Debates of April 12th, 2002

Fisheries and Oceans

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, since the minister still refuses to assert Canadian custodial management outside the 200 mile limit, will he agree to increase coast guard and DFO presence inside the 200 mile limit?

It is absolutely shameful that the minister expects one coast guard vessel to patrol all of the Grand Banks inside the 200 mile limit. What is he going to do about it?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is reviewing the questions of custodial management and of extending the 200 mile limit. Those are very important questions and deserve a full hearing. I look forward to the advice that the committee can provide to me.

As far as surveillance is concerned, we have increased our air surveillance. We recognize that the more surveillance we have, the better it is. We are gathering more information to work with our partners within NAFO to get proper enforcement.

Canadian Heritage

[Tony Tirabassi, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Canada's paralympic and olympic athletes made all Canadians proud with their performances at the recent Paralympic and Olympic Games which were held in Salt Lake City. How does the Minister of Canadian Heritage plan to honour these fine Canadian athletes?

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, I am pleased to invite all Canadians to come to the Museum of Civilization on Monday, April 15 from 12 to 1 p.m. so that we can honour, celebrate and meet our paralympians and olympians.

In addition I am pleased to announce to members that we will have the opportunity to actually welcome these Canadian heroes into the House of Commons at which time we can show how proud we are of their accomplishments.

Railways

[Keith Martin, Canadian Alliance, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the 116 year old Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway is about to close because of bureaucratic inefficiency. To save it, CP and VIA must get out of the picture.

Will the Minister of Transport and his delegates call a meeting with CP, the province of British Columbia and VIA to get CP and VIA out of the picture so this railway can get into the hands of a private company that can run it profitably?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the current situation has occurred because RailAmerica, Inc. has now found that the lack of freight traffic means that the railway line is not justified from a profitable point of view.

From VIA's point of view, it has a contract with RailAmerica, Inc. If RailAmerica, Inc. cannot maintain the security on the track, then obviously VIA cannot continue to operate the service. VIA has offered some extra money until May 15 for local groups to have the time to get together to organize a response, working with stakeholders in the region. I hope everyone can come together for a business plan to keep this valuable service operating.

The environment

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, every spring the banks of the St. Lawrence are damaged by the spring runoff, the ice breakup and the wash from passing vessels, thus dangerously accelerating the erosion of its islands and shores. Since the Liberals took over in 1993, only a pittance has been invested to protect these banks, while Toronto has received $1 billion to revitalize its lakeshore area.

When is the government going to create a similar program, in conjunction with the government of Quebec, for the protection of the banks of the St. Lawrence, and particularly for the protection of those living along the river?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment is not in the House today. I shall advise him of the question and he will get back to the House on it in the near future.

Softwood Lumber

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP was the first to call for an aid package for softwood industry workers who have had their lives shattered by illegal U.S. tariffs. The Liberal government flatly refused. It said that the existing employment insurance program which it has hacked and slashed to bits was enough. Now it has admitted that our tattered wreck of an EI program is not enough.

This week the government began making vague assurances that help is on the way. Vague assurances will not put food on the table for the workers caught in the middle of this international dispute.

What specifically is the government doing to assist workers affected by the softwood lumber dispute?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the hon. member that the employment insurance system is very comprehensive. There are a number of tools that are there for us to use at this particular time.

The hon. member will be interested to know that close to $300 million is transferred every year to the province of British Columbia for specific use in support of laid off workers. She will also know that we have work-sharing programs. The income support benefits are there.

We are working closely with the governments in the affected provinces as well as the industry. We will continue to do that. We are watching this file extremely closely and we will respond as--

[The Deputy Speaker]

This concludes question period for today.

Government Response to Petitions

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

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

Petitions

[Darrel Stinson, Canadian Alliance, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Madam Speaker, currently the federal Supreme Court Act does not permit a justice to consider a case where there has been participation in a lower court. I am pleased to present a petition from 154 of my constituents calling on parliament to reinforce the federal Supreme Court Act by legislating an amendment requesting a mandatory review when evidence of prior participation has been presented to the Minister of Justice as the head of the judicial review committee.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have a petition from constituents who are concerned about kidney disease as it relates to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. They know that the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes, which is one of the Canadian institutes network, does fine work toward kidney research. For example, it supports research to enhance health in relation to diet, digestion, excretion and metabolism. My constituents feel that fine work would be better received by the public and better known in the public if the words kidney research were included in the title of the institute.

The petitioners call upon parliament to encourage the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to explicitly include kidney research as one of the institutes in its system to be named the institute of kidney and urinary tract diseases.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bakopanos)]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Paul Devillers, Liberal, Simcoe North, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I think if you seek it, you will find there is unanimous consent to see the clock as 2.30 p.m.

[The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bakopanos)]

Is there agreement?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bakopanos)]

It being 12.06 p.m., the House stands adjourned until Monday next at 11.00 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 12.06 p.m.)