Debates of March 1st, 2001

Housing

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows very well that the $2 billion that he speaks of is money that has already been committed to mortgages for houses that were built years and years ago. The fact is that this government has not committed any money to build new social housing since 1993. As a result, it is saying that poor kids and poor families must line up at emergency shelters.

I ask again: When will the government live up to its responsibility and provide this basic human right, the right to safe, affordable, secure housing?

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

Mr. Speaker, besides the $2 billion, the government has been putting $1 million a year into the RRAP program to improve and repair the existing housing stock so we can house needy Canadians.

We have a public and private partnership program which has built more than 16,000 units since 1994. We are working with the provinces and we will soon come up with an affordable housing program.

Public Works And Government Services

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works.

Would the minister tell the House who gave the authority to the government committee to ignore the treasury board guidelines 9.1.1 and 9.1.2 when it drafted the letter of interest for the maritime helicopter project?

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

Mr. Speaker, the announcement of the procurement strategy for the maritime helicopter was a government decision. I believe that treasury board is part of the government. I do not know what she is saying exactly. She has been trying since this morning to make the case but she does not have the facts right.

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I have to say that the Minister of Public Works and Government Services does not have his facts straight.

How can the minister justify that his department issued a letter of interest that contained a lowest price compliant clause when that same violated treasury board guidelines and when the Department of National Defence at no time made a recommendation that the process be conducted on the lowest price base? It is supposed to agree before a letter of interest can be put out.

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

Mr. Speaker, my department issued a letter of interest according to the government's position. I repeat, the treasury board or any other organization within the Government of Canada is part of the Government of Canada. This was a government position.

National Defence

[Art Hanger, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the truth of the matter is that the armed forces in the country have been stripped to the bare bones by the government. Yesterday's earthquake on the west coast illustrates this kind of a crisis.

In 1994 the government punished B.C. for not voting Liberal by shutting down the army base in Chilliwack even though the military itself did not want CFB Chilliwack to be shut down.

My question is for the Minister of National Defence. Will he now reassess this politically motivated decision?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the earthquake occurred at 11 a.m. yesterday morning. All those people over there, many of whom are from British Columbia, said absolutely nothing in question period yesterday.

I must say that the government is quicker to act than the opposition. We have a national earthquake support plan. We have troops that are in British Columbia. We have regular troops in British Columbia. We have reserve troops throughout the province. We can move in whatever support services are needed from any other part of the country, as we and our troops have demonstrated many times before.

[Art Hanger, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, shame on the defence minister and his policy for disaster.

The minister knows that the Liberal policies and actions have dangerously reduced the basic level of emergency preparedness in Vancouver and all over British Columbia.

Again I ask the minister, why does the government continue to play politics with the safety of people in British Columbia?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, in the supplementary estimates this morning the government indicated its commitment to the Canadian forces with an additional $624 million. When we add that to the $2.5 billion that has been put into the last two budgets, over $3 billion has been put in as an investment into the Canadian forces.

While those people over there babble on, the government is investing in the forces and in the security and safety of Canadians from earthquakes or from any other natural disaster.

Free Trade Area Of The Americas

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, when I asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade about the negotiations on the FTAA, he said, and I quote, “Why would the province of Quebec, or any other province in Canada, be sitting there when there is a federal minister and a federal government elected to represent very adequately the interests of all Canadians?”

Does the parliamentary secretary realize that neither Quebecers nor the Quebec government mandated the federal government to negotiate on their behalf anything that involves Quebec's jurisdictions?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, there is a misunderstanding.

Under the Canadian Constitution, the federal government has a mandate to negotiate treaties. But when it comes to exclusive provincial jurisdictions, if a province does not like a treaty, it does not have to implement it.

What is irresponsible is to announce that a treaty will not be implemented when no one has even seen it.

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs tell us which section of the written constitution supports his claims that he can take over from provincial elected representatives and represent them at negotiations that involve exclusive provincial jurisdictions? To which section is the minister referring?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am referring to sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution.

Agriculture

[David Anderson, Canadian Alliance, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the lowest estimate for an effective emergency cash injection needed for farmers is $900 million. Today the minister of agriculture said he would deliver half that amount through the existing failed programs. From what I understand, if the provinces will not work with him it could be zero.

Why does the government continue to ignore the advice of every farm group in Canada?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member would talk to the ministers of agriculture and the farmers across the country he would know they wanted the support through the existing companion programs that are taken in co-operation with the federal government and the provinces. It is through that program that a half a billion dollars of federal money will be delivered.

[David Anderson, Canadian Alliance, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the main estimates for the agriculture department have been reduced by $470 million from last year. All the agriculture minister has done is replaced what the government has already taken away from farmers.

How many farmers must go broke before the government wakes up?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member would study the supplementary estimates and read them in the way they are supposed to be read, he would see that we did not cut money to agriculture. I suggest that if he does not know how to read them he should get a briefing.

What we did today is we added $500 million and, with the support of the provinces, that will be $830 million more for farmers in Canada now than it was before lunch today.

Trade

[Tony Tirabassi, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade.

The issue of access for Canadian wines to the European market is very important to the wine industry. The government has recently made representations to the European Union for Canadian ice wine.

Will the Minister for International Trade provide the House with an update?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question and all colleagues in that region of Ontario for their strong interest in this file.

I am very pleased to announce that following representations made by this government, including the minister of agriculture, as well as the Canadian wine industry, an important first step has been made. The European Union has just voted in favour of giving access to Canadian ice wine. We continue our work on this important file.

Transportation

[Jim Abbott, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, recently, when it was pointed out to the finance minister that he returns only 3% of the gasoline tax that he takes from British Columbia for the highways, he went on endlessly about everything except the highways.

The transport minister is fully aware of the death trap that the Trans-Canada Highway has become in my constituency, yet the transport minister will not do anything about it. He will not even come to my constituency.

Just when is this government going to get serious and assume its national responsibilities and its share of the Trans-Canada Highway?

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the House is well aware that the finance minister in the recent budget announced a $2.65 billion, which is partnership funding with provincial and territorial governments. A major chunk of those dollars is for highways.

It is really up to the provinces to set their priorities. Negotiations are going on right now. If the member is a little more patient he will find the answer to what he is looking for.

[Jim Abbott, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the amount of money is $600 million over six years, $100 million a year over the entire country, $10 million for the province of British Columbia. This is absolutely pathetic. We know the government spends hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars in other provincial projects in conjunction with the provinces, yet this government will not talk to the province of B.C.

Why is it that highway money stops at the B.C. border?

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot accept the premise of the member's question and preamble. This government is very serious about infrastructure from coast to coast and B.C. is just as important as any other part of this country when it comes to infrastructure.

Those negotiations are ongoing right now. I encourage the member, as I said, to be patient.

Summit Of The Americas

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in view of the effects the creation of a free trade area of the Americas will have on revenue, health, culture and the family, it is important, indeed urgent, that women be included in the decisions.

My question is for the Secretary of State for the Status of Women. To date, have women's organizations in Quebec and Canada been invited to take part in some way in the summit of the Americas and what sort of consultation has been done to ensure that women's concerns are given consideration?