Debates of April 23rd, 2001

Health

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will know that medical schools are organized and paid for by provincial governments. I am sure provincial ministers will be interested in the hon. member's comments.

We have urged provincial ministers of health to increase enrolment, not just in medical schools but in nursing schools and in colleges where we can train the technicians needed to provide services on the ground. We have also increased transfers to enable them to do that.

I am delighted to report that the provinces have increased enrolment. We now have many more places in medical schools than two years ago. It is something I hope will continue.

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I hope it continues as well. However he cannot pass the buck on to the provinces alone. The federal government was part of the problem and it has to be part of the solution.

Accessibility is one of the five principles of the Canada Health Act. The federal government is responsible for working with the provinces to ensure Canadians have adequate and good access to health care professionals. Waiting will only make this situation worse.

Could you tell Canadians what you are doing about this problem today, and is it more than what you have just said?

[The Speaker]

The hon. member will want to address his remarks to the Chair.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I share the hon. member's concern that these needs be addressed. That is exactly why last September, as part of the agreement with the provincial governments, we put $800 million forward in a targeted fund to assist in making frontline services more accessible to Canadians.

That is why we put $500 million forward in the targeted fund for high tech to link doctors, nurses and other practitioners to share patient information to improve access to quality care.

We are on the job and working with our provincial partners to address the very problems referred to by the hon. member.

Summit Of The Americas

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in light of the tremendous public profile of Canada's hosting the summit of the Americas last week in Quebec City, could the Minister for International Cooperation please tell the House whether she thinks Canada is doing enough to meet the needs of the poorest of the poor in this hemisphere?

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, the summit was a great success. My department announced $191 million of programming. In addition, we established a collectivity institute for the area to assist in bridging the digital divide.

In addition, not only has a tremendous amount of work been done by my department but also by all of my colleagues with civil society. The document in fact includes civil society very much in its response.

Justice

[Paul Forseth, Canadian Alliance, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. In the last two speeches from the throne there was a reference to Divorce Act amendments for the sake of the children.

Does the minister agree with the recommendations of the Senate-Commons committee report? When will the minister implement those conclusions with a bill instead of just trying to find a way to avoid through endless deliberations?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is aware, the government responded to the report of the joint parliamentary committee entitled “For the Sake of the Children”.

As part of our response we indicated, in case the hon. member has forgotten, that the family law system is a shared jurisdiction: provinces, territories and the federal government. I indicated that we would undertake a joint consultation with the provinces, with the territories and with Canadians. I am very pleased to say that the consultation has now begun with Canadians.

I find it just a little shocking that party which preaches the rhetoric—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby.

[Paul Forseth, Canadian Alliance, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a fundamental of the direction is the legal concept of shared parenting that does away with terms such as custody. The research concluded the need for legal equality and mutual parental responsibility in divorce.

Does the minister agree with the principle of shared parenting as recommended by the Senate-Commons committee report? Is shared parenting the accepted principle?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the government's response to the report “For the Sake of the Children” is that the provinces, territories and the federal government would consult broadly with Canadians.

I find shocking that his party which preaches grassroots participation, I guess does not want us to consult with Canadians.

Summit Of The Americas

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government's policy provides that only businesses located within the security perimeter established in Quebec City during the Summit of the Americas are to be compensated.

Does the Prime Minister intend to change the current compensation policy so that businesses located outside the perimeter, which also suffered damages and incurred financial losses during the summit in Quebec City, can also be compensated?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated quite clearly, we had thousands of people peacefully protesting at the summit. They had the opportunity to make their point.

Trade

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Oak Ridges, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one of the successful outcomes of the 1999 team Canada mission to Japan was changing the Japanese psyche in examining among other things the high tech sector in Canada.

The Secretary of State for Asia Pacific recently returned from Japan after meeting with his counterparts and launched the Think Canada 2001 festival in Japan.

Could the secretary of state inform the House as to the intent of the Canada 2001 festival which is currently going on for the next three months and tell us why this is an important initiative in our bilateral relationship with the Japanese?

[Rey D. Pagtakhan, Liberal, Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific)]

Mr. Speaker, Canada values its close relationship with Japan. In recognition of this relationship, I launched in Tokyo earlier this month on behalf of the Government of Canada the Think Canada 2001 festival. The festival, which began with an open house at the embassy, saw 20,000 visitors and included some 200 events.

Indeed the Think Canada 2001 festival will reinforce Canada's image in Japan and will prove to Japan that Canada is a valuable trading partner for the 21st century.

Order In Council Appointments

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments recently 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]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I am also pleased to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions.

Copyright Act

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-337, an act to amend the Copyright Act (Minister).

Mr. Speaker, I am introducing a bill which would make the Minister of Canadian Heritage responsible for the application of the Copyright Act, except for the purposes of section 44.1 of that act.

This bill is in response to the almost unanimous request of copyright holders who, faced with the Minister of Industry's careless handling of the Copyright Board, are asking that responsibility for the board be turned over to the Department of Canadian Heritage. This request has been made repeatedly by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, known as SOCAM, as well as by the largest Canadian agency representing the cultural sector, the Canadian Conference of the Arts.

Accordingly, I am introducing this bill today.

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

Petitions

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from citizens of the Peterborough area who are concerned about Antarctica. The petitioners point out that Antarctica is a pristine and scientifically valuable environment but that Canada, despite being a polar nation, lags behind nations as far as environmental initiatives in Antarctica are concerned.

The environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty system presents practical guidelines concerning environmental issues in Antarctica. These citizens call upon the parliament of a country which is signatory to the environmental protocol to ratify all of the said protocol's guidelines in Canadian law.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a second petition from citizens of the greater Peterborough area who want a return of VIA service between Toronto and Peterborough.

I want to point out that this petition has support in such places as Haliburton—Victoria—Brock, Durham, Whitby—Ajax, Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge and Markham.

The petitioners point out the environmental advantages to this service and to its educational and economic advantages to the Peterborough area. They want parliament to return VIA service to Peterborough.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a third petition from citizens concerned about kidney disease in Canada. The petitioners call upon parliament to encourage the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to explicitly include kidney research as one of the institutes in the system, to be named the kidney and urinary tract diseases institute.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and honoured to present a petition signed by my constituents in Winnipeg North Centre who want to draw to the government's attention the fact that fetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol related birth defects are preventable by avoiding alcohol during pregnancy.

The petitioners call upon parliament to require the labelling of alcoholic products to warn pregnant women of the dangers associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

[Guy St-Julien, Liberal, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a petition from the residents of the municipality of Val-d'Or and of the RCM of the Vallée de l'Or and from workers of the Sigma-Lamaque mine.

The petitioners call upon the government to set up a financial assistance program for thin capitalization mines in Quebec's resource regions and to take action to increase its presence and its involvement in resource regions that are having trouble adjusting to the new economy.

[Rose-Marie Ur, Liberal, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I am honoured to present a petition on behalf of citizens from London and the Grand Bend area who call upon parliament to protect our health and environment by banning the questionable gas additive MMT.

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions which I will present very briefly. Two concern free trade but no freedom of information.

The petitioners are demanding that the Canadian government publish the integral versions of the free trade area of the Americas. They are very concerned about the environment and the impact on all peoples in the Americas.