House of Commons Hansard #59 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was iraq.
David Kilgour LiberalSecretary of State (Latin America and Africa)
Mr. Speaker, the UN peacekeeping mission is doing its best to resolve outstanding differences between the two sides in that terrible war.
Some of us will be going to Ethiopia and Eritrea next month to deal with the politicians to try to persuade them to continue to maintain the peace. There are 450 Canadians who are serving extremely well in that part of the world, from all reports, and we should all be grateful to them as Canadians.
Dick Proctor NDP Palliser, SK
Mr. Speaker, one year ago today the Minister of Transport announced that there would be more competitive grain handling transportation. In fact he predicted that the average reduction would be $5.92 a tonne.
Of course we have come nowhere close to that. In Saskatchewan, for example, it is less than one-tenth, a measly 53 cents a tonne. Since the bulk of the money did not go to the producers, my question is very straightforward. Who did it go to?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I believe that Bill C-34, passed before the last election, was one of the more successful pieces of legislation in restoring some equilibrium with respect to pricing of grain on the prairies.
Under that legislation farmers, the producers, will be receiving about $175 million in benefits. I believe the figure the hon. member has calculated is wrong in the sense that he did not include all the various components of the cost.
Grain is moving. It is moving better than it was before. I am sure there will be more improvements in the future.
Dick Proctor NDP Palliser, SK
Mr. Speaker, in fact the minister promised an 18% reduction. What producers have received is actually less than 2%.
Most of the money has obviously gone to the railways and the grain companies. It is a sad commentary, not only on their commitment but on the commitment of the government, that there has not been more assistance for the producers. Railway profits last year of $1.47 billion exceeded all the net farm income for prairie producers.
Given all this, how can the minister justify the 3.5% increase in the grain transportation rates which will come into effect on August 1?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is being highly selective. He is only quoting the single car rate. He is not taking into account the rebates and other incentives the railways are offering.
I would ask him to do some mathematics. He will find out that the savings that we predicted are indeed being realized.
Scott Brison Progressive Conservative Kings—Hants, NS
Mr. Speaker, economists helping the finance minister prepare his economic statement are warning that Liberal election promises will put Canada back into deficit in three years.
In a world changing so rapidly and in a country trending back toward deficits because of new Liberal spending, why does the finance minister think it is acceptable to have a two year gap between budgets?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, in the October statement we brought in not only the largest tax cuts in Canadian history but we announced one of the largest debt reductions. Certainly this was a very important economic statement.
Let me simply challenge the hon. member. The fact is that if one looks at the economic projections over that five year period brought in in October and if one looks at the reserves and the contingency provisions, it is very clear that all spending is taken care of and that the government will not go back into deficit.
Loyola Hearn Progressive Conservative St. John's West, NL
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
From the fall of 1999 to the fall of 2000, viewers of CBC Newfoundland dropped by more than 50% over the evening news time slots. Will this be the excuse for CBC to eliminate local news programming and do through the back door what it was embarrassed to do through the front door?
Will the minister finally agree with the wishes of rural Canadians and tell CBC to return to its original news format, here and now?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank the hon. member for his question. I also want to thank the hon. member and the other members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for the excellent review they undertook today in Canadian broadcasting.
It is a good example to all Canadians of how parliamentary committees can make a difference. I fully expect that this and many other issues will be deeply reviewed by that committee.
James Rajotte Canadian Alliance Edmonton Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are world leaders in materials research, astronomy and astrophysics.
The decisions on two large scale scientific projects, the long range plan for astronomy and astrophysics, and the Canadian neutron facility, are long overdue from the government. Delaying these decisions further endangers Canada's leadership role and will cause top quality researchers to look elsewhere for opportunities.
Will the secretary of state for science and technology demonstrate leadership and introduce a general fiscal framework for large scale science and technology projects?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has identified a particularly significant issue with respect to both science and government financing.
The kinds of projects that he has referred to tend to come with very large price tags at unpredictable time periods. It is important to have a fiscal framework and a planning system that will accommodate those big ticket, big science projects. The government is determined to make those decisions based on sound science, due diligence and fiscal responsibility.
James Rajotte Canadian Alliance Edmonton Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, in his December 2000 report, the former auditor general recommended that the government establish a single federal authority for accountability purposes for big science projects that would report annually to parliament.
Canadians want to remain world leaders in science and technology but they want to ensure their taxpayer dollars are well spent.
Will the Liberal government let these opportunities slip away, or will the secretary of state or any of the ministers commit today to introducing such a single federal authority?
John Cannis LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, let me commend the member, who is a very active member in committee. He was there today and has been in every committee. He knows very well that we are now reviewing that. We had scientists and researchers come before committee who complimented the government repeatedly on our investments. They talked about the brain gain as opposed to the brain drain.
I want to compliment the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development for taking the charge to make Canada stand a cut above the rest.
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
Mr. Speaker, this week, Quebec's Front commun des personnes assistées sociales is organizing an event called Foire de la dignité to make the various levels of government aware of the issue of poverty.
There are still 4.9 million Canadians living in poverty, including 1.3 million children.
Does the Minister of Justice agree that it is unacceptable on the part of the federal government to have not yet included in the Canadian Human Rights Act “social condition” as a prohibited ground of discrimination, considering that eight provinces have done so, including Quebec?
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, this government takes very seriously the issues facing those Canadians who live in poverty. That is why I am very glad to point out that one of the most important ways of reducing poverty, particularly among Canadian seniors, is our comprehensive pension structure: CPP, OAS and the guaranteed income supplement. The government is very committed to them.
Second, the hon. member should look to the work that we have undertaken with the provinces through the national children's benefit and through the new agreement on early childhood development. We know those programs will help us reduce poverty among children.
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would appreciate getting an answer when I ask a question to a minister on a specific issue.
In his report submitted to the minister on June 21, 2000, former supreme court justice Gerard La Forest recommended that “social condition” be added as a prohibited ground of discrimination. That recommendation was based on the definition developed by Quebec's human rights commission.
Will the minister follow up on Justice La Forest's recommendation and include “social condition” as a prohibited ground of discrimination?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the review of the Canadian Human Rights Act, undertaken by, among others, the former Mr. Justice La Forest, made some 160 recommendations.
My department, in conjunction with all other government departments affected, are reviewing these recommendations. We will be taking action in a timely fashion.
Peter Goldring Canadian Alliance Edmonton Centre-East, AB
Mr. Speaker, at 25 years a car is a bona fide antique automobile. At 30 years a person can legally become a senator. At 40 years and counting, the Sea King, the senior citizen of the Canadian air fleet, barely totters on while the political procurement nightmare continues.
In critical frontline service for years longer than most that fly, what will it take to get Sea King replacements: Liberal Party memberships?
Alfonso Gagliano LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, the government made its position known that it wants to procure this important procurement.
We went out with a letter of interest and, surprisingly, to the discredit of some critics, we had more interest out there. A lot of people are interested in this procurement, and we are working with them. Hopefully in the next few months we will have a formal request for proposals. We hope to achieve this major procurement in the time schedule, which we said at the beginning.
Peter Goldring Canadian Alliance Edmonton Centre-East, AB
Mr. Speaker, independent military analysts disagree with the minister that we are more combat capable than we were 10 years ago.
Recently Major-General MacKenzie asked a roomful of military people whether anyone agreed with the minister's claim and not a single person raised their hand.
With a 40 year old aircraft in frontline duty, capability for combat and domestic service is suffering. When will this glaring deficiency end? When will the Sea King be replaced? When?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quoting some outdated thinkers, I must say, of which he is one.
As I have said continuously, until we are able to get the new helicopter we will make sure that these helicopters, the Sea Kings, are safe to fly. The United States, the most modern military in the world, also flies Sea Kings of this vintage. It, like us, wants to make sure they are safe to fly. If they are not safe to fly we will not fly them. It is as simple as that.
Stephen Owen Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Speaker, British Columbians care deeply about the environment. This is why we demand sustainable forest practices.
The American lobby is now charging that Canadian forest practices are so poor that they amount to a countervailable subsidy.
My question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade. Are these charges really about environmental protection or are they merely about further trade protectionism?
Pat O'Brien LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, the American charges are patently ludicrous of course.
The truth is that Canada has some of the very best environmental forestry practices in the world. We only harvest one-half of 1% of our forests a year. In fact we grow twice as much as what is harvested.
With a larger commercial forestry than the United States, we harvest less than half of what the Americans do. A recent American university study ranked us ahead of the Americans in forestry practices.
Brian Fitzpatrick Canadian Alliance Prince Albert, SK
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport has a habit of ignoring the interests of western Canadian farmers.
More than two years ago, Mr. Justice Estey completed his report. One of his key recommendations was to bring competition to the rail system. Last week the government rejected an application by two small regional railroads for running rights.
Why does the minister oppose measures that would bring real benefits to western Canadian farmers?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is asking me to reflect upon a decision made by the Canadian Transportation Agency to deny running rights for shortline railways on CN and CP tracks.
I might advise the hon. member that there is a panel that is due to report to me in July, the Canadian Transportation Act review panel. There are very prominent people on this panel. They will be addressing this particular issue, as instructed by parliament in the debate on Bill C-34.