Debates of March 18th, 2002

Public Works and Government Services Canada

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, at the risk of repeating myself, I did not know Roger Tremblay 45 seconds ago, and I did not get to know him since.

The Environment

[Dave Chatters, Canadian Alliance, Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims that it is consulting with the provinces before it ratifies Kyoto. The provinces were consulted and actually reached a consensus in Regina before the federal government went to Kyoto and betrayed them at the bargaining table.

The government has repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to actually listen to the provinces on this issue and it continues to perpetuate this fraud by saying it will listen, but at the same time saying it will ratify Kyoto regardless of what others say.

Will the government give these consultations some credibility by committing not to ratify Kyoto unless a consensus can be reached by all stakeholders?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the various comments of the hon. member in the preamble to his question are simply untrue in terms of the process leading up to Kyoto and beyond.

The fact is we have a process with the provinces, the territories and the federal government. Fourteen governments are involved. We work together. We had a meeting of ministers of energy and environment, federal, provincial and territorial, last October in Manitoba. We had another the next month in Toronto. We had another just a few weeks ago in Victoria, and we will be having yet another in approximately two months. This is a continuous process and is federal, provincial and territorial.

[Dave Chatters, Canadian Alliance, Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has a credibility problem on this issue. If in fact, as he said, it did not betray the provinces in Kyoto, that it has credibility and that Alberta is helping it lead on this issue, why then is the province of Alberta preparing to sue the federal government over the actions it is taking on Kyoto?

Why does the government not simply commit to not ratifying this agreement unless there is a consensus reached?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the work is being done by a joint group of provinces, territories and the federal government. We will continue to operate in that way.

With regard to commitments with respect to ratification, the government has time after time committed itself to two things: first, to having full consultation with the provinces and territories, interested stakeholders and the public at large prior to a decision on ratification; and, second, to having a plan in place which does not unfairly penalize any region of the country. Those are our preconditions for a ratification decision.

Sudan

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, London North Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, almost a month ago a ceasefire was called in the long protracted civil war in the Sudan. A major concern however is that the government of President Umar al-Bashir insists that it must continue to bomb the southern part of the country. He has accused the Sudanese People's Liberation Army of continuing to blow up oil pipelines. Sudan is a nation marked by factionalism, distrust, failed agreements, death and destruction.

My question is for the Secretary of State for Africa and Latin America. What steps are Canada taking to facilitate, in co-operation with our allies, a lasting peace with the aim of creating humanitarian economic stability in Sudan?

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) (Francophonie)]

Mr. Speaker, we are encouraged by the recent agreement among the government of Sudan, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, SPLA, and the United States on ending of attacks against civilian targets by both the government and the opposition forces.

The agreement has the potential to allow the safe and secure delivery of humanitarian assistance by the international community.

This agreement between the two parties could help bring about the conditions leading to a formal peace negotiation process. Let us all hope that it is the case.

Lumber Industry

[John Duncan, Canadian Alliance, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the consumer group which represents 90% of U.S. lumber consumption is urging Canada not to drop our NAFTA and WTO appeals by agreeing to an export tax on lumber. Its spokesperson said that having the two countries agreeing to this tax is like two companies getting together and agreeing to fix prices.

The minister stood in apparent solidarity with the consumer spokesperson when she was in Ottawa only one and a half weeks ago. Why do the minister's actions sound so different now than then?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I am always very grateful to the American consumer group that has been supporting the Canadian position throughout on this dispute with the United States. It has been extremely helpful. I am particularly pleased that it has been able to help us, with parliamentarians from all sides of the House, to enlist the support of a hundred congressmen for the Canadian position.

I am confident that all these elements will help our negotiators on the U.S. side and the Canadian side to find a solution to this that is satisfactory to both sides.

Heating Fuel Rebate

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 15 days before the start of the November 2000 election campaign, the federal government announced that it would be mailing out compensation to people for the increase in heating costs. At that time, we could already see that this was a poorly directed measure and only a ploy for buying votes.

Will the federal government, which has just announced that it will not be recovering the money that was wrongly paid out to people who were not entitled, $500 million, acknowledge that only a government that is uncaring and irresponsible, one that is taking advantage of a heavy fiscal imbalance, can afford to let $500 million just disappear into the woodwork in this way, without making any effort to get it back?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, this $500 million figure is not valid. It is far less than that. Fewer than 2% of recipients were really in the grey area to which the hon. member is referring.

Fisheries

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last Thursday the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans denied a fish proposal that would have opened a plant and renewed hope for Canso, Nova Scotia.

Yesterday, over 300 concerned citizens, community and religious leaders gathered in Canso and displayed their determination and fierce optimism despite the bad news. The ACOA minister from Newfoundland seemed more open to solutions for Canso in Nova Scotia than our fisheries minister.

Would the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans reconsider his earlier, intransigent position and work with the stakeholders from Canso to find a workable solution to bring fishing and hope back to the community of Nova Scotia?

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to advise the member that I have been in contact with Seafreez. I have been in contact with the community. I will work with my colleagues to find any solution we can for Canso.

Nothing would make me happier, like the member, than to have assisted my friends of that community. However I had to take the responsible decision as minister of fisheries and will have to find a solution other than the redfish.

Health

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. A few weeks ago CBC ran a story about a Winnipeg doctor who decided not to treat his patients if they did not stop smoking. This is a rather slippery slope. What about people who drive faster than the speed limit and hurt themselves? Should we stop treating them? What about people who have an alcohol dependency? What about people who do not exercise or eat too much or both? There are a few examples of us in this House.

Is this not an infringement of the access principle of the Canada Health Act and will the minister not intervene?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, in fact as we are probably all aware, issues around the organization and delivery of health care services to residents are primarily a matter of provincial jurisdiction.

Clearly, as federal Minister of Health, I am very interested in ensuring that Canadians are provided with medically necessary services when they need them. However, in the situation just outlined by the hon. member, this is a matter that deals with the treatment of patients. Therefore, if one is to complain, that complaint should lie more appropriately with the province and with the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Kyoto Protocol

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to table today, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), a summary document of various studies on the Kyoto agreement. The document is entitled, “Costs of Kyoto—What we Know”.

May I stress that this document is not the conclusions of the federal, provincial, territorial task force currently working on analyzing this very subject.

Winter Paralympic Games

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise in the House and pay tribute to Canada's Paralympic athletes, to their courage, their talent and, most of all, their determination. These are men and women who have overcome incredible odds and earned their place among the best in the world.

Together they earned six gold medals, a record for Canada at the Winter Paralympic Games, and they are bringing home a total of 15 medals for a sixth place overall finish. They have improved on Canada's performance at the 1998 games in Nagano; they were fifteenth at that time and now they are sixth, and they did Canada proud.

We saw inspiring individual performances by Daniel Wesley, Karolina Wisniewska, Lauren Woolstencroft and Brian McKeever .

We also saw team spirit. The members of our sledge hockey team gave it their all. And, even in defeat, they showed unparalleled class and solidarity.

Goaltender Pierre Pichette was exceptional. After the overtime period, he faced six shots, unfortunately losing the battle, but putting up a fight of which everyone was very proud, and I had the pleasure of speaking to him.

These are just the highlights of the Salt Lake City Paralympics. Canadians are proud of each and every member of our paralympic team. They are all winners, and great ambassadors for Canada.

On behalf of all Canadians, I want to congratulate them and thank them for representing our country with such class and pride. I look forward to the special ceremony of April 15 in the national capital region.

I know that a great many Canadians will take advantage of this new opportunity to express support and appreciation for our Paralympic and Olympic athletes.

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House of Commons to join the Prime Minister in congratulating our Paralympic athletes. The Canadian Paralympic team has once again made our country very proud. They returned from the Salt Lake City games with 15 medals, making this Canada's best performance ever. We collected a record six gold, four silver and five bronze medals to finish sixth out of 36 nations, something we can be very proud of.

I cannot mention all of the heroes but I want to mention a fantastic few. Lauren Woolstencroft from Victoria, British Columbia won two gold medals. Karolina Wisniewska of Calgary had a second place showing in the same event, winning silver. Scarborough's Chris Williamson won the men's slalom. Victoria's Lauren Woolstencroft won a gold medal in the women's slalom events yesterday on the final day of competition. Brian McKeever of Canmore gave us a spectacular performance winning two gold medals and one silver medal in the 20 kilometre event for visually impaired cross-country skiers. He was also honoured by being chosen to carry the Canadian flag in the closing ceremonies.

While our athletes make us proud, there are many others who make these games possible. Our Canadian Paralympians depend on corporate sponsorship and donations to make their Olympic dreams possible. Seventy per cent of Paralympic funding comes from private sources. We thank companies like Pfizer, CN, Home Depot, Voiceprint, Roots, Bell and many others for all the good work they do with the Olympic athletes.

On behalf of Her Majesty's loyal opposition I want to once again congratulate all Olympic athletes and all the people who helped to make their Olympic dreams come true. We look forward to April 15 in the capital region.

[Robert Lanctôt, Bloc, Châteauguay, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois wishes to congratulate all the athletes who took part in the Paralympics in Salt Lake City. We wish to draw particular attention to the work of trainers and escorts whose work often goes unseen and who do not win a medal.

We thank them for giving so generously of their time. They know best when their athletes need encouragement, rest, consolation and complicity. Let us thank the trainers and escorts.

All paralympic athletes made enormous sacrifices in their lives to reach their goal. In fact, they sacrificed themselves to get there, to the top. They have made many attempts to reach their goal, but they have always kept their sights on their goal of victory.

The goal of Paralympians is a paralympic medal. They all wish to reach their common goal, winning a medal at the Paralympic Games.

Through their determination and discipline, they succeed in overcoming all obstacles. They know how to strike down the wall of ignorance. In spite of all obstacles and bias, they show grace and dignity in adversity.

Their results speak for themselves. They know how to drive the point home that they are seeking excellence and that it is through incredible determination that we too can attain excellence. They also demonstrate admirably that a handicap is not a impossible hurdle to overcome. The body is not the only tool that can bring us victory. They know how to surpass Themselves to reach their goal and they do so every day.

They have a vision of excellence. They know how to reach something that seems unreachable to us and, because of their incomparable determination, nothing can distract them from their goal.

They show us their love of sports and life. They rise to the most difficult challenges. Even if sometimes they do not make it to the podium, they start over again and, one day, finally, they are victorious.

We are proud of them as ambassadors for Quebec. They are all our champions, no matter their results. For all these reasons, they deserve our recognition and admiration.

Through all their sacrifices, they have succeeded in reaching their goal and they encourage us to go further, to surpass ourselves.

They make us proud because of their talent and their determination. They will continue to be models for all and to be great ambassadors for the young people of Quebec. Once again, my colleagues in the Bloc Quebecois join me in paying tribute to our Paralympians and congratulating them.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise on behalf of the federal New Democrats as we salute Canadian athletes who competed at the Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City. Their energy, dedication and display of Olympian ethics are an inspiration to all of us who watched the competitions.

A record number of athletes and a record number of countries competed in the 2002 games. This is a wonderful indication of the stature, strength and what the future holds for the Paralympic Games. Of course, it is the performance and the team solidarity of the Canadians that won our hearts.

All members of the House and all Canadians are proud of these Canadian athletes who competed with courage, enthusiasm and great skill. We must also acknowledge the years of training day in and day out, the fatigue, the sacrifices and maybe even the disappointments that must be faced as each athlete strives to reach her or his goal of competing in the Paralympics.

We especially honour the 15 athletes who came home with medals for that is truly a singular achievement. These Canadian Paralympic athletes should be very proud of their achievements. We share and support their goals for ongoing successes at the Paralympics and the development and support of Canadian athletes who display the very best for our country.

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last night brought to a close the eighth Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City with Canadian athletes bringing home an exceptional six gold medals along with four silver and five bronze. Canada's total of 15 medals ranks us sixth out of the 36 participating countries, a great accomplishment, a testament to training, coaching and commitment to excellence.

Yesterday Scarborough's Chris Williamson won the men's slalom. Brian McKeever of Calgary earned his third medal of the games with a silver. Victoria's Lauren Woolstencroft won her second gold for Canada. Karolina Wisniewska of Calgary finished second to earn her fourth medal of the games.

The athletes have overcome much in life, in sport and have inspired us all.

The Paralympic tradition dates back to 1948 when Sir Ludwig Guttman organized a sports competition for World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. It was in Toronto in 1976 that the idea of merging athletes with different disabilities for international competition was first born. Later that same year the first Paralympic Winter Games were held in Sweden with over 250 athletes representing 14 countries.

The Salt Lake City games were able to boost the participation to 36 countries and over 1,000 athletes and officials. With competitions in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing and sledge hockey, Canada was represented in these sports by 60 athletes, coaches and officials.

We thank all the participants. We cherish and cheer their achievements at these games. On behalf of the Progressive Conservative/Democratic Representative caucus, I would like to congratulate all of those great Canadian athletes and medal winners who represented Canada so well at the eighth Paralympic Winter Games. They have made us so proud.

They are exceptional and extraordinary. We are very proud of them.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[John Harvard, Liberal, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report from the Canada-United Kingdom Interparliamentary Association concerning the delegation that visited London, Edinburgh and Cardiff from February 10-16.

Petitions

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I am in possession of a petition from the citizens of Canso and surrounding communities that was signed as recently as yesterday.

The petition calls upon parliament and in particular the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to revisit his decision to deny a fisheries quota to the Canso fish plant which will result in the closure of the main industry of Canso. It goes on to state that the minister's decision on Canso leaves individuals in that town without the ability to earn a livelihood. The petitioners call on parliament and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to reconsider this decision.

This is an urgent matter. It is one which affects the lives and livelihood of hundreds of people in Guysborough county. We are hoping that the request for an emergency debate application which also relates to this issue will be heard and accepted by the Chair later today.

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present two petitions today. The first petition is on the subject of the framework convention on climate change and the convention on biological diversity.

The petitioners, including Joan Russow of the Global Compliance Research Project, note that these two documents were signed in 1992. They point out that in September 2002 there is a 10 year review of the discharging of obligations under these conventions signed at the UNCED and the acting of commitments made through agenda 21 at the UNCED. They point out that the B.C. government was consulted during the negotiations on these documents and that the B.C. cabinet endorsed both conventions.

Therefore the petitioners call upon parliament to comply with the framework convention on climate change to prohibit all offshore drilling and increased exploration and consumption of fossil fuels and to invest in promoting safe environmentally sound energy.

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on the subject of genetically modified foods and is signed by hundreds of residents of British Columbia, including a number of residents of the Gustav Wasa Place apartments in Burnaby.

The petitioners note that Canadians rely on the government to protect their health by ensuring that the food they eat and the drugs upon which they depend are safe. They point out among other things that over 35 countries have enacted legislation requiring that food products which contain genetically modified ingredients be labelled. They call upon parliament to implement a mandatory labelling process that will make consumers aware of all genetically modified produce and components in processed foods. They require that food safety include the capacity to evaluate genetically modified foods and that the evaluation be independent of the food production industry and government food marketing and promotion initiatives.