Debates of Feb. 21st, 2003

Pink Salmon Action Plan

[Georges Farrah, Liberal, Bonaventure—Gaspé—Îles-De-La-Madeleine—Pabok, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced a Pink Salmon Action Plan. The purpose of this plan is to protect the pink salmon resource in the Broughton Archipelago, off the northern tip of British Columbia's Vancouver Island.

The 2002 decline in the pink salmon run is of concern to the department, and we plan to determine the factors that may have contributed to that decline. The department's approach supports the measures taken by the aquaculture industry and complements the British Columbia Government's Action Plan for the Broughton Archipelago announced earlier this month.

The Fisheries and Oceans broad pink salmon action plan reflects a number of the recommendations contained in the January 2003 Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council report.

The action plan has five components: a freshwater monitoring program, a marine monitoring program, an active salmon farm management approach, a long term research plan and a public consultation and dialogue process.

The department has made a firm commitment to determining the risks to which wild salmon are exposed, including the impact of sea lice.

Scouts and Guides Week

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

Mr. Speaker, international scouting calls tomorrow “Thinking Day”. It was established in 1926 by girl guides and boy scouts to think about the goals for the youth of Canada and the world. It is also the birthday of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting.

I believe it is important that “Thinking Day” reflect the positive values of scouting. Scouting promotes personal character, love of learning, self-reliance and pride in country. Scouting gives our youth the opportunity to build strong bodies and minds, and respect for our traditions.

That is truly something to think about as we salute our girl guides and boy scouts of Canada today.

Black History Month

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the birthday of the renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass falls on February 14. This is one reason that we observe the month of February as Black History Month.

I had the honour of welcoming Frederick Douglass II last year when he came to celebrate with the community of Windsor the establishment of the underground railway monument on Windsor's riverfront. This symbol is a celebration of the vital underground railway connection that exists in Windsor and Essex County.

On Saturday I will have the honour to share with members of our local black community the 90th birthday of Mother Sylvia Harrison. Born in 1913, mother of 15 children, Mother Harrison was the first lady of Bishop Arthur Thomas Harrison. She assisted the homeless, seniors and those in need.

Black History Month provides us with a time to learn about the experiences of blacks in Canadian society, including Mother Harrison.

La Maison de Lauberivière

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on February 14, 1983, la Maison de Lauberivière began operations in Quebec City, feeding 23 homeless people. Thirteen men had already spent the night there. Since then, this organization has provided thousands of men and women with warmth, comfort and a meal.

Lauberivière is a combination soup kitchen, shelter, detox centre and social reintegration service, and has become an indispensable resource and referral point for our community.

On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, I wish to pay tribute to the many volunteers and workers whose commitment and devotion have helped improve the lives of their fellow citizens.

I congratulate you and thank you all for your generosity.

International Mother Language Day

[Carole-Marie Allard, Liberal, Laval East, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is International Mother Language Day. UNESCO proclaimed this special day in November 1999.

The purpose of this day is to celebrate linguistic diversity and to raise our awareness of the wealth of languages. There are over 6,000 languages spoken in the world. Languages are a means of communication, but they also express our culture and identity. As the Director-General of UNESCO said, “They are the mirror of the souls of the societies in which they are born and they reflect the history of their contacts”.

To mark this important day, I invite Canadians to reflect on the importance, history and wealth of their own mother tongue and on the meaning it has in our life.

Canada Winter Games

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Bras D'Or—Cape Breton, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute to the athletes today participating at the Canada Winter Games which will begin tomorrow in Bathurst and Campbellton, New Brunswick.

We can be proud of each one of them and of this extraordinary event which brings together athletes from 16 sports over a two week period, a true testimony of the dedication and hard work of Canadian youth.

I would also like to extend congratulations and express gratitude to the coaches, staff and volunteers who will accompany these athletes. They will continue to expend considerable effort ensuring optimal conditions for each of our athletes to perform at their personal best.

Each of these young athletes got their start in their home communities with local clubs and teams. I would like to pay tribute to the thousands of coaches, officials, event organizers, support staff, volunteers and parents who have supported the athletes throughout the years, and particularly in preparation for their Canada Winter Games.

We are very proud of all--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Brandon--Souris.

Agriculture

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food claims everybody supports his misguided agricultural policy framework and his totally inadequate business risk management program.

I have a news flash for the minister. He is living in a dream world. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Grain Growers of Canada, the Keystone Agriculture Producers and every farmer to whom I have spoken are saying just the opposite. They are not buying what the minister is selling and they certainly do not trust the department of top heavy bureaucrats to understand the real world of agriculture.

Why is the minister so determined to bully and intimidate farmers into accepting his plan? Does he not realize that if he shoves the agriculture policy framework down farmers throats, it is destined to fail? Yet, the minister has made it clear that he is hell-bent to see the agriculture policy framework come into effect with or without farmers' support.

I have a little advice for the minister. He should stop listening to his own big city bureaucrats and start listening to farmers.

Health Care

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton—Springdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, constituents from my riding of Bramalea--Gore--Malton--Springdale have expressed concerns to me with regard to health care. They want a universally accessible, publicly funded health care system that is there when they need it, not when they can afford it.

I am pleased that our government has listened. With the health accord signed by the premiers and the Prime Minister earlier this month and the important investments announced in Tuesday's budget, we have committed in cash alone $34.8 billion over five years to support health care and health care reform. This is in addition to the equalization program and tax point transfers.

The result from these investments in health care will ensure that our system is more responsive, more available and remains more accessible to those who need it, when they need it for generations to come.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, the 20 year odyssey to replace the Sea King helicopters may finally be entering its last tortured phase. Next month a government request will allow the aerospace industry to put forward its best proposals. Unfortunately the Prime Minister has renewed his effort to ensure Canadian taxpayers and our naval flyers will only be political pawns.

Since 1993 the Prime Minister has made the Sea King replacement a political issue rather than a best value, cost effective, procurement process. He has condemned the replacement program to delay unnecessary expense and danger for our air crews.

In defiance of Treasury Board practices, public works guidelines, public accounts committee recommendations and the normal business method of every well run company, these Liberals are attempting to buy the cheapest helicopter rather than the best value aircraft that would serve Canada for years to come.

I urge the government to come clean on the purchase, admit that best value and not lowest initial price must be the method used to choose our next maritime helicopter. This cannot continue to be a political game. Real lives and billions of dollars are at stake.

The Budget

[Marlene Catterall, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the 2003 budget contains significant financial help for families, including an increase in the national child tax benefit, new investments to improve access to quality child care, a new tax credit for low-income families caring for disabled children, and new tax relief for persons with disabilities, Canadians with specific medical needs, and those who provide care for them.

The budget also sets out new employment insurance benefits for natural caregivers who take six weeks of leave from work to provide care for a seriously ill or dying member of the family.

The Government of Canada is proud of these progressive measures to support families.

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday in the House the Minister of Finance brought down a budget with $25 billion in new spending. Now only two days later, he says that what Canada really needs is a tax cut in order to compete with the United States.

If that is what the Minister of Finance really believes, why did he not have the courage to implement all tax cuts from previous budgets this year?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, first, again I would like to congratulate the Minister of Finance on an outstanding budget.

The member mentions tax cuts. There is a $100 billion tax cut over five years, and we are in the third year of that. The minister also announced that the capital tax would be eliminated over five years, again, support for small business. At the same time we were able to make strategic investments in health care, for child poverty and at the same time, no deficit.

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that the minister is all over the board on fiscal issues. One day he is bringing in a $25 billion budget of new spending. The next day he is promoting the virtue of tax cuts.

Why does the Minister of Finance not just admit that the real reason for all that spending is to buy the Prime Minister a $25 billion legacy and to launch his own leadership campaign?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, this is a government that has been able to provide substantial tax cuts and strategic investment in health care, which I believe we heard from Canadians time after time was their number one issue.

I would also to remind the member that the debt to GDP ratio is 44.5%. Five years ago it was 71.5%. Economic growth is at 3.2% this year and is forecast to be 3.5% next year. There is a surplus this year of $4 billion, forecast to be $5 billion next year. What is the problem over there?

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell him the problem. On Tuesday the finance minister brought down the biggest spending budget since Pierre Trudeau. Less than 48 hours later he is saying that Canada desperately needs tax relief.

It seems to me that either the Prime Minister has the powers of the amazing Kreskin or the finance minister was hit on the head with a rock on the way to Toronto. I am not sure which it is.

Why did the finance minister wait until after the budget to start talking about much needed tax relief?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Houdini act is on the other side. That is the party that says to raise expenditures one day and lower taxes the next. The government is doing both in a fiscally responsible manner.

If the member remembers, which I do not think he does, there is a one time expenditure of $5.1 billion for health care. We are reducing taxes by $100 billion. We are eliminating the capital tax. This is what Canadians want. They want the investments and they want the tax cuts, and the government is delivering on both.

Taxation

[Dale Johnston, Canadian Alliance, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being hit with huge gas price increases every day at the pumps. The wholesale price of gasoline is set on the international markets, but the tax on that gasoline is set by those people over there, taxes that account for 42% of the price of gasoline.

In 1975 they promised that they would spend that fuel excise tax on infrastructure. Why do the Liberals not honour their commitment of a quarter century ago and dedicate most of that tax to repairing Canada's crumbling highways?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that in March 2000 it was this government that proposed to suspend the GST on gasoline and we invited all the provinces to do the same on the PST. Only one province bothered to respond to the government's suggestion.

I would again suggest that they talk to their premiers because the issue of gas pricing is a provincial responsibility.

[Dale Johnston, Canadian Alliance, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, they are the ones who have the fuel excise tax, so they are the ones who can do something about that.

Unlike ordinary Canadians, perhaps the Minister of Finance does not have to drive over our crumbling highways and our faulty bridges. If he is not going to spend those billions of dollars on transport infrastructure, why does he not just give the taxpayers a break at the pumps? Or is it the fact that he is really gouging people at the pumps to pay for the spending spree that we saw on Tuesday?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that it was members on this side of the House led by the member for Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge who led the fight on the issue of gasoline pricing and competition. I would point out to him that his party, the johnny come lately party, has now discovered this.

We suggested suspending the GST and the provinces said they would not suspend the PST. Only one province had the interest to respond.

Again, we are making strategic investments in the area of roads through the strategic infrastructure fund, the municipal infrastructure fund. I would suggest to the member if he is concerned about pricing--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Repentigny.

Iraq

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, speaking of Iraq, the Prime Minister stated:

The situation cannot continue indefinitely; therefore, we believe a deadline should be set.

As for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he said that Canada was talking about a reasonable timeframe, and not a deadline. Clearly, Canada's position remains ambiguous.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us which is Canada's official position, his or the Prime Minister's?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's position is still the Prime Minister's position, and I have always followed his lead in this process by supporting the UN process, the inspectors and the ongoing inspection. We are continuing our work, which is to discuss with our counterparts, at his level and mine, to enhance clarity in support of Dr. Blix's process. I am confident that the Security Council will find a way to achieve that within the next few days.

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is what we are seeking here, greater clarity. The Minister of Foreign Affairs himself recognizes that setting a deadline, as suggested by the Prime Minister, can be tantamount to setting a date for war.

I would like the minister to tell us what the international community is to make of Canada's position. Which is it: the Prime Minister's message or his message, when he expressed concern about a deadline heralding the beginning of war?