House of Commons Hansard #140 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
Monte Solberg Canadian Alliance Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, the government needs to clear up the confusion caused by losing $3.3 billion of taxpayers' money.
The auditor general's office tells us that the government has no protocol or established plan to sort out this mess. The provinces are still in the dark. Instead of pulling an Enron and blaming all of this on its auditor, what is the government doing to clean up its own $3.3 billion mess?
Sophia Leung LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the CCRA has identified the problem. We did take on the review of the tax process. We are discussing with the auditor general and the provincial auditors to review the program to avoid any overpayments in the future.
Monte Solberg Canadian Alliance Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has speculated that have-not provinces may be hit with a change in the equalization formula and of course we know about the horrendous record when it comes to cutting funding to health care.
Will the minister assure the provinces that he is not going to make up for the government's $3.3 billion mess by once again cutting the heart out of funding for health care?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, first of all, the statement about the speculation is simply not true. Second, the fact is we are waiting for the auditor general to complete her verification. We have asked if independent auditors would like to come in and look at the situation to make sure it is done in an open and transparent way.
I will be meeting with the provinces on the matter and it will be resolved. It will be resolved in a way that is fair to all provinces and all Canadian taxpayers.
Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we learned that despite the budget statements and documents tabled by the Minister of Finance barely two months ago, the year end budget surpluses will not be allocated to the infrastructure foundation and the Africa fund, but that from now on, these two funds would be funded over a certain number of years from the government's general revenues.
How can the Minister of Finance explain this flip-flop a few weeks after tabling his latest budget, other than admitting the fact that he committed a serious error of management, that the surpluses will be far greater than forecast and that it would be incongruous for the government to put this many billions of dollars into infrastructure and the Africa fund?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite were able to read the monthly documents produced by the government, he would see that the surpluses are clearly shrinking. This is not necessarily good news, but it is the reality, given the recession in the United States and the global economic downturn. This has an impact on the Government of Canada's revenues and on the Canadian economy.
Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, there was a different version eight weeks ago.
When the budget was tabled—and this is in writing—the minister stated “Given the current economic weakness, debt pay down at this time is not appropriate. Any reserves at this year's end will be not used to pay down debt”. But yesterday the minister said the opposite.
How can the Minister of Finance justify this sudden change in policy a few weeks after bringing down his budget, if it is not due to his incompetence at managing public funds?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I have already assured the House, and I am doing so again, that the goals and objectives of the foundation are exactly the same as those of the fund. The financial commitments are there. The government is prepared to meet with the municipalities and the provinces to discuss it so that construction projects can begin as soon as possible.
Leon Benoit Canadian Alliance Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, a few minutes ago the Prime Minister refused to answer straight questions as to whether his staff or the privy council had been informed of the capture of al-Qaeda terrorists and their handover to the United States. This suggests that someone in his office or in the PCO was informed but failed to tell the Prime Minister.
Did someone in the Prime Minister's Office or the PCO know about the incident but deliberately kept it from the Prime Minister?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the chain of responsibility is very clear. The Minister of National Defence responds to the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence informed me in the cabinet at the same time as colleagues as was his duty to do.
Leon Benoit Canadian Alliance Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, why does the Prime Minister refuse to answer a direct question on this issue? It just does not make any sense unless he is trying to hide something.
The principle of ministerial accountability means that ministers are accountable for their actions and the actions of their staff and departments. If someone in the Prime Minister's Office or the PCO knew about the handover of captives two weeks ago, then the Prime Minister and no one else is responsible for that.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for the actions of his own subordinates who deliberately kept him in the dark?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, whenever a minister gets up in the House and tries to blame a bureaucrat, they all say that the minister is the one responsible. It is the way the system functions.
No, I was not informed by anyone in my office and the one who informed me was the Minister of Justice. I am not the one who is trying to blame the people who work under me. I am able to take all the responsibility that I have to take as Prime Minister of the land.
Sarkis Assadourian Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. I am particularly interested in the issue of poverty.
Could the minister tell the House what was achieved at the recent world economic forum in New York and what obstacles remain in the fight against poverty in the third world?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Brampton Centre who has had a long interest in this subject.
Certainly one of the major obstacles, and we know this on behalf of Canadian farmers, is there are hundreds of millions of people living on less than $1 a day in the poorest countries of the world who are faced with massive agricultural subsidies in the United States, France and Europe which are preventing them from exporting their goods.
The fact is at the present time there is five times as much money spent on agricultural subsidies in those countries as there is on overseas development assistance, and that is just fundamentally wrong.
On the other hand, one of the highlights was the Prime Minister's plan for Africa which was received overwhelmingly by the entire world economic forum.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, too many Canadians are experiencing untold heartbreak at the suffering of loved ones and loss of loved ones because of this country's inability to ensure a safe insulin supply.
Reports of eight deaths and more than 450 reported adverse reactions from synthetic insulin in Canada are surely enough for the government to act. Yet the government has issued no warnings, no mandatory reporting and no effective monitoring system.
Will the Minister of Health act on this serious matter today with compassion, issue health warnings for the adverse reactions of synthetic insulin and ensure a safe supply of insulin for all Canadians with diabetes?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I think we are all aware that diabetes is a complex and difficult medical condition. In essence, its effects vary from person to person. I am certainly very much aware of the concerns expressed by those who have suffered adverse reactions to synthetic insulin.
I want to reassure members of the House that animal insulin continues to be available in this country as well as synthetic insulin. The product monograph in relation to synthetic insulin clearly indicates various possible adverse reactions. Let me reassure every--
HealthOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for Sackville--Musquodoboit Valley--Eastern Shore.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the ombudsman to the defence department issued his report on post-traumatic stress disorder.
Many members of our military and their families suffer from this terrible affliction. There are many recommendations by the ombudsman for the government to act to protect the mental health of our troops and their families.
My question for the defence minister is this. Will he now allocate the necessary resources and the personnel to combat post-traumatic stress disorder?
Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. We welcome the recommendations of the ombudsman in this regard. The health and welfare of our troops is of utmost importance to us.
In the last few years we have concentrated on improvements in quality of life, pay and benefits. We are putting particular focus this year on reform of the health care system. We want to ensure that those who suffer, whether it be from physical or mental illnesses, particularly in this case PTSD, get the kind of treatment that they need.
As quickly as we can get professionals in this field, we certainly will continue to hire them so they can provide the services that are needed for our troops.
Greg Thompson Progressive Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister informed the House that the Minister of National Defence told him about JTF2 taking prisoners a full eight days after the incident occurred. Yet Britain's elite service, the SAS, has a dual reporting system to ensure that the cabinet is informed at the same time as the minister of defence. The Australian system is the same.
Why is Canada the odd man out? Why does Canada rely solely on the discretion of the minister of defence to determine whether or not information is important enough to be passed on to the Prime Minister?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct a statement I made. I referred to the Minister of Justice in replying to the question of the defence critic in the Alliance, but I meant the minister of defence.
In our system the minister of defence has full responsibility. He is the one who handles the problems on a daily basis. He is called upon to pass judgment because I have confidence in him and I think he is doing a good job.
Greg Thompson Progressive Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Mr. Speaker, we disagree with the Prime Minister. He is not doing a good job of informing the House and the Prime Minister.
The question remains as to why there is this gaping hole in the chain of command. Why do we not follow the same system as the SAS? Our system is modelled after the SAS. Why do we not follow the same system as the Australians? Why is the Prime Minister not informed? Why is there this gaping hole in the chain of command?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it is because we are Canadian and we have our own system. The debate all the time is that we should be doing it the Canadian way and that is the way we are doing it.
We do not operate exactly like the others. For example, the minister of defence confirmed that there was some special forces activity in operations in the caves of Afghanistan. We understand other countries are involved, and they do not even admit that to their parliament.
Myron Thompson Canadian Alliance Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, the first line of defence for Canada is our customs officers. Yesterday in the House the Deputy Prime Minister stated that we must not create an apprehension of problems that do not exist. Unfortunately numerous reports prove otherwise. In one instance a passenger at Pearson airport became violent, abusive, tore up papers and threw them at the officer. When he was arrested the officer was bitten in the thigh.
Does the government take the safety and security of customs officials seriously or not?
Sophia Leung LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, on the border, we have policemen and other military members nearby. If necessary, we will involve them to protect the interests of Canadians. Our customs officials are very well trained and are doing an excellent job.