Debates of Sept. 27th, 2001

Terrorism

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to acknowledge the Prime Minister's invitation to opposition members to accompany him on a visit to New York City on Saturday. We appreciate that.

The RCMP has now confirmed that Nabil Al-Marabh, who was recently arrested by the FBI in Chicago, is the same man who was actually released on bail by Immigration Canada in July.

Last night the RCMP raided four Toronto locations, including Al-Marabh's former apartment. It was looking for evidence that may be related to the September 11 attacks in the United States. Now there are further news reports just today that a bin Laden associate in London says that there are, as he calls them, sleeper agents in Canada.

Two weeks ago the Prime Minister was quick to say there was no Canadian connection to the attacks. Will the Prime Minister now admit that there may well be some Canadian connection?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the web of terrorism reaches into every country around the globe. It is a global problem.

What I would like to do now is pay tribute to the men and women who work for CSIS and the RCMP, who work day and night with their American counterparts to make sure that the people who are responsible for those events in New York and Washington are brought to justice.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we consistently acknowledge the personnel in our security agencies. We think the government should too with the resources and the policies to act.

A few days ago the attorney general warned that the Canadian border was porous as he said, and that Canada had become, as he said, a transit point for several individuals involved with terrorism. Yesterday Senator Hillary Clinton said that the United States needs to ask “our friends in the north to crack down on some of the false documents and the illegals getting in”.

When will the Prime Minister move to quickly defend our people and our trade relations with the United States and send out the message that Canada is not a haven for bogus applicants and bogus refugee status?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on this because in my meeting with Secretary of State Powell on Friday and many other exchanges at a ministerial level and an official level between our governments over the last two weeks, we have repeatedly asked the question whether there was any evidence that any of those suspected in the events of September 11 entered the United States through Canada or had substantial connections with Canada. They have repeatedly assured us that they have no such information. If the Alliance party has different information, it should make it public.

I also want to make very clear that what we have endeavoured to do in all of our communications is to ensure that we satisfy both them and our own population of the security of--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I will leave it to the minister to question the U.S. attorney general and U.S. senator to see if their comments are accurate or not.

Ahmed Ressam and Nabil Al-Marabh both made unsuccessful refugee claims. They were not deported, however, and they created false identities for themselves. The Americans were the ones to finally apprehend them as they tried to enter the U.S. illegally.

How can the government explain that it did nothing for the year and a half between Ressam's arrest and the tragedy that has taken place in the United States?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that CSIS and the RCMP work with all the other agencies around the world. The fact of the matter is Ressam was picked up at the border and the co-operation of our security intelligence agencies, as the U.S. indicated, was a great help in the prosecution. The man was arrested and is now in jail in the United States where he should be.

[Kevin Sorenson, Canadian Alliance, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Nabil Al-Marabh had a Michigan driver's licence to transport hazardous material. How did he get that licence? He got it by using his Canadian driver's licence for identification.

CSIS and the RCMP are now investigating crop dusting companies which were approached by suspicious individuals asking detailed questions about crop dusting aircraft. Hazardous material trucks and crop dusters are able to deliver chemical or biological weapons.

Will the solicitor general confirm, were chemical or biological attacks either planned against Canada or from Canada?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, would my hon. colleague expect me to announce that information to the world?

We have a security intelligence agency and the RCMP which work in this country and they do follow leads. What they do not do is publish what evidence they have found. That is not for the public. What we must do is make sure that we support our security intelligence agencies.

[Kevin Sorenson, Canadian Alliance, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is not compromising our security to warn Canadians about possible terrorist attacks. Despite the ongoing investigation, the United States government has continued to warn its citizens when there are possible terrorism threats. For example, it warned them against crop dusters. It warned them against the potential attack in Boston.

Does the minister not know that it is the duty of the government and the solicitor general to warn Canadians of specific or potential terrorist attacks?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians need is reasoned and effective action. In fact, that is what they are getting from this government and they will continue to get that from this government.

We have the security intelligence agency. We have the RCMP. We do provide security. We are one of the safest countries in the world and we will continue to be.

The Economy

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance said that large federal investments would be ineffective against the economic slowdown, which has been worsening since the September 11 attacks. When the Prime Minister tells us that we must act with patience and wisdom, this does not mean inaction and a laissez-faire approach.

Given the thousands of job losses, particularly in Quebec, how can the Minister of Finance, with his $10 billion surplus, continue to be so insensitive and refuse to step in to help the economy?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois should know that only this year we put over $17 billion into the economy in the form of tax breaks.

This is a lot more help than anything the American government has given. At the same time, we have announced massive spending for health, education and provincial transfers. Again, this is a boost to the economy. So far, this is what has helped Canada weather the storm.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance has told us is nonsense. He is surely not going to tell me that he saw this coming when he brought down his mini budget last year, and, if he did, he could have said so. His logic does not hold.

It takes a plan. It takes action, now and without delay. What is he going to say to workers who are losing their jobs at GM, Pratt & Whitney, Air Transat, Air Canada and Bombardier? What is he going to say to them? That he was thinking last year about things that he did not know in advance? It is going to take more than that. Is he going to do anything?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that Quebec is having a rough time economically right now. In some sectors, obviously, people think that the transportation industry is the cause and that this is therefore essentially a temporary situation. In other sectors, such as in the case of GM, in Boisbriand, comes to mind, the Canadian government has been present and will continue to be present. We were the first to back the support committee.

I spoke with my provincial counterpart yesterday. I also spoke with another minister from Quebec this morning, and I have spoken with representatives of the support committee. A meeting is scheduled for next week. A strategy is already in the works, but we are certainly not going to sit idly by. We will ensure that we can try to hold on to the assembly division and go after part of the new--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe--Bagot.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance's approach is paradoxical. He did not hesitate to bring in a mini budget last fall, knowing that the elections were coming soon, but now when thousands are being affected by layoffs, he does nothing.

Is the minister going to acknowledge that the situation currently being experienced by thousands of unemployed persons requires him to produce an emergency plan to deal with the present crisis with as much haste as he demonstrated prior to the election call?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue and Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said on a number of occasions, it is obvious that in certain sectors the situation is a difficult one. I do, however, believe that there are enormous possibilities for the future, and that the future is bright for Quebec and for Canada.

One need only look at what this government has done since 1993, such as putting public finances in order and creating good and appropriate programs.

I was recently in the United States in connection with certain particular sectors and they acknowledge that we now have a modern society that is focussed on the new economy and that we have a quality workforce.

Working with those workers, with industry, with the other levels of government, we are going to be in a good position with the new sectors of the future and we will navigate through this temporary storm.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, he should try those technocratic explanations on for size with the thousands who lost their jobs yesterday.

Do I need to remind the Minister of Finance that, in the first four months of this year along, $10 billion in surplus has built up?

[An hon. member]

He is hiding.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

I wonder if he can show some originality for once, some leadership and some intelligence, and speed up some programs, for instance getting the infrastructure program into gear, improving the EI program and taking some other original steps, if he has any originality in him, to deal with the crisis and to help out the thousands of families faced with the massive layoffs announced in the past few days.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, once again, in connection with the employment insurance program, the government has made some fundamental changes which will help the workers of Quebec.

As for the infrastructure program, let the hon. member tell the PQ that it will have to do business with us, as we are going to implement the infrastructure program.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, Oh!

[Paul Martin, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

It is not working because of the Bloc and the PQ. But we are going to do it.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, Oh!