Debates of Nov. 1st, 2002

Grain Transportation

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is timely because I met with the coalition yesterday. We had a very fruitful meeting. We explored all the options. I would hope in the coming months as we outline the transportation blueprint and introduce amendments to the Canada Transportation Act we could also deal with the issue of the disposition of these hopper cars.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, a politically motivated group is again backing anti-Wheat Board candidates and thumbing its nose at rules and regulations to ensure free and fair elections. By refusing to register as a third party, this group is funnelling money from grain companies and railroads to fund anti-Wheat Board candidates without disclosing from where that money is coming.

It is a repeat actually of what happened the last time there were Canadian Wheat Board elections. Would the minister responsible please explain why the government refuses to take the steps necessary to ensure that Canadian Wheat Board elections are conducted fairly, honestly and in compliance with the law?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, there is a procedure in place to ensure just that. If there are violations of the rules, those violations can be investigated and the appropriate steps can be taken. If there are facts that are being alleged here that should be drawn to the attention of either me under the law or the election coordinator, I would welcome that information and the appropriate adjudication will take place.

Government Contracts

[Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Roger Farley, a senior government official, stands by his word that the present minister of immigration intervened on behalf of a $500,000 contract for Groupe Everest in 2000. The minister of course says it is totally false.

The partisan minister and the non-partisan official cannot both be right. If the Deputy Prime Minister takes the word of the minister over that of the official, what steps are being taken to reprimand the official? If he believes the official over the minister, what steps are being taken to investigate the actions of the present minister of immigration?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I should remind the right hon. gentleman of the procedure.

Where a department wishes to have a certain service provided with a firm to be selected from a pre-qualified list, that department sends the requisition to the Department of Public Works and it is officials within the Department of Public Works that make the decisions.

The minister or the officials within the other department may have opinions or advice to offer, but the fact of the matter is the decision does not rest with them. The decision rests with the officials in the Department of Public Works.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Fisheries and Oceans real property management leased Atlantic Pacific Fish Trading Limited space on the Willow Cove wharf in Port Mouton. The minister's department later backed out on this lease stating that Atlantic Pacific's method of unloading fish was polluting the harbour. The method the department banned was the use of a herring pump. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of herring pumps in Atlantic Canada.

Does the minister intend to ban the use of all herring pumps in Atlantic Canada, or was his decision specifically for Atlantic Pacific Fish Trading Limited to get it off the wharf?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the question that the hon. member asked is relatively specific. The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is not able to be in the House today but on behalf of the hon. member, I will make sure that the minister responds to the specifics of his question as soon as possible.

Health

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the health minister wants to spend five years and $15 million just to study obesity in this country but we already know what poor diet and inactivity do. How much of that $15 million is actually going to help kids today?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is aware, obesity is becoming a major challenge for the health and health care systems in nations, not only developed nations but third world and developing nations. It is very interesting that in the United States the Surgeon General has described obesity as a crisis. The WHO has described it as an epidemic. We know that obesity rates are growing in this country.

I would suggest that if the hon. member has some magic bullet that the WHO does not have, the Surgeon General does not have and we do not have, he might like to share it with all the health care researchers and health care professionals in this country who actually want to work together and understand--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Portage—Lisgar.

[Brian Pallister, Canadian Alliance, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, this has been quite a week in the puzzle palace. Farmers are going to jail for selling wheat. We have a government that opposes secret ballots. Now first degree murderers get to vote in this country. It has been a wonderful week. How do we top that? We do a research study on the last great mystery in Canada, the cause of obesity. That is incredible.

Let us see if the minister can make a commitment to the House. If the report magically concludes that a beer and pizza diet and a lethargic lifestyle cause obesity, will she give the $15 million back to the Canadian taxpayers?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, what is interesting is it is amazing that countries around the world have acknowledged the challenge of obesity. We do not understand why some people are prone to obesity and some are not. We do not know the interrelationship between behavioural and genetic factors. We do not know why some strategies to deal with obesity work for some groups within society and not for others.

I find it amazing. What is this, the flat earth society over there? Those members do not want to spend money to understand more about this huge medical challenge.

École de médecine vétérinaire de Saint-Hyacinthe

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

Mr. Speaker, in response to a question that I asked him regarding the federal government's intentions concerning the École de médecine vétérinaire de Saint-Hyacinthe, the only French language veterinary school in North America, the minister replied that he was discussing with the provinces.

After checking, I found that no discussion had begun with the Quebec government. Since the December deadline is almost upon us, could the minister tell us about his real intentions, instead of saying whatever goes through his mind?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, as I said several times this week, the government recognizes the important role of veterinary colleges in not only animal health and safety but human health and safety. We are seeking ways in which we can work with the provinces in order to ensure the continued accreditation of all four of our veterinary colleges in Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, no discussion was begun with the Quebec government regarding the future of the École de médecine vétérinaire de Saint-Hyacinthe.

I will again ask the Minister of Agriculture the question. A few years ago, one of his colleagues was telling us the same things concerning the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, which is now closed.

Is the minister not up to the same dirty trick?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question; I think that is the sixth time this week. We are looking at ways in which we can assist in order to help assure the accreditation of the four important agricultural veterinary colleges in Canada.

Hydroelectricity

[Cheryl Gallant, Canadian Alliance, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the unbundling of the Ontario Hydro bill has provided the federal government the opportunity to gouge consumers by collecting GST on hydro debt. The government refuses to protect consumers from being charged for line loss on the same bill. The Electricity and Gas Inspection Act, a federal statute, specifically prohibits charging for electricity beyond what is actually delivered to customers. The charge for line loss makes up to 22% of a hydro bill.

Is the reason the government is allowing the federal law to be broken because it is cashing in on the GST applied to the illegal charge?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the way that Ontario has decided to burden its taxpayers with the debt of Ontario Hydro is to add a charge to the cost of electricity. That is how it does it. I think it is a little under a cent per kilowatt hour. That is how it is charged. It could be done other ways. It could have chosen to include it in the price of electricity.

I know the hon. member would agree with me that it would be very difficult if every business was able to disaggregate its costs in order to segregate those that have to do with--

Official Languages

[Scott Reid, Canadian Alliance, Lanark—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the RCMP said it issues unilingual traffic tickets in Gatineau because the Contraventions Act requires it to enforce Bill 101. This just is not so.

The Official Languages Act obliges the RCMP to offer bilingual services throughout the national capital region. The act also states, “In the event of any inconsistency between this act and any other act of Parliament, this act shall prevail”.

When will the Solicitor General order the RCMP to obey the law of the land and issue bilingual tickets only in Gatineau?

[Lynn Myers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP of course operates in the national capital region and is fully committed to official bilingualism and providing services in both official languages. The RCMP complies with provincial legislation regarding the issuance of tickets. The RCMP continues to do a good job for all Canadians.

Youth

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the recent Speech from the Throne the government made a number of commitments to youth, to help get youth out of poverty and to build safe neighbourhoods and communities.

I would like the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice to answer to the House and Canadians the concern raised at a recent conference of some youths. They indicated that they were having a difficult time obtaining information about education, safety and other issues.

Would he tell the House what his department is doing in order to ease the flow of information to youth?

[Paul MacKlin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that very important question.

Under the national crime prevention strategy, we are supporting innovative projects across Canada that strive to foster resiliency in young people and allow them to participate more fully in our society.

In Hamilton for example, the Youth Truth Community Web Project is working with street kids and at-risk youth to develop employment and life skills. This is just one of over 2,500 projects we have supported under the national crime prevention strategy, an initiative that is helping our youth, helping our communities and helping us fulfill our commitments in this--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Elk Island.

Committees of the House

[Ken Epp, Canadian Alliance, Elk Island, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we saw an amazing spectacle in the House. In a desperate attempt to hang on to every vestige of power, the Prime Minister, the government House leader and the whip pulled all the strings they could to prevent MPs from actually being able to select the chairs and vice-chairs of committees.

It is widely expected that one of the backbenchers may become prime minister. Is it the Prime Minister's view that when a backbencher morphs into prime minister, he magically attains supreme wisdom, to know all things, with exclusive knowledge of who would be the best chair?

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's House leader proposed a motion to the House yesterday. It has been deferred for a vote until next Tuesday.

I fail to understand why the hon. member has so little confidence in the motion proposed by his own House leader that he feels justified to artificially prop it up with the language he is using today.