House of Commons Hansard #12 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cpp.
Claudette Bradshaw LiberalMinister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we believe in collective bargaining. Collective bargaining means the employees and the employers solve their own problems without our interference. I am pleased to say that the parties agreed to resume direct negotiations on October 21.
Lynne Yelich Canadian Alliance Blackstrap, SK
Mr. Speaker, it is not working. The grain and oilseed sector of the farm economy has been decimated. Grain shipments have been halted. Canadian producers cannot withstand the loss of confidence in some of their major international buyers when the supply of grain is interrupted.
Why is the government willing to risk losing our valuable international customers?
Claudette Bradshaw LiberalMinister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, we made sure that the grain would be able to be exported. Prince Rupert was open for that. We worked very closely with both parties to ensure that would happen.
Again, on this side of the House we believe in collective agreements. We believe that is the way to go and we will continue to believe that.
Alan Tonks Liberal York South—Weston, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the government House leader.
Yesterday in a curious manoeuvre the Canadian Alliance denied unanimous consent to have all standing committees up and running by refusing to concur in the report to establish membership.
Can the minister tell the House and all Canadians when the standing committees will finally be able to get on with the work of the House of Commons for all Canadians?
Don Boudria LiberalMinister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that four of the five parties in the House of Commons are trying to get some work done around here.
One party refuses to hear about national defence issues. It refuses to talk about the environment which it pretends is so important. It refuses to talk about health. It refuses to talk about natural resources. We can only conclude that it would prefer to stay home and do nothing.
Andy Burton Canadian Alliance Skeena, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Kitkatla Indian band in my riding of Skeena currently owes School District 52 well over half a million dollars for educational services provided to its band members. The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs provides funding to Indian bands to meet their education agreements. Yet the minister's officials refuse to force this band to pay its debt to the school district saying that it is not a matter in which INAC will be involving itself.
Why will the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development not step in and demand accountability for taxpayer dollars in this case?
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I think the member would agree with me that accountability is a two-way street. One of the issues that is being debated between the public school board and the first nation is the curriculum and the issues dealing with the children themselves. That is an issue that should be resolved between the school board and the band. That is the way we will build the relationship in this country.
Andy Burton Canadian Alliance Skeena, BC
Mr. Speaker, regardless of that, the onus is on the minister and his department to resolve these issues. Federal moneys transferred to Indian bands must be accounted for. The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled that INAC must ensure that Indian bands use their federal funding for its intended purposes.
Why will the minister not abide by the B.C. Supreme Court ruling, recover the funds sent to the board, and send the moneys directly to the school district?
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I can account for every nickel that particular band has spent on education, but that is not the issue. What the member is trying to do is confuse the real issue. The real issue is that there is a dispute between that school board and that band on education issues and it should be resolved at that level.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, in the announcement he made during the summer of 2002 on the investment in the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick, the Prime Minister said that highway 185 could wait one year, two years, five years.
Since that statement was made, five more people have been killed on highway 185, a highway that has already claimed 90 lives over the past 10 years.
Today, what does the Prime Minister have to say to Mrs. L'Italien, her daughter and the parents of the other victims, who have come to Ottawa to ask him to announce as soon as possible how much the federal government will invest to stop the deaths on highway 185?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, there is funding for this highway as part of the funding for the national highway infrastructure, that is the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program. Unfortunately, the Government of Quebec did not sign the agreement with the federal government, but we will carry on the discussions. However, there is funding, and I hope this project will soon be completed.
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
Mr. Speaker, I was so intrigued by the beginnings of a response by the Minister of the Environment that I fear I must push him hard on this point.
Is it or is it not true that the budget of the Department of the Environment has been cut by 40% as suggested in the recent report of the commissioner on the environment?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, that is the best question I have had today.
I would like to point out that in fact an error was made in the calculations and they did not take into account, in calculating this 40% drop in income to Environment Canada, the fact that Heritage Canada took over the National Battlefields Commission and also Parks Canada. Thus the difference in figures between 1992-93 and 2000-01 is 6%, not 40%.
Jim Pankiw Canadian Alliance Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Mr. Speaker, employment insurance premiums are 25% more than what the EI fund actually requires. This overcontribution from employers and employees amounts to a whopping $5 billion each year. As a result, the total amount of money taken by this annual rip-off will reach $46 billion this year.
Does the government plan to ever repay the money that has been unfairly confiscated from the paycheques of hardworking taxpayers and businesses?
John Manley LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will know that the issue of determining the level at which premiums should be charged has been dealt with in the House and recommendations have been made by the finance committee in the past. I am currently reviewing the situation, which he knows is in effect for this year, but changes in the method will have to be contemplated for a permanent solution.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, on the west coast of British Columbia on the Adams River a crisis is going on with the surplus of sockeye salmon going up. The reality is that 1,500 commercial fishermen and their boathands were denied access to their livelihood, to catch those salmon when they were out on the ocean. That represents a loss of $150 million to the B.C. and Canadian economy.
Will the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans now call an inquiry to make sure this type of incident never happens again?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, this would be the first time we have had to ask for an inquiry because of too many fish.
Sockeye salmon is a difficult species to manage because it intermingles with a bunch of other species. There was a high mortality rate in the last few years in river reef-spawning. I am very happy that did not happen this year. We are doing a post-season analysis to see if we can improve our management practices. However I cannot take responsibility for this. The Minister of the Environment is to blame. It was under his direction as the former minister of fisheries that he made the difficult decisions in 1998 which resulted in too many fish today.
Rex Barnes Progressive Conservative Gander—Grand Falls, NL
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport is allowing the sale of 11 models of Cosco infant car seats that are improperly manufactured.
The minister has been aware of the danger posed to children's necks and backs for nearly three months. His own officials have stated that the models do not comply with Transport Canada regulations. Parents are still buying this defective product from major retailers. There are no repair kits and no warnings of the danger. The parliamentary secretary promised to rectify this situation.
Will the minister direct his officials today to take the necessary steps to have this product removed from the shelves?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the manufacturer and my department have thoroughly investigated this particular matter and the evidence does not indicate the presence of a safety related defect. The seat will increase the child's safety in the event of a collision. It was a highly technical response but I am glad to give it and put the hon. member's concerns to rest.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I wish to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Uthai Pimjaichon, Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Thailand and his delegation.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I also wish to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of Mr. Elwin Hermanson, Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Legislature of the Province of Saskatchewan.
The House resumed from October 11 consideration of the motion for an address to Her Excellency the Governor General in reply to her speech at the opening of the session.
Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne
The Speaker
It being 3 p.m., pursuant to the order made on Friday, October 11, 2002, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion on the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.
Call in the members.
(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)