House of Commons Hansard #49 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was aboriginal.
David Kilgour LiberalSecretary of State (Asia-Pacific)
Mr. Speaker, it was not just members of the Sikh community, it was leaders of the Hindu and Muslim communities from the lower mainland who, with Mrs. Bhuller, came to see no doubt my friend but myself as well.
We are taking this matter very seriously. The member has suggested some of the reasons that we are taking it very seriously. We will do our best to do what is proper and what are the correct reasons for Mrs. Bhuller who is a Canadian citizen.
Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, the defence minister has stated that our troops are prepared in the event that Canada joins a military operation against Iraq.
Could the minister provide the House with answers to three simple questions? Do our troops have uniforms suited for the Iraqi landscape? Have our troops been vaccinated against possible biological attack? Do Canadian troops have chemical protection suits like those used by the American forces?
John McCallum LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the troops have not been vaccinated but we do have the facilities to do so if required.
As to the uniforms, I can assure the House that the uniforms are appropriate.
As my hon. colleague knows very well, we have taken no decision. We are undertaking consultations with the Americans as to the potential participation of Canada, but it is in the hands of the United Nations and no decision on military participation has been taken.
Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, we in the House are all aware that Canada has no strategic airlift capacity for our military.
If Canada is prepared for a deployment to Iraq, could the Minister of National Defence inform the House today what arrangements have been made to get our troops to the theatre of operations should that need arise?
John McCallum LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, it might not be prudent to go into too much detail on military actions.
However I can say that while it is true that Canada has no strategic lift, neither does any other NATO country except the two largest, the U.K. and the U.S.
We are at this moment working with our other NATO allies to find a cost sharing, cost effective way in which we can have an effective strategic airlift on a shared basis with our NATO allies.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, Correctional Service Canada has absolutely no problem confirming that sex offenders in Warkworth and Kingston penitentiaries have complete access to channels that play movies with explicit sexual content.
In fact, a Correctional Service Canada spokesmen readily and adamantly defended the commissioner's directive that inmates were entitled to the same cable access as all other Canadians.
Does the Solicitor General agree and support inmates, including some of Canada's most dangerous sex offenders, having access to sexually explicit movies?
Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the movies that are available within the correction system are only the airings that are allowed by the CRTC, which are available to the member opposite as well.
I am aware of the specific matter as it relates to this institution. CSC has identified the problem and has taken action.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, according to numerous media reports, it would seem that everything a person can get outside prison can now be obtained inside. Just ask killer Karla Homolka who allegedly has been having sex with another inmate.
I ask the Solicitor General, is an investigation underway to determine whether or not Canada's most notorious sex offender was in fact engaged in a sexual relationship with a male inmate?
Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I will investigate this matter but I will not get into commenting on alleged allegations that the member opposite seems to have pulled from some newspaper story somewhere.
Marcel Gagnon Bloc Champlain, QC
Mr. Speaker, in the negotiations for the agricultural policy framework agreement, the Minister of Agriculture is trying to impose a single model for all the provinces. Faced with opposition from some of the provinces, including Quebec, the minister is even threatening to cut their funding; this could cost Quebec farmers roughly $100 million a year.
Will the minister admit that an agricultural policy that does not take into consideration the reality of the provinces is doomed to failure?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, for the first time in many years we have locked in, for business risk management to help producers, $1.1 billion as a result of the announcement by the Prime Minister and myself in June of last year.
It is the goal and the intention of the government to make sure that all farmers across the country, with those business risk management programs that are being developed with and for the industry, are treated in an equitable manner, no matter what sector of the industry they are in or what province they are in.
Marcel Gagnon Bloc Champlain, QC
Mr. Speaker, all agricultural stakeholders in Quebec recognize the key role of the Financière agricole du Québec. Only the federal Minister of Agriculture is ignoring this reality.
Why does the minister want to destroy a perfectly good system that everyone in Quebec is happy with?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, the system that is being developed, as I said, will be equitable to all farmers in Canada from a federal perspective.
That certainly leaves every province at liberty to do the similar types of programs that they may be doing at the present time or even adding to them, as a number of provinces have in the past. The province of Quebec has chosen to do that. It will be at liberty to do that as a provincial government in the future.
Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency claims that there are 1,000 investigators assigned to GST fraud.
However it is clear that the investigations unit was disbanded and no one is specifically assigned to fraudulent GST claims. Instead of clamping down on criminal activity, it appears that the underground economy is now in charge of Revenue Canada.
Will the minister come clean and tell Canadians who disbanded the investigations unit and how many people are now working on this file full time?
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, in fact the unit has not been disbanded, it has been expanded. There are 1,000 people working on fraud. I can tell the member as well that there are 78 cases before the courts today and 125 active investigations awaiting charges.
Any assertion that CCRA is not actively pursuing fraud, and GST fraud in particular, is absolutely wrong. In fact our enforcement activities last year resulted in an additional $850 million being recovered because of our enforcement action.
Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, it is not just GST fraud though; it is all types of fraud in revenue. They are not focusing specifically on GST and that is where the problem is.
The minister proudly reported to the House that since 1997 there have been 13 prosecutions of GST fraud. That is just over two prosecutions a year. Yet there is a lot of controversy emanating from her department about the level of criminal activity involved here, its level of sophistication and Canada's inability to stop it.
How can we accept the minister's word that GST fraud is not a billion dollar problem when the government has only allocated enough resources to--
Goods and Services TaxOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
Order. The hon. Minister of National Revenue.
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is absolutely wrong in his assertions. I keep giving him the facts and he does not want to hear them.
We have been extremely successful. There are 78 cases of GST fraud presently before the courts. There are another 125 active investigations at the present time. Last year alone, as a result of our enforcement efforts, we had an additional $850 million to--
Goods and Services TaxOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
Order. The hon. member for Oakville.
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General.
The Saskatchewan Penitentiary recently suspended an Alcoholics Anonymous program that supports inmates in that institution. We know that many inmates enter correctional facilities with substance abuse problems and that they need support in order to become rehabilitated and to become law-abiding members of society.
Will the Solicitor General please tell the House what the Saskatchewan Penitentiary is doing to help inmates to deal with these problems of addiction?
Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the member is correct when she says that there are quite a number of inmates who come into prisons with serious substance abuse and alcohol problems. It is a concern that the Government of Canada and Correctional Service Canada take very seriously.
That is why we have established partnerships between the CSC and Alcoholics Anonymous to deal with this problem. I am pleased to announce today that the Alcoholics Anonymous program at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary will resume effective February 4.
Brian Pallister Canadian Alliance Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, to be effective, an ombudsman has to be independent, yet the government is moving ahead with a plan to create 600 different mini-me ombudsmen appointed by chiefs and accountable to chiefs on each of Canada's reserves.
The Canadian Alliance for a long time has been urging the government to adopt a national ombudsman. We are supported in that by the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Native Women's Association of Canada, and the National Association of Friendship Centres. We need an impartial and effective ombudsman.
Will the government ensure that aboriginal Canadians finally will get real protection for their rights from one independent ombudsman?
Charles Hubbard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, the member opposites sits on our committee. The committee is hearing witnesses. The committee will come back to the House with a report on the bill. I would hope that he would be patient with us in having an answer for the House of Commons.
Brian Pallister Canadian Alliance Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, a system where everyone is appointed by the chief, everyone answers to the chief and everyone is accountable to the chief does not work in Ottawa so I do not think it is going to work on reserves.
Aboriginal Canadians should enjoy the same human rights and the same protections as all other Canadians. Once again I ask the government, will it assure Canadians that it will not waste $60 million, and aboriginal peoples' time and rights will not be put at risk by the appointment of 600 different ineffective ombudsmen?
Charles Hubbard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I am amazed again. Chiefs are important people on their reservations. They are elected by their people, by a process. I would hope the party opposite would give them due process and give them respect. They deserve the same respect that we deserve in this House as members of the House of Commons.