Debates of Sept. 28th, 2001

Pierre Elliott Trudeau

[Stan Keyes, Liberal, Hamilton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a true Canadian hero. One year ago today Canada lost Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Pierre Trudeau was an inspiration to an entire generation of Canadians. He gave us the courage to believe that we could be greater than we were. He dared us to dream.

Pierre Trudeau showed us that Canada was more than the sum of its parts; that to aspire toward a just society was a noble and worthy cause and that we really could all make a difference. His vision included all Canadians, whether from the east, west, Ontario, Quebec or from foreign shores. Indeed, many Canadians call this country home today because of him.

A year ago today Canadians shared their grief at the loss of a man who helped us to see not what we were, but what we could become.

Today I call on the House and on all Canadians to pay tribute by remembering the vision and the passion that Pierre Elliott Trudeau inspired in all of us.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle

[Loyola Hearn, Progressive Conservative, St. John's West, NL]

Mr. Speaker, tropical storm Gabrielle dumped 120 millimetres of rain on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland within a few hours. The result was severe flooding. Roads were washed away, sewers overflowed and houses and businesses flooded. The city of St. John's declared a state of emergency.

The province has established a disaster assistance committee to deal with those affected. Municipal and provincial affairs minister Oliver Langdon says he is certain Ottawa will come up with the lion's share of a flood aid package, but to date no word has been received on federal approval. What's the problem? Why is the government hesitating?

The province of Newfoundland, the city of St. John's, businesses and individuals particularly need assistance now. Why does the government not do something different for a change? Why does it not respond quickly to this situation?

Big Brothers and Big Sisters

[Alan Tonks, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, September is Big Brothers and Big Sisters Month.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada provides mentoring programs to children in more than 300 communities across this country. Most Canadians know at least one or two generous volunteers who give their time and energy to ensure that a young person has a role model to look up.

High school graduation rates among little brothers and little sisters are 20% higher than the national average. Right now there are over 10,000 young people matched with adults through this program.

I ask the House to join me in saluting the volunteers whose efforts make such a significant difference in the lives of so many of our young children in Canada.

Human Rights

[Maurice Vellacott, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government has been shamefully silent about the crimes against humanity being committed in Sudan by the brutal National Islamic Front regime.

Today the Ottawa Citizen indicates just how involved in international terrorism the Sudanese regime has been. It has used its embassy staff to raise funds for Osama bin Laden. It has given diplomatic credentials to bin Laden's followers so they can travel anywhere in the world. It has worked with bin Laden to manufacture chemical weapons for use on civilians. It has fostered close working relationships between bin Laden's followers and both Sudanese intelligence officers and high ranking Sudanese military officers. It has used its military officers, working with al-Qaeda members, to ship arms across the country of Sudan.

Also, CSIS documents say that for the past 10 years or more, bin Laden operatives have used Canada as a support base for terrorizing Americans. The CSIS report states that the group al-Jihad in Canada is part of a co-ordinated international al-Jihad effort aimed at pursuing a terrorist agenda.

The Canadian government should condemn the brutal Sudanese regime. It is shameful that the Liberal government is turning a blind eye.

Terrorism

[Grant Hill, Canadian Alliance, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the solicitor general has been loath to admit that there is a Canadian connection to international terrorism. Now we find that CSIS believes that al-Jihad has been operating in Canada in support of bin Laden and his terrorist efforts.

Will the solicitor general fess up to the fact that there is a Canadian connection?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said to my hon. colleague many times in the House, the web of terrorism reaches all democratic systems around the world. The fact is that there is no evidence of any direct link between Canada and the events of September 11.

[Grant Hill, Canadian Alliance, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a shame that Canadians had to read in their newspapers this morning that CSIS, the minister's own department, says that al-Jihad is operating here in Canada.

Why do they have to learn from their morning newspapers that there is a Canadian connection instead of from the minister who should really be the one to tell them that we have these sorts of problems?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I hope my hon. colleague is not just trying to create fear. What I said is absolutely correct. There is no evidence of a direct link between Canada and the events of September 11. Those are the facts.

All measures that need to be taken and all leads that need to be followed are followed by the RCMP and CSIS, and they are working with their counterparts in the U.S. to make sure that the people responsible for what took place on September 11 are brought to justice.

[Grant Hill, Canadian Alliance, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the briefing book says that and the minister keeps saying it but CSIS says something different.

It has been 18 days since this terrible act of terrorism and there has been no action on anti-terrorism legislation, no action on air marshals and no action on tightening up our deportation system.

What will it take for the government to really take some action?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, this country has taken a lot of action with our security intelligence agency and the RCMP. We have taken steps to strengthen our border and to fight terrorism fundraising.

We have also indicated quite clearly that any steps that need to be taken to improve legislation will be taken.

Immigration

[Lynne Yelich, Canadian Alliance, Blackstrap, SK]

Mr. Speaker, immigration officials have lost track of 27,000 people who were supposed to be deported. It is almost the equivalent to the population of cities like Brandon or Charlottetown. It is the whole population of Nunavut.

When will the minister put the resources into enforcement so that we do not lose track of another 27,000 deportees?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's assertion that these people have vanished into thin air is just simply false.

We know that people leave the country. We do not check them as they leave. We know that others are deported, and last year we had the highest number ever with well over 8,600 people who were deported.

Our number one priority for deportation is criminals. Last year 1,700 were criminals but of the others, 5,700 were failed refugee claimants.

[Lynne Yelich, Canadian Alliance, Blackstrap, SK]

Mr. Speaker, immigration officials are saying that the deportees would have a difficult time living in Canada without identification, yet we have seen reports this week about how easy it is to forge identification documents.

When will the security of Canadians be a priority for the minister?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, by innuendo the member is suggesting that failed refugee claimants pose a security threat. That is false. All failed refugee claimants have had security screening. We will move as quickly as we can.

I say to the member opposite that it was not long ago that she was standing in the House making a statement urging me to allow failed refugee claimants to remain in Canada.

The Economy

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to Desjardins' economist Joëlle Noreau, 10,000 jobs will be lost in the region of Montreal alone as a result of the September 11 attacks.

In light of the global economic dowturn, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve in the U.S., is considering investing $100 billion, while the Quebec government announced that it will speed up its investments to promote economic recovery.

At a time when other governments are taking action, what is the federal government waiting for to take measures to restore confidence?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, first, last week, the Governor of the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates by 50 basis points. This is a very substantial reduction that will certainly help our economy throughout the country.

At the same time, the government has taken measures, including the infrastructure program and amendments and improvements to the employment insurance program, to help Canada's unemployed and those who do need help at this time.

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is referring to the situation as it existed before the events of September 11, but things have since changed.

The measures that he announced in his minibudget of last fall are no longer adequate. The economy just took a nosedive, while the government is enjoying a $10 billion surplus.

When will the government realize that the new economic situation requires immediate new measures? When will the government finally decide to act?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I regret but I must correct the hon. member. The 50 basis point reduction in the Bank of Canada rate occurred last week, that is after the September 11 events.

At the same time, the measures that were put in place continue to work. The tax cuts continue to provide in excess of $17 billion to the Canadian economy, and the infrastructure program remains in effect.

In fact, we would really appreciate it if the Province of Quebec were to co-operate with the Minister of National Revenue and with the President of the Treasury Board to truly speed up the whole process.

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in his speech to Liberal backers, the Prime Minister asked Canadians to travel, buy cars and sign mortgages.

But the government is refusing to act in a manner that will help restore the confidence essential to economic recovery.

Does the Minister of Finance realize that the key to economic recovery is confidence and that the government has a role to play in restoring that confidence?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the confidence of consumers is paramount, and this confidence is tied directly to the fiscal integrity of their country.

The fact that the country has put its fiscal house in order, that it has eliminated the deficit, and wishes to maintain that position, the fact that the government is showing fundamental discipline, as other governments are doing, is crucial to consumer confidence.

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, restoring confidence will take more than words; it will take action. The U.S. government is taking action; the Quebec government is taking action, the French government has just announced measures.

What additional specific action does the federal government intend to take in the coming days to help boost the economy?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if the Government of Quebec wants to boost confidence, I would suggest that it stop talking about a recession.

International Aid

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. The United Nations yesterday said that one million people in Afghanistan may die of starvation by the end of the year unless they receive emergency aid. The United Nations has also called upon the world community to come up with an aid package of $875 million.

Could the Minister of Finance tell the House what Canada will contribute to this emergency aid package? So far all we have committed to is $1 million, which is a paltry sum in terms of what is needed to help with this great emergency.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has always been there in emergency situations across the world. As the member mentioned, last week the Minister for International Cooperation announced a $1 million aid package to the United Nations in response to their $6 million request.

Our funds helped kick-start the operation that he is now talking about. The alert is a worst case scenario. Obviously the UN has to prepare and so do countries, and Canada will be there.

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary is for the acting prime minister. Maybe that will get the Minister of Finance on his feet.

Lloyd Axworthy, a former cabinet minister, has said that Canada should take a lead in a major diplomatic offensive to organize humanitarian aid for this crisis in the world.

Will the acting prime minister take the lead of Lloyd Axworthy and will Canada lead a major diplomatic initiative to organize humanitarian aid in Afghanistan? What is our position? What are we doing to take this leadership role? Could the Minister of Finance answer that question?