House of Commons Hansard #77 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was vote.
Grants And ContributionsOral Question Period
Bonavista—Trinity—Conception Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
Brian Tobin LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, we have said on this side of the House repeatedly that the RCMP is quite independent of government and ought to be independent of government.
If the member wants to consult the RCMP or give the RCMP advice about how to do its job, he should pick up the telephone and call.
Charlie Penson Canadian Alliance Peace River, AB
Mr. Speaker, I suggest he did not listen to the question, but I have another one for him.
In addition to companies maintaining accurate records, the Business Corporations Act requires that the bill of sale for the share transfer be an accurate document. The minister has the responsibility to ensure that the Business Corporations Act is enforced.
Will the industry minister use his legal authority to require that the date on the bill of sale for the Grand-Mère golf course also be verified by a forensic expert?
Grants And ContributionsOral Question Period
Bonavista—Trinity—Conception Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
Brian Tobin LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, to go back and repeat, first, the member is asking for the government to give direction to the RCMP. Nothing could be more wrong than the government attempting to give direction to the RCMP.
Second, there is a specific act of parliament which prohibits me or any member of cabinet or the House from probing into the private and confidential affairs of Canadian business participants. It is against the law.
First he wants us to direct the law and now he wants us to break the law. I say it is time for him to go home.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during oral question period, the Minister of Human Resources Development gave her version of the election promises made by the Liberals to unemployed workers in Quebec.
The minister said, and I quote, “we promised to deliver the amendments that have now been passed in the context of Bill C-2”.
Is the minister telling unemployed workers that the Liberals' election promises were limited to getting Bill C-2 passed?
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, the government made good on its commitments to repeal the intensity rule, to modify the clawback provisions and to change the re-entrance provisions for parents. Beyond that, we also extended the period to review and monitor the Employment Insurance Act for six years. That will go on.
The work of the committee will be considered and, as has been proven by our track record, we will make changes where changes are warranted.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, this morning at a press conference, Richard Goyette of FTQ-Construction said that the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport promised during the campaign to deliver an indepth reform of employment insurance that would go well beyond the present Bill C-2.
Will the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, the one who made a promise on behalf of the government to unemployed workers on the North Shore, have the courage to rise in his place today and tell the House whether his election promises were limited to getting Bill C-2 passed?
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, we have made changes to the Employment Insurance Act. We are committed to continuing to work with Canadians to review the impact of employment insurance on their lives and make changes as warranted.
When will the Bloc members admit that they are afraid to go back and face their constituents this summer because they voted against those amendments, with the Alliance Party?
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government took advantage of people by promising, in the middle of an election campaign, substantial changes to the Employment Insurance Act, when it never intended to do more than was contained in Bill C-2, which everyone, even the Liberal members, found fell far short of the mark.
Does the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport deny that he promised unemployed workers and unions much more substantial amendments than those contained in Bill C-2 and that he did so to calm the rumble of discontent threatening to upset the Liberal campaign? Could he not rise today and remind the Minister of Human Resources Development that this was the case?
Employment InsuranceOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. Minister of Human Resources Development.
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, let us look at what some people said about the amendments in Bill C-2. For example, the building and construction trades department of the AFL-CIO stated “Generally we are supportive of the reforms that are suggested in Bill C-2”.
The Canadian Federation of Labour said “The positive collective measures contained in this bill should be adopted rapidly”. We adopted those amendments rapidly but with no help from that party.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, this morning, the unions also said that the government had made promises during the election campaign and that, if it did not keep them, it would pay the price.
How can the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport sit by while his government, and this minister, go back on their word?
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, the real question is how Bloc Quebecois members can go home this summer and face their constituents when they voted against seasonal workers, when they voted against parents, and when they voted against all the important changes that Canadians have asked for in the Employment Insurance Act and that we have delivered in this bill and will continue to work within to deliver.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Kyoto accord is in peril. It is taking a beating from the Bush administration. The Europeans and the 33 nations that have already ratified Kyoto remain steadfast in their commitments, but this government runs hot and cold.
The minister claims that Canada is on track to meet our commitments. Would he explain what is preventing the Canadian government from ratifying the Kyoto accord before climate change talks resume in July?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the same thing is preventing Canada from ratification as it is every other one of the industrialized countries in the European Union and many others.
The reason is that while we have accepted and agreed to targets for various countries for Kyoto, there is no agreement on how those targets will be reached. We are having further negotiations in Bonn in July and I trust they will be successful.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, it is not exactly flattering that the Canadian Medical Association Journal today called Canada environmentally insincere. There are dozens of good reasons, urgent reasons, for ratifying the Kyoto accord and only one reason that we can see for Canada's foot dragging.
Is the real reason for the refusal to ratify the Kyoto accord that this government is waiting for Bush to gain wider acceptance for his feeble alternate climate change scheme and then fall into line?
Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, today the Liberal government threw the Magna Carta and the Canadian constitution in the trash can. By using a procedural manoeuvre, the Liberals are denying the members of the House of Commons their right to vote on the contents of $165 billion in public expenditures.
The government has given itself a raise, refuses to do its job to protect children from exploitation on the Internet and shuts down parliament early. Is this the price for an early vacation for this Liberal government?
Don Boudria LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I find the question from a party whose leader refused to show up here for 18 months and now wants to work one night of overtime a little less than totally sincere.
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, the government had $100 million in the 2000 budget for the sustainable development technology fund, Bill C-46. The government reintroduced the bill as Bill C-4 in the current session.
Part of this money was transferred in April 2001 in direct violation of section 2 of the Financial Administration Act which designates the end of the fiscal year as March 31. Why do the minister and the government continue to circumvent parliament?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is completely wrong in his description.
In the establishment of organizations such as the Canada Foundation for Sustainable Development Technology one could use specific legislation. One could use the Canada Business Corporations Act or one could use a contract dealing with an arm's length party outside the government. We have chosen an option of the first two in combination.
Vic Toews Canadian Alliance Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are concerned over Liberals ignoring the safety of children.
Members of the Manitoba legislature are expressing concern that unless the Liberals stop playing partisan politics with Bill C-15 provincial initiatives to assist children will fail. Why does the Minister of Justice allow partisan Liberal politics to stand in the way of important provincial initiatives?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, let me reassure the House that the only things standing in the way of important initiatives to further protect children are the disgusting, unnecessary antics of the official opposition.
Vic Toews Canadian Alliance Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that the Liberal government is standing in the way of effective child protection because it simply wants to embarrass the official opposition with its laws.
The Minister of Justice is prepared to gamble with the safety of children by playing American style politics. Why does the Minister of Justice not stop rolling the political dice? Why does she not do something for children instead?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I would have to say that members of the official opposition do not need any help from us in terms of embarrassing themselves. They are able to do that quite well themselves.
In responding to what the hon. member believes is a serious issue, we on this side of the House have said consistently that we are ready to move on Bill C-15. We will pass Bill C-15 today if the official opposition is willing to move.