House of Commons Hansard #72 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pay.
Vic Toews Canadian Alliance Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are disturbed by the Liberal partisan politics behind Bill C-15. Debates about the sexual exploitation of children and the treatment of animals should not be lumped together.
Why will the minister not rise above partisan politics and work with the opposition to protect our children?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I guess there is one thing we could say, and that is the official opposition is expert when it comes to splitting or dividing.
As I have said on any number of occasions in the House, we are ready to move on Bill C-15. Bill C-15 deals with major amendments to the criminal code. Many of these amendments have been before the House for months. It is unconscionable that those people are playing petty politics with this legislation.
Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski-Neigette-Et-La Mitis, QC
Mr. Speaker, ever since we started asking him questions on cheese stick imports, the Minister for International Trade has been telling us that the reason we have to import such volumes is to meet domestic demand.
How can the minister make such a statement when we know that there is an overproduction of cheese sticks in Canada and that producers are perfectly capable of meeting domestic demand?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, allow me to clarify this issue once again. There has been no restriction on imports and exports of breaded cheese sticks for 20 years.
We have always refrained from imposing such controls, because this dairy product has more bread crumbs than cheese. If we subject this product to our supply management system, it could create quite a problem for us, since such a measure could be challenged by the United States. This is an irresponsible option, in my opinion. Our approach is to reopen the U.S. market and to go back to the situation that has existed for 20 years.
Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski-Neigette-Et-La Mitis, QC
Mr. Speaker, this truly takes the cake. It sounds like the minister is not even aware that an agreement was signed by his government in 1995. It is as if he ignores that.
The Americans, for their part, have been prohibiting access to their market since 1999 to foreign cheese sticks and they respect the quotas that they have agreed on, something Canada is not doing.
How does the minister explain that he delivers discretionary import permits to let American cheese imports in Canada, while the Americans refuse to let Canadian cheese cross their border?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, the arguments of the Bloc Quebecois and of the hon. member for Rimouski—Neigette-et-la Mitis are improving.
The hon. member is absolutely right when she says that the problem is due to the fact that the United States blocked Canadian cheese imports. It is the first time the Bloc Quebecois recognizes that the fact that the Americans stopped importing Canadian cheese poses a problem for us.
I see the comment made by the Bloc Quebecois member as a show of support to the Canadian policy, which seeks to reopen the American market. I have cautioned the U.S. administration to reopen its market, otherwise there will no longer be import quotas for cheese as of September 1.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, Alberta farmers are facing severe drought conditions which have not been experienced since the 1930s. Livestock cannot be pastured because of a lack of grass, and now they cannot be pastured because the water wells and the dugouts lack water.
The only thing drier than the water wells and the dugouts is the funding that is available through the PFRA. The PFRA ran out of money four days after the renewal of this year's budget.
Will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food immediately request additional funding through the PFRA for western Canadian farmers to help them deal with these extreme drought conditions?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the very severe drought situation in southern Alberta and other parts of western Canada. We are certainly pleased that some rain did fall on much of that area yesterday, and we hope that it continues.
The PFRA allocates a sum of money each year to assist in dugouts and wells, et cetera. Yes, the applications were high for that this year and that money has been allocated for this year.
I remind the hon. member that in the reallocation of safety nets last year the province of Alberta received an additional $34 million and then $126 million this week as its part of the $500 million to assist in that.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, an overnight rain will not fill most of the dugouts that are parched and dry. In regard to water supply for livestock, PFRA supports community or group projects, but individual farmer and rancher projects will only be considered depending on the availability of funds.
This is cold comfort to people like Dale Fagin of Hardisty and Dale Bousquet of Consort who have repeatedly been denied assistance to drill water wells for their livestock. I ask the minister of livestock if he will immediately request additional assistance for the PFRA and ensure the funding goes to farmers—
AgricultureOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that I am minister of more than livestock. I will inform him again that the PFRA does have its budget. It will allocate it to the best of its ability for the number of areas that have requested a desire for support.
I also remind the hon. member that since March 2000 the province of Alberta has received $160 million more in two additional contributions above and beyond its regular contributions to safety net or companion programs that can be directed as it wishes.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of National Revenue opened the first world conference on tax administrations in an electronic world.
Would the minister elaborate on the goals of this very important conference?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her excellent question.
I am proud to report to the House that Canada has shown leadership in this area. It is now hosting the first conference of tax administrations from 103 countries, a conference which will deal with the impact of the electronic world on the tax sector.
Over 250 delegates have gathered in Montreal. The goal is to improve co-operation, to ensure protection of the tax base, and to better serve all taxpayers.
Betty Hinton Canadian Alliance Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC
Mr. Speaker, we have just received a document under access to information that shows the government knew about financial irregularities at Manitoba's Sagkeeng Solvent Abuse Treatment Centre six years ago.
A 1995 Health Canada audit found over $47,000 in unsupported expenditures by the centre, which even included a $25,000 claim to lease a vehicle.
In spite of these obvious irregularities in the audit, the health minister's department continued to support and even increased funding for the centre for six more years. Why?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, steps were taken after that information came to light.
I would like the member to know that when it became clear last fall that money was being used to fund cruises, for example, we shut the funding down. We stopped transferring money. We sent in the auditors. When the centre did not co-operate, we went to court and insisted that every document was to be protected. We will make sure that every nickel of public funding is accounted for to the public.
Betty Hinton Canadian Alliance Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC
Mr. Speaker, it still took six years. When someone pushes on a door and there is no resistance, they keep pushing.
Health Canada's resistance was so insignificant that the treatment centre's directors pushed their way right into trips to Las Vegas, New Zealand, Hawaii and the now famous Caribbean cruise that so embarrassed this Liberal government.
Why was there no resistance to these obvious Health Canada policy violations for six years?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely wrong. The record shows that Health Canada responded to each one of those audits. In the final analysis, when we were not satisfied that public funds were being properly used, we shut the centre down. That is exactly the kind of response Canadians want to see from a responsible government.
Antoine Dubé Bloc Lévis-Et-Chutes-De-La-Chaudière, QC
Mr. Speaker, recently, members of the Canadian association of shipyard owners and the union coalition met with either the Minister of Industry or Liberal members to discuss the report by the committee set up by the minister on October 20 of last year. The Minister of Industry has just told us that this report has been submitted to cabinet.
Will the minister agree today to release his policy to the public before the end of the session?
Brian Tobin LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all members on this side of the House, I want to thank the member for acknowledging the hard work that each and every one of the regional caucuses on this side of the House are doing in meeting shipyard workers, meeting private sector players and working hard to build a competitive shipbuilding policy for Canada.
One of the great frustrations being on this side of the House is that the hard work being done by members on these benches is not always acknowledged. I thank the member for that acknowledgement today.
Presence In GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of members of the Parliamentary Service Commission for the National Assembly of Kenya, led by the Hon. Peter Oloo Aringo.
Rob Anders Canadian Alliance Calgary West, AB
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to seek the unanimous consent of the House to withdraw the order passed on Monday, June 4 pursuant to Standing Order 56(1) by the hon. government House leader forcing a fast track and all stage guillotine on Bill C-28.