Mr. Speaker, June 21 is National Aboriginal Day, then Saint-Jean-Baptiste is June 24, and Canada Day is July 1. These are the feast days for the whole of Canada.

ImmigrationOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Inky Mark Canadian Alliance Dauphin—Swan River, MB

Mr. Speaker, a British citizen who had come to Canada to visit a friend was not expecting the welcome she got. According to news reports, Ms. Akintade was questioned for 10 hours, handcuffed and detained by immigration officials overnight. She was also refused access to the British consulate, all because an immigration officer said she did not sound British. He did not believe her British passport was genuine.

How does the minister of immigration explain the pitiful performance of this departmental official?

ImmigrationOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Thornhill Ontario

Liberal

Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it absolutely clear that officials in my department have been informed of the conduct that is expected when anyone appears at our port of entry. They should be treated with respect, with dignity, regardless of their skin colour, the language they speak or the accent they have.

I have requested a preliminary investigation in this matter. I can tell the member opposite that this individual was rightfully referred to the immigration line, but we are further investigating to determine what would be appropriate in this situation.

ImmigrationOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Inky Mark Canadian Alliance Dauphin—Swan River, MB

Mr. Speaker, how would the minister feel if she was treated in the same manner overseas? What

What action does the minister intend to take to ensure that this kind of unjustified treatment is never repeated? Does the minister intend to apologize to this British woman?

ImmigrationOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Thornhill Ontario

Liberal

Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration

Mr. Speaker, what I intend to do is find out what all the facts are and ensure that if action should be taken it will be taken, but I can tell the member and everyone that I believe that anyone who shows up at our ports of entry should be treated with respect regardless of what language they speak, regardless of what accent they have or what colour of skin they have.

If anything inappropriate was done, appropriate action will be taken, but preliminary results do tell me that she was properly referred to the immigration line. It is the job of our immigration officers to ensure and satisfy themselves that people rightly should have—

ImmigrationOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Mount Royal.

Raoul WallenbergOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

In 1985, the Parliament of Canada made Raoul Wallenberg an honourary citizen of Canada. In doing so, we wanted to recognize the contribution of this great hero of mankind, who risked his own life to protect and save 100,000 Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust.

Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell us how she intends to make sure the legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, the inspiration behind the struggle for human rights in our time, will be celebrated in Canada in the future?

Raoul WallenbergOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Hamilton East Ontario

Liberal

Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question because that hon. member and hon. members on all sides of the House of Commons and in the Senate have worked very hard to see the recognition of Raoul Wallenberg.

I am happy to let the House know that for the first time, on January 17 next year, we will have a national recognition of Raoul Wallenberg day.

We hope to have all Canadians understand that he was an international hero, who saved the lives of and thousands of people.

Next year, January 17 will be the first Raoul Wallenberg day in Canada.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Dick Proctor NDP Palliser, SK

Mr. Speaker, today the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food heard in a non-partisan way that prairie agriculture ministers, their lead critics and indeed ordinary farmers say that failure to act quickly on the crisis faced by grain and oilseed producers will mean the loss of a key industry and one with important export implications.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and his provincial and territorial counterparts will be in Whitehorse at the end of this month. My question is in the same vein. Will he and his officials commit to be as open minded and visionary as possible so that together a program can be developed that will save this industry before it is too late?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Prince Edward—Hastings Ontario

Liberal

Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, that discussion has already started to take place with all players in the agriculture and agrifood industry and with my provincial colleagues at a meeting in March. We will continue that in the meeting at the end of this month in Whitehorse. It is a federal-provincial meeting and is an integrated risk management approach in order to move the industry beyond crisis management.

TradeOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Dick Proctor NDP Palliser, SK

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade who has rationalized the supplemental permits to import U.S. cheese sticks in excess of the WTO quota because of an increased demand in Canada.

At the same time the minister says that he wants an access agreement with the United States so Canadian cheese sticks can be exported there. If Canadian processors have product to export, obviously they have the supply to meet our domestic market.

Would the minister cease these silly mind games, stop issuing these supplemental permits immediately and protect Canadian supply management by enforcing the tariff rate quotas that were negotiated at the WTO?

TradeOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear that this issue has been raised a number of times in the House of Commons. There has been no change in Canadian government policy. These products have been coming into Canada freely for over 20 years. They were not part of the supply management side, as they are trying to say. Indeed this product contains more bread and such than cheese.

We are negotiating with the United States to regain access. The reclassification by the United States has created problems. I have given the U.S. administration a few more months and by September I will stop issuing import quotas if it has not reopened the market.

Religious OrganizationsOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS

Mr. Speaker, on the matter of the residential schools, the Deputy Prime Minister continues to place an unconscionable financial burden on churches be engaging in a costly, lengthy process of legal wrangling.

I remind the House that it is the government that put the churches in this position by joining them to these legal actions. The churches are currently spending their limited resources on healing and reconciliation.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Why is his government content to force churches into bankruptcy by prolonging this process?

Religious OrganizationsOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the government does not want to force churches into bankruptcy. We are not prolonging the process. We are doing just the opposite.

We are working with the churches and eventually the victims to try to settle the matter outside the litigation process. If the churches are defendants in these cases, it is because the victims, the former students, sued the churches directly in some 70% of the cases.

That is why we have to continue to work together to settle these matters, and I invite my hon. friend to assist me in this regard.

ShipbuildingOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. Many months ago the government appointed a commission to look at shipbuilding and bring in a national shipbuilding policy. The Saint John shipyard has been sitting idle for over a year and 3,000 men have been out of work.

When will the government and the minister bring in a shipbuilding policy that makes us competitive around the world and put our people back to work?

ShipbuildingOral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Bonavista—Trinity—Conception Newfoundland & Labrador

Liberal

Brian Tobin LiberalMinister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, we received the report of the task force on shipbuilding last month. Cabinet is now seized with the issue and we hope to have a response very soon.

I expect we will have a new, competitive, efficient, effective policy on shipbuilding a lot sooner than the member will get to the Senate.

JusticeOral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Vic Toews Canadian Alliance Provencher, MB

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice advised the House and all Canadians that Bill C-15 dealt only with amendments to the criminal code. She knows that is not correct. The title of the bill itself makes that clear.

Why will the minister not stop playing American style politics and instead work with the opposition to protect children from sexual predators? Why will she not split the bill?

JusticeOral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Edmonton West Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated, we on this side of the House are ready to move on Bill C-15 right now.

I would ask all of you this afternoon to inform our government House leader that you are willing to move on Bill C-15.

JusticeOral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

The Speaker

All hon. members will kindly address their remarks to the Chair.