Debates of March 2nd, 2001

Agriculture

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Saskatchewan grain and oilseed farmers have seen a drop in their income by $500 million over the last five year average. Yet under this new program they only get $100 million from the federal government, $2.38 an acre.

Why does the minister not face the reality and inject more money into the western economy for the farmers of this country? Saskatchewan has 60% of the arable acres and a small tax base. Why is there not more federal money, which is where the money should be coming from?

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

Mr. Speaker, when an hon. member stands up and says that it is only $100 million, I do not think he has a very good appreciation of what $100 million is. It is a substantial sum of money. I just find it absolutely disappointing that the NDP government in Saskatchewan does not want to support the farmers like the federal government does.

Fisheries

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Chief Lawrence Paul and others in Nova Scotia have stated that federal negotiators are considering dividing bays in Atlantic Canada between aboriginal and non-aboriginal fishermen. This is clearly a wrongheaded policy and goes against the spirit of sharing the fishery under one set of rules.

Will the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans state clearly that no such plan is being considered?

[Lawrence O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the Marshall issue is one that is well known to the House. As the hon. member well knows, we have been consulting with the industry through our associate federal representative. We will continue to consult with the industry.

I can tell the hon. member that the issue, as it relates to the Marshall judgment, is one of hunting, fishing and gathering, and we have been following suit. We already have a number of agreements in place, 88% with the first nations.

[Loyola Hearn, Progressive Conservative, St. John's West, NL]

Mr. Speaker, my question is also to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

The minister will remember quite well last year's shrimp fiasco. He now has a request from Quebec for an allocation of 6,000 tonnes of northern shrimp.

In light of the fact that the stocks could be in danger, in light of the fact that many of the adjacent fleets do not have enough quota to maintain a viable operation and in light of the fact that Newfoundland and Labrador entrants are denied access to the resource, will the minister categorically deny the request? Is it not time that the minister either fished or cut bait?

[Lawrence O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the northern shrimp issue has been debated and has taken on a lot of profile. It is basically off the riding of Labrador which I represent.

The minister has had a number of requests relating to northern shrimp, not only for this year but for previous years. We are looking at the shrimp industry. We are reviewing with industry. At a future date we will make a decision on shrimp conducive to the way we have done policy in the past.

Immigration

[Grant McNally, Canadian Alliance, Dewdney—Alouette, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a known Nazi war criminal, Helmut Oberlander, who lied to enter Canada in 1954, has been allowed to remain here for over a year due to the immigration minister's inaction.

How is the minister, who so freely smears the reputation of others with her name calling, able to defend her refusal to deport this known Nazi war criminal?

[Mark Assad, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, it is not the policy to discuss details of individual cases in public.

If a person misrepresents himself or herself in citizenship or immigration proceedings, he or she may be subject to revocation proceedings under the Citizenship Act. There is a process for revocation and this process must follow its course.

[Grant McNally, Canadian Alliance, Dewdney—Alouette, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the process has already occurred and it is sitting on the cabinet table waiting for a decision. It has gone through the federal court and the federal court has says that he is cleared for deportation.

Now that it is clearly in the minister's lap, why is she refusing to deport this known Nazi war criminal?

[Mark Assad, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I have to repeat for the hon. member that we cannot discuss individual cases. It is very simple. The process for revocation is quite clear and it is following its course.

Canada Customs And Revenue Agency

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, we learned that the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency randomly opens citizens' mail, although the law states that officials may open mail only if they have serious grounds to believe that Canadian laws have been broken.

My question is for the Minister of National Revenue. Will the minister make public the criteria the agency uses when deciding whether or not to open private mail?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the customs component of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is responsible for the safety of all our communities. We must ensure that all goods entering Canada comply with Canadian laws.

We also know that customs officials proceed by evaluating risk. They also do a random check. They are authorized to do what they do by section 99 of the Customs Act, which is very clear. Their results now show that they deserve praise.

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is passing on personal information gathered when mail is opened to other federal government departments, and that this information has been put in a file.

Will the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration tell us whether this file contains personal information and whether she has sought the advice of the Privacy Commissioner in order to avoid a repetition of the HRDC megafile fiasco?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, first, let us get this straight. We are talking about letters and parcels weighing more than 30 grams, which customs officials are permitted to open. Personal mail weighing less than 30 grams may not be opened without the consent of the person who sent it or the person to whom it is addressed.

In any event, the results speak for themselves: 293 drug seizures in 2000, for a total value of $23.3 million. At Canada Customs, we are doing our job.

Reproductive Technologies

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday the Minister of Industry threw an additional $140 million into genetic research. Canadians would expect the expenditure of millions of dollars to accompany clear guidelines of accountability measures. We remember HRDC.

Canada currently lacks a regulatory framework in reproductive genetic technologies. Why would the government sink millions of dollars into Genome research in the absence of such a regulatory framework?

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the mapping of the human genetic code is one of the great achievements of humanity. Canadians have been responsible for advances that will lead to amelioration or assistance in dealing with diseases which affect our communities.

If the member is suggesting and believes on behalf of the Alliance Party that the rest of the western world and scientific community should not be involved in this exciting new endeavour but that Canada should put its head in the sand and say no to our scientific community, we do not share that kind of vision of Canada's future.

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that was really interesting. We have no problem with the funding going there, but this is purely and clearly an example of cart before the horse mentality.

Genomics is a highly complex activity and one that raises pressing ethical issues about animal and human cloning, about reproductive technology, and about using human embryos for research.

Canadians want assurances that genetic research and its applications do not get out of hand. What accountability measures are in place to ensure that federal funding of genetic research respects the concerns of Canadians?

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, having this kind of lecture coming from the Jurassic movement within parliament is indeed interesting, but I want to assure the member that a part of every contribution being made to the five regional science centres across Canada is for the social sciences and the humanities. Part of the money is being provided for ethical studies as well.

We will ensure that the sensitivities of Canada and of Canadians are being taken into account as we proceed to participate in this exciting worldwide venture to understand better the makeup of the human genetic code.

Free Trade Area Of The Americas

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Canadian government attaches great importance, and deservedly so, to its participation in international negotiations, including the WTO and now the various free trade agreements.

Quebec has the same attitude toward international negotiations that affect its jurisdictions, including education, health and culture, but Canada refuses to let Quebec sit at international tables.

How can something, which is fundamental for the Canadian government in federal jurisdictions, not be just as fundamental for the Quebec government in exclusively provincial jurisdictions?

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

Mr. Speaker, in this very decentralized federation, Canada must speak as one if there is to be an effective foreign policy.

This is why the Canadian government is empowered, under the Constitution, to sign treaties in all areas of jurisdiction.

This being said, if a province does not like the content of a treaty, it does not have to implement it in its jurisdictions. But to avoid that, we must consult extensively, and this is what the Minister for International Trade is doing in relation to the Quebec City summit.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the champion of plan B has a hard time understanding that things can function in ways other than the current way.

Whenever Quebec asks to sit at international negotiating tables, the federal government says that things do not work that way, that they cannot work that way because of what the minister just said.

Why is it that things work very well for the German Länder and the Belgian communities? If it is good and if it works for the Belgian communities and the German Länder—and this has not always been the case in these countries—why could it not work for Quebec?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think all Canadians truly appreciate the support given by the Bloc Quebecois to our great and wonderful constitution.

It is interesting to see that Bloc Quebecois members are now affirming every day their support for the Canadian constitution. We thank them for that.

Reproductive Technologies

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

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Society of Canada report in January warned about an inherent conflict of interest caused by giving regulatory agencies a mandate to both promote and regulate genetic research.

Regulations have been promised ever since the royal commission on reproductive technologies was tabled in 1993. Why is the minister committing large dollars to establish Genome centres before adequate safeguards or guidelines are in place?

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to be very certain of the position of the Alliance Party. As he knows there is currently in place, as of May 2000, $160 million to allow Canada to participate in the research that is occurring all around the world. The $140 million brings the sum to $300 million.

Is it the position of the Alliance Party that all of this funding and all of these research centres, including the movement toward a proper regulatory environment, be shut down and that Canada and Canada alone in the western world turn its back on this exciting new field of endeavour in science?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is apparent that the minister does not understand the question.

It now appears that each big budget Genome centre is to do its own research into ethics, environment, legal and social concerns. It sounds a lot like appointing an ethics counsellor to oversee the Prime Minister and his government without providing any rules.

Why has the government reneged on its longstanding promise to provide a regulatory framework for genetic research?