Debates of April 6th, 2001

Tobacco Consumption

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am now speaking the second official language.

My question is for the Minister of Health. Yesterday, the government announced a strategy to reduce tobacco consumption and increase taxes to deter contraband.

There is a fivefold increase in the financing. Would the minister tell us what programs that money will finance?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we announced an integrated strategy that will be adequately funded and that was developed here by the government caucus.

This caucus, over the course of the last 18 months, has worked very hard to develop a strategy that involves various elements, which we will finance and pursue in an integrated way to bring down the level of smoking in this country, the number one public health issue we face.

We have set as our objective, over the coming 10 years, to reduce by 20% the number of smokers, by 30% the number of cigarettes sold and—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Wild Rose.

Organized Crime

[Myron Thompson, Canadian Alliance, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government introduced the organized crime bill at first reading. I really appreciate the fact that the government has taken some tough measures and that it has also listened to the Alliance Party.

However, I have one concern with the bill. According to the bill, there is a list of people who will be charged with first degree murder if they shoot or kill as a result of gang wars or organized crime but it does not include the killing of innocent bystanders such as a 10 year old in Quebec or reporters. Why are—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice.

[John Maloney, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and for acknowledging that this is an excellent piece of legislation.

Certainly intimidation is a very serious factor in organized crime. Police officers, prosecutors and all sorts of people, even members of parliament, have been intimidated.

The legislation introduces significant penalties that would certainly prohibit or work against that type of activity by organized crime. This is for the betterment of the entire country.

Martin Lavoie

[The Speaker]

I would like to draw to the attention of all hon. members that Martin Lavoie, Deputy Principal Clerk, Committees and Parliamentary Associations, will be leaving the House of Commons this month after 22 years of service to take up new challenges with the National Democratic Institute in Niger.

Martin is sitting at the Table right now and I know that you will all want to join me in saluting his long and successful career here.

Martin, we wish you success, health and happiness in your new career. Congratulations.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Points Of Order

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order arising out of today's question period.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food stated that the minister never told Island potato growers to stop growing potatoes. Il est dans les patates.

I would like to quote from the minister's proceedings at the standing committee—

[The Speaker]

It sounds to me as though we are getting into a very jolly argument but that is not allowed on points of order.

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 have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.

Committees Of The House

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), your committee recommends that pursuant to subsection 52(2) of the Oceans Act, the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans be granted an extension for its report on the review of the provisions and operation of this act, from January 31, 2001 to October 1, 2001, and I should like to move concurrence at this time.

(Motion agreed to)

Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to present two petitions today.

The first petition is signed by British Columbians who are calling upon parliament to proclaim natural gas an essential commodity and give it back to the people of Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from concerned citizens who are calling upon parliament to repeal subsection 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act.

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this petition comes from residents in the province of Saskatchewan who want to draw the attention of the House to the fact that since 1992 concentrated liquid strychnine poison has been available for purchase by farmers for use in the control of the Richardson's ground squirrel.

However, since 1992 Health Canada has restricted the sale of strychnine such that it is currently available only in a premixed form with the amount of ingredient limited to .4% by volume.

The current allowable limits for strychnine have greatly reduced the effectiveness of the poison with the result that the populations of Richardson's ground squirrels are steadily increasing. The crop and hay land damage caused by this squirrel is very costly to farmers in regard to productivity, equipment repairs and injury to livestock. They petition parliament to amend the relevant regulations so as to permit the sale of concentrated liquid strychnine to registered farmers until such time as an effective alternative can be found.

Questions On The Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, we have three questions to deal with today. Question No. 19 will be answered today. .[Text]

Question No. 19—

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

With respect to the Antarctic treaty system: ( a ) what does Canada contribute; ( b ) which department is in charge; and ( c ) what is the total cost incurred by Canada?

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has overall responsibility for the co-ordination of Canada's participation in the Antarctic treaty system. A number of other departments and agencies, notably Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Polar Commisssion and the National Museums of Canada provide expertise on specific issues under consideration in the context of the Antarctic treaty system.

Canada's status as a contracting party to the Antarctic treaty does not entail any assessed or voluntary financial contribution.

Over the current fiscal year, April 2000 to March 2001 costs that can be directly attributed to the Antarctic treaty system include the following two items:

Participation in the Antarctic treaty meeting of experts on guidelines for Antarctic shipping held in London, U.K., April 2000, $7,500; and participation in the special Antarctic treaty consultative meeting held in the Hague, Netherlands, September 2000, including costs of preparation and production of reports, $18,750.

In addition, the following items, while not directly ascribed to the Antarctic treaty system, represent cost incurred to support the various international organizations associated with the treaty that support international scientific co-operation in the Antarctic:

Scientific committee on Antarctic Research, SCAR, annual contribution and participation in biannual meeting in Tokyo, Japan, $15,000; Canadian committee for Antarctic research, CCAR, which constitutes Canada's national committee for SCAR, support for secretariat, publications, participation in biannual meetings of SCAR working groups in Tokyo, Japan, and costs of annual meeting, $42,5000; and Council of managers of Antarctic programs, COMNAP, annual contribution and participation in annual meeting in Tokyo, Japan, $7,200.

On the broader issue of Canada's scientific contribution to the Antarctic treaty system, since acceding to the Antarctic treaty in 1988, Canadian government and university scientists and experts have participated in the work of many technical and scientific groups and contributed in several fields. Specific examples include expertise in oil spill prevention and containment in ice infested waters; waste management in polar regions; and development of a code for polar shipping, of an Antarctic flight manual, of the environment management plan for the McMurdo Dry Valleys, of environmental monitoring guidelines, and of a system of protected areas for Antarctica. These activities receive support from a number of government departments and institutions.

Canadian scientists continue to contribute to the work of SCAR working groups and as active scientists. Between mid-1997 and mid-2000, Canadian scientists wrote or co-authored some 85 publications on Antarctic and bipolar science in a broad range of scientific disciplines. The Arctic-Antarctic exchange program promotes collaboration and exchange between scientists working in the two polar regions.

Finally, Canada also contributes to the exchange of information between the Arctic Council and Antarctic treaty meetings.

Starred Questions

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

Mr. Speaker, would you be so kind as to called Starred Questions Nos. 3 and 4.

I would ask that the question and the answer to Question No. 3 be printed in Hansard as if read. .[Text]

*Question No. 3—

[Jim Pankiw, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

With respect to the Canada foundation for innovation, what amount of additional funding has been attracted from: ( a ) provincial governments, ( b ) universities; ( c ) the private sector, and ( d ) the voluntary sector?

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

The following table lays out the sources of matching funds by category. These figures apply to projects where final agreements have been concluded. This represents 470 projects for a total CFI share of $164.5 million. Many larger projects are still being brought to the final agreement form. The total project dollars, CFI plus matching, amounts to $431.9 million so the CFI share is 38.1%. All cash values are in millions of dollars as of April 2000. The most recent figures available are as follows:

Questions Passed As Orders For Returns

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

Mr. Speaker, if the answer to Question No. 4 could be made an order for return, the return would be tabled immediately.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed. .[Text]

Question No. 4—

[Jim Pankiw, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

With respect to the Canada Foundation for Innovation and its Board of Directors: ( a ) what are the names of those organizations and/or persons represented on the Foundation's Board of Directors; ( b ) what is the criteria for being selected to the Board; and ( c ) what is the duration of service for Board members?

Return tabled