Debates of April 2nd, 2003

Iraq

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was asked on February 24 if he was going to secretly back the war against Saddam Hussein through the back door. His answer was “no”. On March 17 and 18 the Prime Minister was asked repeatedly if the troops were to be involved in Iraq. Again, the Prime Minister answered “no”.

Did the Prime Minister know at that time, when he answered those questions, that our troops in fact would be involved in Iraq?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I am trying to be polite and subdued today because I am somewhat concerned as to the reaction with which the opposition might explode. The simple answer to this question is that the hon. member himself should not object to any Canadian troops being involved because he himself would like to see a far larger involvement than the government.

I do not really know what he is complaining about but the rationale for the involvement of our ships and our exchange soldiers has been explained many times in the House.

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it used to mean something when a minister of the Crown gave an answer in this House. If the answer was found to be not correct, then that minister would go to great lengths to explain why the answer given was not correct. However this government does not care what its answers are any more. It does not matter if they are answering correctly or not.

Two weeks ago, the Prime Minister repeatedly stated that “our troops will not be involved in Iraq”--

[The Speaker]

I am afraid the hon. member for Lakeland has run out of time but perhaps there was a question in the preamble. The hon. Minister of National Defence.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I stand prepared to answer any question. I prefer a sensible, non-repetitive question but I am here for any question.

However if the hon. member uses up all his time saying that we do not answer their questions, he has no time for a question which I cannot therefore answer.

Airline Industry

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, observers have stated that, even though Air Canada has filed for protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangements Act, it will not survive and faces certain bankruptcy, since the government has chosen not to intervene in time. Air Canada's incorporating legislation stipulates that its head office must be located in Montreal.

Can the Minister of Transport assure us that, if another airline takes over the business, its head office will remain in Montreal?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, Air Canada's head office will remain in Montreal.

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the same legislation stipulates that Air Canada must respect the Official Languages Act.

Can the Minister of Transport guarantee that any airline taking its place will be bound by this same obligation?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Canadian Forces

[Deborah Grey, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in reply to our questions on Iraq, the Minister of National Defence said, “What is all the fuss?” Let me tell him.

The fuss is about a government that takes cover when it should be taking a stand with our allies. It is about a government that knows full well we have troops on the front lines and that claims that Canada will not support the war. That is what all the fuss is about.

I do have time for a question and I would like to ask it. How could he claim to support our troops here in the House but abandon them on the battlefield?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I never said, “What is the fuss?” I am extremely aware that war is always a tragic event, where many people on both sides die. The idea that the hon. member should suggest that I ever intimated that there was no fuss about war, one of the most tragic events that can ever befall mankind, simply indicates that the opposition has little understanding of the fundamentals of life.

[Deborah Grey, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is amazing he can talk about how tragic war is and then completely ignore it.

The government pretends to care so much about our troops, yet we find it funny because it has abandoned our 31 exchange troops in Iraq by refusing to give them political support here at home. We may need a GPS to determine what the government's position is.

I would appreciate it if the minister could get his reading right now and answer this. If we are not in this conflict, then why are our troops in Iraq? Since our troops are there, and we know it, why will he not give them the support they deserve?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated before, I refuse to engage in a debate that uses our brave troops in the Middle East as a political football. I simply will not do that.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. I read today about a holocaust survivor, a 75 year old woman suffering from Alzheimer's, who presently resides in my constituency. She is under threat, unfortunately, for deportation. The officials of the department are talking about sending her back to the United States. Her husband has died and she has no friends or family to look after her but she does have two sisters here.

Could the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration do something to help in this case?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I have reviewed the file today and have decided to instruct my officials to allow Ms. Dougherty to remain in Canada on compassionate grounds.

Health

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, airline workers are concerned--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. member for Churchill has the floor and hon. members will want to be able to hear the question. It is impossible to do so if everybody is carrying on and there is a shouting match at the other end about some subject that I know not what.

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

--for their health and that of their families because of the SARS epidemic. Many have asked for protective equipment, like masks and gloves, while carrying out their duties with travellers. However Air Canada management has forbidden its employees from taking these precautions. This is risking the health and lives of airline workers and all Canadians by threatening to continue the spread of SARS through our national transportation network.

Will the government consider issuing a directive requiring airline sector workers to take these precautions for their own protection and to impede the spread of SARS?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Air Canada is a private sector employer. We have issued workplace guidelines to federal employees. Those guidelines are available and can be used by private sector employers in relation to their employees. I would obviously encourage Air Canada to work with its employees to ensure that every reasonable precaution is taken to protect those people serving the public.

Airline Industry

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the transport minister has stated that competition, deregulation and privatization were the answer to problems with Air Canada.

Privatization and competition without rules have allowed crisis after crisis in the industry. The government's failure to establish rules governing capacity on domestic routes has allowed Robert Milton's destructive management strategy to drive out competitors.

Will the minister ensure that along with changes at Air Canada there will be changes to his government's transport policy?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, again I might remind the hon. member that the policy of the government following the merger with Canadian Airlines was supported by the New Democrats. It was supported by Reform. It was supported by the Bloc. We were all together.

Now it appears that the hon. member is reversing her stand. The fact is that Air Canada is now availing itself of a statute to reorganize and after that reorganization I would think that it will be in a better position to compete and give good service to Canadians.

The Member for Lasalle—Émard

[André Bachand, Progressive Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the ethics commissioner who, as we know, is an employee of the Prime Minister, stated on the CBC program Disclosure that, during his meetings with the directors of Canada Steamship Lines, the former Finance Minister and future Prime Minister was always very happy to hear how good business was for CSL. The blind trust agreement, however, allows for such meetings only in exceptional and extraordinary circumstances, that is, when things are going badly.

Therefore, if all was going well at CSL, how does the Prime Minister justify all these meetings?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the rules were already established. The Minister of Finance at the time followed the rules which had been established by the previous government, the Conservative government. Under these rules he could receive news. And if the company was running well, he would not cry.

[Greg Thompson, Progressive Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, in 1992 the Department of Finance warned that income earned in a tax free haven country is brought back into Canada tax free. The Auditor General and the public accounts committee repeated this in 1993, yet the Auditor General points out that the former minister of finance introduced two special rules. He basically changed the tax rules to suit himself, meaning that dividends from Barbados could then qualify for tax free treatment in Canada.