Debates of Feb. 7th, 2002

Softwood Lumber

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear that the government's favourite course remains the bilateral solution to identify a long term solution to this one. We do continue the litigation road, and indeed, if we have to be on that road we are very confident that Canada will win there.

As to our relationship with industry and that we are able to withstand that pressure, I can say that we have been speaking with industry this week. We are still in touch as we have been every week since the beginning. We are acting very closely with industry and the workers on that front.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is apparently frustrated, poor boy, but he is also consistent.

If we point out problems in the justice system, for example, he says we are a friend of prisoners. If we point out problems in the immigration policy, he says we do not like immigrants. If we do not like the makeup of his cabinet, he tells the women in his own caucus to just be quiet and sit in the backbench. When we question his terrorist policy, he calls us a defender of the terrorists.

Why can he not accept that in the long run seeking clarification of how prisoners are handled is called the rule of law, for pity's sake, and will actually mean that terrorists get what is coming to them and none of them will slip through the cracks?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have debated that for days and we have said and insisted that the Geneva convention be respected by the Americans and that the prisoners there are under the responsibility of the American government, not under the responsibility of the Canadian government. We tell them we insist that they respect this convention.

As for a personal attitude, I think that I have no lessons to receive from a person who is still looking for a political party.

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to shortchanging our military, the Liberals have hit a new low. When they sent our troops to Bosnia, for example, the troops had to share helmets and boots with one another. When we do not have ships or aircraft to transport our troops and equipment, we have to borrow them from other countries. When we do not have proper uniforms, we tell our troops to wrap a blanket around their shoulders if they feel vulnerable.

Now we have sent our brave but ill-equipped soldiers to Afghanistan where they have to beg supplies and rations from our well-equipped and generous American friends.

Why, when we send our troops to defend freedom, do they have to go over there and fend for themselves?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is terrible to talk like that about Canadian soldiers. They are very well-equipped.

One of the reasons the Americans wanted to have Canadian soldiers with them was that we were better equipped and better trained to do that type of job than any other nation.

Immigration

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister of illegal immigration.

We have learned that two years ago, 1,600 other Tunisians entered the country and that the government has no idea as to their whereabouts.

Will the minister stop bragging, go back to Dorval, and announce a new investigation into his department's poor management?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know about grandstanding.

Quite simply, we must be extremely careful. To begin with, we were vigilant. We met with the Tunisian community; we did what we needed to do. We investigated, and we are already seeing the benefits.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is so far from the truth. Not only is the government losing track of phoney Tunisian tourists, it is breaking its promise to the U.S. to require visas from Saudi Arabia.

Fifteen of the nineteen September 11 hijackers were Saudis, as are the 100 of the 150 al-Qaeda terrorists being held by the U.S, yet Saudi nationals can enter Canada without visas.

How can we expect the United States to allow easy border access to Canadians when the government's immigration policies put out the welcome mat for terrorists?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, maybe it is a new recipe for bouillabaisse, because he is mixing everything.

I would like to say one thing. I would like to thank Saudi Arabia for its work during the gulf war. It was there for us and it was very helpful.

To put a label to a country is very dangerous. We need to be very careful. Terrorism does not have a nationality.

Foreign Affairs

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims that our questions regarding the treatment of prisoners taken by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan show that we are not concerned about Canadian troops in the field. To the contrary.

Does the Prime Minister not agree that Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan need clear rules of engagement, otherwise the situation could end up being extremely dangerous for them?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, all our troops, on the ground, on the ocean or in the air, serving in the campaign against terrorism have clear rules of engagement and follow those clear rules of engagement, which follow Canadian law and international law.

The Canadian troops respect and abide by the Geneva conventions, and so does the United States.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think we effectively demonstrated all last week that Canada is not fully respecting the Geneva conventions in regards to the status of prisoners. In the unfortunate event that a Canadian soldier is captured, do the Prime Minister or the minister think that our enemies would feel compelled to respect the conventions?

How could Canada, with any credibility, demand that the Geneva conventions apply to Canadian soldiers, when we have not applied them to Afghan prisoners taken by Canadian soldiers?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely wrong. We do apply the Geneva conventions to anybody we may capture, and we have done that. We would expect that would apply to any Canadians who may, and hopefully not, be captured. We expect people to abide by the Geneva conventions.

[Brian Pallister, Canadian Alliance, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the speaker of the Palestinian national council will meet today with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance.

The Palestinian authority recently attempted to smuggle 50 tonnes of weapons and explosives to Palestinian terrorists.

The Canadian Alliance understands there is no room for neutrality in the war against terrorism. It appears the government does not.

Canada must refuse to give financial support to anyone associated with terrorism.

Is that the unequivocal message that all members of cabinet will deliver to their Palestinian guests today?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity to meet with the gentleman in question this morning. I told him that Canada totally disapproved of the armed shipment to which the hon. member referred.

We disapprove of any act that takes away from the opportunity of building peace in the Middle East, which has been our strong policy.

I want to assure the hon. member that when I met with the speaker of the Palestinian authority, I was reminded that he had recently met with the prime minister of Israel himself, the foreign minister of Israel and Mr. Powell. We are all working to try to bring peace to the Middle East.

[Brian Pallister, Canadian Alliance, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, that work needs to extend to the limiting of financial aid to those same people. The Palestinian authority worked with the terrorist group Hezbollah in the foiled arms shipment, yet Hezbollah can still fundraise in Canada and get tax receipts in Canada.

Hezbollah is dedicated to pushing Israelis into the ocean. Hezbollah is responsible for hundreds of attacks against Israeli civilians. Hezbollah has a machine gun for its logo.

Will the government immediately ban Hezbollah fundraising in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, we did that several weeks ago.

Infrastructure

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, clause 4 of the—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I assure the hon. member that we will now be able to hear her. The hon. member for Jonquière.

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, clause 4 of the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund Act reads as follows, and I quote “The Minister may enter into an agreement with an eligible recipient—” These eligible recipients include the municipalities, which are under provincial jurisdiction.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. How can the government justify that it is, once again, giving itself permission to deal directly with municipalities, whereas these fall not under federal jurisdiction, but provincial jurisdiction?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is money available to build strategic infrastructure. On the national level, we can negotiate with anyone, including the private sector, in order to try to establish here in Canada infrastructure which will help move Canada well into a leadership position for the 21st century.

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal ministers and MPs have been traipsing all over Quebec, telling people that the federal government is prepared to invest in the projects but Quebec is holding things up.

How can the Deputy Prime Minister reconcile the statements by his colleagues with his statement of yesterday that we had to wait for the bill to be passed before discussing whether or not the funds were available?

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the hon. member inquired as to which projects we were going to finance. I must repeat today that we must wait. We have not yet enacted the legislation implementing the provisions of the budget. As well, a process needs to be put in place to determine which projects are truly strategic.

Health

[Rob Merrifield, Canadian Alliance, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, two years ago the former health minister said that the status quo was not an option, that we had to improve medicare, and that we had enough reports and commissions.

He said that in March 2000. Yesterday we got another report, one with no direction.

It is obvious to Canadians that the government is stalling. How much time does it need?