House of Commons Hansard #17 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was appointments.
Brian Pallister Canadian Alliance Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable. Let us look at the facts. It cost $44 million to build a brand new separate reserve 10 miles away from a town that has underutilized infrastructure, a half empty hospital, a big half empty school and where we can buy a three bedroom house for $6,000, not $600,000.
Natives and non-natives have lived together in Lynn Lake for over 30 years. Could the minister explain what he is trying to accomplish by separating them now?
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, if the member is suggesting that he has changed the policy of the Alliance Party by agreeing to urban reserves, I am quite intrigued by that because so far that party has opposed every urban reserve creation that the government has attempted.
Judy Sgro Liberal York West, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Health.
Today I and other members of the House met with a very special group of people. We met with children who live with type 1 diabetes.
We were all touched with how these beautiful children cope with this disease. They and their parents are here to tell members of Parliament that the government should invest more resources on type 1 diabetes. Over 200,000 Canadians suffer from type 1 diabetes.
Would the Minister of Health please tell the House what the government is doing to deal with a serious disease that affects many children?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, first, let me acknowledge the very brave and courageous young people who are here today with their families. They unfortunately just had to leave the gallery.
I also want to thank members from all sides of the House who met with these young people today and who brought their courageous stories to each one of us, in terms of the struggle they face in living with type 1 diabetes. Their purpose here today is to make us all aware of the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. There is no cure for type 1 diabetes, from which these people suffer, and it is not preventable. That is why the Government of Canada is spending millions of dollars on research--
Vic Toews Canadian Alliance Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, last Sunday in Toronto a gunman opened fire in crowds, killing four men and wounding five others in less than 90 minutes. Violent gun crimes continue to escalate across Canada.
When will the government admit that the $1 billion wasted on the gun registry could have been better spent by putting more police officers on the street and more criminals behind bars?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the gun registration system, I disagree strongly with the member of Parliament. We have said many times, on this side of the House, that we will keep fighting for a strong and secure society. The policy that we put in place is all about that.
When we look at the two stages, the licensing process is over and the registration is underway and will end at the beginning of the next year. It is going very well. When we look at the statistics and the polls, they show that we have a safer and more secure society. We will keep working for that.
Vic Toews Canadian Alliance Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, violent crime continues to rise. The murder rate is down only because of timely medical intervention. In Toronto, in 1998, 23% of the murders involved firearms. By last year, the number of murders caused by firearms in Toronto had more than doubled to 52%.
Why does the government continue to strip police of resources, while pumping money into an ineffective gun registry that does not reduce violent crime or keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, first, when we look at the previous registration system compared to the existing registration system, the level of cancellation with regard to the refusal of the demand has increased by something like 50%.
Second, we live in a global marketplace and a global economy. We live in a society where we must ensure that we provide people with a safe society. If we compare Canada with the United States, the crime rate--
Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, a forestry worker from Pohenegamook, in Témiscouata, has gone to jail for neglecting to declare a gas purchase made at the U.S border. He is liable to be in until Christmas, and the people back home are concerned.
Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs plan to step up his pressure on the U.S. authorities in order to ensure that Michel Jalbert receives fair treatment in this matter?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we have obviously requested diplomatic access to this person. It is a most unfortunate incident. The American authorities are, of course, free to do whatever they feel is necessary to ensure security on their territory. Naturally, we always defend the interests of Canadians, and we will do so in this case also as we do in all cases involving Canadians in the United States.
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Mr. Speaker, the OECD recently completed a comprehensive review of Canada's regulatory system. The title of the report, “Regulatory Reform in Canada: Maintaining Leadership through Innovation”, suggests that the OECD's assessment was very positive.
Could the government House leader tell us how Canada's regulatory system measures up, according to the OECD.
Don Boudria LiberalMinister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, each year the OECD releases reports reviewing member countries and their ability to provide high quality regulation. This year Canada was acknowledged as not just a regulatory reform pioneer, and we all know that, but more important, “a consistent leader and vigorous innovator in regulatory reform”. With the Prime Minister's smart regulation agenda, it will get even better.
Jim Pankiw Canadian Alliance Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Mr. Speaker, the government is wasting $44 million to move a small band of Indians from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, where they already live, and build a brand new town for them just down the road. It should be noted for the record that the NDP member for Churchill, whose riding encompasses that area, has publicly indicated support and has endorsed this outrageous waste of money.
Why waste $44 million to build a brand new Indian only town just because the band does not like its current non-Indian neighbours?
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate and I can understand why even the Alliance does not want that member in its caucus. The facts are these. Over the last number of years we have attempted that process, as the members have asked today, of whether this first nation and the community members, the non-native members of Lynn Lake, would want to look at an urban reserve creation. There was no agreement of that process so we had to move on with the other alternative, which is to build a community down the road.
Jay Hill Canadian Alliance Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, during the Thanksgiving break I was helping my brother harvest his canola crop in the Peace River region of our riding. Unfortunately he, like many other farmers, cannot deliver his grain to the local elevator because it is full, due to the lockout at the port of Vancouver.
This labour dispute leaves those farmers fortunate enough to have a crop unable to continue harvesting. Grain stopped moving through Vancouver on August 25. Will the Minister of Labour intercede today on behalf of farmers and impose final offer selection arbitration to end this lockout?
Gurbax Malhi LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, there is no provision in the Canadian Labour Code which would force parties to use final offer selection to settle a dispute. However the parties to a labour dispute may voluntarily agree to use final offer selection or any other form of binding arbitration. Final offer selection does not work effectively when there are complex issues in disputes such as work rules or job security.
Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral Bloc Laval Centre, QC
Mr. Speaker, from 1885 to 1923, newcomers from China had to pay $23 million in head taxes to get into Canada.
The federal government then used this cheap labour to build its railway system. Today, about 100 protesters representing Chinese communities from Quebec and Canada are in Ottawa to condemn this injustice.
Will the Minister of Immigration pledge to recognize this mistake and repair the injustices done to these communities?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, we will be meeting at 3 p.m. with that group. We hope to have a discussion on reconciliation as regards these historical events that truly hurt all Canadians.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I wish to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Georges Rawiri, President of the Senate in the Gabonese Republic and his delegation.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
The Chair received notice that there would be further submissions in respect of a question of privilege raised the other day by the hon. member for Renfrew--Nipissing--Pembroke, from the Minister of National Defence.
John McCallum LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I wish to make the following statement in response to the hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke on a question of privilege that she raised yesterday in the House.
The hon. member raised a question of privilege in relation to a response provided by the parliamentary secretary for national defence on the future of the Emergency Preparedness College in Arnprior, Ontario.
This statement is intended to provide clarification on this issue.
The hon. member stated yesterday:
--either the department offered false information to the parliamentary secretary, who inadvertently offered false information to the House, or the department advised the parliamentary secretary of the decision, in which case the charge of contempt should be laid against the member.
The parliamentary secretary for national defence provided an accurate response to the hon. member on Friday, October 25 based on advice provided to him by the Department of National Defence. In his response the parliamentary secretary for national defence stated the following:
--the Canadian Emergency Preparedness College is expanding its training program. The December budget allocated significant funds for this purpose. Much work has been done, but no final decision has yet been made. We are considering all possible options.
Let me clear, Mr. Speaker. The decision on the future of Emergency Preparedness College has yet to be made. I ultimately must direct the Department of National Defence, through the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness, to choose the location to permit the expansion of the college.
I recognize that departmental officials are presently recommending to my office and officials of the department of public works that the college be relocated based on an options analysis and business case that has been completed.
I had an opportunity to discuss this issue with my associate deputy minister responsible for advising me on this issue yesterday. I have directed my officials to contact and meet with local representatives in the Arnprior area as soon as possible to discuss the department's recommendations for the college. My understanding is that this meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 30.
After being informed of the department's recommendations, I intend to wait for this meeting to be held with local representatives before making a final decision on the future of the college. It is however my intention to make a decision shortly.
In summary, the parliamentary secretary for national defence responded accurately and appropriately to the hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke on Friday, October 25.
John O'Reilly LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I of course was unavoidably absent from the House yesterday when the statement was made in Hansard that I deliberately misled the House. I find it unfortunate that the member would stoop that low when in fact the high road could have been taken.
My response was quite clear that with the new security environment, the Canadian Emergency Preparedness College would be expanding its training program and that a final decision had not been made yet. That was my answer, it is my answer today and it would have been my answer at any other time.
I wonder why the member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, who has never mentioned and never asked the question in the House before about the college, now finds it her job to bring my reputation into dispute over some frivolous thing for which she has not cared. I would ask that she withdraw it, Mr. Speaker.