House of Commons Hansard #147 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was copyright.
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for informing me of the proposal and ensuring that I understood it well. He brings to light a very important problem, a fundamental problem. We have limited resources and a lot of capacity and a desire for that resource, to produce it, process it and maintain those communities.
I can assure the member that I will give full consideration to the proposal that he has brought forward as well as the proposals brought forward by the people of Canso.
Jay Hill Canadian Alliance Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, during last week's break I consulted with the communities of Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd and Hudson's Hope in my riding. They all expressed concern over how the new Liberal airport security tax discriminates against small, northern communities with low passenger volumes.
My question is for the Minister of Transport. Why is the tax a flat fee regardless of ticket cost, distance travelled or level of security screening provided and why was the recommendation of the standing committee for transportation that any increased cost be shared between the industry, the taxpayers and the travelling public ignored by this government?
André Harvey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to tell the hon. member that anything having to do with the security tax is part of the comprehensive measures in which the government has invested billions of dollars. The imposition of this very marginal tax is, of course, part of the government project for the Department of Finance.
James Moore Canadian Alliance Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, in less than six weeks the federal government is supposed to assume responsibility for airline security, but the government is not going to make the deadline.
Yesterday, outside of the House, the transport minister said that it was going to take a number of months, either November or December, until the new regime was put in place. He said “No one is going to click their fingers on April and see everybody in new uniforms with new standards and new procedures”.
Why should Canadians pay the airline tax when they will not get new airline security for another eight months?
André Harvey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the new agency will be operational in April. The transition period will begin in April and all the measures will be implemented gradually.
Therefore, it is totally wrong to say that measures will be taken without providing services.
James Moore Canadian Alliance Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions said that this tax was revenue neutral. I want to draw his attention to table 5.1 where it says that the government will bring in $430 million in tax revenue from this tax. Section 37 of the Budget Implementation Act says that the amount of $340 million will go to the authority in the fiscal year 2002-03. In year one there is a $90 million surplus.
With the service not provided for eight months and a $90 million surplus, will the government reconsider the tax? What will the government do with that extra $90 million?
John McCallum LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained several times to the hon. member, over the five year period this is revenue neutral according to the law. We will review it and in the event that it appears the revenue will exceed expenses there is a provision to lower it.
Contrary to what the hon. member says, in the first year, because of the equipment purchases, expenditures will in fact exceed revenue.
Jocelyne Girard-Bujold Bloc Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the federal Minister of Transport recognized only one priority, highway 30, whereas Quebec is confirming that the money is already on the table to complete all of the projects.
During the last election campaign, however, other promises were made, including the one in connection with highway 75, made by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport.
What does the parliamentary secretary have to say to the people of Saguenay--Lac-Saint-Jean who are listening today and who are waiting to hear that he will deliver on his election promises?
André Harvey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I will say what the Government of Canada is now saying here in the House: there will be a $2 billion infrastructure program, which is an initial payment. This fund will provide a steady stream of revenue in the years to come.
In addition, there is no interprovincial cost-sharing. Each project will be judged on its merits.
The member for Jonquière is free to keep sending us postcards, but she might perhaps warn her PQ friends in Quebec City that they should start getting their environmental studies ready.
Jocelyne Girard-Bujold Bloc Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary was in quite a hurry to make announcements during the last election campaign. Now he is unable to deliver the goods.
The public has only one question for the parliamentary secretary: when will they see the money for highway 175, and for all the other Liberal promises?
André Harvey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the public has been waiting 25 years for the PQ and the BQ to get their act together. Before I was elected on November 27, not one member of the PQ or the BQ was talking about this issue. It took our victory in Chicoutimi--Le Fjord and the defeat of the PQ in Jonquière to get things moving.
Gurmant Grewal Canadian Alliance Surrey Central, BC
Mr. Speaker, 8,600 tonnes of dioxin laced toxic waste from the U.S. is moving into Richmond, British Columbia. Dioxins are known to cause cancer. British Columbians are outraged.
The Minister of Natural Resources, who happens to be the political minister for British Columbia, is supposed to guard the interests of British Columbians. Could he tell us why waste that is considered too toxic for the state of Oregon is considered safe for British Columbians?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I believe the hon. member is aware that the regulation of this particular landfill site is under the responsibility of the province of British Columbia. The province of British Columbia has indicated that the waste in question meets all British Columbia requirements for safety in terms of toxicity.
Rob Merrifield Canadian Alliance Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, in November the former health minister promised that 1,500 trainers would be instructing personnel at a local level to respond to bioterrorist attacks. At the beginning of this week, I asked the current minister how many are being trained. It is now the end of the week and I still do not have an answer.
Our sources tell us that the promise of a network of 1,500 trainees is not achievable and it has not even started. How many doctors are being trained?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, there are many programs for training doctors in many universities and facilities across Canada. I will provide the hon. member with a list just as soon as we can assemble it. We will have the details for him in writing, province by province, as best as we can make it available.
Nancy Karetak-Lindell Liberal Nunavut, NU
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice.
Despite recent declines in the crime rate, Canadians remain concerned about the issues of crime and victimization, but Canadians also are aware that we cannot simply react to crimes after they occur. We need to stop crimes before they ever happen. What is the government doing in the area of crime prevention?
Paul MacKlin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for this very important question, for crime prevention is of great concern to all Canadians. The Government of Canada is addressing this with our national strategy on community safety and crime prevention.
Since the launch of this program, we have supported over 2,000 crime prevention projects throughout Canada. We have added just recently, $145 million over four years to the program. By investing in crime prevention, we are ensuring that our homes, streets and communities are better places to live.
Keith Martin Canadian Alliance Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe has prevented EU monitors from doing their jobs. They have had to leave the country.
On February 4 the Minister of Foreign Affairs said:
...unless observers are accepted, our group will recommend that action be taken against Zimbabwe at the leaders' meeting in Australia at the beginning of March which would probably be mean removal of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth.
Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs live up to his word and call for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, as I responded to the member when he last asked this question, we are working through the Commonwealth to ensure that we have observers present in Zimbabwe. We are interested in the Zimbabwean people and in giving them the best opportunity they have for elections.
We have Commonwealth observers there. I spoke to the foreign minister of Botswana the other day. I spoke to the secretary general at the Commonwealth. We continue to urge our observers to be there to guarantee free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. When the process is over we will examine what actions we should take against Mugabe and his regime, but let us give the--
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, according to a study done by the Communications Union, the CBC distributes more than $8 million annually to its employees on a completely discretionary basis. This fund, outside of the collective agreement, puts women at a particular disadvantage. The most shocking example is probably that of female announcers, who, even with more seniority, earn $16,000 less than their male counterparts.
Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell us if she would go along with being paid a lot less than her male colleagues and what she intends to do rectify this unfortunate situation?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, with the decision of the CBC's union to put this issue on the table, the matter should be settled. This is the first time it has been raised. I agree completely that it must be solved. I hope that through negotiations it will be settled.
Grant McNally Canadian Alliance Dewdney—Alouette, BC
Mr. Speaker, the district of Kent, Seabird Island and all the communities along the Fraser River are threatened by potential flooding every year, yet the minister of fisheries refuses to allow enough gravel to be removed from the Fraser to lessen the chance of potential flooding.
We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Will the minister commit today to allow for immediate gravel removal from the Fraser River, or will he allow his inaction to threaten thousands of people in my riding and surrounding communities?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member and his colleagues for bringing this matter to my attention. They brought it to my attention as early as this morning for the first time. I can assure them that I will take immediate action to make sure this is resolved as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, before seeing my responsibilities in the act and the details of this matter, I cannot prejudge which way I will decide, but I can assure them that I will be expeditious.
Tony Tirabassi Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, in the government's ongoing recognition of the invaluable role made by Canada's armed forces personnel, will the Minister of Veterans Affairs tell the House what Veterans Affairs Canada has done to address the needs of its Canadian forces' clients and their families, particularly those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as outlined in the military ombudsman's report on PTSD?