House of Commons Hansard #152 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was finance.

Topics

BioterrorismOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

BioterrorismOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Jeannot Castonguay Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

If people will listen, I will answer.

It must be realized, however, that training people requires a structure to be in place. This is not the place for band-aid solutions. We have to know where we are headed. That is what we are doing. We are putting it in place at present and will continue throughout the year.

Steel IndustryOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Brent St. Denis Liberal Algoma—Manitoulin, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Minister for International Trade is very aware of how important the steel industry is to Canada and in particular to the city of Sault Ste. Marie and to my own neighbouring riding of Algoma--Manitoulin.

On March 6 U.S. President Bush is expected to respond to the recommendations by the U.S. International Trade Commission on restrictions to steel imports. Does the minister have any information on what his decision will be and how it may affect the Canadian steel industry?

Steel IndustryOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, we are hopeful that President Bush will decide not to apply restrictions on imports from Canada.

It is our position that steel imports from Canada are not contributing to any injury to the United States industry. Further, as a NAFTA partner we should be exempt from any U.S. trade action. In the last month I have raised it with United States Trade Representative Zoellick and Secretary of Commerce Evans. These are our arguments.

Steel is a global problem. Canada is fully engaged in multilateral efforts to find a global solution to the worldwide overcapacity problem.

National DefenceOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Rob Anders Canadian Alliance Calgary West, AB

Mr. Speaker, our reserves need separate budgets. Our reserves need separate budgets. Our reserves need separate budgets. I say this three times because our defence minister admits he needs three briefings.

Twenty per cent of our peacekeepers come from the reserves. They play a vital role in our armed forces. However, because of the government, our regular forces must steal resources from the reserves just to survive. In many cases our reserves are being trained with equipment left over from the Korean war.

Will the minister set up a separate fund for the reserves or will he let the regular forces--

National DefenceOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

The Speaker

The hon. Minister of National Defence.

National DefenceOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

York Centre Ontario

Liberal

Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I got it the first time. Perhaps if he had not repeated himself so often, he would have got his question out.

I assume the member wants to know that we are paying attention to the reserves. We are indeed.

In fact, the head of the minister's monitoring committee, who is himself a reservist, says that the land force reserve restructure is on increasingly solid ground and is potentially a significant success story. In fact, we put a major general in charge of it. We have a project office.

The time for the reserves to improve is now and it is getting better every day.

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Bloc

Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral Bloc Laval Centre, QC

Mr. Speaker, there is a growing international momentum to convince Canada to put pressure on Zimbabwe immediately, without waiting for the March 9 and 10 election.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs confirm that the Prime Minister will arrive at the Commonwealth conference, which begins today in Australia, with a position similar to the one adopted by Great Britain, to defend democracy in Zimbabwe?

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

11:55 a.m.

Toronto Centre—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, as I said before in the House, Canada has already taken a number of measures against the Government of Zimbabwe to indicate that it disapproves of its actions.

The Prime Minister is going to the Commonwealth meeting with his own conviction, namely that the Commonwealth must act and that the international community must clearly tell Mr. Mugabe “Let a fair and proper election take place in Zimbabwe, and let Zimbabweans speak for themselves during that election”.

TradeOral Question Period

Noon

Progressive Conservative

Loyola Hearn Progressive Conservative St. John's West, NL

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has asserted himself into the softwood lumber dispute in order to bail out the Minister for International Trade. Will the minister tell the House what progress he is making on the removal of the tariff on Canadian shrimp into the European market, or should we bring the Prime Minister in on this one also?

TradeOral Question Period

Noon

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, I know it is surprising for many members of the opposition to see the Prime Minister and a minister working hand in hand in the interest of Canada. I am extremely grateful for the Prime Minister's total support to the softwood lumber industry of the country.

Unlike when that opposition party was in office, the then prime minister refused to raise the softwood lumber issue. This Prime Minister has stood by his industry and his Minister for International Trade, and I thank him for that.

As for the shrimp negotiations, this is something we have raised every time. We will raise it again at the next Canada-EU.

AgricultureOral Question Period

Noon

Liberal

Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE

Mr. Speaker, farmers in Canada face many challenges, such as unfair subsidies and drought. There are too many to list. The latest Statistics Canada survey shows rapidly declining farm employment numbers, the largest drop in 35 years, and increasing numbers of farmers leaving the land. The industry needs youth and profitability.

What will the minister and his department do to encourage young farmers and attract new youth into the industry?

AgricultureOral Question Period

Noon

Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox And Addington Ontario

Liberal

Larry McCormick LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member indicated there are indeed many challenges facing farmers and the future of farming depends on our youth.

I am pleased to inform the House that the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced yesterday in Halifax that the Government of Canada would be providing $250,000 under the Canadian adaptation and rural development fund to help the Canadian young farmers forum create a national network.

These young farmers have taken on the responsibility and challenge of learning not only the day to day business of farming but also the factors affecting farmers today and into the future. This determination to contribute today to discuss and find solutions will go a long way toward securing the future of the Canadian agriculture industry.

PrivilegeOral Question Period

Noon

Canadian Alliance

James Moore Canadian Alliance Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege to charge the Minister of Transport with contempt for his failure to comply with a legislative requirement compelling him to table a report on the monitoring of the grain transportation handling system in the House.

In June 2000 the government passed Bill C-34 that amended the grain provisions of the Canada Transportation Act. Subsection 50(3.2) of the new act reads:

The Minister must prepare, within six months after the end of each crop year, a report on the monitoring of the grain transportation and handling system and cause the report to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first fifteen days on which that House is sitting after the Minister prepares it, if the Minister

(a) makes a regulation under paragraph (1)(e.1); and

(b) uses or communicates the information provided under the regulation for the purpose of monitoring the grain transportation and handling system.

The government hired Quorum Corporation to monitor the grain handling and transportation system and has fulfilled parts (a) and (b) of subsection 50(3.2) of the Canada Transportation Act.

The crop year ends July 31. Therefore, the six month period mentioned in subsection 50(3.2) ends on January 31. According to my count 15 sitting days after January 31 is February 28, yesterday.

On November 21, 2001, the Speaker delivered a ruling in regard to a complaint by the member for Surrey Central who cited 16 examples of where the government failed to comply with legislative requirements concerning the tabling of certain information in parliament. In all 16 cases raised on November 21 a reporting deadline was absent from the legislation and as a result the Speaker could not find a prima facie question of privilege.

However, the Speaker said in his ruling at page 7381 of Hansard :

Were there to be a deadline for tabling included in the legislation, I would not hesitate to find that a prima facie case of contempt does exist and I would invite the hon. member to move the usual motion.

I have established that the legislative requirement provided for in subsection 50(3.2) of the Canada Transportation Act includes a deadline for the tabling of a report on the monitoring of the grain transportation handling system. I have also established that the legislative deadline has not been met. Therefore, a prima facie question of privilege does exist. Accordingly, I am prepared to move the appropriate motion.

PrivilegeOral Question Period

12:05 p.m.

Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, as a member of parliament from western Canada who has taken a great deal of interest in issues related to grain transportation I take the provisions of the Canada Transportation Act in relation to grain very seriously. Therefore, I do want to treat the point made by the hon. member with the seriousness that it deserves.

If the section of the statute that has been referred to is examined carefully, namely subsection 50(3.2), there is a requirement with respect to the filing of a report within a certain time period but it is all conditional upon certain other events having taken place. There is an issue here of whether the creation of a new regulation triggers the time period involved or whether action is in fact taken under pre-existing regulations.

It is a complex matter in terms of exactly what the trigger is that starts the time clock ticking. It might be useful for the House to reflect on this matter to determine whether we are within that six month period yet or not. It might be appropriate if we could return to this item after the constituency week that is soon to be upon us. I will consider the matter in more detail at that time.

It is my view at the moment that the triggers referred to in the legislation that would require the filing of a report within a certain time period have not yet been pulled and therefore the government is not in any way in violation of the legislation.

I would like further time to reflect on the point. It is quite technical. I do want to say that this is an important matter. It is one that we take seriously and we will provide the hon. member with a substantive response.

PrivilegeOral Question Period

12:05 p.m.

The Speaker

The Chair of course takes the matter seriously as well. Could the member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam provide a copy of the regulation under subsection 50(1)(e.1) which would, in the view of the Chair and as the minister has said, trigger the requirement for the tabling of this report?

I am prepared to leave the matter until we have had a chance to research this more thoroughly. I know the hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam will want to have a look at the matter again and check into the regulation, as I am sure the minister will do. The Chair looks forward to hearing from both hon. members on this point when we resume. I thank the minister and the hon. member for their interventions on this matter.

Order in Council AppointmentsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Haliburton—Victoria—Brock Ontario

Liberal

John O'Reilly LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments made recently by the government.

Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

March 1st, 2002 / 12:05 p.m.

Haliburton—Victoria—Brock Ontario

Liberal

John O'Reilly LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to nine petitions.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Jacques Saada Liberal Brossard—La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 47th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, regarding the membership of the Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs.

If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 47th report later this day.

Committees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Liberal

Andy Scott Liberal Fredericton, NB

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the twelfth report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Pursuant to its order of reference of Tuesday, October 16, 2001, the committee has considered Bill C-217, the blood samples act, and pursuant to Standing Order 97.1 recommends the House of Commons do not proceed further with the bill, that the order be discharged and that the bill be withdrawn from the order paper.

I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the thirteenth report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) the committee recommends that the issues addressed in Bill C-217, the blood samples act, be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of the federal-provincial-territorial meetings of ministers of justice, attorneys general and solicitors general, as well as the agenda of the uniform law conference.

In addition, the committee recommends that Health Canada increase its efforts to gather statistics on the number of emergency workers who are exposed to blood borne pathogens in the course of their duties. The committee also recommends that government allocate the resources necessary to achieve this objective.

TributesRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I believe you would find unanimous consent for the following order. I move:

That at 3 p.m., on Wednesday, March 13, 2002, the Right Hon. Herb Gray shall appear at the Bar of the House of Commons to hear remarks by one representative of each party in the House and to respond thereto; and

That the time taken by these proceedings be added to the time for government orders that day.

TributesRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

The Speaker

Does the hon. government House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?

TributesRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

TributesRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

The Speaker

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

TributesRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

(Motion agreed to)