Debates of Dec. 13th, 2002

Liberal Government

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not good managers. Time and time again the Auditor General has slain the Liberal mismanagement dragon, only to see it reborn again in a different department.

There is a long list of Liberal failures, most of them directly linked to the Prime Minister and his replacement hopeful, the member for LaSalle—Émard. Let us look at the list.

There has been $1 billion wasted in a long run registry that will punish law-abiding Canadians, while at the same time Canada's worst and most heinous sex offenders will not be on the Liberals' sex offenders registry. Tens of billions of dollars have been wasted. Some $7.2 billion have been wasted in foundations and there are new scandals every day. We do not have funding for the military. Ten years after the fact, $4 billion has been wasted in penalties and lost revenues. We have Sea Kings the Minister of National Defence will not fly in.

Every stone we turn over, out crawls a Liberal patronage scheme or another scandal. Liberals are not good managers.

Community Policing Award

[Julian Reed, Liberal, Halton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that the Halton Regional Police Service has won the 2002 Community Policing Award for its total integrated policing service delivery, a model of community policing based on extensive research and input from all members of the service and the community.

Developed in response to problems with a nightclub that attracted clientele from around the Golden Horseshoe, the Halton police worked with local residents and business owners to reduce or eliminate the dynamics that were providing the opportunity for crime to flourish. Working together they identified problems and came up with an immediate coordinated strategy to improve safety for everyone and quality of life in the neighbourhood.

Congratulations to Halton police on being recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and ITT Industries Night Vision for this outstanding initiative.

Queen's Jubilee Medal

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

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure today to recognize the Queen's Golden Jubilee medal recipients for Cypress Hills--Grasslands.

They are: Mr. Myrle Clark; Captain Trevor Davies; Mr. Lenard Ellis; Mrs. Mary Findlay; Mr. Joseph Gervais; Mrs. Helen Gilchrist; Ms. Mabel Hobbs; Mrs. Peggy Koethler; Ms. Sandy Larson; Mr. Clem Millar; Mr. Robert Norton; Mrs. Dorothy Saunderson; Mr. Bryan Tallon; Mrs. Pat Thistlethwaite; Mrs. Judy Voth; Mr. Dan West; Mr. Wilfred Wright; and the Swift Current Old Time Fiddlers.

These individuals were nominated in recognition of their outstanding achievements or distinguished service to their neighbours, their community and their country.

I would like to wish my colleagues a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Human Rights

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of one of the great defenders of democracy, Egyptian Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim, and in association with the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, based in my constituency, and at whose request I have been serving as counsel to Professor Ibrahim.

Simply put, Dr. Ibrahim was charged, convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for doing nothing other than being a democracy advocate. Indeed, the prosecution and conviction itself violated Dr. Ibrahim's fundamental rights to a fair trial, including: the presumption of innocence; protection against arbitrary arrest and detention; access to legal counsel; the right to a full answer and reply; the right to a fair hearing before an independent judiciary; and the right to equal protection of the laws, and the like.

To its credit, the Egyptian Cour de Cassation has ordered a new trial on January 7 in what is one of the world's most important human rights cases today.

This case is a dramatic case study of the proverbial canary in the mine shaft of the Mideast's budding democracy movements. It deserves the support of Canada and all those who work for the rule of law, the protection of human rights and the pursuit of democracy.

Firearms Registry

[Grant Hill, Canadian Alliance, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Parliament refused to give the government another $72 million for the gun registry, a gun registry that will end up costing Canadian taxpayers a billion dollars. Yet, that is no big deal for the justice minister. He says that he will to find another way to fund it through other departmental sources.

If we took $72 million out of the gun registry, why is the government funding it through a backdoor scheme?

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we discovered that at the last Canadian Alliance convention, when the Leader of the Opposition was chosen, it removed the words, “We are committed to keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals as a necessary part of making our communities safer”.

Speaking of funding, why has he refused to disclose more than 13% of the contributors to his leadership campaign? Is this removal of that important statement part of the price that was extracted from his party by contributors to his leadership campaign?

[Grant Hill, Canadian Alliance, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in a language change in our policy, this is what the Canadian Alliance said:

We will especially emphasize a more stringent punishment of individuals who use a firearm or other weapon in the commission of a crime involving a threat of or actual violence.

Let me ask the Deputy Prime Minister this one more time. Why would we take $72 million out of the firearms registry and fund it through a backdoor scheme?

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

Mr. Speaker, we know Alliance members do not care about $72 million or anything else. They are against gun control. They are against the fact that we have already had more than 7,000 firearms licences refused or revoked, 50 times higher than had been the case before. They do not care about the fact that the police access this online system 1,500 times a day. They are against gun control. It is as simple as that.

[Grant Hill, Canadian Alliance, Macleod, AB]

Let us be really clear, Mr. Speaker. We are against the gun registry and that is all we are against.

Let us go further. When firearms owners, who are trying to reach the deadline, phone the 1-800 number, there is no answer. When they try to get applications, there are no applications.

My question for the Deputy Prime Minister is this. If this gun registry is so good, then why are legitimate, law-abiding citizens having trouble doing what the government says is the law?

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

Mr. Speaker, if this gun registry is so bad, then why do the police agencies access it 1,500 a day? Why has the number of lost or missing firearms declined by 68%? Why has the number of stolen firearms decreased by 35% over the same period? Why are fewer firearms being used in crime?

They are against gun control. They are not just against the registry, and we do not even know who gave the money to their leader.

Export Development Canada

[James Rajotte, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in 1999 Export Development Canada provided a $3.2 billion loan to Union Pacific Railway to purchase 1,000 locomotives from General Motors in London, Ontario. GM then contracted more than half of the work to Bombardier, which is doing the work in Mexico.

Could the minister explain to the House why Canadian tax dollars are being used to fund work done in Mexico?

[Pat O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I would love to answer that, because the hon. member could not be more wrong in his assertions.

This loan was at commercial rates. It was not subsidized by Canadian taxpayers. Without the very loan the member cites, because of low order book at GM, those jobs would have been in jeopardy two years ago. He could not be more wrong in his false assertions.

[James Rajotte, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the only reason that this Canadian government agency should be lending that kind of money is to keep work and jobs in Canada.

Last week General Motors announced the lay-off of 871 workers in London because no new locomotive work was coming in. At the same time, workers in Mexico are doing more than half the work on this Pacific project.

How can the federal government lend billions of dollars to create jobs in foreign countries while hard-working Canadians are losing their jobs at the same time?

[Pat O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, let me try again and I will speak very slowly this time. First, General Motors, I repeat, did not announce lay-offs under required legislation. It announced the possibility of lay-offs, if it did not get more orders.

These jobs were in jeopardy in London, Ontario two years ago. Because of the actions of EDC and General Motors, those lay-offs were forestalled two years ago and we certainly hope they will be forestalled again.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Côte-De- Beaupré—Île-D'Orléans, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the CBC has a journalists' ethics code and it invoked this code when it suspended journalist Norman Lester for his book “ Le livre noir du Canada anglais ” It seems that, at the CBC, ethics are decided on the basis of politics.

How is it that the CBC enforces its ethics code so strictly when it comes to Mr. Lester and is so tolerant when it comes to Claude Beauchamp?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

The answer is the same as it was yesterday, Mr. Speaker.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Côte-De- Beaupré—Île-D'Orléans, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has often used its moral weight with regard to certain matters, like the Canadian-Arab art exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, this fall.

Would it be asking too much for the Minister of Heritage to ensure that the CBC abides by its own ethics code in the Claude Beauchamp affair?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I do not see the connection between Ararat and the question. I would ask the hon. member what the Armenian tragedy has to do with this issue. Ararat has nothing to do with the CBC.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in his defence, the anchor Claude Beauchamp maintains that all he has done is provide financial support to the Canadian Unity Council and has not participated in any of its political activities in ten years. However, it has come to our attention that, as a board member of the Canadian Unity Council, he was a speaker at an event sponsored by the Centre for Research and Information on Canada, which is a Canadian Unity Council organization.

Under these circumstances, how can anyone claim that Claude Beauchamp is not politically active in promoting Canadian unity?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think that a person's openness about their political views should prevent them from being a member, journalist or whatever.

I know full well that some CBC journalists have sovereignist views. It happens. Personally, I do not get involved because it is none of my business. It is not important to know a journalist's political views.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in that case, can the hon. minister explain how the CBC spokesperson could say that the journalist's behaviour is not political activism and does not breach the corporation's impartiality policies?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I know that Mr. Landry likes to pick fights and that the Bloc members are looking for hot buttons.

There are none. This is about freedom of expression for all Canadians. Whether they support sovereignty or Canadian unity, everyone has the right to express their political views freely.

Banks

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, bank mergers are not in the public interest. They lead to reduced competition, fewer choices and higher charges, not to mention layoffs and branch closings. Canadians ought not to have to pay for the greed of the bankers.

Can the Minister of Finance tell us whether he favours bank mergers and how he feels about the idea of having foreign investors in our banking system?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member is well aware that foreign investment is allowed in banks. There is a limit on the number of shares that can be owned by one individual, whether Canadian or foreign.

As far as mergers are concerned, I have asked for a report on this from the Senate and House finance committees. I am still waiting on the report from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.

Equalization Payments

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is still for the Minister of Finance. When the equalization formula was last renewed, it forecast that changing the mining tax base would result in a slight net gain for Saskatchewan. It is unclear whether this prediction was made by people overseeing the gun registry, but Saskatchewan now owes $300 million plus future reductions of $100 million a year.

Is the finance minister reviewing this matter and will it be on next week's agenda when he meets with his provincial counterparts?