House of Commons Hansard #73 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was agreed.

Topics

FisheriesOral Question Period

2:50 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

John M. Cummins Canadian Alliance Delta—South Richmond, BC

Mr. Speaker, the lobster food fishery is a failed Liberal policy now rejected by the Department of Justice. There is no aboriginal right to a food fishery for lobster. If there were, this policy would be an abject failure because it fails to meet the supreme court's objective of reconciliation between aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities. Rather this food fishery leads to isolation and confrontation.

Who speaks for the government on a legal basis for the lobster food fishery? Is it the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans or the Minister of Justice?

FisheriesOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Vancouver South—Burnaby B.C.

Liberal

Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, the strategy which we laid out is supported by the government and supported by other parties in the House except the Alliance.

We have said right from day one that we would resolve this issue by negotiation. That was exactly what the supreme court said, that it should be resolved through negotiation.

That hon. member wants us to go to the courts and litigate. We do not want to litigate. We want to negotiate. The difference between the Alliance Party and us is that we want to build bridges through dialogue, through co-operation and through peaceful means, not divide Canadians as it wants to do.

Free Trade Area Of The AmericasOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade is still patting himself on the back about his supposed diplomatic success in Buenos Aires in getting the texts of the free trade area of the Americas negotiations made public.

Buenos Aires dates back some two months, and the Quebec City summit was six weeks ago now. Yet we are still waiting on those texts.

Unless he can provide us with the texts, can the minister explain to us what is going on?

Free Trade Area Of The AmericasOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, sometimes the more significant the political success, the more time organization takes. What I can assure you—

Free Trade Area Of The AmericasOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Bloc

Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Braggart.

Free Trade Area Of The AmericasOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew Liberal Papineau—Saint-Denis, QC

No, I am not a braggart, to use the vulgar language to which the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot is treating this House, as is his wont. He would have a hard time fitting into the international scene with a mouth like that on him.

I would like to tell the hon. member for Joliette that I would be extremely pleased to see the texts released as soon as possible. The FTAA secretariat tells us that they will be forthcoming within days, when the texts in all four languages are ready.

Free Trade Area Of The AmericasOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC

Mr. Speaker, we do not have much need of empty successes like that one. We still do not have the texts.

Does the minister realize that, at the rate things are going, the texts will be out of date before we get them? As long as people are still waiting, the public debate cannot take place.

Is the minister prepared to commit to providing all updates as they are made available? Is he prepared to commit to that?

Free Trade Area Of The AmericasOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government always respects its negotiating partners.

The reason for the great success of Canadian diplomacy throughout the world is precisely the respect Canada has for the partners with which it is involved. That is how international diplomacy works, respecting one's partners.

We too are impatient to see the texts made public, but we are going to respect Brazil and others, whose wish it is to have the texts available in all four languages. We are not going to be pushed into disrespecting our partners by any partisan impatience from the Bloc Quebecois.

Heritage CanadaOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Cheryl Gallant Canadian Alliance Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Mr. Speaker, yesterday during testimony on the marine parks bill, a member opposite from northern Ontario revealed that an appointee of the government staff advisory committee on Lake Superior was an agent for Donahue Corporation, which may net a windfall profit when the government buys land Donahue owns in the area for a marine park.

Will the government now do the right thing, withdraw the marine parks bill and launch a full inquiry into this questionable land deal?

Heritage CanadaOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Hamilton East Ontario

Liberal

Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage

Mr. Speaker, at my request about three weeks ago the hon. member in question has undertaken a process involving the director of the Lakehead University to ensure that the advisory capacity is full and open. I believe the hon. member is very happy with the process that has been established.

Heritage CanadaOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Cheryl Gallant Canadian Alliance Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Mr. Speaker, these are serious accusations that come from a member on the government side who told the Canadian heritage committee that his party did not want him in committee.

The chair of that committee refused to permit witnesses to be heard from the official opposition. Why is the government covering up what is really going on in the Department of Canadian Heritage?

Heritage CanadaOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Hamilton East Ontario

Liberal

Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage

Mr. Speaker, I already advised the hon. member that about a month ago I had a meeting with the hon. member in question. At his request we have appointed a special adviser to look into the whole issue. The adviser happens to be the chancellor at Lakehead University.

If the member has a problem with that, I think she should understand the chancellor at Lakehead University is above reproach and is establishing an open and transparent process.

For the marine conservation areas to work we need everyone on side. That is normal. Obviously that is not the case in the Reform Party.

Road TransportationOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Liberal

Serge Marcil Liberal Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC

Mr. Speaker, Canadians living in the greater Montreal area are going through hell every day in terms of access to the island of Montreal, because traffic is getting heavier every day.

According to available studies, over 2.3 million trucks per year are in transit on the island of Montreal, thus damaging the infrastructures and contributing to the increase in CO2 emissions.

According to the same studies, the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain bridges are the most heavily travelled in Canada. Moreover—

Road TransportationOral Question Period

3 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. Minister of Transport.

Road TransportationOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Don Valley East Ontario

Liberal

David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is examining on a priority basis the extension of highway 30, which impacts on bridges.

Transport Canada recently commissioned Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance Canada to help it determine how interested the private sector is in this project. As early as July 1, private contractors should be actively involved in the process.

Due diligence must be observed in checking estimates, basic assumptions and forecasts of traffic volume and revenues.

HealthOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Rob Merrifield Canadian Alliance Yellowhead, AB

Mr. Speaker, some Canadians are actively participating in the black market trade of human organs. As reported today, organ brokers are profiting from this trade on Canadian soil. They are recruiting desperate patients to pay thousands of dollars for live donors to go under the knife in overseas hospitals.

Will the federal government take action today to end this practice in Canada?

HealthOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Etobicoke Centre Ontario

Liberal

Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, I am sure there could be amendments to the criminal code that would deal with the issue of trafficking in organs. I am sure the Minister of Justice will speak to that at the appropriate time.

What the member should know is that in terms of the availability of organs in Canada for transplant, we recently opened in Edmonton a national headquarters for a national strategy to encourage organ donation by Canadians and to provide organs in Canada to those who need them so that such tragic practices do not occur.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

3 p.m.

The Speaker

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of The Honourable Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Power of the Republic of India.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

3 p.m.

The Speaker

I also draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Ben Ngubane, Minister of Arts, Science, Culture and Technology of the Republic of South Africa.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

3:05 p.m.

The Speaker

I also draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of a delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by Dr. Abdulaziz Al Fayez, head of the delegation and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Consultative Council, the Shura, of Saudi Arabia.

Presence In GalleryOral Question Period

3:05 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

June 6th, 2001 / 3:05 p.m.

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 eight petitions.

Committees Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Bill Graham Liberal Toronto Centre—Rosedale, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) the committee considered the issue of Canada's foreign policy objectives in south Caucasus and central Asia and has made recommendations for our future policy in this important but little understood region.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109 the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.