Debates of Nov. 22nd, 2002

Securities

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in its response to the MacKay report, the government considered establishing a centralized Canadian securities commission, thereby confirming its intention to interfere in an area of exclusive provincial jurisdiction.

However, the Minister of Finance is creating confusion by stating that he will not force the provinces into anything and that they will be free to decide whether or not they wish to join.

Is the Minister of Finance aware that his statement is causing confusion and uncertainty on stock markets and among investors?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, there is no confusion whatsoever.

MacKay has sent out a letter saying that if after the consultations the provinces want to join in a national security commission then they are free to do so. They are not forced to do so. There is no gun to any head. I do not see where the confusion is.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not only have the minister's statements damaged provincial harmonization efforts, but they are against the interests of small investor.

Will the government acknowledge that the sole purpose of its project is to satisfy the Toronto business world, which would like to control the financial markets?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Again, Mr. Speaker, the only confusion seems to be in the mind of the individual across the way.

Again, the stakeholders have made their comments. MacKay has made a report. We invite the provinces, if they would like, to look at a national system. Again, we only invite them. They are not required to do so. If the province of Quebec or any other province does not want to join, they are free to do so.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Howard Hilstrom, Canadian Alliance, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, western farmers are not in charge of the Canadian Wheat Board. Western farmers did not get a vote to establish a monopoly. Farmers did not vote on Bill C-4 in 1998. Farmers do not set the initial price. Farmers do not vote on all 15 directors. Farmers do not vote on the appointment of the president. Farmers do not vote on amending the Canadian Wheat Board Act, only politicians can.

How can the minister say that farmers are in charge when he makes all the decisions?

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Wheat Board is comprised of 15 directors, two-thirds of whom are elected by western Canadian farmers.

The Canadian Wheat Board is not a crown corporation and, contrary to what the member said, the minister does not control the Canadian Wheat Board.

[David Anderson, Canadian Alliance, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is worse than that. The board of directors of the Canadian Wheat Board, with this minister's knowledge, has been stealing prairie farmers' money to pay wheat export permits for Ontario and Quebec farmers. This activity actually directly contradicts the minister's own legislation.

The board is breaking the law and working against the interests of prairie farmers. Will the minister continue to allow the board to operate outside the law or will he step in to recover the money stolen from prairie producers who now need protection from the Canadian Wheat Board?

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, the member says that the farmers need the protection of the Canadian Wheat Board. What I do not understand is that the Alliance itself came forward with a motion calling for the end of the Canadian Wheat Board. This contradiction should be known by western Canadian farmers.

Western Canadian farmers have the tools to make the necessary changes to the Canadian Wheat Board Act. They have the vote. The government respects the democratic rights of western Canadian farmers.

École de médecine vétérinaire de Saint-Hyacinthe

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food confirmed that he has given up the fight for federal funding for the École vétérinaire de Saint-Hyacinthe. This is an investment that is necessary for this veterinary college to get its accreditation back. The college in Saint-Hyacinthe is the only one of four Canadian university colleges to have lost its full accreditation.

Since the litmus test for the veterinary college in Saint-Hyacinthe is coming in a few short weeks, I call on the Prime Minister to make funds available quickly to ensure the survival of the only French language veterinary school in North America. Will he make that commitment?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have repeated a number of times that the government understands the role of the veterinary colleges, whether they be in Quebec or the ones in the other three provinces of Canada.

I also stated yesterday that they have the opportunity, as we as government are looking at ways of supporting them. In the future, they will have the opportunity of applying through the Canada Foundation for Innovation. I have since been informed that the University of Montreal has been successful in the past in applying to that arm's length organization with applications, and it has received $5.5 million to date.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government's attitude on this issue shows that, as far as it is concerned, there is one too many veterinary schools in Canada and that the three with no problems, that is the University of Prince Edward Island for the Maritimes, the University of Guelph for central Canada, and Western College for the west, are all that is needed.

Is the government sabotaging once again a francophone institution in Canada, as it did with the military college in Saint-Jean?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member is being very unfair to the university, to the students, to the importance they have, and to the recognition that we as Canadians have for these types of facilities across Canada.

We know that there are not only the institutions that he is referring to. Their accreditation is being reviewed. Three out of the four are in that situation right now, whether they be in Quebec or in some other province. We will continue to find ways to work with the provinces as the provinces need to continue to support those institutions as well.

Grain Transportation

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Labour proudly blustered about the role of the government in resolving a dispute at the port of Prince Rupert.

For the minister's edification, the grain handlers' dispute is at the port of Vancouver. Other than two minor picketing disruptions by the Vancouver union, a matter of a few hours, Prince Rupert Grain has handled every tonne sent its way.

Why does the minister not get her facts straight and recognize that Prince Rupert Grain has been the saving grace for this season's grain shipments as opposed to trying to score cheap political points for solving a fictitious dispute?

[Claudette Bradshaw, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I was very happy to announce yesterday that the port of Prince Rupert had reached a tentative agreement with its union. The grain will be moving in B.C.

[Jim Gouk, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there was no grain dispute at Prince Rupert. There was an ongoing negotiation which never became a dispute.

If the minister wants to take credit for settling a dispute, why does she not try Vancouver where the grain workers have been without a contract for two years, have been locked out for three months and where mediation and conciliation were tried and failed?

[Claudette Bradshaw, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, there was a dispute in Prince Rupert. The hon. member should know that because we have a good process in place 95% of the disputes in Canada are settled without a strike or a lockout. That is why Prince Rupert went very well.

I am urging the parties in B.C. to do the same, to return to the table and negotiate a good collective agreement.

Health

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, health care is a major concern for constituents in Ottawa Centre as well as across the country. The Romanow commission has gone across the country to consult with Canadians on how to improve the health care system and their priorities for health care.

Could the Minister of Health give us an update in terms of the recommendations of the Romanow commission? When will those recommendations be made public and when will the minister table them in the House?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House this morning that on behalf of the government I will be tabling the report of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada on Thursday, November 28 in the House.

In addition, I want to inform the House that I and my provincial co-chair, the Minister of Health for Nova Scotia, will be co-hosting a meeting of provincial, territorial and federal health ministers on December 6. This obviously will begin discussions among federal, provincial and territorial governments as we all move forward toward a first ministers meeting in the new year, which we hope will renew our health care program, our most cherished social program, on behalf of all Canadians.

Grain Transportation

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, despite the settlement at Prince Rupert, the real problem has always been in Vancouver with the grain workers' lockout that has been going on for over three months. Reopening Prince Rupert simply allows grain companies to ship the smallest crop in 30 years through that port and leaves the Vancouver folks high and dry for the next nine months. It also impacts prairie farmers who have plugged up terminals and are unable to dry tough grain.

My question is for the Minister of Labour. She has said she is urging the parties but there is one party that is not terribly interested in coming to the table--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Labour.

[Claudette Bradshaw, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I am also concerned about the length of time of the B.C. terminal dispute. Our conciliators and mediators are meeting with the groups.

My understanding with regard to Prince Rupert is that the grain is moving. They are able to move twice what they were moving.

Our conciliators and mediators are meeting. I urge both parties to come to the table immediately and negotiate a good collective agreement.

The Environment

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has shown absolutely no leadership whatsoever on the issue of the grain workers. She should appoint Vince Ready as a mediator now.

My question is for the Minister of the Environment. Burnaby residents are very concerned about threats to their health and environment from the Chevron oil refinery in North Burnaby, especially after a major spill of MTBE.

What steps will the government take to ensure tough, enforceable standards for air emissions like SO

2

and VOCs and for above ground storage tanks at oil refineries in Canada?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the details we have about storage tanks and fuel generally are readily available on the website. I refer the hon. member to the Natural Resources website and the Environment Canada website. A good deal of the responsibility within the province is handled by the provincial government in British Columbia which, for most of the last 10 years, has been in the hands of the NDP.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has indicated that he will probably close the cod fishery in most of Atlantic Canada. Will he assure the House that instead of just forbidding Newfoundland fishermen to fish, he will also deal with the other issues, including the ballooning seal herds, bycatch and foreign overfishing which also affect the growth of the stocks?

[Georges Farrah, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister indicated yesterday, no decision has been made to date as to whether or not there will be a moratorium on groundfish. Preliminary data available to us are definitely worrisome. In that sense, never has a minister been as transparent with data, because what he wants is to be proactive and to take a position that provides a degree of security to coastal communities, both in Newfoundland and in Quebec, and in the Gaspé in particular.

I suggest my hon. colleague to wait for the final data. We will make sure to also involve our provincial partners to ensure that our communities—