Debates of Jan. 31st, 2003

Agriculture

[Brian Fitzpatrick, Canadian Alliance, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the agricultural policy framework implementation date will soon be here. Three provinces and the majority of farm groups have fundamental objections to many of the proposed changes. The prospects for thousands upon thousands of Canadian farmers are bleak at best.

Our farmers need an effective long term solution. Will the minister extend the implementation period by one year to ensure the program will meet the needs of our hard pressed Canadian farmers?

[Claude Duplain, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, of course there are various reactions to this program. This is a new program that is being developed throughout Canada so that all producers can benefit from all the existing programs.

Certain stakeholders do not like the program. We are making changes. People are asking that the program be delayed. It is important to understand that, next year, producers will be able to benefit from all current programs. We are now developing programs for the future. We have three years in which to do this.

[Cheryl Gallant, Canadian Alliance, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is insisting on ramming through his changes to the safety net programs by April 1 even though the majority of farm organizations and a number of provinces are opposed to the deadline of April 1.

Now the minister is threatening the provinces with no federal funding for their producers until they have signed on to the APF. Why is the minister threatening the provinces and trying to force this program down the throats of the farmers?

[Claude Duplain, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, there is absolutely no threatening going on. We are currently developing the program. The Minister of Agriculture and his provincial counterparts are still working today in Toronto to develop this program. In due course, all producers will be able to access all the funding they need for their programs.

Canada Elections Act

[Guy St-Julien, Liberal, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the government House leader.

What is the government's reaction to the ruling handed down yesterday by the court in British Columbia, under which provisions of the Canada Elections Act that prohibit broadcasting election results early were ruled unconstitutional? Will the government appeal the decision?

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

Mr. Speaker, newspapers wrongly reported that a B.C. provincial court judge stated that section 3(29) of the Canada Elections Act was unconstitutional.

The matter is in fact still before the courts, and a decision is not expected for several weeks. The newspapers' allegations are therefore completely unfounded and false.

Justice

[Chuck Cadman, Canadian Alliance, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, recent weeks have seen a series of brutal home invasions in my constituency. Senior citizens have been beaten in their beds. In one case the victim was handicapped and confined to a wheelchair. The despicable thugs responsible for this barbarism are beyond contempt and deserve no mercy.

Will the Minister of Justice commit here and now to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for these cowardly crimes?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, although there are some instances where there are mandatory minimum sentences, we believe in this government, and the Minister of Justice has stated a number of times, that flexibility should be within the court system. We believe very seriously as a government that people who perpetuate the kinds of crimes that the member talked about should be exercised to the full extent of the law.

[Chuck Cadman, Canadian Alliance, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is extremely likely that these crimes are related to a flourishing drug scene. Crack houses and grow ops riddle this area. Police are stretched to the limit and the city is doing what it can through its by-laws and licensing, but both are frustrated with the weak laws and lenient courts, the result of toothless Liberal warm and fuzzy drug policies.

Why is the government more concerned with pampering violent crack heads than protecting senior citizens?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I reject the allegations of the hon. member. The laws are not weak. In fact, the laws have been improved. In the last budget we have increased the amount of funding for policing and for tackling organized crime. The government is making strides forward to deal with that problem and the member should be working with us on it.

Auto Industry

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that DaimlerChrysler was negotiating with the federal government and the Government of Ontario to obtain potential assistance of more than $300 million for an assembly plant in Ontario. Yet, not so long ago, the GM plant in Boisbriand made a request for assistance from the federal government that was denied.

Is the federal government not in the process of considering using the taxes paid by Quebec workers to come to the assistance of another auto plant in Ontario?

[Stephen Owen, Liberal, Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification) (Indian Affairs and Northern Development)]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada supports industries across this country through strong research and development infrastructure, and creating a regulatory environment that is friendly to business.

KPMG last year reported that Canada, among the countries of the European Union, North America and Japan, had the lowest business costs in the world for developed countries, 14% on average below the costs in the United States. We have the conditions with lowering taxes, with highly skilled labour, and with low and stable interest rates--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Erie—Lincoln.

Employment Insurance

[John Maloney, Liberal, Erie—Lincoln, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are told that Human Resources Development Canada will investigate allegations of illegal calculations of employment insurance benefits in New Brunswick's east coast fishery.

Can the minister tell this House how her department will deal with the employers and employees involved?

[Diane St-Jacques, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question and for allowing me to respond for the first time as parliamentary secretary.

I want to assure the member that the department is very aware of the needs of the people and the communities and that the member for Beauséjour—Petitcodiac is working very hard with the community on this one.

That is why the minister asked the department to set up a joint committee with representatives from employers, employees and the federal government in order to find lasting solutions to this situation. We believe that the problem is not just about employment insurance; job creation solutions also need to be found.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, on the news last night Canada's foreign affairs minister was seen arguing with Colin Powell, Canada's ally and neighbour. Meanwhile, for two years a Canadian citizen, Bill Sampson, has been held in a Saudi Arabian jail. He is being beaten, tortured and sleep deprived.

The minister does not mind being seen standing up to the Americans. Will he now stand up to Saudi Arabia and bring Bill Sampson home?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, to begin with, I hope I was not seen arguing with Colin Powell. He and I had not only a friendly but very productive meeting together, which we always do.

The House leader has been to Saudi Arabia and has spoken to the crown prince. I personally spoke to the crown prince on behalf of the Prime Minister. Our ambassador is regularly in contact. We are doing everything within possibility and in a responsible way to ensure that Mr. Sampson will be treated properly.

I do not think it is in the interests of Mr. Sampson, his safety or what we can achieve together to raise it as a politically partisan matter in this House. That is not--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Skeena.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in December I questioned the Indian affairs minister with regard to a financial dispute between an Indian band and a local school board in my riding. Although that particular instance is partially resolved it has come to my attention that millions of more dollars are owed to school boards by Indian bands, not only in my riding but across Canada.

Why will the minister not face up to his responsibility and demand more accountability for the billions of taxpayers' dollars his department sends to Indian bands?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I can report to the House as I have on numerous occasions that these contractual arrangements are between school boards and first nations. They are legal documents. There are disputes that occur from time to time. Our department does get involved in mediation or even helping with arbitration in order for these communities to resolve their differences with local school boards.

I do not think it will work if the minister of Indian affairs arbitrarily makes decisions when these disputes occur. We think they should be worked out between the two parties.

Cartagena Protocol

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during the negotiations on the Cartagena protocol, Canada was one of a group of countries, including the United States, wishing to have the protocol placed under the authority of the World Trade Organization, which is not called for by the present provisions of the protocol on biosafety.

Does the federal government intend to respect its signature, to say no to the United States' call for support for its challenge before the WTO of the European ban on GMO imports, and to immediately ratify the Cartagena protocol on biosafety?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the importance of having environmental considerations taken into account when trade arrangements are made is I think understood by all of us in the House.

We are trying hard to ensure that the environmental considerations are indeed a major component of any decision on the trade side. Therefore, we look with favour to the WTO taking environmental concerns into account as a fundamental part of its discussions.

With respect to the hon. member's question, we will be pursuing that avenue to ensure both with the Cartagena protocol and with many others that we achieve the best environmental protection we can through this method.

Fisheries

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has an announcement about the seals he should be making that announcement right here in the House in front of all parliamentarians. After announcing the dragging and fishing moratorium in zone 4VN off Cape Breton we will now have disastrous effects on our cod stocks.

Therefore, the people of northeast and southeast Newfoundland and Labrador would like to know if the minister will allow them to be fishing when it comes to April 1?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I advised the House before, I am waiting for the recommendations of the Fisheries Resources Conservation Council which will be receiving scientific advice and making a recommendation prior to or about March 21. I will be making a decision by the end of March.

As for zone 4VN, the member should know that that quota has been allocated to that zone since 1999. It is not a new quota. The zone was fished this year, on recommendation, after scientific studies were done to show that there would be no risk to resident stocks.

Points of Order

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify something that was raised in question period in the questions from the members for Battlefords—Lloydminster and Cariboo—Chilcotin.

They alleged that an ad was placed in the Hill Times by the Minister of Finance, or on his behalf, for a political fundraiser and gave his ministerial office phone number to contact.

This is not true at all. The fact is that this was the events calendar in the Hill Times and it was the initiative of the Hill Times to put that phone number in. The minister's office has contacted the Hill Times and it will make a correction in the next issue.

I would say to my colleagues here that before they raise such spurious questions in the House they should check the facts, otherwise they are being unfair to a very honourable member.