Debates of March 14th, 2001

Agriculture

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not have to remind the House that when the Liberals formed the government we were losing $42 billion a year because of the fiscal management of the party on the hon. member's left.

We had to make some changes to everything that everybody did. Canadians contributed to that change. We are now in a completely different fiscal situation. We have shown support to agriculture as we have increased support to agriculture considerably since that time.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the reality of the farm crisis in the country is the fact that the Liberal Party just stole the Alliance's agricultural policy and now we have a crisis in the country.

More specific, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced a measly package for the P.E.I. potato farmers yesterday. He is five months late and $50 million short. If that is all the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food can do for P.E.I. potato farmers, why does he not take the bullet for his party and resign today?

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

Mr. Speaker, $14.1 million is not an insignificant amount of money. Along with that, those producers also have the opportunity to use the Canadian farm income program. They have the net income stabilization program. They have a portion of the money that we announced two weeks ago and they have the $14.1 million of new money that we announced yesterday.

I remind the House that agriculture is a shared jurisdiction and that there is a responsibility for the province of Prince Edward Island as well.

Immigration

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Documents in the possession of the minister's department confirm that the Amodeo family application for permanent residence status was filed with her department in June 1999. Six months earlier the Italians had requested Canadian assistance.

Is the minister telling the House that she was totally unaware of a man wanted in connection with three murders. He was listed on Interpol and CPIC for a year and a half, and she did nothing. When did she know and when did her department know?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered that question. The department was notified at the end of January by the RCMP that it had sufficient information on the individual's identity and whereabouts.

It asked us to proceed to arrest, which we did. We detained him. He is presently in custody and awaiting a deportation hearing.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Amodeo family had applied for permanent status a year and a half earlier. The minister told the House that her department needed evidence and warrants before it could arrest and deport someone.

It is clear the Italian authorities contacted the RCMP, the Department of Justice and Interpol requiring warrants, extradition, information about the whereabouts of Gaetano Amodeo. This information is available to her department.

Is the minister suggesting that all these efforts by the Italians, the Canadian justice authorities and the RCMP were insufficient to get her department to act for a year and a half?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the premise of the member's question is incorrect. My department received last year and annually over the last few years some 300,000 applications.

At one point in time there was an application made by this family. His name was removed from the application by a legal document. When the spouse attempted to sponsor him, he did not become a permanent resident of Canada. He is not a permanent resident. He is in jail awaiting a deportation hearing.

[Deborah Grey, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there are some inconsistencies going on here. The minister just replied to this question by saying that her department was informed at the end of January. A couple of questions ago she announced that she was personally informed about the end of February.

There are all kinds of dates and times going on here. The Minister of Justice said that when it was appropriate and everything was positively identified the department of immigration was notified. The problem is that since April 1999 when the RCMP took photos of Mr. Amodeo the Italian authorities confirmed that. It seems that everyone knew that but her.

Why did she allow this person to stay in Canada and risk—

[The Speaker]

The hon. the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I completely reject the premise of the member's question. I will once again repeat for her that my department was notified by the RCMP that it had sufficient evidence so that we could proceed with deportation at the end of January.

I was personally informed and briefed mid-February. At that time the individual had been arrested. He is in jail and he is awaiting a deportation hearing.

[Deborah Grey, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, now it has gone from the end of January, to the end of February, to the middle of February. The problem is that Amodeo and his wife ran a business in Canada. They were very visible in Montreal since 1996. They owned a home. If Amodeo was hiding out it was in plain sight, yet the minister comes up with all kinds of fictional dates. We need to get to the bottom of it.

When did her department know—the Minister of Justice or the Solicitor General of Canada—that they were harbouring a criminal in Canada and why did they wait two full years until he was arrested?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very forthcoming. I will repeat again for the House that at the end of January my department received information and evidence from the RCMP sufficient that it went out and arrested the individual. He is in jail and awaiting a deportation hearing.

I was personally briefed about three weeks later, the middle to the end of February. At that time he was in custody, awaiting a deportation hearing. Those are the facts.

Lumber

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after the contradictory statements made in recent weeks by the Minister for International Trade, who suggested that Canada's position on the lumber issue might change, we are now learning that the Prime Minister met with the U.S. vice-president to discuss the lumber issue and a possible North American energy pact.

Could the Prime Minister guarantee that he never attempted to link the energy pact to the lumber issue in his discussions with the Americans?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I received a call from the U.S. vice-president and we discussed energy issues. I took that opportunity to raise the lumber issue.

I told the vice-president that we had a free trade agreement with them and that we wanted them to buy Canada's lumber because we can sell it at competitive prices since Canadian producers are very efficient. A free trade agreement should not apply to certain areas only. It must apply to all sectors, including energy and lumber.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, more specifically, can the Prime Minister assure us that, since the United States are wrong on the lumber issue, the Canadian position remains and will remain a return to free trade in that area, as provided under NAFTA, and that no other issue should be tied to the lumber issue?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have a free trade agreement and we want the Americans to comply with it as regards lumber.

Health

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health. Quality care at the end of life is a frequently overlooked element of Canada's health care system. The Senate report on the subject points out that Canadians are still dying in needless pain and without adequate palliative care.

Could the parliamentary secretary inform the House what action the government is taking to ensure that dying Canadians have access to adequate palliative care?

[Yvon Charbonneau, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that earlier today the Prime Minister announced that the hon. Sharon Carstairs will take on special responsibility for palliative care. On behalf of the Minister of Health I welcome this appointment.

As we know, Senator Carstairs will be in a position to support the federal government's commitment to develop palliative care by working with the provinces, territories and non governmental organizations to provide palliative care that meets the needs of caregivers, families and patients.

The Senate

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, in a letter to the premier of British Columbia today Senator Pat Carney has asked that Premier Dosanjh reintroduce legislation to elect senators.

In an historic declaration somewhat similar to that of Canadian Alliance Senator Gerry St. Germain, she has also offered to resign her Senate seat if the Prime Minister agrees to appoint the successful winner of a Senate election in British Columbia.

When will the Prime Minister agree to fill any further Senate vacancies with senators who have been duly elected by citizens in the provinces they will represent?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, some years ago there was an agreement called the Charlottetown accord that clearly provided for elected senators.

Who fought against this accord? It was the Reform Party at the time and the Alliance members. They cannot have it both ways. They cannot be against that in one week and for it the week after. We respect the constitution. We made an offer to have elected senators and the Alliance rejected that some years ago.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Alliance has never rejected Senate reform. We have surveys which show that an overwhelming majority of citizens in British Columbia want to elect their senators. As a matter of fact we see numbers as high as 84% in favour of electing senators in B.C.

Now Senator Pat Carney has offered to vacate her seat if the Prime Minister agrees to appoint a senator elected by British Columbians. Why will the Prime Minister not agree to take the opportunity to establish a true legacy, a legacy to democracy and respect for democracy, by honouring the will of British Columbians and appointing an elected senator?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I remember very well how hard members of the Reform Party of the day campaigned against the package called the Charlottetown accord. Senate reform was contained in that package and they campaigned against it.

We have a constitution that provides for a Senate. The elected members of parliament on this side of the House can represent the people very well. The house of second thought has been here since 1867 and we cannot change it because the Alliance Party opposed—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for North Vancouver.

The Economy

[Ted White, Canadian Alliance, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in October 1993 when the Liberal government took power the Canadian dollar was worth 76.75 cents. Now, eight years later, it has gone down by 11 cents. That is a 14% drop in value in just eight years of Liberal mismanagement.

What is the finance minister's target for the Canadian dollar one year from now and three years from now?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that finance ministers do not answer that kind of question.

He also knows full well that in 1993 the unemployment rate was 11.5%. Today it is 6.9%. In 1993 there were two million fewer jobs than there are today. In 1993 the disposable income of Canadians was on the decline. Today it is on the rise. In 1993 our productivity was on the decline. Today it is on the rise.