Debates of Feb. 22nd, 2002

Sports

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I join with all Canadians in congratulating Kirk Johnson of North Preston on his upcoming match for the world boxing heavyweight championship.

Kirk Johnson, 29, is the son of Violet and Gary Johnson of North Preston and the first heavyweight boxing champion from his community. He attended Nelson Wynder and Ross Road schools, Cole Harbour High and St. Mary's University. Kirk was introduced to boxing by his father, a long time boxing coach, who believed the sport was a way to keep young people out of trouble. His dad said of him “Kirk has a big imagination. He would watch Ali on TV and do the Ali shuffle. He was always a good imitator of the best. He is a true leader”.

Kirk's dedication, hard work and integrity to the sport of boxing provides a role model for all young people. Undefeated after 33 professional fights Johnson has an outstanding record in boxing at an international level.

On behalf of the House I want to tell Kirk that we are proud of him and thank him in advance for his performance on behalf of the people of North Preston and Canada. We wish him good luck and Godspeed.

2002 Winter Olympics

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval West, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to tell you about the accomplishments of some great Canadian athletes. Some of them won medals and others placed among the top eight finalists on February 20 in Salt Lake City.

I am referring to Marc Gagnon of Chicoutimi, Quebec, members of the Canadian women's relay team, Isabelle Charest of Rimouski, Marie-Ève Drolet of Laterrière, Amélie Goulet-Nadon and Tania Vincent of Laval, of whom I am obviously very proud, Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Jeff Pain and Lindsay Alcock, both of Calgary, Alberta.

Marc Gagnon won the bronze medal in the 1,500 metre short track event. These are his third Olympic Games; he won a gold medal in 1998 and a bronze in 1994.

Our women's relay team won a bronze medal in the 3,000 metre short track speed skating event.

After—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Fundy--Royal.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister is gutting out key improvements made to Bill C-5 by the environment committee that were supported by landowners and provinces. Worse still, the Government of Canada shamelessly ignored a consensus reached in advance by environmentalists and industry.

It is unbelievable that the bill does not provide for mandatory protection of critical habitat on federal lands, in the government's own backyard. Yet the bill permits the minister to arbitrarily intervene on private and provincial lands. The reality is that the environment minister never did his homework. The provinces were never on side on clauses 34, 35 and 61 before Bill C-5 was tabled. Now the minister is gutting committee amendments that the provinces support.

For example, Minister John Snobelen of Ontario said, “I appreciate the standing committee's suggestions for criteria regarding the application of the federal safety net.”

Why is it that we had to wait eight years for a bill that is so weak and void of mandatory protection of critical habitat, scientific listing, clear compensation and provisions to--

[The Deputy Speaker]

I regret to interrupt but hon. members' statements are getting longer and longer.

2002 Winter Olympics

[Rob Anders, Canadian Alliance, Calgary West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, just over six months ago I came to know a group of athletes who moved to my riding to try out for the Canadian Olympic women's hockey team. These athletes and their teammates trained almost every day and every night to win in Salt Lake City and yesterday it paid off.

Canada won its first gold medal in hockey since 1952 when we prevailed over the Americans 3-2. Cherie Piper, Charline Labonté and Thérèse Brisson and the rest of the team showed true courage and determination in taking on an American team that was bigger and had home ice advantage.

After seeing these athletes do training sessions twice a day I have a whole new appreciation for the words: work ethic, discipline and commitment. Each and every one of those players deserves a heartfelt congratulations from this House and from all Canadians.

Great work ladies.

[Hélène Scherrer, Liberal, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last night, the women's ice hockey team showed that hockey is truly a Canadian sport. In a fast-paced game against the United States, the Canadian team emerged victorious, winning the gold with a score of 3-2 over our neighbours to the south.

Having lost eight consecutive games to the Americans, the Canadians finally took their revenge for the defeat they suffered in the game for the gold medal at the 1998 winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

It is athletes like Danielle Goyette, a veteran of this sport, Kim St-Pierre, and many others, who encourage our daughters to dream of the day when they will play on the Canadian Olympic team.

I hope that the men's hockey team will be inspired by the example of their female counterparts and will capture another gold in ice hockey at the game on Sunday.

Congratulations to the women's hockey team and to all our Canadian athletes.

Globalization

[Stéphan Tremblay, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean—Saguenay, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the second world social forum was held in Pôrto Alegre, Brazil, this past January 31 to February 5. With a view to counterbalancing the traditional Davos economic forum, some 55,000 people from all over the world met at Pôrto Alegre with the common objective of humanizing globalization.

In addition to being an ideal forum for the exchange of views and for contacts between the members of civil society, this forum provided more than one thousand parliamentarians with the opportunity to address potential solutions for certain problems, such as the controversial chapter 11 of the FTAA.

For me, this was an opportunity to speak of virtual parliamentarism, and to defend the inherent concepts of corporate social responsibility. Quebec was strongly represented, with a contingent of close to one hundred from civil society, labour unions, and representatives of government and of parliamentarians. It demonstrated that it is more than ever before one of the nations that supports a more human face for globalization.

2002 Winter Olympics

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last night the Canadian Olympic women's hockey team set new standards for class, dignity and character.

Our congratulations to these great Olympic champions, head coach Danielle Sauvageau, all of the coaching staff, and above all the players.

They are: Dana Antal, Kelly Béchard, Jennifer Botterill, Thérèse Brisson, Cassie Campbell, Isabelle Chartrand, Lori Dupuis, Danielle Goyette, Geraldine Heaney, Jayna Hefford, Becky Kellar, Charline Labonté, Caroline Ouellette, Cherie Piper, Cheryl Pounder, Tammy Lee Shewchuk, Kim St-Pierre, Sami Jo Small, Colleen Sostorics, Vicky Sunohara, and tournament MVP, Hayley Wickenheiser.

They have won more than gold. They have won the hearts of a very proud nation.

[Larry Spencer, Canadian Alliance, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is well understood that the family is the basic building unit of society. From the family comes all the resource of humanity that contributes to the expertise, dedication and propagation of a nation. The family unit is essential to the well-being of individuals and communities. The family is where we first learn and practice values and responsibility. It is there that we learn respect, consideration and love for others.

Legislation and programs designed to strengthen and protect the family should first be directed to individuals related by blood, adoption or marriage. Parliament has recognized that marriage is the union of a man and a woman as recognized by the state. Our Olympic gold medal women's hockey team provide a great example of individuals who have obviously received a great deal of family support.

I extend congratulations to the team and especially to the four members from Saskatchewan. I also congratulate their respective families who have earned the right to be very proud of their win and of their families' involvement.

Political Parties

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

Mr. Speaker, I see that the interim leader of the Alliance is pleased because Izzy Asper has “taken a personal interest in the Alliance leadership race”. He goes on to say that the last thing Mr. Asper wants is for the Alliance and the Tories to work together.

Stop the presses. This is the same Mr. Asper who insists that his newspaper chain print only editorials that agree with his Liberal political views, who tried to shut down the Shawinigate investigation and who sparked protests among journalists about the freedom of the press with his blatant pro-Liberal bias.

Let me offer an opinion to those Alliance supporters who think that taking strategic advice from Izzy Asper is designed to help the Canadian Alliance. Wake up, folks. He does not want Alliance members to talk to the Conservatives because he has only one goal, which is to keep the Liberals in power. He could not care less about the Alliance, about the Tories or any efforts to bring people together, because as long as the opposition stays divided the Liberals have a clear path to electoral victory.

Let us be clear, Mr. Asper's ambition is to re-elect Liberals. His sudden interest in the Alliance leadership race should cause concern. It is hardly cause for celebration.

Carnaval-Souvenir de Chicoutimi

[André Harvey, Liberal, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to inform the House that her Excellency the Governor General of Canada will be visiting Chicoutimi this weekend. Madame Clarkson will be taking part in the Carnaval-Souvenir activities. I wish her a hearty welcome.

Since 1961, Chicoutimi has been taking this trip back in time, revisiting our past through the dress, activities and food of times gone by.

This year, we are commemorating the year 1902, with the theme “Fréquentons-nous, c'est Carnaval”, by going on a date with Laeticia and Hector, two characters typical of people living at the turn of the last century.

I invite everyone to come enjoy the Carnaval with the other merrymakers and Madame Clarkson.

Member for Calgary East

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate my friend and colleague from Calgary East on his recovery from surgery this week.

It is ironic that we are just at the end of heart and stroke week, a time in which health professionals remind us all that research money is needed to improve our knowledge of the cardio-vascular system and how to keep it functioning properly.

Our friend has had quite an experience. The surgery was successful but complications gave us all a most worrisome time. Using sedation doctors gave our friend a rest and a chance for his lungs to clear fluids. He has survived this, much to the relief of his family and many friends here in parliament.

The member is now resting at home and I know he would like to express his gratitude for the sincere outpouring of good wishes. To the doctors and nurses who performed their miracle on our colleague we say job well done

We offer our prayers to the member and his family. On behalf of the House we say Godspeed friend. We are looking for Deepak on CPAC. We miss him and hope to see him back soon.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources, who is the Prime Minister's close confidante and political minister of British Columbia, said:

Some important details have to be worked out before Canada ratifies the Kyoto protocol...It makes no sense to sign a contract before we understand its full impacts.

He said that he would not sign a contract in business unless he knew exactly what it meant.

Does the Minister of the Environment believe that we should ratify Kyoto without understanding its full impact, or does he expect Canadians to buy a pig in a poke?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member simply misrepresents the situation.

The government has consistently said that it intends to have full consultation with provinces, territories, interested organizations such as companies and NGOs, and the Canadian public so that it can in fact have full knowledge of the situation. That will be done before the ratification decision is made.

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

Mr. Speaker, I did not misrepresent anything. I quoted a minister of the government who is responsible for British Columbia.

The Alberta government estimates that Kyoto would cost the Canadian economy $25 billion to $40 billion per year, disproportionately hurting Alberta and the west. The federal government still has not tabled its figures and yesterday Canada's top business groups, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, demanded that the government give its cost estimates.

Will the government table the full costs of Kyoto and a detailed implementation plan before the deal is ratified?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the second question demonstrates an even greater misunderstanding of the situation than the first.

The fact is, if the hon. member had listened to the response, we are having discussions with the provinces, the territories, interested groups and the Canadian public so we can bring together all the information necessary. There are provincial officials working with federal and territorial officials on the issue of costing, among other aspects. This will happen. The process is working.

His demands for figures that have constantly been put forward, which as has been indicated are not yet fully available because the work is not yet fully done, just does not make a lot of sense.

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

Mr. Speaker, we quote the minister's own colleagues in cabinet and he tries to say we misrepresent them. However, he still has not answered the question we asked him. The question is very simple. Will he as the minister and will the government table in the House the full costs of Kyoto and the detailed implementation plan before it is ratified?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the misrepresentation was on my position, not the quote from my colleague and he knows that.

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

Answer the question.

[David Anderson, Liberal, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I feel I have the right to correct inaccurate information the hon. member put forward about the position of myself and other government ministers.

[Jason Kenney, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, is it not ironic that Bloc Québécois and Liberal members are getting together to ask the federal government to take unilateral action and sign the Kyoto accord against the will of the provinces?

Will the federal government do as it should, that is, respect and consult the provinces before ratifying this agreement?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether there is a wall of glass and those members cannot hear what is said on this side of the room. The fact is, as I have said to the Leader of the Opposition, we intend to have a full discussion with the provinces, a full discussion with the territories, a full discussion with companies that are interested in the energy field and other areas. We are going to have full discussions with the Canadian public before we come to the final decision.

[Jason Kenney, Canadian Alliance, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec's environment minister has outrageously said “Quebecers will not finance the economic development of western Canada”. Westerners have been financing the economic development of Quebec for 40 years, from equalization payments, to the CF-18 contract, to slush funds in Quebec. If Alberta is forced to pay for Kyoto, there will not be any money for Ottawa to extract from us.

Will the federal government commit that it will not ratify Kyoto to buy Quebec votes with western tax dollars?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the question of the hon. member misrepresents the position of the government. Again let me repeat it. I want it to be very clear so that he fully understands.

The government has said consistently, myself, the Minister of Natural Resources, the previous Minister of Natural Resources, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, that we will have full consultation with all sectors involved, the provinces, the territories, industry, interested Canadians, and we will do that before making the final decision of ratification.

That said, our aim is to ratify, and we wish to ratify.