House of Commons Hansard #77 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was registration.
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian farm income program, which was in place in Canada for a number years, ceased as of December 31 last year. Farmers do not have a disaster income program in Canada for this year.
We will continue to work with the provinces and industry to ensure that because farmers need it and they deserve it. We will ensure that every farmer in Canada in similar circumstances, no matter where they live in Canada, will be treated the same.
Louis Plamondon Bloc Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister wants to force the application of his fiscal framework, but will he acknowledge that this is because he wants to get rid of provincial programs so that the federal government will have sole control over agriculture and be able, during future international negotiations, to lower requirements without having to consult?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, there has been more consultation on this than any income program in the 40 years that I have been involved in the agriculture industry.
Provinces can continue with whatever programs they want. We are saying that in the province of Quebec for example, the province to which the hon. member is referring, out of the $1.60 to go with the 60¢ federal money that goes in there, the federal government is asking it to make some modest changes for 24¢ of that.
The other money they can use in whatever way they want, continue the programs they have and even do more if the province so desires.
James Moore Canadian Alliance Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport seems to be sending mixed signals with regard to Air Canada, so I want to ask him a straightforward question.
Does he think that the privatization of Air Canada was a mistake and does he want to nationalize it and turn it back into a crown corporation again?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to mixed signals, the hon. member yesterday advocated the repealing of the Air Canada Public Participation Act. Does he know what that means?
Is his party officially on the record for not having Air Canada's headquarters in Montreal or maintenance base in Winnipeg or being subjected to the Official Languages Act? Perhaps he could answer that question.
James Moore Canadian Alliance Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, we believe in airline competition, not unfair regulations against one company that is supposed to be operating in the private sector.
The transport minister imposes regulations singularly on Air Canada. He tells Air Canada where to have its headquarters, where to maintain its fleet, what languages to speak, with whom to interline and with whom to share its aeroplan points. The transport minister spends more time micro-managing Air Canada than does Robert Milton, its CEO.
If the transport minister wants to re-regulate and nationalize Air Canada and turn it back into a crown corporation, why will he not just be honest about it and admit it?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member just stated in the House that as far as he is concerned the Official Languages Act is an unnecessary and unfair regulation. We on this side of the House believe in the Official Languages Act. We will support it and support it for Air Canada.
Mac Harb Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, going through the court system to settle family split-ups can be costly, lengthy, strenuous and taxing.
What is the Minister of Justice doing to address this problem?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that very important question. Essentially he is talking about Bill C-22, the Divorce Act, which has passed second reading in the House.
We put in place a brand new philosophy. We want to ensure that the system is less adversarial. We will change the notion of custody and access moving toward what we call parental responsibility. We want to ensure that we will be using more mediation.
Divorce ActOral Question Period
The Speaker
I remind hon. members that supplementary questions beyond the first one should be asked behind the curtain so the rest of us can hear what is going on in the House.
Jim Abbott Canadian Alliance Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Mr. Speaker, first the CBC was pulling stories off the air because of pressure from the former finance minister's leadership team. Now it is launching an investigation into Don Cherry because he dared to express an opinion on the war on Saddam.
What is Canada coming to? Why is Don Cherry being cross-checked for expressing an opinion that millions of Canadians hold, particularly when a certain leadership candidate will not allow the CBC reporters to even express their own opinions?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I was just asked by one of his colleagues whether he would be a delegate for me at the convention. I want to assure the hon. House that I am not planting any of these questions. I can tell the House that I thought Ron MacLean scored a hat trick.
Jim Abbott Canadian Alliance Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Mr. Speaker, according to CBC brass, Hockey Night was not the appropriate place for a discussion on the war on Iraq. That is pretty rich coming from a news organization that pre-empted absolutely everything from radio and television. I do not think that there was one single solitary protester that they did not interview between Victoria and St. John's.
What I want to know is this. What is next? Wayne Gretzky has expressed his support for George Bush. Is he next?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member may know that Wayne Gretzky is not between Victoria and St. John's.
Richard Marceau Bloc Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, QC
The Youth Criminal Justice Act, which has been invidiously imposed upon Quebec, will come into force this April 1, despite the fact that the Quebec Appeal Court must rule on certain important legal questions, particularly those related to its compliance with the international rules on the rights of the child.
Will the Minister of Justice agree to postpone the coming into force of his repressive act until such time as the Quebec Appeal Court hands down its ruling?
Martin Cauchon LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the act the member is referring to is essentially one developed Canada-wide which draws a great deal from the principles and philosophy that have been in place in Quebec for many years.
I would just like to say that discussions were held last year within the framework of a federal-provincial conference. Subsequently, we deferred the implementation date to April 1 of this year, in order to make sure that all provinces could receive the necessary training. Now we are at that point, and we are prepared to proceed with enforcement of the act.
Pierrette Venne Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.
Given the decrepit condition of the Canadian Forces' equipment and the lack of financial resources needed for any major military action, does the minister not believe that the time has come to redefine the role of the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence's strategy, to focus solely on peace missions, which better suit its means, from now on?
John McCallum LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her good question.
I would say a large part of our missions focus on maintaining peace and security, such as in Afghanistan and in Bosnia, where we have thousands of soldiers. However, there is also the war on terrorism in which Canada is very involved, as I have explained several times in the House. We are also there to take part in the war on terrorism in addition to maintaining peace and security.
Rex Barnes Progressive Conservative Gander—Grand Falls, NL
Mr. Speaker, on paper Air Canada is now worth $300 million. Its debt is $12 billion. The Minister of Transport says that he is keeping his options open in regard to the Air Canada monopoly. Does this include a government aid package that will be in excess of Air Canada's current market value?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that Air Canada has been involved for the past year in a restructuring process. That restructuring process is ongoing. We are in discussions with the airline industry, including Air Canada, to see what, if anything, the government can do to assist.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I draw the attention of all hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the Honourable Mike Currie, Minister of Energy of Prince Edward Island.
Ted White Canadian Alliance North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Speaker, during question period the government House leader suggested that those of us who are on the back row on the opposition side, like me, were banished for not following the instructions of the whip.
I would like the record to show that through two elections I have requested to be here because the view is wonderful.
Points of OrderOral Question Period
The Speaker
I am sure all hon. members appreciate that clarification.
The House resumed from March 24, 2003, consideration of the motion and the amendment.