Debates of March 30th, 2001

Multiculturalism

[Jason Kenney, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in fact her department did fund International Women's Day. The group that ransacked this cathedral had participated in the parade funded and promulgated by her department earlier that day.

How can this minister stand here as a self-styled defender of tolerance when she spreads religious intolerance and division across the country, when she has been condemned for doing that by the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian Muslim Federation, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Catholic Civil Rights League, and when her own department supports marches that lead to this kind of violent anti-religious bigotry?

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism)(Status of Women)]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that my department did not fund this activity, and I do not condone this type of behaviour.

Virtual Parliament

[Stéphan Tremblay, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean—Saguenay, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on March 7, I sent a letter to all the members of this House on the need to develop a virtual parliament. That idea was later approved by the interparliamentary forum of the Americas. Yesterday, at the Crossing Boundaries National Conference, the Minister of Finance showed a great deal of interest in this project.

My question is for the Minister of Finance and chair of the G-20. Considering that the summit of the Americas and the current globalization process clearly show that parliamentarians must play a more prominent role, how does the minister intend to move from words to deeds regarding an e-parliament project?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member was suggesting in his letter—and I congratulate him on that—as did a number of Liberal members who made the exact same comments, was an ongoing process.

We are not talking about going from one summit to the next, but about an ongoing process. Everyone on our side agrees that greater co-operation is necessary between parliamentarians from all over the world to truly improve the globalization process.

Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean

[André Harvey, Liberal, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Revenue.

While the opposition wastes its time trying to fabricate a scandal, would the minister tell us what Canada Economic Development has been doing, particularly in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region, to help us with the difficulties we are facing?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. I also thank him for the excellent work he is doing throughout the lovely Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region.

As is known, Canada Economic Development is taking action to help all regions, particularly the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region. Since 1996, 748 projects have been funded by Canada Economic Development out of its total programming, to the tune of $50 million, for a total of over $170 million in investments, not including the Institut de recherche sur l'aluminium. Right now, my colleague and I are working on a very important project, which we are in fact rethinking with our stakeholders at the Zoo de Saint-Félicien.

Highways

[Darrel Stinson, Canadian Alliance, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last November 27, a busload of Taiwanese tourists collided with a transport truck in a snow shed near Revelstoke. In addition to the 6 people killed that day, 120 more were killed and 2,278 injured in accidents on this section of the Trans-Canada Highway in the past 12 years.

How many more must suffer before the transport minister sits down with his B.C. counterpart to negotiate a 50:50 cost sharing agreement to rebuild this deadly part of Canada's national highway?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will realize that in last year's budget some $600 million was provided for the beginning of highway renewal across the country. We are now in the process of negotiating these arrangements with the various provinces. Certainly we would hope that the pressure points, particularly the one at Revelstoke that he mentioned, can be dealt with.

I have to emphasize that the priority for building highways rests with the provinces. Certainly the federal government wants to be part of any final solution on the matter.

Gaspé Region

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Matapédia—Matane, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everything appears just dandy in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region, but it is far from the case in the Gaspé.

Despite the apparent impatience of the member for Bonaventure—Gaspé—Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Pabok with the time it is taking Canada Economic Development to release funds from its special program in the Gaspé region, he and the minister refused to take part in a debate on this very subject yesterday on Radio-Canada.

How does the minister and Secretary of State responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec intend to remedy the situation and provide the funds from this program in the Gaspé?

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I did not refuse to take part in a program. I could not take part in the program, that is a different matter.

[An hon. member]

Ah, that is different.

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Give me a few minutes to answer the opposition.

While the people in the Gaspé were effectively having economic development problems, while the people were represented by a Bloc member, the members on this side of the House met the people of the Gaspé in order to develop specific projects.

Together with the people, we invested in a special $35 million fund. We, the Liberals on this side of the House, opened an office in the Gaspé. At the moment, Mr. Speaker, it is important that—

[The Speaker]

This concludes Oral Question Period for today.

Canadian Human Rights Tribunal

[The Speaker]

I have the honour to lay upon the table the 2000 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal annual report.

Order In Council Appointments

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments made by the government.

Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1), these are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of which is attached.

Government Response To Petitions

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.

Committees Of The House

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the parliamentary calendar.

[Keith Martin, Canadian Alliance, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Madam Speaker, earlier this week I released a report on the Sudan, a seven point plan to address the two major issues affecting that country: war and famine.

In order to be helpful to all members in the House, I seek unanimous consent to introduce this report to the floor of the House.

[The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bakopanos)]

Is there unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

Income Tax Act

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-323, an act to amend the Income Tax Act (political activities by charities receiving public funds).

Madam Speaker, the bill, when it is finally passed, as I am sure it will be based on the history of private members' bills in this place, would disqualify from charitable status corporations, trusts and organizations that have received discretionary funding from the public money of Canada or a province, if they then give direct or indirect support or endorsement to parties or candidates for election in a federal election.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Employment Equity Act

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-324, an act to amend the Employment Equity Act (elimination of designated groups and numerical goals) and the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Madam Speaker, this is another bill which I am sure the government will be rushing to pass at the earliest opportunity.

The enactment would amend the Employment Equity Act to remove the concept of designated groups and numerical goals and repeal the employers' reporting requirements to finally put an end to government sanctioned quotas based on race, which is nothing more than state sponsored racism and needs to be stopped.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Broadcasting Act

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-325, an act to amend the Broadcasting Act (designation of cable channels).

Madam Speaker, we really should do this one right away because it gets rid of a terrible irritation for consumers of cable television, where the CRTC forces suppliers, like Rogers or Shaw, to reallocate channels on the band of one, channels 2 to 13. It creates great annoyance for consumers.

This would remove the CRTC's power to do that and allow cable companies to negotiate cable channel positions based on viewer preferences.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Antipoverty Act

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-326, the Antipoverty Act.

Madam Speaker, my antipoverty bill proposes to add a new prohibited ground of discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act, namely social condition. It also proposes to suggest to parliamentarians that it is unacceptable that financial institutions refuse to open a bank account for an individual by reason of insufficient funds. It further proposes that the Minister of Justice submit an annual report on poverty in Canada.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)