Debates of April 23rd, 2002

Softwood Lumber

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in connection with the softwood lumber issue, the Bloc Quebecois has proposed a three-part action plan to the government, that is assistance for the major industries, assistance to the small sawmills and assistance to the workers via employment insurance mechanisms.

Given the cry of alarm that has come from the softwood lumber manufacturers, could this government, which appears to be sorely lacking in imagination, not take some inspiration from our proposals and take action?

[Pat O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure we will look for inspiration to the Bloc Quebecois when I am not sure they have consulted very closely with Quebec industry on these important matters.

There are a number of proposals that have come forward from the provinces. All provinces, including Quebec, have proposals on the table. There is close consultation with industry. There are a number of proposals that are under consideration right now. When the government has decided what the proper course of action is, it will act, but it will not do so precipitously no matter how many times the Bloc raises this question.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is demanding total responsibility for international trade and negotiations with the United States. When the time comes to find solutions, when the time comes to help the victims of a trade-related problem, then it hides behind others.

Is it going to take its responsibilities and put the appropriate measures in place, as it is being asked to do by the industry and by the workers in the industry, and as it has a duty to do? This is its responsibility as a government. Let it do its job.

[Pat O'Brien, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the member can huff and puff all he wants, but it is not going to change the reality of the fact that, as I said earlier and as his own leader alluded to, there recently was a letter to the Prime Minister from the Quebec Lumber Manufacturers' Association.

Let me quote the other part that the leader of the Bloc Quebecois referred to. This is all the letter says: Slowness of the process will necessitate support to ensure that our companies remain financially stable.

That kind of support needs to be defined. There are a number of proposals on the table now. They are being carefully reviewed by the government.

Age of Consent

[Vic Toews, Canadian Alliance, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice misled Canadians by mistakenly suggesting that today's Canadian Alliance motion to protect children would in fact decrease their protection.

The Liberals are desperately trying to find a technical way not to vote for this motion. Indeed, moments earlier we saw the Prime Minister trying to do the same thing.

Will the minister explain why he and his parliamentary secretary spend so much energy trying to avoid helping children? Why do they not just say yes and help children?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows by far that he is not correct. That is not what the parliamentary secretary said yesterday.

He is raising a very important issue. He is raising a complex issue. We know that the government has been working in order to make sure that as a nation we will keep protecting our children. Basically all members of the House are against child pornography. As we said, we have Bill C-15A. We got involved in two cases up to the Supreme Court of Canada in order to keep defending and protecting the provisions that we have within the criminal code.

We are going to keep working. As I said last week, we are going to keep working in order to improve the tools that we have to protect the children of our nation.

[Vic Toews, Canadian Alliance, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we know how Liberals protect children. First they block the creation of an effective sex offender registry. To date no legislation has been introduced.

Yesterday the parliamentary secretary suggested that Canada's children do not deserve additional protection from sexual abuse.

Why is the government content to do nothing while Canadian children fall victim to sexual predators?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to see that with such a complex and important issue for Canada the member is trying to score cheap political points.

He should listen to his leader, who said “What Canada really needs is to immediately embark on a well thought-out, consultative approach to dealing with these issues”. We agree with that.

Softwood Lumber

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding, the temporary EI measures announced right before the election—

[An hon. member]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

[The Speaker]

No points of order are permitted during oral question period. They are permitted after, but not during.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order please. It is impossible to hear the hon. member for Kamouraska--Rivière-du-Loup--Témiscouata--Les Basques.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the temporary EI measures announced right before the election will soon come to an end in my riding. In the regions of Quebec that have been affected by the softwood lumber crisis, the reform will hit workers hard.

Does the Minister of Human Resources Development realize that the increase in the number of hours needed to qualify for employment insurance combined with the decrease in the number of weeks of benefits will be devastating for a great number of families that are in no way responsible for the softwood lumber crisis?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me first remind the hon. member that the employment insurance system is responsive to changing levels of unemployment, region by region.

Let me also remind him that my department is working with the industry on a pan-Canadian basis, and its unions. At the local level, officials in my department are following, with individual employers, the unions and individuals, the circumstances that they are faced with as a result of this trade dispute. We are increasing our monitoring of individual employment insurance cases because for us the most important people are those who are laid off in the face of this dispute.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister not understand that the least she could do to support regional softwood lumber workers would be to announce that the temporary measures that will soon come to an end will now continue to apply at least for the duration of the softwood lumber trade dispute?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member conveniently forgets is that it is this government that repealed the intensity rule. It is this government that made considerable changes to the employment insurance program for the benefit of seasonal workers. At the very same time, the hon. member forgets that he and his party voted against all those changes in Bill C-2.

Grants and Contributions

[Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, based on its last annual report Dupont Canada delivered record sales revenues of $2.25 billion and ran up a profit of $270 million. Yesterday the human resources minister announced that she was giving out a $5 million grant to a group of textile companies including Dupont Canada.

Could the minister explain why she thinks multi-billion dollar companies cannot afford to train their own employees without a $5 million handout from taxpayers?

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

Mr. Speaker, what I am pleased to explain to the hon. member is the concept of sector councils, an almost uniquely Canadian solution to looking at the human resources planning requirements in the Canadian economy.

The hon. member might be interested to know that the textile industry has been very much a part of the Canadian economy for years. Very often it finds itself in difficult circumstances, but today, with a strong sector council, members of the industry, unions and others, we have plans in place to assure the human resources, the people that are required for this very important piece of the Canadian economy.

[Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for the history lesson, but large Canadian companies were hiring and training employees long before the federal government came along and got involved.

Does she not understand that when the government subsidizes business all it is doing is transferring tax dollars from low and middle income Canadians who need that money to some of the wealthiest people in the country?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me explain to the hon. member what that $5 million is going to do. First and foremost, it will allow the whole industry access to training modules online, and guess what, the industry has done such a good job that it is selling these modules worldwide. In addition to that, the industry is going to create Career Tex, an online system that will encourage young Canadians to consider the textile industry as an option. Finally, we are providing money to support the administration of the sector council.

Canadians appreciate that we are taking this approach and I wish the hon. member would take the time to understand it before he asks such silly questions.

Age of Consent

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, given the confusion surrounding today's opposition day motion and some of the inaccurate information coming from the opposition benches, could the Minister of Justice tell the House whether he agrees with the comments made by the leader of the opposition party and the justice critic that “What Canada really needs is to immediately embark on a well thought-out, consultative approach to dealing with” the issue of protection of children from sexual predators?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I agree that the issues surrounding child pornography and age of consent are of great importance to all Canadians. This is why the government is reviewing the matter.

Given the importance of the issue, we must be cautious, thoughtful and thorough with respect to any amendments to the present criminal code provisions. That is exactly what the leader of the opposition party said today in the National Post , as well the member for Provencher.

I agree with that statement, but it is not what today's motion says. That is why I cannot support the motion as it is currently drafted.

Canadian Heritage

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the heritage minister.

Last Friday an urgent plea was published in the Globe and Mail , a plea to hold a public inquiry into media concentration as a threat to democracy. This plea came from some of the greatest leaders, writers and historians of our time, including: Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Stevie Cameron, Matthew Coon Come, Ken Georgetti, Tom Kent, Flora MacDonald, John Meisel, Claude Ryan, Florian Sauvageau, Hamilton Southam, Keith Spicer, David Suzuki, Jane Urquhart and Patrick Watson.

Will the government listen to these 53 great Canadians and call an inquiry today?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I believe the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which is looking at the Broadcasting Act, is in fact going to be inviting these members to come and participate in that inquiry, because any amendments to the Broadcasting Act do not exclude any issues around the convergence issue.