House of Commons Hansard #104 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.

Topics

International Museums DayStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Carole-Marie Allard Liberal Laval East, QC

Mr. Speaker, May 18 is International Museums Day. This year's theme is “Museums and Friends”, in recognition of the important contribution of volunteers to our Canadian museums.

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of volunteer work in museums. Volunteers make up 65% of the staff in Canadian museums. Through the Canada volunteerism initiative, the government is working at maintaining and strengthening volunteerism in Canadian cultural institutions, and volunteer organizations in other areas.

We do recognize the contribution volunteers make to our museums and are very grateful to them. I invite all Canadians to celebrate International Museums Day by visiting a museum and volunteering in our museums.

JusticeStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Progressive Conservative

Rick Borotsik Progressive Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that there is a perception that money can unduly influence the political process. Perhaps he should realize that his own personal schedule and his own legacy agenda are wrongfully manipulating the political process of the House.

There are some very important pieces of legislation before the House and in committee. Recent events in Toronto have focused the need for the creation of a national sex offender registry. Bill C-23 is the legislation that will create such a registry and is an issue that Canadians see as a priority.

Yet the Prime Minister does not see this as a priority. What does his own House leader put as a priority before the House? Bill C-24, the political financing act. He wants us to stay in the House until that legislation is passed, but he does not care about the sex offender registry.

The Prime Minister is more interested in pushing through vindictive legislation aimed at getting even with people within his own party, those who once referred to Bill C-24 as “dumb as a bag of hammers”, than in doing what is best for Canadians. It is no secret that the financing bill has raised a storm of controversy, but we should be dealing with things that are important to Canadians in the House, not what is important to the Prime Minister.

JusticeStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Chuck Cadman Canadian Alliance Surrey North, BC

Mr. Speaker, early yesterday morning RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the Fraser Heights area of Surrey. A residence and parked vehicles had been struck by over 60 bullets.

No motive has yet been established and there is absolutely no suggestion that anything untoward was occurring at the residence, whose occupants are cooperating fully with the police. This was a drive-by shooting in a quiet neighbourhood, but the area does harbour a number of grow operations.

It occurred only hours before I questioned the Solicitor General at the justice committee about his government's failure to address the marijuana grow op issue in Canada. It was little more than a month after the same Solicitor General visited Surrey to learn at first hand from the RCMP about the problem. It was about six months after the Solicitor General received and sat on an RCMP report informing him of the grow op epidemic, in their words.

Lax laws, lenient courts and under-resourced enforcement are the reasons why criminals come from all over the world to set up marijuana grow ops in Canada. This is about public safety. The citizens of Surrey want action now.

JusticeOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Grant Hill Canadian Alliance Macleod, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Solicitor General said yesterday that the national sex offender registry could not be made retroactive “for very good reasons”. The trouble is, he will not tell anybody what those very good reasons are.

The Ontario sex offender registry is in fact retroactive. If a provincial sex offender registry can be retroactive, why can we not have one like that nationally?

JusticeOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Malpeque P.E.I.

Liberal

Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, we are trying to get the legislation through the House. We are negotiating with Ontario at the moment to make it retroactive to the individuals that are on the Ontario sex offender registry system. That is what we are trying to do.

If we could get some cooperation from members on the other side of the House we might be able to get this legislation through and have it up and functioning.

JusticeOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Grant Hill Canadian Alliance Macleod, AB

Mr. Speaker, it could be passed in a day if the member made it retroactive.

While the federal government has missed the boat, some provinces are going ahead with their own sexual offenders registries. The Ontario registry is retroactive. It includes the names and addresses of offenders who have been found guilty.

If a retroactive sex offender registry is possible at the provincial level, why is it not possible at the national level?

JusticeOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Malpeque P.E.I.

Liberal

Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, yes, it could probably be passed in a day if we could get cooperation from members of the official opposition. Who is holding up the federal sex offender registry at the Canadian Alliance?

We introduced the bill on December 11. We have debated it on six separate days. On March 31 we had a motion from a member of that party, the member for Battlefords--Lloydminster, which said: “That this House declines to give second reading to Bill C-23...”. That is the bill that we want to get through, and that party is opposing it.

JusticeOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Grant Hill Canadian Alliance Macleod, AB

Mr. Speaker, that is because if we get this bill in this form, it is absolutely useless.

Yesterday, the security minister from Ontario said the following about the government's actions:

It's absolutely mind-boggling--decriminalizing marijuana is more important to the federal government than the safety of innocent children

If the government were to make this registry retroactive it would be useful. Why would it pass a registry that is useless?

JusticeOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Malpeque P.E.I.

Liberal

Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, the member is off the mark again. We must start someplace. The government had the vision and foresight to go to the federal-provincial-territorial ministers meetings and received agreement from them to move ahead with this particular piece of legislation.

I have already said how this legislation would apply to the legislation that is in place in Ontario. This is just one tool of many in the tool box for police forces. We have already done many other things in terms of combating child porn and sex offenders, increasing maximum--

JusticeOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker

The hon. member for Edmonton North.

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Deborah Grey Canadian Alliance Edmonton North, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they have to start someplace. They have been dithering and delaying on so many important issues, the sex offender registry for one and marijuana is another.

Look at their stance on missile defence. It is also unclear. The cabinet is divided. The Prime Minister is equivocating and asleep at the switch again. The Americans are trying to figure out where we stand on this issue. The defence minister says it will be an “insurance policy”, but the government is not prepared and it cannot even figure out how to pay the premiums.

When will the government assure us and our closest ally that we will not leave them in the lurch again?

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

11:15 a.m.

Victoria B.C.

Liberal

David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, the problem with Alliance members is that they would like to have debates in the House of Commons so that the views of members can be fully canvassed. And then when we have one, as we did yesterday on this very issue, they complain that we did not come forward with a government position and a dictate as to what should be done.

We have been listening to the members of the House from all parties including the Alliance, and therefore, after yesterday's debate, we feel we are in a better position to consider these matters and to make a decision in due course.

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Canadian Alliance

Deborah Grey Canadian Alliance Edmonton North, AB

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the minister admits it. Maybe he is capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. The government has been muddling around for months. At least the government now seems prepared to have discussions with the Americans.

The Americans plan on having the program up and running by 2004. That is just seven months away. Norad has been in place for six decades and if we do not get involved in missile defence, even Norad is at risk. That means if we lose that, we are wide open to air attack.

When will the government act on what we have been saying all along for years, that the best offence is a good defence?

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Victoria B.C.

Liberal

David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member may think she is able to walk and chew gum at the same time. What she is really asking us to do is make up our mind before we have heard parliamentarians and the Canadian public. We are working on that basis.

After some of her other representations, I am pleased to see that she has read the Prime Minister's comments in response to questions yesterday because she paraphrased some of those, and also the excellent work of the Minister of Foreign Affairs whose speech she also paraphrased in her comments a moment ago.

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Bloc

Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil, QC

Mr. Speaker, because of inadequate federal assistance, the softwood lumber crisis has now made more victims. Tembec just told 300 sawmill workers in Béarn, Témiscamingue, that they are being temporarily laid off. To make matters worse, according to Marc Boutin, of the Conseil de l'industrie forestière du Québec, it is likely that other mills will also cease production.

Given this disaster, can the Minister for International Trade tell us why the government still refuses to provide loan guarantees that would allow the industry to get through this crisis?

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, we are still making progress on the softwood lumber issue. We are still working very closely with the industry. Negotiations will be resumed, I hope. Right now, there is a good dialogue with the U.S. on this issue.

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew Liberal Papineau—Saint-Denis, QC

Mr. Speaker, perhaps we should ask the members of the Bloc Quebecois to answer their own questions. They seem more interested in their own rhetoric, whereas we on this side of the House are truly interested in settling the softwood lumber dispute.

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Bloc

Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil, QC

Mr. Speaker, as opposed to the minister, the industry is betting on international tribunals rather than on a resumption of talks with Washington. In fact, according to Carl Grenier, of CLÉ-Bois, the latest U.S. offer is worse than bait, it is a weight that could drag businesses and workers to the bottom.

Instead of settling for a sellout deal, will the government finally provide loan guarantees so that the whole industry can benefit from the upcoming WTO and NAFTA rulings at the end of the day?

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Etobicoke Centre Ontario

Liberal

Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, we have allocated $110 million to help communities and workers and to make the forest industry more competitive. We have invested money and energy to help people in the transition toward a new economy and to help communities in their efforts to develop new economic activity. And we will continue to do so.

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Bloc

Marcel Gagnon Bloc Champlain, QC

Mr. Speaker, as in the Lac- Saint-Jean and North Shore regions, the shock wave from the softwood lumber crisis is being felt in Témiscamingue and in the Mauricie. The 27% surtax on softwood lumber is forcing the Crête mills, in my riding, to stop production for four weeks.

If the Minister for International Trade is so confident of victory before the WTO, why does he not suspend his negotiations with the Americans and immediately implement phase two of his aid package?

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, two and a half years ago we adopted a two-part strategy that, in my opinion, has served our country well. For the first time, we have not grovelled before the Americans and there is hope that this issue will be settled in the long term.

I would point out to our hon. friends in the Bloc that even at the time, their head office—which got 33% of the vote in the recent election—supported us in this strategy. I understand that they feel a bit freer now, since the head office is disappearing from the map. But their own party approved the strategy of taking a two—

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker

The hon. member for Champlain.

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:20 a.m.

Bloc

Marcel Gagnon Bloc Champlain, QC

Mr. Speaker, there are over 300 workers without any income because of the government's inaction. Therefore, I ask him this: is he going to work to get the employment insurance rules relaxed so as to help these workers get through this difficult time?

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

11:25 a.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Claudette Bradshaw LiberalMinister of Labour

Mr. Speaker, as you know, we have made transfer payments of $600 million to Quebec's manpower programs. But the important thing is that the ministers are going to get together and talk about transfers with respect to manpower all across the country.

The Bloc has reported many situations. Transfer payments for manpower have to be looked at in order to ensure that these people are going to find work. They do not want EI benefits; they want work. That is what we are going to do with the people of the province.