Debates of April 5th, 2001

Shipbuilding Industry

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, that is not what I said, but I can think of a good use for some metal plates and whose ankles they should be tied to.

A federal government appointed task force has just reported today. The members of the task force have done an excellent job in providing a tool kit with a wide variety of options open to us to improve the quality and productivity of our shipbuilding industry. We will carefully analyze that report and report back to the House at the appropriate time.

Organized Crime

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the threat that organized crime poses to our families, businesses, farms and our sense of safety and security in our communities is well known by constituents in my riding and in the riding of Brossard—La Prairie, whose MP has worked very hard on this issue for many years. It is well known by all Quebecers.

Would the Minister of Justice tell the House how the measures she and the solicitor general announced will improve the fight against organized crime?

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

Mr. Speaker, after consultations with provincial and territorial counterparts, police, prosecutors and the subcommittee on organized crime, my colleague, the solicitor general, and I introduced aggressive new measures and announced new resources to fight organized crime.

Among other things, the legislation would target participation in criminal organizations, improve the protection of those who work in the justice system from intimidation, simplify the definition of criminal organizations and broaden the powers of law enforcement officers to seize proceeds of crime.

We are sending a clear message that this government stands with the police and prosecutors who are an aggressive—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for women. Kelly Lesiuk from Winnipeg won her EI charter challenge and achieved a wonderful victory for women and part time workers.

Justice Salhany has just found that the EI program, which requires workers to accumulate 700 hours of employment to qualify for benefits, is unconstitutional and demeans the essential human dignity of women.

My question is for the minister responsible for the status of women. Will she promise Canadian women that she will fight to translate this decision into law and—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Secretary of State for the Status of Women.

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

Mr. Speaker, this government has always fought very hard for the rights of women to have an economic status better than the one that many have. We have always fought for women to be able to work in the workplace and to be able to have the advantages and the benefits that they require to allow them to have choices. We will continue to do so.

Freshwater Exports

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday in the House, the right hon. Prime Minister talked about water being excluded from NAFTA. Just days before that, the Minister of the Environment was expressing his concern about Premier Grimes' plan to export water from Gisborne Lake in Newfoundland on the grounds that because of NAFTA, this would bind the rest of the country in a way that he found unacceptable.

I want to ask either the Prime Minister or the Minister of the Environment to explain this contradiction. The Prime Minister is saying that it is excluded and the Minister of the Environment is worrying about the NAFTA consequences of Gisborne Lake. Which is actual government policy when it comes to this particular issue?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in the days of 1993 before signing NAFTA, I definitely know that one of the things my government demanded from the Americans and the Mexicans was that water should be excluded from the NAFTA.

It was agreed to by the Americans and by the Mexicans at that time so we could sign. We had a very important victory in the first week we formed the government.

Lumber Industry

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the government would have the softwood lumber industry believe that we are in the calm before the storm when in fact the storm is right now. In four months every truckload of lumber exported to the U.S. today could be charged back countervail and anti-dumping charges retroactively to last Monday.

Four months of potential charge backs would cripple and close sawmills right across the country. What is the government doing to alert these sawmills of this danger? What is the government doing to help mitigate the damages?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade has proposed an envoy system, as the hon. member knows, with his counterpart, U.S. trade representative Zoellick. He is today pressing that case in Buenos Aires.

The fact of the matter is that Canada needs a pan-Canadian approach to this. Free trade is the answer. That is exactly what we have now. If the Americans will just live up to their claims of being free traders everything will be just fine.

Freshwater Exports

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want trade with the United States in potatoes, in softwood lumber, but not in bulk water.

Will the Prime Minister stand in this place and deny or rescind comments that his government will entertain the shipment of bulk water? Moreover, will he assure Canadians that he will not jeopardize the natural heritage of Canadians and once and for all say that Canada's water is not for sale?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is exactly because the Conservative Party did not put that in NAFTA that we had to move on it in the last week of 1993. If we had not changed it, water might have been part of NAFTA and we might have been obliged to sell it.

Because of the quick action of a brand new government within weeks after we were sworn in, we blocked that loophole.

The Environment

[Bob Mills, Canadian Alliance, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government will continue to boast about its spending on reducing carbon emissions, but the government is way off its target for meeting its Kyoto promise, regardless of the newfound enthusiasm that our green Prime Minister seems to have.

My question for the Minister of the Environment is not about spending. It is about commitment. Is the government committed to meeting its Kyoto target of 6% below 1990 levels by 2008?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, ignoring the fact that the Alliance Party was against the Kyoto target the Prime Minister accepted, may I simply repeat for members of the Alliance and the New Democratic Party leader who clearly are unaware of what was said yesterday in the House. I quote:

Nevertheless, as the Prime Minister made clear yesterday and in previous statements, Canada is committed to the Kyoto protocol. We want to implement its provisions and we urge other countries to do the same.

In response to a second question, I added:

—we want the Kyoto agreement to be put into effect. We certainly want to make sure that we have sinks included because there are great opportunities for reducing greenhouse gases—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Red Deer.

[Bob Mills, Canadian Alliance, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, everyone cares about the environment but we are asking about accountability. Kyoto was the result of backroom deals. There was no public position before Kyoto. There was no analysis of the costs and benefits.

At present there are new pressures on Canada and Canadian energy. Will the government do the right thing this time and conduct national transparent consultations on the issue of climate change?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. I can assure the hon. member that I will be meeting with ministers of the environment of the provinces and territories very soon. We will be discussing climate change among other issues.

I know this is also true of the Minister of Natural Resources. I know it is true of many other ministers of the government and the first ministers of Canada who discuss these issues when they meet.

Tax Agreements

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is well known that 11 of the companies owned by the Minister of Finance are based in tax havens, including eight in Barbados, and that consequently, the minister benefits from the tax agreements signed by the Government of Barbados and the Government of Canada.

If the Minister of Finance is serious when he says that we must eliminate tax havens, is he prepared to take a concrete measure that comes under his responsibility and cancel the tax agreement between Canada and Barbados, as demanded by the OECD?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, following the discussions at the OECD and other negotiations within the G-7, it is very clear that we must proceed multilaterally, not unilaterally.

This is Canada's position and that of all the other major countries. It is the only way to succeed in eliminating these harmful tax practices.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what credibility does the Minister of Finance have considering that he has eight companies in Barbados? We are asking him to do something that comes under his responsibility, namely to cancel the tax agreement signed by Canada and Barbados from which he and his companies are benefiting.

I agree that we must eliminate tax havens. Everyone must join the fight against tax havens. But the minister can immediately cancel the tax agreement signed by Canada and Barbados.

Will he do so? Yes or no?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, such personal attacks in the House are simply disgusting.

We are here to serve the public. We have a Minister of Finance who is regarded as one of the best in the world. He has held that position for eight years and he has the trust of not only my party, but of all Canadians.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

This is a cheap shot. This is dishonest and disgusting.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke has the floor and we want to hear his question.