to cockroach antigens increases asthma in children. It is hard to believe that this is happening in Canada but it is because of government neglect.
How many more poor families will forfeit their future because the minister responsible for housing will not do his job?
Alfonso Gagliano LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, to the contrary, we are moving forward on this file. Besides the $2 billion a year the Government of Canada puts into housing and the mortgage issuer's program, which has helped to build 1,000 units a year, we also have the RRAP.
In the throne speech we announced that we would be coming up with affordable housing programs very soon that will help the industry to build affordable units for all Canadians in need.