House of Commons Hansard #70 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was community.

Topics

Transportation SafetyOral Question Period

11:50 a.m.

Algoma—Manitoulin Ontario

Liberal

Brent St. Denis LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday I met with the president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities and he raised a number of very important issues relative to Saskatchewan, but that one was not raised.

Nonetheless it is an important issue and I want to remind the member that under the new Canada-provincial-territorial infrastructure program it is possible, where priorities are set by the province, for funds to be made available to deal with such crossing problems.

Canadian International Development AgencyOral Question Period

11:50 a.m.

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, NB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Cooperation. For some time Atlantic Canadians have felt far away or removed from the Canadian International Development Agency.

Could the minister tell us what steps she has taken to make CIDA more accessible to Canadians who live in the Atlantic provinces?

Canadian International Development AgencyOral Question Period

11:50 a.m.

Beaches—East York Ontario

Liberal

Maria Minna LiberalMinister for International Cooperation

Mr. Speaker, I have been consulting with Atlantic Canadians for some time now, over the last year or so, with respect to accessibility.

This is why two weeks ago I opened a regional office headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick, with staff also responsible for Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island.

This should facilitate greatly the access of Atlantic Canadians to CIDA programming and break down some of the barriers that I know have existed for some time in the past.

Religious OrganizationsOral Question Period

11:50 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Roy H. Bailey Canadian Alliance Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

Mr. Speaker, the government has chosen a road of destruction for many Canadian churches. The government has set aside $2 billion, most of which falls into the pockets of lawyers to take clients from former residential schools and then sue the church organizations which provided the education. This is breaking churches across Canada.

I have a question for the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the government continue this until every church in Canada that provided these services is flat broke?

Religious OrganizationsOral Question Period

11:50 a.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend is way off base. The government recognizes the churches as valuable social institutions. We do not want to see any church or church organization driven into bankruptcy over any residential school issue.

However there is a matter of shared responsibility. We are carrying out discussions with the churches and eventually with the victims to bring about a fair resolution of the matter much quicker than would otherwise be the case. We do not want to see all the funds of either the government or the churches eaten up in legal fees. I ask my hon. friend to work with me in this regard and not try to politicize this issue.

Religious OrganizationsOral Question Period

11:50 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Roy H. Bailey Canadian Alliance Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

Mr. Speaker, it was not until Saskatchewan judge Ted Malone said that the federal government has responsibility. Now the Deputy Prime Minister says they will make a change.

To many of the churches in my constituency it is simply too late. You have set about on a path that has destroyed this completely. When will you announce your planned changes?

Religious OrganizationsOral Question Period

11:50 a.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Souris—Moose Mountain knows very well he must address his remarks to the Chair.

Religious OrganizationsOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the native claimants in 70% of the cases are suing directly both the churches and the federal government at the same time.

My hon. friend is wrong when he said there has been some final determination of responsibility. He mentioned one case. There are other cases where the judges have said there is shared responsibility.

I am working to see if we can resolve the matter outside the lengthy and costly litigation process. Instead of trying to unfairly politicize the matter, I think the hon. member should work with me in doing something that is fair to the victims as well as to the churches and the taxpayers.

Port InfrastructuresOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Bloc

Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Matapédia—Matane, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans recently appeared before the parliamentary committee. All committee members agree that the funds allocated to the repair and maintenance of small craft harbours are far from sufficient. In addition, the minister has promised to look into providing financial support for the authorities of ports that have been reassigned.

Does the minister intend to respond positively to the request by the members of the committee to increase the maintenance and repair budgets of small craft ports and does he intend to act quickly on the possibility of providing financial support for port authorities?

Port InfrastructuresOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalSecretary of State (Rural Development)(Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is reviewing the resources available to him and will be making decisions on particular projects that he will be able to initiate this year.

AgricultureOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Murray Calder Liberal Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Spring seeding is done and the bills are now starting to come due. I would like the parliamentary secretary to explain how the Canada farm income program will benefit farmers with those bills.

AgricultureOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox And Addington Ontario

Liberal

Larry McCormick LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that applications are being processed for all provinces. Payments are also being issued as the processing is completed.

Cheques are continuing to go out. CFIP is a national program that is cost shared with the provinces on a 60:40 basis. The federal government pays 60%.

Federal and provincial governments have budgeted $2.2 billion for the next three years. To date, 2,500 applications have been received and I would encourage producers who are planning to apply for this program to do so as soon as possible so that we can continue to send out the cheques.

Lumber IndustryOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Rick Casson Canadian Alliance Lethbridge, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade held stakeholder meetings this week with the Canadian forest sector. Regional interests were given an opportunity to present their views on the current softwood lumber dispute with the U.S.

Would the minister assure us that his position in favour of free trade in lumber remains the government position?

Lumber IndustryOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

London—Fanshawe Ontario

Liberal

Pat O'Brien LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, if necessary, I can reassure my hon. colleague that the Minister for International Trade obviously speaks for the government on trade matters. As my hon. colleague knows, the minister has championed repeatedly for months now the call for free trade in softwood lumber.

The concern has been whether the stakeholders from coast to coast to coast would continue to adhere to that position. As a result of the excellent meeting the minister was involved in on Wednesday in Ottawa, that consensus remains strong and the minister remains the champion of free trade in softwood lumber.

International TradeOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Bloc

Marcel Gagnon Bloc Champlain, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade said yesterday that the 70% increase in imports of cheese sticks meant that there was a need on our market. We are saying this increase in imports is totally unjustified, because Canadian producers are telling us they can meet the demand.

Will the minister understand that this 70% increase in imports is artificial and fabricated, because the minister is not respecting the negotiated quotas.

International TradeOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

London—Fanshawe Ontario

Liberal

Pat O'Brien LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier in a response to a question, there seems to be a desire on the part of opposition parties to grossly exaggerate the situation.

Canada's cheese industry is much stronger than they would have us believe on the basis of these alarmist comments. The minister said yesterday that if imports are occasionally allowed in excess of the quotas it is because there are specific consumers who need a specific product. That is the reason it has been allowed, and no other.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

Noon

NDP

Bill Blaikie NDP Winnipeg—Transcona, MB

Mr. Speaker, my question is also for the Deputy Prime Minister with respect to the residential school question.

I know the Deputy Prime Minister has been working hard on this file but I wonder if he could tell us, given the decision in Saskatchewan, whether there is any intention on the part of the government to tell the church leaders this afternoon or subsequently that the government will not be naming the church as a third party where it has not already been named? That at least would be progress in the 30% of cases that the Deputy Prime Minister referred to.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

Noon

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I have already pointed out that in 70% of the cases the victims are suing both the federal government and the churches directly. With respect to the remaining 30%, in about 16% of the cases where there has been evidence that servants or employees of churches have been involved, the federal government feels there is an obligation to have this information before the court.

With respect to the remaining 15%, I do not think there has been any determination as to whether there is possible church involvement. I think we should concentrate on working to find a settlement of this matter in a way that is fair to all parties.

TradeOral Question Period

Noon

Canadian Alliance

Val Meredith Canadian Alliance South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, this past week the government has shown its true colours when it comes to international trade: full support for Bombardier, writing off the grain farmers and clueless about softwood lumber.

While the government is negotiating a continental energy plan with the U.S., it has shown no willingness to link energy discussions with other trade issues. When will the government tell Americans that if they want to keep the lights on in California they had better be prepared to accept our lumber products?

TradeOral Question Period

Noon

Ottawa South Ontario

Liberal

John Manley LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, it is always appealing, at a very simplistic level, to try to link issues. When one is smaller than one's neighbour, one sometimes has to use intelligence as well.

I would encourage the hon. member to think about the fact that while there may be a few things that we could link to our benefit, there may be many more things that our neighbour could link to its benefit. Therefore the Canadian government consistently works with its U.S. neighbour in a constructive way to try to deal with issues one by one and to resolve them in everybody's interest.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

Noon

The Speaker

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the Honourable P. Myron Kowalsky, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

Noon

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Scarborough—Rouge River Ontario

Liberal

Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary 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 five petitions.

National DefenceRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Haliburton—Victoria—Brock Ontario

Liberal

John O'Reilly LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the pleasure to table, in both official languages, two copies of the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman's 2000-01 annual report.

Business Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario

Liberal

Don Boudria LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, during my business statement yesterday, I neglected to inform the House that should the report on the modernization committee be tabled later this day, it would be my intention to seek the co-operation of other hon. members, pursuant to discussions that House leader's have had, to see whether there would be an interest in debating next Tuesday evening the content of the report of the modernization committee.

I neglected to inform the House of that yesterday and I wanted to amend the statement that I made.