House of Commons Hansard #150 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was wto.
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Yes, Mr. Speaker, we have, obviously as the hon. member knows, led on this file with the financial action task force and with IOSCO which is the international grouping of securities regulators. We have also had discussions with provincial authorities and we intend to continue them to exactly that end.
Bill Blaikie NDP Winnipeg—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, the right hon. Prime Minister referred to the cost of not proceeding with the Kyoto accord. Could the government tell us, because we in the NDP have often felt that the government could make a much more forceful case for Kyoto than it is doing, if it is doing the cost studies of what it would cost to not ratify the Kyoto accord and could it produce these studies so that we could combat the Canadian Alliance fearmongering on this and light a fire under the Minister of the Environment so he might actually get this accord ratified one of these days?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the studies, which are currently being done, are being done by a joint federal-provincial-territorial group with three private firms involved. The leadership of this group is the province of Alberta and the federal Government of Canada. The group expects it will be able to provide us with substantial information in April. We certainly hope that is the case.
However certainly by May we hope we will be able to provide some of the figures from this joint federal-provincial-territorial group led by the province of Alberta and the federal government.
Jim Pankiw Canadian Alliance Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Mr. Speaker, since 1994 the Liberal government has been harassing law-abiding firearms owners, but it has been business as usual for criminals. Numbers from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics show that since the Liberal firearm registration act was passed in 1994, use of a firearm in murders has increased by 3% and in attempted murders by almost 20%.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to target law-abiding citizens. Should the government not correct this mistake and direct future resources toward targeting criminals?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to live in a society which is indeed very secure compared with many countries in the world. As well, we have had the courage in the past to make choices about security in our society and the firearm registration system is one good choice that we have made as Liberals on this side of the House, and for which I stand.
Lately we have proceeded with some outsourcing so we can keep offering the Canadian population very good services. We believe in what we are doing. At the end of the day, it is to ensure that we continue to protect our society.
Jim Pankiw Canadian Alliance Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Mr. Speaker, surprise, surprise, criminals do not register their firearms. Statistics clearly show that since the Liberals introduced the firearms registration act the trend of guns used in violent crimes is going up, not down.
Would the minister not agree that it is time to get tough on criminals who use firearms, instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to harass sports shooters, hunters and farmers?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, very simply put, if the hon. member would read the budget and the Speech from the Throne, he would see that we have invested a lot of money to ensure that we protect our society. We proceeded as well lately with the enactment of new legislation to protect our society. Of course gun registration is something fantastic. We will keep working to protect Canadian society. This government has made a difference.
Keith Martin Canadian Alliance Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, Robert Mugabe has ejected European election monitors, brutalized civilians by his state sponsored goon squad, terrorized opposition parties and the independent media. The fact is there is absolutely no chance for a free and fair election in Zimbabwe.
Given that the United States and the EU have imposed targeted sanctions, will the government do the right thing and next week at the Commonwealth ministers meeting call for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, the Prime Minister will be attending the CHOGM meeting Australia. We have taken very positive steps to ensure that Commonwealth inspectors are present in Zimbabwe. We are working as much as we can with our African partners to try to ensure as much integrity as is possible in that election process.
I am confident that the Prime Minister, when he leads our delegation in Australia, will be able to work with our Commonwealth partners to find a solution to this terrible problem and guarantee the integrity of the Commonwealth in the process.
Keith Martin Canadian Alliance Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is the government's credibility that is as stake right now if it does not do the right thing and do it now. The fact of the matter is that 60% of the population in Zimbabwe are terrorized and too scared to vote. Our own Canadian election monitor, Bill Warden, who almost died in the last presidential election, said that there is very little chance that monitors will do anything.
Again, will the government do the right thing, call for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth, freeze the personal assets of Mugabe and his cronies and call for a travel ban on the same group, and do it now?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, when we speak of credibility, the hon. member has been active on this file for some time. I ask him, for the sake of his credibility and that of his party, to recognize what the government is doing. We are working within the system of the Commonwealth, and he knows that is the best place for us to be.
I am confident that when the Commonwealth meeting takes place in Australia, the Prime Minister will work with our colleagues in the Commonwealth for the best interests of the people of Zimbabwe and for the best interests of the Commonwealth.
Mario Laframboise Bloc Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, Mayor Hubert Meilleur of Mirabel is concerned about the future of the airport. There are more and more persistent indications that Mirabel airport may be closed.
Can the Minister of Transport confirm whether in the foreseeable future there is any likelihood of Mirabel being closed down?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we are not going to be closing Mirabel airport.
Mario Laframboise Bloc Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, can the minister confirm the information that Air Transat is apparently preparing to move all of its flights to other Canadian airports, because 90% of their flights are night flights, thus lending credibility to the rumours of Mirabel airport's closing?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for airport administration belongs to the Société des Aéroports de Montréal. I trust that the hon. member will direct his questions to the airport authority, as it is connected to the national policy on airports.
Chuck Cadman Canadian Alliance Surrey North, BC
Mr. Speaker, in 1991 Ranjit Gill, who is not a Canadian citizen, was convicted of committing a murder in Canada. A deportation order was issued immediately and immigration assured his victim's family that he would be sent packing as soon as he got parole. In 1998 they were told his appeal of the order had been dismissed. In early 2000 documents indicated that all avenues of appeal had been exhausted. He was paroled in early 2001 and remains in Canada to this day.
I will not ask the minister to comment on this case. I just want to know why it is so difficult to rid this country of violent criminals.
Denis Coderre LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, of course I will not comment on personal cases, but I am very troubled about those kinds of situations. That is why, through Bill C-11 and regulations, we will have better tools to prevent those kinds of situations.
Chuck Cadman Canadian Alliance Surrey North, BC
Mr. Speaker, not only does it seem we cannot get rid of these criminals, it seems as though we welcome them with open arms to boot. Tafari Rennock, a career criminal, was deported from the United States about two years ago. Last summer he was caught here illegally and filed a refugee claim while in custody. Apparently the Immigration Review Board was so impressed with his resumé, which included sexual assault, drug trafficking and robbery, that it accepted his claim.
Would the minister please explain how a known criminal entering Canada illegally from a safe country and in custody can be accepted as a refugee claimant?
Denis Coderre LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I hope that the hon. member does not believe that anyone here is in favour of treating people's security lightly. In my opinion, the new law is a good one, and the regulations are well done also. I know that there is no political partisanship behind his question. Everyone shares the same opinion: we must ensure our society is safe, and that is what we are going to do.
Claude Duplain Liberal Portneuf, QC
Mr. Speaker, people in Quebec and in my riding have a question, and today I would like to share it with the Minister of Finance.
Quebecers who invest in the FTQ's Fonds de solidarité RRSP obtain a tax credit not only from the government of Quebec, but also from the Government of Canada.
Can the Minister of Finance give the House an idea of the amount of this tax credit for the Fonds de solidarité RRSP?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, at the end of 2001, labour-sponsored venture capital corporations had close to $8.4 billion in assets.
The cost of the credit for the government is estimated at $260 million for the year 2000 alone. That would be approximately 40% for Quebec's Fonds de solidarité.
I thank the member for Portneuf for his question, as it demonstrates the extent to which the Government of Canada is a partner in job creation in Quebec.
Larry Spencer Canadian Alliance Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Mr. Speaker, approximately 50,000 children endured the terrible experience of parental divorce last year. Over three years have gone by since the special joint committee on child custody and access released its report called “For the Sake of the Children”.
The joint report proposed changes to the Divorce Act, but after years of costly inquiries and hundreds of witness submissions, we have nothing but a fading promise from the former minister of justice and continued stalling from the new Minister of Justice.
Why is the minister forsaking the children?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we will proceed this May to issue new guidelines in regard to custody and access. As well, we are working with the provinces and territories to review the possibility of proceeding with some reform to the legislation. Our standpoint will always be in the best interests of the children.
Pierrette Venne Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the government is closing down the Saint-Hubert South Shore Technobase in the next few weeks.
Will the government launch in the coming weeks an inquiry into the operations of Technobase to determine why the money that was invested did not produce any results, and particularly, how this money was used?
Claude Drouin LiberalSecretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned in the House, two $7 million funds created between 500 and 600 jobs.
If the member wants an inquiry to expose the good results, we are open to the idea.