Debates of March 21st, 2002

Terrorism

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, I do not tell the RCMP who they should arrest and who they should not to arrest. If my hon. colleague would give the attorney general of the United States department a ring he would find out exactly how the United States feels about the co-operation between Canada and the United States.

We have an excellent police force and an excellent security intelligence agency that work well with their American counterparts and will continue to do so.

Grants and Contributions

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as far as the awarding of contracts to Groupaction is concerned, every day brings something new, and the more we look into the matter, the more new elements we turn up, which cast more and more doubt.

Given the constantly changing context, I am asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs whether he would not find it wiser to delay Alfonso Gagliano's assumption of ambassadorial duties in Denmark?

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

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Gagliano has demonstrated before the committee that he has the necessary capacity to work on behalf of the government and the people of Canada in Denmark.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I did hear the minister's answer, but that is not what the issue is. It is that he is an important, if not key, witness for the investigation to be undertaken by the auditor general.

If her conclusions point to the necessity of withdrawing Ambassador Gagliano, has any thought been given to the international consequences of this?

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

Mr. Speaker, the auditor general has the right to do whatever she wants as far as the investigation is concerned. But there is no necessity for us to be without representation in Copenhagen because of this.

Leadership Campaigns

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister's Alberta bagman, Jim Palmer, was on contract with the Department of Finance to provide advice on tax policy in the energy sector at the same time he was engaged in the secretive effort to raise money from the same energy sector for the finance minister's leadership bid.

How can the Deputy Prime Minister assure us and all Canadians that the finance minister's bagman was not selling tax policy in order to raise money for the minister's leadership slush fund?

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

Mr. Speaker, the matter the hon. member has raised was reviewed by the ethics counsellor. He has observed upon it and corrective action has been taken.

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts. Mr. Palmer was secretly raising money for the finance minister's leadership race. He got caught. The lapdog ethics counsellor has advised the Liberal leadership candidates that they can keep raising money in secret. Now it appears that tax policy may have been for sale in order to pay for the finance minister's leadership ambitions.

How can the Deputy Prime Minister assure Canadians that these problems are limited to the finance minister when even the Liberals' own lapdog ethics counsellor will not force ministers to disclose their leadership fundraising now?

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

Mr. Speaker, the ethics counsellor is there to advise the Prime Minister and ministers on matters of possible conflict or apparent conflict.

He has been consulted in this matter. He has given his advice on it and action has been taken to correspond with the advice that the ethics counsellor has given.

The very fact that the process has worked is an indication of the seriousness with which the government takes this very important matter.

Regulatory Reform

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the government House leader.

Canadian companies are faced with an increasingly complicated regulatory process. After investigating, I found that some departments have moved to a performance based system while some have retained the old command and control approach.

When will the government finally move toward a government-wide performance based system of making regulations to reduce the regulatory burden and encourage innovation?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I am a strong believer in regulatory reform and I very much appreciate the hon. member's interest.

Over the past eight years we have made some progress. As a result Canada is now seen by the OECD as among the most advanced in the world for regulatory management. There is more work to be done. I intend to pursue it. Among other things, it is part of the innovation agenda of the Government of Canada. I welcome the input of members of parliament in achieving greater regulatory efficiency and effectiveness.

Employment Insurance

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, today L'Acadie nouvelle reported that the Liberals in New Brunswick obtained a document showing that Human Resources Development Canada and the Government of New Brunswick signed an agreement to make retired public servants eligible for employment insurance.

One thousand three hundred public servants from New Brunswick took early retirement and obtained employment insurance benefits at the same time.

Is it a new policy of the government of the Minister of Human Resources Development to give EI benefits in cases of early retirement? Will the minister include miners from Leaf Rapids, Manitoba?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, the voluntary early retirement window is a provision that is part of the Employment Insurance program.

This program is available to both public and private employers. It is my understanding that the agreement we have with the province of New Brunswick is being honoured there.

Airport Security

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

The 1993 Liberal red book promised Canadians fairness and simplicity in tax policies, including the promise to find a fair alternative to the GST. We still have the goods and services tax and now the government is imposing another GST on Canadian air travellers, including children as young as two years of age.

Beginning April 1 the Liberal government will start taking in $1 billion more than what air security will cost. Instead of another tax on tiny tots and their parents, will the Prime Minister withdraw the government security tax? Canadians do not want another GST.

[The Speaker]

The hon. Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, that is my official title but junior finance minister will do.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in answer to the question, the idea that we will take in $1 billion--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered this same question many times. I do not think I will try to do it again.

Government Contracts

[Jim Pankiw, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal sponsorship program slush fund is so riddled with political interference that the auditor general is investigating the phantom report.

Incredibly, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services is refusing to conduct a parliamentary inquiry even though when he was in opposition, he tabled a motion demanding that a parliamentary committee “examine all aspects of government contracts including those relating to advertising”.

Surely such a radical flip-flop deserves an explanation from the minister of pork and patronage. Why is he ignoring his own advice?

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

Mr. Speaker, that question was as clear as mud. If the hon. member is asking me if the auditor general is conducting an inquiry, and I assume he is throughout all of this, the answer of course is yes. The rest of the House knew about it already.

[Jim Pankiw, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is trying to sneakily avoid the question. He has flip-flopped on his own motion which reads “to examine all aspects of government contracts including those relating to advertising”. He tabled this motion in the House specifically demanding a parliamentary investigation into government contracts relating to advertising. Those are his words in his motion.

Will the minister guarantee that all sponsorship program slush fund contracts are examined by a parliamentary committee and that the government will adopt the auditor general's recommendations on this scandal?

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

Mr. Speaker, that question was only half as clear as the previous question.

If the member was asking, and we are only guessing at this point, if the advertising contracts are given in a competitive process, I have already answered that to another member. There were 14 submissions some time ago. Nine of them were selected as being the successful bidders and the advertising is being given pursuant to those successful bids. The member is not even listening to the answer.

Employment Insurance

[Carol Skelton, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources Development continues to deny that section 19(3) of the EI Act was unfair even though her own department said so publicly in the Canada Gazette . I quote:

However, ongoing monitoring has found that, despite the regulation change in 1999, there is still a significant number of cases where the undeclared earnings rules result in unfairness.

Why is the minister contradicting her own department?