Debates of Nov. 5th, 2002

Nunavut

[Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Liberal, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the House that on October 24 the Minister of National Revenue signed an innovative agreement with the Nunavut Minister of Finance in Iqaluit. This service management framework ensures that Nunavut and the CCRA will work together efficiently and effectively and provide improved services to Nunavummiut.

Earlier on that week, on October 22 in Coral Harbour, I had the honour of signing an agreement on behalf of the Minister of Transport with the Nunavut Minister of Community Government and Transportation, which provides joint funding of $6.7 million until March 2007 for priority transportation infrastructure projects in Nunavut.

These are concrete examples of the two governments working together to improve the lives of northerners.

Veterans Week

[Betty Hinton, Canadian Alliance, Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I quote, “Veterans' Week is a chance to honour those who made the supreme sacrifice for our country”. The minister went on to say that we needed to teach our youngsters about veterans. I could not agree more.

In 1976 the Liberal government showed it cared by initiating the prisoner of war pension supplement. In 1986 the Conservatives repealed that law and wrapped the POW supplement into the pension plan. This had disastrous effects for one of my constituents.

Lieutenant-Colonel Al Trotter flew 44 missions over Europe, was shot down and interned in a POW camp for 268 days. Due to a retroactivity clause, today he finds himself neither honoured nor shown respect for his service.

I ask the minister to forget the rhetoric and do something meaningful for veterans this year, to set an example and live up to the legislation's intent. Give Mr. Trotter his due. Give him his total pension and give him the dignity of knowing that his sacrifice was not in vain.

[Carmen Provenzano, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs it is indeed my pleasure to recognize that today, November 5, is the first day of Veterans Week.

Next Monday, on Remembrance Day, we will, quite rightly, pay homage to the men and women who have served our country in uniform. And well we should. In a century of service, over 100,000 Canadian veterans have literally shed their life's blood on foreign shores. In war and in the preservation of peace, their collective sacrifice has been incalculable.

Canadians repay this huge debt of gratitude through the act of remembrance. Once again, during Veterans Week and certainly on Remembrance Day, November 11, we will be called upon to honour that debt, certainly by going to Remembrance Day services, but just as important perhaps, by spending a little time talking to others, our children especially, about the real sacrifices made by our veterans.

These sacrifices were made yesterday, they will be made today and they will be made tomorrow. We shall be forever grateful. We shall never forget.

Child Poverty

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, child poverty is a national disgrace and the government continues to ignore it.

We all know that when families struggle economically their children suffer.

The Canadian Council on Social Development reports that 75,000 families with children under 12 are going hungry; poor children are not taking part in sports and recreation nor doing as well in school; and children with special needs are not receiving adequate programs and services.

Poverty is taking it toll on our children, our most vulnerable and precious citizens.

This can be turned around. The government can correct this crisis by restoring funding to our health care and education systems, reinvesting in support programs for disabled persons and halting the erosion of our employment insurance program.

New Democrats challenge the government to create a legacy that will strengthen the programs and services that are critical to Canadian families and vital to the healthy growth and development of our children.

Lemoyne-d'Iberville School

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 24, the pupils of Lemoyne-d'Iberville school held a special ceremony to mark the International Day of Peace, by presenting me with a banner bearing a number of messages of peace.

Their school is one of the Brundtland Green Schools, which share of vision of hope for a better world. This collective effort is a visible sign of their desire to live in a world at peace.

In order to show my solidarity with the cause we share, I promised the children that I would hand this banner over to the Prime Minister of Canada, so that he is aware of their concrete actions to build a viable future and create a world in keeping with their aspirations.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this remarkable feat and thank you for sharing with us your convictions and for contributing to shaping Quebec society.

Canadian War Museum

[Colleen Beaumier, Liberal, Brampton West—Mississauga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this afternoon the Prime Minister participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the new site of the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats.

This new museum will be a source of pride for all Canadians. It will show how war has shaped Canada by presenting military history from a personal, national and international perspective. The newly expanded space will also house a research centre, library and archives.

The museum will reflect the values of freedom and democracy that prevail throughout times of conflict. it will pay tribute to all those men and women who have served our country in times of peace and war. The building will be a living monument, not only to the memory of the past but also to living values and ideals

The location of the new building will link the museum to other national institutions such as the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the National Gallery of Canada, Parliament Hill, the National War Memorial and the National Archives. It will open in 2005 and will attract over 300,000 visitors a year.

We look forward to seeing the completion of what will undoubtedly become an internationally renowned institution.

Ukrainian Canadians

[Inky Mark, Canadian Alliance, Dauphin—Swan River, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the beginning of a national postcard campaign by the Ukrainian Civil Liberties Association and Ukrainian Canadian Congress to ask the Prime Minister to honour his 1993 promise to acknowledge and provide restitution for those people who were interned in Canada's first national internment operations.

On June 8, 1993, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress received the following letter from the current Prime Minister. It reads, “Thank you for your letter and the copies of the 'Economic Losses of Ukrainian Canadians resulting from internment during World War I'.

The Liberal Party understands your concern. As you know we support your efforts to secure the redress of Ukrainian-Canadians' claims arising from their internment and loss of freedoms during the first world war and inter-war period. You can be assured that we will continue to monitor the situation closely and seek to ensure that the government honours its promise.

As Leader of the Opposition, I appreciate the time you have taken to write and bring your concerns to my attention”.

The letter was signed by the Prime Minister.

It is time the Prime Minister honoured his promise to the one million Canadians of Ukrainian descent.

Antarctica

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada signed the protocol on environmental protection of the Antarctic treaty in 1998 but has yet to ratify it. The protocol deals with the protection of the entire globe south of 60 degrees south latitude. This region is set aside for peace and research.

Canada has special skills in cold weather science and technology. We have a moral obligation to help protect Antarctica.

I urge that we set up a Canadian Antarctic research program. I urge that we become an active member of the convention on conservation of Antarctic marine living resources commission. In particular, I urge again that we ratify the Antarctic environmental protocol.

Yukon Party

[Jay Hill, Canadian Alliance, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the people of Yukon went to the polls to elect their territorial representatives and today emerged with a new government that offers a bright future.

The Yukon Party won a landslide victory securing 12 of the 18 seats and leaving the incumbent Liberals with only one seat. The Yukon Party campaigned on a solid platform of providing good governance through good leadership.

I congratulate the new Yukon premier, Dennis Fentie, and his new government. They are: Haakon Arntzen, Peter Jenkins, John Edzerza, Dean Hassard, Archie Lang, Jim Kenyon, Ted Staffen, Glenn Hart, Patrick Rouble, Elaine Taylor and, in particular, I congratulate Brad Cathers, a past Canadian Alliance executive councillor.

The election of the Yukon Party is just another sign that Canadians realize the importance of reform minded governments. We look forward to a Saskatchewan Party victory in the near future to continue this trend.

Parliamentary Reform

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to make two important steps toward the democratic reform that the Canadian Alliance has long been demanding. Later today we will have the vote on the election of committee chairs by secret ballot. Yesterday the Prime Minister said that he would allow free votes on certain opposition motions. These changes are necessary and overdue but there is a consensus in the House for a small number of other reforms.

Rather than repeat the chaos of the last week, will the Prime Minister instruct his House leaders to get the House leaders together and submit to the House in the next few days a package of reforms on which we can all agree?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the House leader informed me that he has already asked the opposition to have a committee to reform these procedures.

The rules have permitted the committees for years to have secret votes. In fact this morning there were three secret votes called for unanimously. It so happened that the secret votes worked very well. Three vice-chairs from the Canadian Alliance lost their jobs.

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the street fighter never knows when to give up.

It is clear that a majority of members of the House support certain additional measures. Let me give some examples: making all private members' business votable, parliamentary scrutiny over senior order in council appointments, and adoption of the all-party Catterall-Williams report on accountability and scrutiny of government spending.

Will the Prime Minister instruct his House leader to initiate discussions right away so that in the next few days we can bring in these changes with majority support here in the House?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we do not have the American system here. We have a British inspired system where the government is responsible on a daily basis to the people of Canada. In this parliamentary system the tradition is that we all stand up and vote in front of all of our electors all the time.

However, some prefer to have secret votes and I am happy to see the results that I noted earlier. Yes, a secret vote worked. All the Liberals who were supposed to become chairs became chairs. It is only the vice-chairs from the Canadian Alliance who lost their jobs.

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister is an opponent of such secrecy, maybe some day things will not be decided in secret in his cabinet and in the PMO.

The election of committee chairs is only the first leg of the journey toward allowing members to play a more important part in the House of Commons. Already, a majority of members of this House support the decision to broaden the role of members and committees in the governance of our country.

Why is the Prime Minister so afraid to complete the journey toward greater democracy in this House?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, democracy has always flourished in this House. I do not know why the opposition complains about members being allowed to vote openly for whom they want for committee chair and preferring a secret ballot.

That is what they wanted, and they got the anticipated results. The Liberal chairs that were to have been elected were elected, while the vice-chairs came from the Alliance, the Bloc, the NDP or the Conservative Party. The secret system has served them well.

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that side of the House is always happy when things are done in secret in the committees and how they work with the free ballots.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. Everyone will want to hear the question from the hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast.

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has set a precedent. He has allowed a free vote for an opposition motion, the first time it has ever happened in the House, and we are happy about that.

Will the Prime Minister now commit to allowing a free vote tomorrow on the votable motion that is before the House to make all private members' business votable in the House?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have already voted many times on some opposition motions when sometimes the motion makes sense.

Perhaps I can make a suggestion today that will please the opposition. Perhaps the first vote that we are supposed to have this afternoon should be a secret vote.

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Prime Minister again. The House has had introduced to it from the committee a motion to have votes on private members' business in the House. Will the Prime Minister allow that motion to come to the House and have another free vote in the House immediately?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that I offered to adopt that motion last week at the House leaders meeting and it is before us this afternoon at 3:30 at the next House leaders meeting.

Government Contracts

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration keeps on saying “secretaries of state do not award contracts”. Yet the director of the task force on amateur sport still maintains that the former secretary of state wanted Everest hired for his consultation tour.

Since the Minister of Public Works claims not to know what went on at Canadian Heritage, can the Minister of Canadian Heritage explain to us why Everest's bid was forwarded to the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, a secretariat which the Minister of Immigration says cannot award contracts?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, they are awarded by Public Works.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are asking her why it was submitted to the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport rather than to Canadian Heritage. Once again, she is unable to give a response.

What is more, Everest started work before it was officially under contract. The Internet site was even completed two weeks before the green light came from Public Works, and the Minister of Canadian Heritage refuses to provide an explanation.

Will the minister at last acknowledge that Public Works was presented with a done deal and had no choice but to award the contract to Everest, as the secretary of state wanted?