Debates of Feb. 18th, 2002

Bud Olsen

[John Harvard, Liberal, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I was saddened to learn last week of the passing of a man who was a friend to many of us, Horace “Bud” Olsen. Bud, as he liked to be called, was a cabinet minister, a senator and former lieutenant-governor of Alberta.

His posts included minister of agriculture, senate opposition leader, minister of economic and regional development and chairman of the cabinet committee on economic development.

Bud Olsen was known for his strong personality and for his ability to tell things as they were. He often said he got into trouble for his straightforward attitude, but more often his style was one that Albertans and others found refreshing. He will be greatly missed.

Bud Olsen was a man who dedicated his life to public service. I am sure that all members of the House will join me in extending our deepest sympathies to his wife, Lucille, and to all his many friends and family.

2002 Winter Olympics

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

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House today to acknowledge the accomplishments of Canadian athletes who achieved top eight results over the past week at the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Much has been said already about our medallists but today I would like to draw to the attention of the House top eight finishes, which are astounding accomplishments in themselves.

In freestyle skiing, Jennifer Heil was fourth in women's moguls; Ryan Johnson was seventh and Scott Bellavance was eighth in men's moguls; in alpine skiing, Melanie Turgeon was eighth in women's downhill; Jean-Philippe Roy was eighth in men's combined; and Genevieve Simard was seventh in women's combined; in cross-country skiing, Beckie Scott was sixth in the 10 kilometre classic.

In short track speed skating, Alanna Kraus was fifth in women's 1,500 metre and sixth in women's 500 metre; Marie-Eve Drolet was sixth in women's 1,500 metre; and Isabelle Charest was fourth in women's 500 metre; in long track speed skating, Mike Ireland was seventh in men's 500 metre; and Kristina Groves was eighth in women's 3,000 metre.

In figure Skating, Elvis Stojko was eighth in men's singles.

[Robert Lanctôt, Bloc, Châteauguay, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Bloc Quebecois members, I wish to congratulate skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier on their gold medal in pairs at the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games.

I had the personal honour of attending the exceptional performance of these two athletes. It was a moment of intense emotion for everyone.

Jamie Salé and David Pelletier are two athletes with talent to spare. They skated with strength and determination, and their customary professionalism. And they deserve much credit for the dignity with which they handled the uncertain and confusing events of the week.

The Bloc Quebecois feels that our athletes and trainers deserve decent financial support from the federal government.

It is now up to us to recognize their talents and give them the resources they so badly need.

The Environment

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—St. Clair, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister continues to mutter his support for Kyoto, his policies leave much to be desired. Rather than listening to the oil companies and Ralph Klein, the Prime Minister should take the advice of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting in Ottawa this week.

Unlike the federal government, the FCM has a detailed plan to reduce emissions and help Canada meet its Kyoto commitments. It has called on Canada to achieve at least 75% of its Kyoto target through domestic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. These reductions would create local jobs, save on energy costs and improve air quality and the health of Canadians.

The nearly 90 municipal government members of FCM's partners for climate protection program could reduce emissions by 30 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent within the next 10 years if they reach their targets, contributing almost 20% to Canada's Kyoto target.

I urge the federal government to support FCM's position and assist it in any manner that it can.

2002 Winter Olympics

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Sunday, February 10 was the third day of Olympic competition in Salt Lake City and it was the day that Canada won its first medal.

Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg had a bronze medal finish in the ladies 3,000 metre speed skating event with a time of three minutes and 58.97 seconds, a personal best and a new Canadian record.

Klassen, although a long time hockey player in Winnipeg, had not tried speed skating until 1997. She quickly rose to the top of her new sport and is a consistent top 10 finisher in international competitions. This is only her second year on the national team.

Cindy also took part in yesterday's 1,000 metre race where she had a 13th place finish and again set a personal best time. On Wednesday she will compete in her strongest event, the 1,500 metre race, and once more in the 5,000 metre race on Saturday.

At only 22 years of age, Cindy Klassen captured a sense of pride among all Canadians, most especially Winnipeggers. We wish her luck in her remaining two races.

Fisheries

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

Mr. Speaker, a recently released study conducted by an international group of fisheries scientists has revealed that fish stocks are in decline and that fishing fleets in the North Atlantic must be seriously reduced if depleted fish stocks are ever to recover.

Many of these stocks are within Canadian waters. Others are within the waters we should manage, such as the nose and tail of the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap.

It is time for the government to show some leadership in addressing this problem and to show some intestinal fortitude by unilaterally extending management control over these regions which are really extensions of our continental shelf. Unfortunately, we have not learned from past experience. As the old saying goes, those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

If the fishery dies, then much of rural Canada will die as well. That is not a legacy any of us want to leave.

2002 Winter Olympics

[Carol Skelton, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer congratulations to Catriona LeMay Doan. Catriona won the gold medal in the 500 metre speed skating event at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City last week. This comes exactly four years after winning the gold at the Olympic Games at Nagano. She continues to set Olympic and world records in her sport.

Catriona, who is originally from Saskatoon, is a source of pride not only for Saskatoon and Saskatchewan residents, but for all Canadians. Her skill, determination and grace are an inspiration to all of us. While Canada may not have the highest medal count, we can be assured that our athletes will face each situation and event with dignity and grace.

Canadian athletes are among the finest at these games. We are proud of our athletes. As the Canadian team continues to participate in these Olympic events, I wish to extend on behalf of the constituents of Saskatoon--Rosetown--Biggar our very best wishes.

Heart Month

[Lynn Myers, Liberal, Waterloo—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February is Heart Month in Canada. It is a time to raise awareness about the things Canadians should be doing to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes. This includes following a heart healthy diet, exercising regularly and abstaining from cigarettes.

Cardiovascular diseases impose a devastating burden on Canadians, accounting for over 36% of deaths annually and placing a significant hardship and diminished quality of life upon those living with these conditions.

As our population ages, we can expect to see an increase in Canadians living with the crippling effects of heart disease and stroke.

Today representatives from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses are on the Hill meeting with parliamentarians. They are here to speak to us about the essential role that the federal government must play in improving our health system and in reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases.

I call upon all parliamentarians to raise awareness in their communities about the benefits of leading a heart healthy lifestyle. Our efforts in that regard will save lives.

Jutra Awards

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with last evening's Jutra Awards, we once again had proof of the exceptional talent of Quebec's film artists and artisans.

André Turpin's film Un crabe dans la tête was the top winner, with seven statuettes in all.

Pierre Falardeau's 15 février 1839 received a total of four Jutras, one of these to Luc Picard as for best actor, for his gripping portrayal of the Chevalier de Lorimier.

Great patriot that he is, Pierre Falardeau believes that the battle of 1837 will not be over until Quebecers are at last fully independent within their own territory, the legacy of their hard-working and determined ancestors.

Bravo as well to Élise Guilbault, who was named best actress for her performance in La femme qui boit , and to Anne-Claire Poirier, who was awarded the Jutra-Hommage 2002 in recognition of her body of work.

The Bloc Quebecois congratulates all the honourees at this award ceremony.

Government of Quebec

[Guy St-Julien, Liberal, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec Premier Bernard Landry is describing the coming Quebec legislation on lobbyists as the “most advanced in the world”. Alas, the reality is not so grand.

This Quebec bill, which has been hurriedly cobbled together, does not in any way respond to the concerns raised by the Landry government's sleight of hand with funding. The real problem is not with the lobbyists, but with the politicians. The real problem is the system put in place by the former finance minister, that is Bernard Landry, to channel funding through eight not-for-profit organizations.

Thanks to this system, the PQ government has been able to keep some $700 million away from the scrutiny of Quebec's elected representatives and its public; not only are these funds out of reach of the access to information legislation, but they are being administered by representatives of the funded organizations themselves, and by members of the PQ buddy system.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret

[Peter Goldring, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Centre-East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada was begun by royalty. In 1763 at the Treaty of Paris the King of England, King of Spain and King of France ordered a new bicultural beginning for Canada. This royal decree had been nurtured and has grown to bring Canada to become the most multicultural nation on Earth.

Royalty has shaped our rich heritage, our present culture and will continue to guide our future, from the Royal Glenora Club of Edmonton, home to the Olympians of today, to the Princess Margaret hospital in Toronto.

The Royal Canadian Legion represents those who fought and died for country and crown. Princess Margaret was the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

A week ago we celebrated our monarch's Golden Jubilee, 50 years as Canada's Queen. Now we mourn the loss of her sister, Princess Margaret. The loss of Princess Margaret is felt by all Canadians.

The Economy

[Chuck Strahl, Canadian Alliance, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, just what do the Liberals really believe when it comes to productivity and the state of the economy?

First the Prime Minister says that a low dollar is a good thing and if low is good, then catastrophically lower must be divine.

Next the finance minister says that all is well, please do not worry, the fundamentals are sound and one of these days we are going to flex the real Canadian economic muscle, it is just that it may not be in our lifetime.

Now the new industry minister admits that real incomes in Canada have been steadily falling since the Liberals took office and if we do not narrow the income gap with the U.S., we risk an outflow of talent and capital, a decline in our standard of living and ultimately the quality of life of Canadians. So at least the new industry minister now believes that productivity, income gaps and the brain drain are real problems and are getting worse.

Unfortunately the words were barely out of his mouth before the minister of culture waded into the fray saying that such announcements were out of line, that everything was good and Liberal in the land and that Liberal economic policies were unfolding as they should. Sadly, they have already unfolded and ordinary Canadians are paying a sad price.

2002 Winter Olympics

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the accomplishments of our Canadian Olympic medalists.

I am of course referring to Catriona LeMay Doan of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan who captured a gold medal in the 500 metre long track speed skating competition.

Jamie Salé, of Red Deer, and David Pelletier, of Sayabec, won a gold medal in pairs figure skating.

Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg won a bronze medal in the 3,000 metre long track speed skating competition.

Beckie Scott of Vegreville, Alberta won a bronze medal in the women's cross country 5 kilometre pursuit.

Mathieu Turcotte, of Sherbrooke, won a bronze medal in the 1,000 metre short track speed skating competition.

Please join me in congratulating these athletes on their great victories, as well as thanking them for the great honour they have brought Canada.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

The Economy

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, for years the Minister of Finance has been saying that the fundamentals of the Canadian economy are sound but last week cracks began showing in cabinet solidarity and not just over Liberal membership rules.

The Minister of Industry admits “Our quality of life has been declining over the past 20 years in comparison with the United States” and that this gap is almost entirely due to our lower level of productivity.

Will the Minister of Finance finally admit that Canada's productivity has fallen behind under his watch?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the government has pointed out on many occasions that throughout a good portion of the 1980s and the early part of the 1990s Canada's economy did slip. We have also pointed out that beginning with the middle 1990s there has been a dramatic turnaround, in fact a far more substantial turnaround than any other OECD country has been able to demonstrate. We are going to continue on that course.

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, was that a yes or no?

In the Liberal leadership race the Minister of Finance may have stacked the deck. We in the official opposition want to give the Minister of Industry an equal opportunity.

Does the Minister of Industry stand by the findings of his innovation paper “that under this Minister of Finance and the two previous ministers of industry, Canada's productivity and standard of living has been falling behind the United States”?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity last week when kicking off the innovation agenda to point out that now is the time to build on the extraordinary achievements of this government over the last eight years; eliminating the deficit, paying down debt, bringing down inflation, increasing employment. Now we turn to the next challenge which is to increase through innovation our productivity, our standard of living and thereby our quality of life. That is exactly what the government is going to do.

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think either of the two answers would sell them any memberships in Ontario.

Not only have we fallen behind the United States in productivity, we are falling behind Mexico in investment. Industry Canada admits that when it comes to attracting foreign investment in NAFTA, and I quote out of the Industry Canada document, Canada is ranked third in a three horse race.

Will the Minister of Finance tell us, if the fundamentals are so sound, why are we falling behind Mexico in both our currency and in our foreign investment?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the best quality of life in the world. We have an economy which over the last eight years has outperformed most economies in the world. Now we are inviting Canadians to join with us in a national strategy to make it even better, to build on the strengths in the Canadian economy, to increase through innovation the productivity of our economy and thereby to preserve that best quality of life in the world.

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the two scrappers continue to argue and contradict one another. The Minister of Finance tells us that the government is on a solid footing and that the economy is healthy. The Minister of Industry tells us that our situation is worsening compared to our North American partners.

Who is right? The Minister of Finance, who tells us that everything is fine, or the Minister of Industry, who says that things are going from bad to worse?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Crown Corporations]

Mr. Speaker, we are doing a good job, and we can always do better.

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is just like the government to celebrate mediocrity.

Another potential leadership candidate, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, seems to think that Canada is doing just fine and that our standard of living has been deemed by the United Nations to be among the best in the world. Among the best means third on the UN index, sixth in GDP per capita, far behind the United States, and eleventh in poverty levels.

Does the Minister of Industry share the heritage minister's belief that this level of performance in our standard of living is good enough?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is not at all surprising that members of the official opposition are unable to hold two thoughts in their heads at the same time. Let us take them through it pretty slowly.

Number one, Canada has the best quality of life in the world. Number two, over the last eight years we have improved that economy by bringing down the debt, paying off the deficit and cleaning up from the Tory government of the 1980s. Now is the time for us to address the next great challenge to position our economy for the 21st century and that is the business of this government.

Kyoto Protocol

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

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, the Minister of the Environment said he was confident that Canada would ratify the Kyoto protocol in 2002, but added that this deadline might change. Since then, the United States have indicated that they would not ratify the protocol, and the Canadian provinces, with the exception of Quebec, have asked Ottawa to do the same.

Is the federal government in the process of building an alliance with the United States and nine Canadian provinces to put off indefinitely the ratification of the Kyoto protocol? If not, could the minister tell us when Canada will ratify the Kyoto protocol?