House of Commons Hansard #137 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-48.
Grant Hill Canadian Alliance Macleod, AB
Mr. Speaker, the junior defence minister used a private jet owned by the Irving Group of Companies on a political trip to Washington.
He is governed by conflict guidelines preventing him from receiving benefits greater than $200. An executive jet just idling to the end of the runway costs more than $200.
Why did this individual take this trip and not disclose it to the proper public authorities?
John Manley LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I presume the hon. member is referring to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.
He should know that the member in question cleared his relationship, which is a longstanding one between his family and the Irving family, in advance of taking on his duties as parliamentary secretary.
The ethics counsellor has blessed that relationship, and understands the nature of the business that occurred between those families.
Grant Hill Canadian Alliance Macleod, AB
Mr. Speaker, the conflict to anybody else is pretty obvious.
The Irving Group has defence interests through Fleetway Inc. Its website states that it is well positioned to respond to the needs of government involving engineering support contracts, including national defence.
Who over there will stand up to justify this junior defence minister taking an airplane trip from a company that has defence contracts, and good luck to them?
John Manley LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the very fact that the hon. member claims that this is a junior defence minister shows that the whole foundation for his question is false. If he had any interest in telling the truth he would not be saying such things.
What the ethics counsellor proved was a longstanding personal relationship, as is anticipated in the code of conduct. Does the member know what is in the code of conduct? I suspect not.
Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Borja family has spent the last 100 days in a church in North Hatley, in the Eastern Townships, under threat of expulsion.
This family is desperate for a fair and equitable review of its case. This sad case due to the lack of any appeal tribunal for refugees.
What is the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration waiting for before he complies with the act and sets up an appeal tribunal for refugees?
Denis Coderre LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I do not negotiate in churches or with churches.
Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, when invited to intervene, he did in fact say, “I am not going to start negotiating in churches”.
Does the minister not realize that, for these refugees, sanctuary in a church is their final recourse because of his inability to create an appeal tribunal?
Denis Coderre LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, instead of engaging in petty politics, the hon. member ought to understand that we on this side of the floor do not condone civil disobedience.
Howard Hilstrom Canadian Alliance Selkirk—Interlake, MB
Mr. Speaker, the current price for live beef cattle is below the cost of production. This problem can be corrected by getting the U.S. border opened up right away.
The agriculture minister has been working on this issue since May 20, so surely by now he must have been able to negotiate a date to open the border.
Would the minister tell us on what date we will be able to export live cattle?
Claude Duplain LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, opening up the border is based on science and we are in the process of proving that it can and must be opened. Negotiations with the United States continue daily.
Howard Hilstrom Canadian Alliance Selkirk—Interlake, MB
Mr. Speaker, ministers come into the House and admit failure when tens of thousands of our farm families are running into financial problems on the basis of almost losing their farms.
I would like to ask the minister, has he been briefed by the agriculture minister as to the rules that will be coming into place in order for us to export live cattle, and what are those rules?
Claude Duplain LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, these rules are being negotiated with the United States. The border is not open yet, but we are working very hard; the minister knows full well that the problem will be resolved when the border is fully open. In the meantime, we are taking various measures to help the farmers, such as the policy framework that they can take advantage of to sign agreements and get a little money.
Gilbert Barrette Liberal Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, from what I understand, Quebec is signing its Agriculture Policy Framework implementation agreement today.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food tell us what this means for Quebec's farmers?
Claude Duplain LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. This is good news for farmers in his riding and the entire province of Quebec. Today the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is in Trois-Rivières to sign the APF implementation agreement with Quebec. I think we need to thank and congratulate Quebec. This is very good news.
Claude Duplain Liberal Portneuf, QC
Quebec will receive nearly $88 million from the federal government over the next five years for the four components of the framework. Quebec and Canada will commit to paying $304 million over three years to ease the transition. Moreover, with the Agricultural Policy Framework and its risk management program, farmers will be able to receive money immediately.
Bob Mills Canadian Alliance Red Deer, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment told the House that he did everything he could to stop the Sumas II project, but Tuesday the environment committee learned from the International Joint Commission co-chair, Herb Gray, that his group would have investigated Sumas if it had been asked. The government did not even bother to ask it.
Fraser Valley residents, the B.C. government and many citizens of Washington state all oppose Sumas. Why did the minister not do everything to help stop this plan?
Alan Tonks LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, that is not quite what the co-chair of the International Joint Commission told the committee.
He indicated to the committee that the International Joint Commission was involved in a complete review of the treaty in terms of its applications on those issues that, in fact, up to this point have been beyond its jurisdiction.
I must question the premise upon which the member has asked the question. The minister could not have been asked that question by the IJC because it was not within its jurisdiction.
Bob Mills Canadian Alliance Red Deer, AB
Mr. Speaker, that is totally just a bunch of gobbledegook. There is absolutely no way. The co-chair said “All you have to do is ask me and we would investigate”.
Doing everything in the minister's power to stop the Sumas from polluting the Fraser Valley means that we ask the IJC to investigate. The environment minister failed to do that. The International Joint Commission would have investigated. All it had to do was be asked by the government.
The minister knew who to call. It was his good friend Mr. Gray. Why did he not do that?
Alan Tonks LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I can only assume that the member has innocently, rather than deliberately, characterized what was actually said in committee.
What was actually said in committee, and the member will recall, was that the Fraser River, as it comes within the jurisdiction of the IJC, does not call for an input from the IJC.
That was the answer that was given to the member. I am surprised that he would try to--
Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral Bloc Laval Centre, QC
Mr. Speaker, if refugees are hiding in churches, it is because the minister will not implement the Refugee Appeal Division provided for by the Immigration Act.
In a letter dated September 24 addressed to me, the minister conceded that the appeal division would provide asylum seekers whose claims are dismissed with a right to appeal.
When will the minister do justice to refugee status claimants? When will he comply with his own legislation by implementing the Refugee Appeal Division?
Denis Coderre LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I think a distinction must be made between those who engage in civil disobedience and those who come under the purview of the appeal board. I agree with the hon. member. I said that we will eventually have such a process.
In light of the current structural situation, I have asked cabinet to examine various options. We want to implement such a process, but I do not think that we should mix these issues of refuge and appeal.
Charles Caccia Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
In British Columbia's Broughton Archipelago the wild salmon stocks have declined by 70% to 90% because of the harmful impacts of sea lice outbreaks from fish farms. The federal sea lice action plan has managed to reduce the lice infecting wild salmon. Wild salmon stocks have begun to replenish.
Is the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans willing to extend the sea lice action plan to next year to ensure the restoration of wild salmon stocks?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I wish thank the member for his question.
The sampling phase of DFO's $1.3 million wild salmon action plan is complete and is entering the data analysis phase.
DFO has been regularly reporting its progress to the public on the department's website. I wish to remind my colleagues that it is premature to draw any conclusions from the data until it can be properly analyzed.
Scientists will publish a detailed report of their findings at the earliest possible opportunity. I am confident that the results of this initiative will enhance the public's understanding of this issue and will contribute to the decisions affecting wild Pacific salmon.