Debates of June 10th, 2002

Government Contracts

[Jim Gouk, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government manages to hand over a $165 million subsidy each year to VIA without any outside help, so why was it necessary to pay Lafleur Communications Marketing a commission of $112,000 to transfer this extra $1 million from public works to VIA Rail? Is it because of its $57,000 donation to the Liberal Party or is it just another way to cover up yet another fund-skimming scam?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, a reference to the RCMP is hardly a cover-up

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

Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Prime Minister is directly involved in the sponsorship scandal and sanctioned it for close to two years.

When the Deputy Prime Minister refuses to defend the Prime Minister, is this not because the PM does not want to have a public inquiry because he is trying to protect his government, the Liberal Party of Canada, and above all, himself?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the minister of public works has answered questions properly. Perhaps the hon. member thinks the PMO ought not to be informed when a question is likely to be raised in the House or by the media.

Perhaps he thinks the Privacy Act ought to be ignored. I am not exactly familiar with his plan.

Foreign Affairs

[Roy Cullen, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. As a result of the rising tension in India and Pakistan, many constituents in my riding of Etobicoke North are very concerned about their friends and relatives who are situated in the region. Could the minister tell us today what our government is prepared to do to help reduce this tension and resolve the problem?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that last week I contacted the ministers of foreign affairs of both India and Pakistan. I urged the minister of Pakistan to end the terrorist attacks of any kind and any support of the Pakistani government, and we urged India to take steps to reduce tension between the two countries.

I will be meeting with my G-8 partners later this week. We will be addressing the issue of India-Pakistan. We believe that we can bring a co-ordinated approach to bear on this issue, which will enable the parties to get to a peaceful solution to what is an extremely dangerous situation.

Kyoto Protocol

[Bob Mills, Canadian Alliance, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has shown its real desperation on Kyoto. We are now advised that the former finance minister authorized a $250 million endowment to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. These funds are being used in part to convince municipalities to endorse Kyoto.

Why is the government using taxpayers' money to promote its political position on Kyoto through a third party?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, this appears to be the day for members of the Alliance to discover things that are long in the past. This was all announced in the budget, in two separate budgets one after the other. They have suddenly discovered it today. It has been a long time since we have had either the 2000 budget or the 2001 budget.

With reference to the work being done by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, there are a number of very imaginative projects. They are all fully available and he can get to the website of the FCM and find out what they are.

Government Contracts

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the strategy meeting held to draw up communications tactics for the Prime Minister in case the sponsorship scandal hit the front pages before the election, privy council staff was also present.

How can the President of the Privy Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs explain that he too sanctioned this entire cover-up operation before the general election, when he was very well informed right from the start on the gravity of the situation?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, a story like this cannot be fabricated. When faced with a situation like this one, it is normal for members of the PMO to be informed, not just public servants.

It is necessary. How could the Prime Minister answer questions if his staff were not informed? It is simple. That is all there is to it. There is no question of it being a cover-up.

Child Poverty

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

Mr. Speaker, in 1989, parliament adopted a resolution to put an end to child poverty.

Since this commitment was made, the number of people relying on food banks in Canada has doubled, from 378,000 to 718,000. In Montreal alone, one out of every two children is not fed properly.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. In addition to the measly $680 million for housing, when will the government take new measures to finally follow up on the commitment made by parliament and end poverty for these children?

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

Mr. Speaker, there can be no doubt that the 1990s were difficult for all Canadians, including those already living in poverty.

As a result of specific interventions made by the government, in partnership with the provinces and territories, we are, since 1996, seeing a decline in child poverty. Just two weeks ago, along with my colleagues, the provincial social services ministers, we presented the national children's benefit report. In it, the hon. member will see that child poverty has been reduced from 20.5% in 1996 to 17.2% in 1999.

He will see that the estimated 1.2 million families and about 2.1 million children saw an increase in their incomes. There--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for St. John's West.

Voisey's Bay

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

Mr. Speaker, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador has been negotiating with Inco for quite some time concerning the development of the Voisey's Bay site.

The main reason for the delay is concern over benefits to the province. Jobs are essential, as royalties are just clawed back by the federal government.

In light of this, does the Minister of Finance not think it is time to develop a system that sees have not provinces benefit more from the development of their resources?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member knows that the equalization formula is reviewed periodically.

Certainly we will be interested in the views of provinces when it comes time for the next review of that, but in the meantime I think it is important to recognize that all provinces realize revenue and the equalization payments are based in part on their capacity to realize revenue. Surely that is fundamental to this kind of system.

Health

[Yolande Thibeault, Liberal, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to experts, levels of obesity among Canadians, including children, continue to rise, thus putting considerable pressure on Canada's health care plan. Bad food habits and a lack of physical activity are among the causes of this trend.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health inform the House of the measures that can be taken to ensure that Canadians, and particularly young people, end this pattern, improve their health and enjoy a better lifestyle?

[Jeannot Castonguay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important question that concerns all of us in this House.

As we know, one of the things that is not costly and that we can do to maintain and improve our state of health is simply to do some physical activity and lose some of that tummy. This would ease the pressure on our joints, improve our blood circulation, and it would be good for our heart and legs.

Of course, the Government of Canada is aware of the seriousness of the situation. Health Canada invested $4 million to work with the provinces and territories, and with volunteer groups—

Points of Order

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order concerning oral question period, which took place a bit earlier today.

I ask the Speaker to look into a statement made by a Bloc Quebecois member, in which he accused another member of the House of having trahi son mandat d'office, of having violated his oath of office.

I draw your attention to page 153 of the 6th French edition of Beauchesne, which clearly lists the word “trahison” as unparliamentary. I have requested a copy of Hansard for November 18, 1957 and July 15, 1959, in order to see the context in which the Speaker gave his ruling at the time.

However, accusing another member of having trahi son mandat d'office, as if trahi is not bad enough—I think that these are the exact words, if you check—cannot be considered parliamentary, let alone be accepted without going against the decorum of the House.

I therefore ask the Speaker to look into this as soon as is possible.

[The Speaker]

The Chair appreciates the comments of the hon. Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

I will carefully examine the remarks in question in today's Hansard and I will get back to the House if necessary.

Government Response to Petitions

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

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

Committees of the House

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Pursuant to its order of reference of February 26 the committee has undertaken a statutory review of the mental disorder provisions of the criminal code and has prepared this report. Pursuant to Standing Order 109 the committee requests that the government provide a comprehensive response within 150 days of the tabling of this report in the House of Commons.

Further, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Pursuant to its order of reference of February 19 the committee has considered the subject matter of Bill C-284, an act to amend the criminal code (offences by corporations, directors and officers), and recommends that the government table in the House legislation to deal with the criminal liability of corporations, directors and officers. Pursuant to Standing Order 109 the committee requests that the government provide a comprehensive response within 150 days of the tabling of this report in the House of Commons.

I wish to thank the members of the committee. Both of these reports were unanimous and that is reliant on the goodwill and good effort of all members. I wish to thank them and staff on both counts.

Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-474, an act to amend the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985.

Mr. Speaker, it is an act to amend the Pension Benefits Standards Act to give more protection to members of pension plans. It does that in three or four ways but the highlight of the bill would ensure that there is adequate representation on the boards of trustees and pension committees and on the different counsel to pensions on behalf of the pension holders themselves.

It would also put a limit of some 10% of the amount of money that may be held in securities by the employer of that particular pension plan. This comes out of the problems that were found in Enron a little while ago in the United States. The bill would provide more protection for Canadians in terms of their pension plans.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Petitions

[Roy H. Bailey, Canadian Alliance, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I am pleased to read into the record the concerns of people from my constituency and beyond. They are concerned that the creation and use of child pornography is being condemned by the clear majority of Canadians. Yet the government is not taking proper action.

The petitioners call upon parliament to protect our children and take all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote and glorify pedophilia do now cease.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to present a petition consisting of about 90 pages that calls on the government to enact a proper national housing strategy. These petitioners also support what is called the 1% solution for housing. This would ensure that there are adequate resources dedicated to the provision of affordable housing for every Canadian.

I would like to particularly thank Daniel Dufresne from Calgary who spent many hours collecting many of these petitions. They signify the great weight and importance that Canadians attach to ensuring that affordable housing is available to everyone in the country.

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Matapédia—Matane, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present in the House a petition to recognize that Canada Post Corporation workers who deliver mail in rural areas should be able to benefit from acceptable working conditions, unlike what has been done in the past.