Debates of Jan. 31st, 2003

Iraq

[Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

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

The government has now had more time to consider the joint statement by the eight European leaders. I expect the minister shares my view that the European statement is a strong endorsement of the United Nations process, so I repeat my question of yesterday to which the acting prime minister gave no substantive response.

Would Canada have signed the statement of the eight European leaders, and if not, why not?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, like every document, it contains many elements. I agree and I think the hon. member has put it well. The document states:

We Europeans have since reiterated our backing of resolution 1441, our wish to pursue the U.N. route, and our support for the Security Council at the Prague...Summit and...Copenhagen--

This is very much the Canadian position. This is very much our position, but we were not asked to sign this document. We are not a European country. This was their effort to in turn solve their problems in Europe. We subscribe to many of the principles, but we would not necessarily sign a document of European leaders.

[Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

The foreign minister has now, as he said, had an opportunity to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Does he expect that Secretary Powell, when he meets with members of the Security Council on Wednesday, will present concrete new evidence of the material failure by Iraq to comply with the UN's requirements to eliminate all of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly had discussions with Secretary Powell yesterday. Secretary Powell did not tell me the details of what he intends to do at the United Nations. What he did say is that he will be laying out a comprehensive case for the United States as to why it believes Iraq is not in compliance with resolution 1441. Whether that will include new evidence or not remains to be seen, but I am assured that they will lay out a comprehensive case for their position.

I do expect that we will then have to wait to hear what Dr. Blix is saying about the inspections process to understand fully where we are going to go with this matter.

Goods and Services Tax

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Revenue continues to cite different numbers of tax fraud cases that are either before the courts, being prosecuted, or being investigated, in order to confuse Canadians. The problem is that she has not specified how many cases are specifically attributed to GST.

Is the minister lumping together all tax cases to hide from Canadians the government's incompetence when it comes to investigating GST fraud?

[Colleen Beaumier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, CCRA has a vigorous audit program to detect non-compliance with the GST. Where non-compliance appears to be fraudulent the cases are referred to investigators for potential prosecution.

Any assertion by others that CCRA is not actively pursuing these fraudulent schemes is not supported by these facts. As of December 2002, 78 cases are before the courts and 125 under active investigation. The CCRA also has some--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Edmonton--Strathcona.

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Again, Mr. Speaker, they do not know how much of that is attributed to GST. She just said it right now.

The only thing that is clear is that the minister does not know what is happening in her own department. She gives us conflicting numbers and will not tell us the specific amounts related to GST fraud.

A month ago the minister said that under the bad debts category of the public accounts over $4 billion was missing. Yesterday she said $850 million has been recovered. Is she telling us, then, that there could be over $3 billion missing due to GST fraud?

[Colleen Beaumier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I think that is definitely not what the minister has been saying. The minister has been saying that under current investigations there has been an additional $850 million collected.

Iraq

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has put an end to the suspense. Yesterday, he clearly cast aside any need for a second Security Council resolution to authorize military action in Iraq, stating that if the Blix report says that Saddam Hussein is not complying and disarming, resolution 1441 authorizes military action.

Does the Prime Minister realize that, by making this type of statement, he is fully endorsing the American position and undermining the role that the UN must play?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said clearly that resolution 1441 says the Security Council must remain seized of the matter and that Iraq must recognize that there will be serious consequences if it does not comply with its obligations. This is what the rest of the world acknowledges and what the Security Council is examining today.

We will see how the Security Council resolves the matter. However, as far as the resolution itself is concerned, the Prime Minister has always exactly reflected Canada's policy, which is to support resolution 1441.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has made a valiant effort at putting the toothpaste back in the tube, but the fact remains that the Prime Minister's statements constitute an unfortunate step backwards for Canada on the role that this international institution—which, incidentally, Canada helped found—must play.

Does the Prime Minister not realize that his words threaten not only Canada's sovereignty, but they also weaken the role of the UN in resolving conflicts?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister never weakens Canada's sovereignty. He is one of the best spokespersons for Canada in the world. He fully supports Canadians and our sovereignty at all times. It has always been our position to support resolution 1441. We have always been faithful to the United Nations. We are still taking the same position. I totally deny the allegations made by our Bloc Quebecois colleague.

Goods and Services Tax

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday and again today we have heard repeatedly from the minister responsible for the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency that her department has 125 active investigations underway and 78 cases of GST fraud presently before the courts. This is not a lot of action for an alleged 1,000 investigators working in that department.

Has the government ordered an investigation into the possible connection between drug dealers laundering their money and GST fraud?

[Colleen Beaumier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. Many of the GST investigations are related to drug dealers, to gun dealers and to other acts of violations of Canadian law.

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on December 12 in the Speaker's ruling, the Speaker criticized the minister's department for the way it reported GST fraud to Parliament because it changed the rules on how it. It is no longer transparent, and the Speaker said that it should change those rules.

I would ask the parliamentary secretary this. When will the government change the rules so that GST fraud is transparent, so that not only does Parliament know what is taking place but also all Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, the manner in which items are reported to the House, either in the estimates or the public accounts, is a matter for the entire government to take seriously.

The government has taken the Speaker's decision very seriously. We fully intend, as a government, to do our best to comply with both the intent--

[John Reynolds, Canadian Alliance, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

When?

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

The hon. member asks me when. As he probably knows, no public accounts have been tabled in the last two weeks.

Agriculture

[Odina Desrochers, Bloc, Lotbinière—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the provinces and the federal government readily reached agreement on the objectives of Canada's new agricultural policy framework. However, an important obstacle still exists regarding how these objectives will be reached. Despite the unanimous support of the National Assembly, the UPA, and the Quebec government, the federal government stubbornly refuses to make changes to the program, thereby threatening the viability of the Financière agricole du Québec.

Does the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs approve of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food's refusal to be flexible solely to maximize the Government of Canada's visibility?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for giving me this opportunity to answer my first question as Parliamentary Secretary of the Minister of Agriculture.

It is completely false to say such things. Currently, we are developing a program, a strategic framework. All the stakeholders are participating in discussions. The minister is meeting today in Toronto with the provincial stakeholders to develop a strategic framework, and it is completely false to make such statements.

[Odina Desrochers, Bloc, Lotbinière—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have here a backgrounder prepared by Agriculture Canada.

It says that from the federal government's point of view, it makes sense to stop funding provincial programs because the federal government receives very little, if any, visibility from the provincial programs it supports.

Does the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs think it is right for a government to hold all of Quebec's agricultural producers hostage because it is not getting enough visibility?

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

Mr. Speaker, some documents became available. In the English version, there was never any mention of this sentence. This sentence was in the French text, and the Minister of Agriculture deleted it immediately.

I can guarantee that this government will never make its assistance to Canadian agriculture a visibility issue.

Fundraising

[Gerry Ritz, Canadian Alliance, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, from the Hill Times this week, we have learned that the finance minister is holding a $1,500 a plate leadership dinner. For further information, we are told to call a number. It is turns out it is his finance ministerial office. Can members believe that?

Does the Prime Minister think it is ethical to use a taxpayer-funded ministerial office as a base of operations for a Liberal leadership race?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has made a very serious allegation about the Minister of Finance. I would hope that if he has such proof he would bring it forward, rather than just smear the name of an hon. member on the floor of the House of Commons.