Debates of Nov. 27th, 2002

Softwood Lumber

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister for International Trade seem not to understand that, while their international position may be good, their domestic position is weakened by the shortcomings of their plan, due in part to the lack of support from their colleagues in Industry and Human Resources Development.

What is the Minister for International Trade waiting for to convince his colleagues of the need to implement effective measures to assist workers and companies hurt by the softwood lumber crisis?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member first should recognize what the government has done. We have put in $340 million to help industry and to help workers.

Let me just outline it for the hon. member: $71 million to assist displaced workers; $110 million for community adjustment; $40 million for the pine beetle; $25 million for R and D; $20 million for the advocacy program; $45 million for market diversification, and we can go on and on.

Terrorism

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, from recent senate committee hearings in the United States we now have sworn testimony that Hezbollah's high ranking terror officer, Mohamad Dbouk, has organized a terror cell based in Vancouver, and we have a recent quote from Hezbollah's worldwide leader expanding the call for murder-suicide attacks, not just against Israel and the United States but against western targets in general.

Hezbollah's murder rate is much higher than that of other groups banned in Canada. What is it about Hezbollah that makes these Liberals afraid to ban it in Canada?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that the government is not afraid to ban entities that we are worried about in terms of terrorist activities.

There is a process in place. It is the law of the land and we will abide by that process. At an appropriate time, when all the work is done, we will table the entities that we want listed under that act.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Hezbollah's work is being done around the world. It kills in Israel, it kills around the world and it brags about it.

We now have videotapes showing its treatment of small children, punishing them and forcing them to chant the Hezbollah cry. We have videos and evidence that it purchases equipment so that it can video these murders for its own home videos.

I ask again, what is it about Hezbollah, of all other groups, that the minister will not list it?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I said previously, we do our intelligence work on the basis of substantiated facts. Some of the information that the member has brought forward will certainly be considered.

Hezbollah has been banned under the United Nations and the member knows that. We will do our duty in Canada in a very balanced and accurate way and list entities as we see fit as the information comes forward.

École de médecine vétérinaire de Saint-Hyacinthe

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture.

The Quebec Liberal MPs have just wakened up to the situation of the Saint-Hyacinthe school of veterinary medicine. Today, three of them have risen in this House to make statements in connection with this important school.

Can the minister tell us whether, since the last set of questions the Bloc Quebecois asked in the House, he has at last decided to recommend that the government provide this school with the necessary financial assistance to allow it to retain its accreditation?

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

Mr. Speaker, I can certainly proudly say that long before the Bloc Québécois members raised this issue, this caucus over here was talking about it, and members of the caucus in Quebec and the other provinces in Canada that have veterinary colleges have raised the issue as well. As I have said a number of times, the government is working toward that and we look forward to being able to support the veterinary colleges in Canada.

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC]

Mr. Speaker, partisan politics aside, and given the importance of getting a prompt decision on this before the holiday season, will the minister stop contemplating and studying the issue and finally make a decision on whether the Saint-Hyacinthe school of veterinary medicine will or will not be able to carry out the expansion necessary for accreditation?

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

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House that as soon as the government can make an announcement we will do so.

Government Contracts

[Gerry Ritz, Canadian Alliance, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Treasury Board guidelines clearly state that no firm, including its subsidiaries, can be awarded more than 25% of government contracts.

According to the minister's own website, over 75% of government advertising is now being funnelled through Media/I.D.A. Vision.

How can the minister justify breaking Treasury Board rules again by continuing this monopoly with Claude Boulay's companies? How can he do that?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman clearly does not understand the role or the function of an agency of record. There is one agency of record for the Government of Canada. That is Media/I.D.A. It won that position in a competition four years ago and its function is to place all of the radio, television and newspaper buys for the entire Government of Canada through a centralized control point. It obviously does not receive the full value of the advertising. It only receives the 3% commission.

[Gerry Ritz, Canadian Alliance, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

The minister is leaving a slippery trail with that one, Mr. Speaker.

On June 5 the new Minister of Public Works promised to clean up his department and he pledged, “If there were errors, or mistakes or wrongdoing, they will be corrected”.

Six months later, Claude Boulay's companies control 75%, three-quarters, of government ad contracts. Nothing has changed.

Has the minister conveniently forgotten his pledge or was it just the exuberance of a rookie?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the compliment on my youthful exuberance, but I am happy to say that unlike the hon. gentleman across the way and the opposition, Canadians have responded warmly and generously, saying that they appreciate the action that has been taken. We got to the bottom of a problem, we have fixed it and put it on a solid foundation for the future.

Fisheries

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Bras D'Or—Cape Breton, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the cod stocks in the north sea have been in decline for a number of years and are now at their lowest recorded levels. Other stocks around Scotland and Ireland are also very low.

Given this evidence, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has recommended a closure of cod fisheries in several European areas and the implementation of recovery plans.

Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans comment on the similarities between the current European context and Canada's recent experience with groundfish declines?

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question. In 1992, Canada went through much similar circumstances. We have had to invest over $3.5 billion in economic development packages and bought back 3,600 licences. We still have challenges.

I commend Commissioner Fischler for his courage in acting in such a way in Europe. He has been a good partner for us at NAFO. With his understanding of the situation we are going through, I trust he will be an even better partner at the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.

Taxation

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a vessel owned by Canada Steamship Lines has received a $125,000 fine for illegally dumping oil into the ocean. A Transport Canada official commented, “Clearly it doesn't pay to pollute in our precious waters”. It appears it may well pay if we can stick the Canadian taxpayer with the bill. Right now CSL will be able to deduct the fine from its income tax.

Will the Prime Minister change his absurd tax policy that allows polluters to get away with stiffing taxpayers for their illegal activities? Will he put an end to law breakers deducting their fines?

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should be aware that there has been a court case which dealt specifically with what fines were acceptable for deduction. He should also aware that the Department of Finance is reviewing that at the present time because we are concerned and we want to ensure that only legitimate business deductions are acceptable for tax purposes.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, there is another useless answer from a minister.

Yesterday, in the finance committee, Mr. John MacNaughton, of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, said that right now pension dollars from Canadian taxpayers were going to profit tobacco companies in this country. At the same time the government is spending millions of dollars trying to stop people from smoking.

Will the government now change the legislation to put an ethical screen into the Pension Plan Investment Board so that our pension dollars will not go to aiding and abetting the killing of thousands of people in the country? Will it do that now, please?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows from yesterday's discussions, the fact is that there is a restricted list for the government in terms of countries and companies in which it can invest. However it invests in a broad range of things approved by this Parliament, and is able to do so. I think the answer was very clear yesterday and it is very clear again today.

National Defence

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, this past week the Prime Minister finally indicated that the military would get more money in the next federal budget, and thank God for that, but why does the military have to wait until next February's budget to find out what financial help is on the way for it when it needs replacements for the Sea Kings, it needs new ships and it even needs new uniforms right now?

Why does the government not give the military the money right now?

[An hon. member]

A new leader.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I think they do need a new leader, as I just heard it stated.

Apart from that, the hon. member has been here a lot longer than I have, yet even I, with my short experience in the House of Commons, know that budgetary decisions are made at the time of the budget and the budget will be in February or thereabouts.

Kyoto Protocol

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has stated that he does not need a provincial consensus to ratify Kyoto. The government knows it cannot implement the accord without the active participation of the provinces. Brian Mulroney was able to reach a consensus with the provinces on acid rain. Brian Mulroney was able to reach a consensus on free trade.

The first lesson in federal-provincial relations 101 is to get the first ministers together. The PM said that it was not a bad strategy to receive a premier who has asked to be seen. Why is it a good strategy to meet with two premiers when 13 leaders are demanding a first ministers meeting?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I hope Mr. Mulroney will not run against him to be the leader of the Tories.

I want to say that we have talked with the provinces. The Tory administration did that after Rio. We have talked since Kyoto. There have been 10 years of discussions and we have decided to ratify the Kyoto agreement. A lot of people already realize that the best thing on that file is to make sure that uncertainty disappears, that we proceed quickly so we will be able to meet the targets for 2012 and that we have enough time to put all the mechanisms in place. I am sure Canada will rise to the challenge.