Debates of Jan. 30th, 2003

Assisted Human Reproduction Act

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that Group No. 5 gives me the opportunity to comment on what constitutes the Bloc Quebecois' main concern regarding Bill C-13.

With the sense of responsibility that has always characterized our party, we will vote in favour of Bill C-13. We understand it is important to put this ambiguity to rest and end the legislative vacuum that made practices such as cloning possible, such as those that gave us a scare right before the holidays.

We cannot ignore the fact that Bill C-13 clearly interferes in an extremely important area of provincial jurisdiction, that being health, of course.

I would like to inform the House that the very likeable and engaging Minister Legault sent a letter to the Minister of Health. Incidentally, he is one of the best ministers ever to have held this portfolio. Minister Legault indicated that the creation of the Assisted Human Reproduction Agency of Canada, with an operating budget of $10 million, is a significant encroachment on provincial jurisdiction.

I tried to tell the minister and the parliamentary secretary that we could very easily have split the bill in two. The Bloc Quebecois would have been very happy to vote on this matter a few weeks, a few months or even a few years ago. The member for Drummond had introduced a bill on this matter as early as 1995.

We could have dealt with a bill consisting only of sections 5, 6, 7 and 8 on the 13 prohibited activities, including cloning. That could have been the crux of the bill. But, unfortunately, in keeping with the Romanow report, the government has decided to use health to do some nation building.

If the Assisted Human Reproduction Agency of Canada is established the day after the bill is passed, we will have identified 14 fundamental pieces of legislation for Quebec under which there would be very serious discrepancies.

This is true for the Civil Code. The Civil Code bans compensating a surrogate mother, even with receipts and for any reason. In Bill C-13, surrogate mothers could be compensated under certain conditions with, of course, supporting documents.

This is not consistent with Quebec civil law. The government is using its power under section 91(27) of the Criminal Code to intervene.

It is inconsistent with Quebec's Civil Code and also with its Bill 112, an act respecting health services and social services. If Bill C-13 were passed, all the conditions governing where assisted reproductive technology services can be provided will be subject to additional regulation, and have to be recognized by the national assembly under Bill 112.

Mr. Speaker, I sense your impatience. When you get impatient, we all get a bit jumpy. Therefore, I will stop here with the knowledge that you will recognize me later.

Volunteerism

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate one of my constituents, Mr. Bob Harvey, for his outstanding efforts on behalf of the Canadian Executive Service Organization.

Mr. Harvey is currently in Jelgava, Latvia, working with a government owned health insurance company to assist with the development of new health care legislation. Mr. Harvey has also been conducting seminars on health care issues and to emphasize the need for improvements to the Latvian health care system.

Bob Harvey, a dedicated hardworking volunteer, is typical of the Canadian Executive Service Organization. Volunteers such as Mr. Harvey are truly outstanding Canadians.

Marine Technology Competition

[Val Meredith, Canadian Alliance, South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the accomplishments of three teenage constituents of mine who placed third at a marine technology competition held at the Kennedy Space Centre last fall.

Sisters Beckie-Anne and Sarah Thain, and Virginia Davis have now qualified for a June competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology against high school and college teams from across the United States.

These three girls, who are only 14 and 15 years old, designed and built a remotely operated vehicle and at MIT will have to pilot their craft through a scale model of the Titanic. Such innovation is truly remarkable in people so young. It is an indication of the potential that Canadian youth possess.

In the House we often hear stories of the negative side of Canadian youth and it is truly a pleasure to acknowledge the positive efforts of these three young women.

I am sure all my colleagues will join me in wishing Beckie-Anne, Sarah and Virginia the best of luck in the MIT competition in June and in expressing our pride in their accomplishments thus far.

National Parks

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, like others, I was delighted that the Speech from the Throne committed to create 10 new national parks and five more marine conservation areas. It also committed to the expansion of three existing parks and an expansion of parks funding.

For a number of years I have been pressing for measures of this type. I have taken a particular interest in marine parks, as we Canadians are custodians of an undersea area equivalent to 50% of our huge land mass.

I rise now to commend the government and its commitments in the Speech from the Throne and to urge that they be fully funded in the budget. As Canadians we have a very special responsibility for a huge and diverse area. Let us live up to those responsibilities.

Community Access Centres

[Yvon Charbonneau, Liberal, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to announce the opening of seven community access centres in the federal riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie to the tune of $119,000.

The community access program, which has been in operation since 1995, has funded more than 8,800 community access centres in Canada.

This program, implemented in cooperation with community organizations, the private sector and provincial and municipal governments, provides thousands of Canadians with affordable Internet access in places such as schools, community centres and libraries.

This program is also part of the federal government's Youth Employment Strategy.

Our community partners are essential to the success of this program. They help us not only by identifying the needs of the community in terms of information technologies, but also by acquiring resources, expertise and the sponsorships needed to set up and operate the centres.

We applaud them for their commitment.

Super Bowl 2003

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

Mr. Speaker, there were an estimated one billion TV viewers of Super Bowl 2003 which featured at least two touchdowns scored by Canadians. Canadian superstar Céline Dion scored her major touchdown before the actual game began with her beautiful rendition of God Bless America. The second major touchdown was scored by Shania Twain, the Canadian superstar who led the halftime show.

Despite the orchestrated rhetoric that has bellowed out from some politicians and some Canadian news sources continually criticizing the United States, the producers of the Super Bowl ignored the insults and chose the world's best for this world class event.

Our thanks to the producers of the Super Bowl who looked for and used the recognized world's best: Canadians.

World Junior Hockey Championships

[Tony Tirabassi, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the young men who so admirably represented Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championships in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia from December 26 to January 5. Under head coach Marc Habscheid, Team Canada became stronger and stronger throughout the tournament proving that they were the team to beat. Although they fell short of their own expectations of gold, the rest of Canada was cheering them as they won the silver medal with hard work, true grit and determination.

One of my constituents, left winger Daniel Paillé from the city of Welland, was a member of this truly successful team. I know that he will display his silver medal with great pride.

Please join me in congratulating the entire team on their outstanding performance.

Antonia Stirpe

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. Antonia Stirpe, a longtime resident of York West who recently passed away.

As a young woman, Antonia came to Canada from Italy. She was married to Emilio for 67 years. Together they raised four children, Elisa, Franco, Maria and Bruno. She lived to take pleasure in her 12 wonderful grandchildren and her 18 great grandchildren.

Antonia was a proud Canadian. Like so many immigrants, she loved her adopted country and raised her children with the same sense of loyalty, humility and pride.

A modest and hardworking woman, Antonia was beloved by all who met her. She was a lively member of the Italian community and always took part in the activities organized by the Italian-Canadian groups and her family.

Sadly, Antonia was stricken with Alzheimer's for the past 15 years.

She will be missed by her family, her friends and by all those who knew her. Please join me in conveying our deepest regrets.

Canada Labour Code

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by refusing to amend the Canada Labour Code to ban the use of scabs, the federal government continues to say no to civilized negotiations during labour disputes.

The Prime Minister says he is using the legislation in Quebec as a model to correct the weaknesses in the political party financing legislation; he should apply the same approach to the Canada Labour Code and include anti-scab measures, which have existed in Quebec for more than 25 years.

I would like to remind the Prime Minister that in 1990, when his party was in the opposition, he had supported the Bloc Quebecois initiative calling for the implementation of such a measure.

Anti-scab measures in the current labour market are not a luxury; they are a necessity that would encourage greater openness during labour disputes like the ones going on at Cargill, Vidéotron and Radio-Nord.

It is high time for this government to put words into action. Workers can count on my determination and the determination of the Bloc Quebecois to remind the government of this.

Heart Disease Awareness Month

[Jeannot Castonguay, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to inform the House and Canadians that February is Heart Disease Awareness Month.

Heart disease, the leading cause of death in Canada, is responsible for 36% of all deaths in Canada, approximately 80,000 Canadians, each year. This is a terrible toll.

Health Canada is proud of its 15-year collaboration with the Canadian Heart Health Initiative, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control, and numerous other organizations dedicated to encouraging healthy living for Canadians.

By eating right, keeping physically active and not smoking, we can control the major risk factors and prevent or slow down the onset of this disease.

By working together, we can reach our objective of eliminating this modern epidemic of heart disease and improve the quality of life of all Canadians.

Dr. Garnet Reynolds

[James Lunney, Canadian Alliance, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on January 28 British Columbia lost one of its finest citizens and a great Canadian. Dr. Garnet Reynolds served the community of Port Alberni for over 50 years.

First and foremost, he served his patients through his chiropractic practice, but he also served 12 years as city alderman, as chairman of the Harbour Commission, and had 30 years of perfect attendance at his Rotary Club. He was an active member of St. Alban's Anglican Church and a Sunday school teacher. An executive member of the Royal Canadian Legion, he was often MC of Remembrance Day services.

Dr. Reynolds served Canada in the King's Own Calgary Tank Regiment. He took part in the raid on Dieppe in 1942. He served as a tank commander in the Sicilian and Italian campaigns.

As one of the first graduates of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto in 1950, Garnet became a leader in his profession. He served on the board of the CMCC as well as the B.C. and Canadian Chiropractic Associations.

Garnet and Mildred were blessed with sons Larry, Terry and Leslie, and daughter Rhonda.

Awarded Young Citizen of the Year in 1954, recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, a life of exemplary service, he was one extraordinary Canadian.

Queen's Jubilee Medal

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to congratulate four recipients from Saskatoon of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. The medal recognizes the achievements of individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to their community and to society as a whole. Four well known members of the Saskatoon business community were honoured for their achievements.

I wish to congratulate: Russel Marcoux, the CEO of the Yanke Group of companies; Betty-Ann Heggie, senior vice-president of corporate relations at Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan; Jack Brodsky, president of the Saskatoon Blades; and Kent Smith-Windsor, executive director of the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.

All of these individuals have contributed greatly to the Saskatoon community and to Canada, and I ask the House to join me in congratulating them today.

Health

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the first minister's meeting on health care is less than a week away and Canadians are already starting to see their hopes for public health care dashed.

The evidence-based, thoughtful and comprehensive Romanow report is being swamped by the rabid rhetoric that has been the trademark of previous federal-provincial meetings.

Canadians want the landmark Romanow package, their package, on the table. They want to see their leaders deliver a strategy for implementing Romanow so that we can get on with shortening waiting lists, adding home care and pharmacare, improving patient care coordination, and most importantly stopping the siphoning off of tax dollars to for profit investor owned services.

Public support for Romanow has been overwhelming. A Canadian Health Coalition petition has already collected nearly 40,000 signatures. Today, New Democrats call for constructive leadership from all sides and a concrete Romanow offer from the federal Liberals and the Government of Canada.

This is a time to strongly defend core Canadian values. It is the time for cooperation, not competition and power politics. The prescription is for Valium, not Viagra.

Quebec Government Investments

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to highlight the announcement, made yesterday in the presence of Quebec's premier, Bernard Landry, of a new Alcan initiative for various projects that will create 420 jobs in Saguenay--Lac-Saint-Jean.

This good news represents a $60 million investment to build a potlining centre adjacent to Alcan's new smelter in Alma and the creation of 200 jobs.

Furthermore, the Dubuc Works has a $45 million contract to produce 14,000 metric tonnes of busbar for the Alouette smelter in Sept-Îles and will become a global leader in busbar production.

Finally, CGI Group's $170 million contract will maintain about 100 jobs and create another 60.

These announcements show the positive effects of various Quebec government policies to support the aluminum valley in Saguenay--Lac-Saint-Jean.

Quebec's premier, Mr. Landry, promised that he would visit us again soon, and we cannot wait.

Organ Donations

[Steve Mahoney, Liberal, Mississauga West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my friend, Hector Clouthier, tells me that his former hockey coach, Bill Higginson, has had a liver transplant. Mr. Higginson has had an illustrious career in sports, journalism, politics and volunteerism.

Coach Higginson is alive today because, as he says, some caring, compassionate Canadian signed the Multiple Organ Retrieval and Exchange Program, right here, better known as MORE. The MORE program was set up in 1988 to allow for quick, fair allocation of donated tissues and organs. As a result, Bill will be here next month to see his first grandchild born.

Coach Higginson is right on when he encourages us all to sign a donor card by saying “do not take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here”.

We thank Bill for those wise words and wish him a speedy and full recovery.

National Security

[Rex Barnes, Progressive Conservative, Gander—Grand Falls, NL]

Mr. Speaker, in 1949 Canada attracted one of its greatest assets, a fact that seems to escape the Liberal government.

Whether it is the mismanagement of our fisheries, lost revenues from our oil or the erosion of our air transportation services, the government continually demonstrates its vision of Canada does not include my province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I rise in this place today to remind the Minister of Transport that Canada's borders extend beyond Nova Scotia. The minister's plan to improve port security leaves out 17,000 kilometres of coastline found in Newfoundland and Labrador. This gross omission is not only insulting but leaves the entire country at risk.

The minister did not forget Newfoundland and Labrador when he diverted planes on September 11. The people of my province rose to the occasion, heeded the call and did Canada proud. This oversight represents a gap in North American security. How can the government be so shortsighted on such an important issue as the safety of Canadians?

I call on the Minister of Transport to include Newfoundland and Labrador in the new port security measures.

Queen's Jubilee Medal

[Betty Hinton, Canadian Alliance, Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure today to announce the members of my riding association and constituency who were the recipients of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal presentations.

Among them were Erin Gammel, a youth swimmer; Cheryl Thomas, a community volunteer; Walter McKague, a community volunteer; Terry Shupe, a judge and patron of the arts; Linda Jules for her art leadership; Kevin Jardine; Allan Manual; Bridget Jensen; Marg Marshall; Mike Puhallo; Isabel Hopcott; Patricia Wallace; Daniel Boughton; Henk Groenevelt; Private Daniel Holley; Master Corporal Duane Russell; Corporal Jason Williams; Corporal Trevor Fehr; Corporal Erin Doyle; and Master Corporal Jeff Spence; all soldiers who served in Afghanistan on behalf of Canadians.

Iraq

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, today a group of European nations, including Italy, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and the Czech Republic, has issued a declaration declaring support for the multilateral coalition of nations led by Australia, Britain and the United States pursuing the unconditional disarmament of Saddam Hussein. Their declaration states:

We must remain united in insisting that his regime is disarmed. The solidarity, cohesion and determination of the international community are our best hope of achieving this peacefully. Our strength lies in unity.

Is the government now prepared to unequivocally join and support this coalition of nations?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the government is unified on one position and that is that the United Nations is the final determinant as to whether or not action should be taken in Iraq. It was this party and this Prime Minister that led the way by supporting the UN, and subsequently Mr. Bush and the Americans followed that view.

I should think that the hon. Leader of the Opposition should be proud of the government's leadership on this issue.

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, no Canadian can be proud of a position he or she cannot even figure out.

Today's declaration from the European leaders also warns about the lack of resolve of certain UN Security Council members. It states:

We cannot allow a dictator to systematically violate those Resolutions. If they are not complied with, the Security Council will lose its credibility and world peace will suffer as a result.

Does the government share these views and has it conveyed them on behalf of Canada to all wavering members of the Security Council?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the terms and conditions of resolution 1441 are clear and the Government of Canada supports them. I do not know why the hon. Leader of the Opposition continues to take the position he does.

He should be standing with the government in this united position, supporting UN action, and letting the inspectors do their job rather than coming into the House and being so precipitous with his questions.

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this party is never going to sit proudly on the fence like that party seems to.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is scheduled to travel to the United States shortly to meet with President Bush. World leaders are meeting face to face to determine the most appropriate next steps for dealing with Saddam Hussein.

Is Prime Minister Blair stopping in to see the Prime Minister in Canada? Is our Prime Minister travelling to meet President Bush? Is Canada on the inside of any of these discussions?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has said a number of times that he has been in communication with world leaders, including President Bush and Mr. Blair. We do not need face to face contact to exchange our views. Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair know what Canada's position is and I believe they respect our position.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share a direct quote with the House. It states:

While some may see Saddam's lack of compliance as technical violations, anyone familiar with the destructive capability of these weapons would see these violations for what they are; material breaches of the so-called last chance United Nations resolution 1441.

These are not the words of George Bush or Tony Blair or the Leader of the Opposition. These are the words of the Prime Minister's own national defence committee chair.

Will the Prime Minister please tell us, and a simple yes or no will do, does he agree with his own defence committee chair that Saddam Hussein is in material breach of the United Nations resolution?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, when asked Tuesday about the issue of military deployment to the Persian Gulf, the Leader of the Opposition said, “You cross these bridges when you come to them”. That was January 28 in a scrum outside of the House.

The same day the same member who posed the question, the former leader, the foreign affairs critic, issued a press release calling on the government to deploy Canadian Forces to the Persian Gulf. Does he agree with his leader?