Debates of May 2nd, 2003

National Defence

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I can absolutely assure the hon. member that the Minister of National Defence and I are very determined to follow every proper step through this procurement process. We will determine at the end of the day that the military gets what it needs in terms of this helicopter and that the taxpayer gets the very best possible value.

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

Mr. Speaker, it was politics that cancelled the original order. It was politics that debundled the original order and again it was politics that rebundled it a couple of years ago. That is the reality. The minister is standing up to his knees in that political slop.

If the preferred manufacturer is not ready, the government will wait, and so will our chopper pilots. Liberal political games like this will again saddle taxpayers with cost overruns and lawsuits for years to come.

Who does the Prime Minister intend to take the fall for this, the defence minister, the public works minister, or the member for LaSalle--Émard? Who will take the hit?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister gave certain responsibilities to the Minister of National Defence and to me on exactly the same day last year. We have been pursuing our responsibilities in this regard with a great deal of care.

We are determined to avoid the litigation mess that the hon. gentleman has referred to, and to ensure that this contract is fulfilled at the fastest possible moment to the satisfaction of both the military and the taxpayer.

Foreign Affairs

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific to tell the House whether or not he is aware of any progress that has been made in establishing democracy in Burma. As members know, on May 6 last year the chair of the national league for democracy was released from her house arrest.

Can the minister brief us as to whether or not there has been any progress since that time?

[David Kilgour, Liberal, Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific)]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately there has been little progress, if any, over the past year on these issues. Over 1,000 political prisoners still remain in prison. Political freedoms are non-existent. There have been no reported meetings in the last six months between Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's ruling generals.

We have no choice as the Government of Canada but to continue our economic and political measures. We continue to call on Canadian companies not to trade with or invest with the regime until the situation changes.

Canadian Television Fund

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance's last budget cut $25 million from Canadian TV programs while boosting tax credits to American productions. The Canadian TV industry is in gridlock, and facing layoffs and bankruptcies because of a fight between two leadership candidates.

Will the minister stop ducking responsibility for culture and put $25 million more new money into the Canadian TV fund?

[Carole-Marie Allard, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, it is nice all of a sudden to see just how much recognition there is for the role of the Canadian Television Fund in improving television production in Canada.

I must say, however, that the fund has its own rules. We feel certain that another way to help artists will be found, and that these decisions will be announced in the very near future.

Social Programs

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

Foster is a 60 year old man from Regina who has been unable to work since having two strokes in the late nineties. Advocates working with him say he has been maliciously harassed by her department. After four years of denied applications and appeals, poverty and illness, Foster was finally advised that the review tribunal had accepted his appeal. Yet incredibly, he has been told by her department that it will overturn the appeal.

Why is the minister taking aim at the most vulnerable and impoverished people in society? Will the minister ask her officials to back off?

[Diane St-Jacques, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the hon. member that I am not familiar with this, but I will make a note and get back to her as soon as possible.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, the government responded this way in answer to a SARS question in the House six weeks ago. I am quoting from the Hansard of March 21:

We know that it is not a real threat because the virus has been traced back to Hong Kong. There have only been a few cases in Canada that have come from there.

Given that response, would that not be pretty clear evidence that the government was not handling this issue seriously or taking any responsibility at all? How can the minister explain that statement?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would certainly be very interested in knowing from the hon. member who said that and the context in which it was said because certainly I did not say that and I resent the implication that I did.

I can do no better than quote Dr. David Heymann who was attending an international conference on SARS yesterday. He is the WHO's chief officer in relation to communicable diseases. In relation to the travel advisory, he said:

We did not make our decision based on something that Canada was doing wrong. Canada was doing everything right, including screening passengers as they left.

Agriculture

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

Mr. Speaker, that is a pathetic response.

Alarm bells are ringing. Mandatory U.S. country of origin labelling regulations will take place September 2004. Not unlike the Minister of Health who sat on the SARS file long enough to destroy the Toronto economy, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is content to sit back and see the pork and beef industry in this country destroyed.

Why is the minister waiting for someone else to do his job? Does he believe American stakeholders will ride to his rescue? Or does he even care? Maybe he should ask the Minister of Canadian Heritage for help.

[Claude Duplain, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, discussions are currently being held; I do not understand the question by the hon. member opposite. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is not waiting for someone else to do his job. Discussions on labelling with regard to this situation are currently being held with the United States.

Technology Partnerships Canada

[James Rajotte, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, two recent technology partnerships Canada grants were given to companies in order to create, and I quote the Industry Canada press release, “high quality jobs”. Since they have received these grants both companies, Westport and March Networks, have cut jobs, not increased them.

Can the minister explain how technology partnerships Canada is promoting quality and value added when, despite millions of dollars in grants, it is not even creating jobs but cutting jobs?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, since we created technology partnerships Canada in 1996, it has created up to 35,000 high quality jobs in Canada, most in the emerging sectors of the economy.

We have invested $1.6 billion through TPC. In return, we have leveraged $8 billion in private investment, creating possibilities in this economy to take on the world in emerging areas like information technology, aerospace, and the life sciences.

The cases to which the member is referring are cases in which money will not be advanced unless it is to reimburse expenses incurred.

[James Rajotte, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is not true that this program has created 35,000 jobs. I challenge the minister to table any document that supports that figure.

Not only does this program have a dismal record of job creation, it has completely failed to recoup any of the grants it has given. It has recouped less than 2% of the grants that it has given to this date and, according to the minister's own internal documents, will never recoup more than one-third of what it gives out.

Even beyond this, we cannot even know how much of the grants have been repaid because it is under a cloak of secrecy imposed by the minister himself. When will the government finally be accountable to taxpayers and put an end to this--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Industry.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, despite the member's many strengths, one of his difficulties is an abject inability to understand the value of technology partnerships Canada as a program.

We have created up to 35,000 jobs. I urge the member to read our annual reports that are tabled in the House every year. I urge the member to look at the evidence on the ground, some of it in Alberta, in his own riding. We are making investments that will be repaid. The rate of repayment is accelerating constantly. This is the way to ensure we will have an innovative economy for the future.

Agriculture

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said that the Canadian agricultural negotiator at the WTO was mandated to protect all three pillars of supply management, one of which is administered prices.

How can the minister explain that the government's chief negotiator has clearly told farmers that the administered prices issue was not part of her mandate?

[Claude Duplain, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the hon. member. For some time now on a number of occasions ministers have stated here that supply management was included in the rules we wish to see complied with and wish to promote. The three pillars of supply management are an integral part of this.

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in order to do away with all ambiguity, would the minister not wish to confirm in writing that protecting administered prices is part of his negotiator's mandate, as are the other two pillars, thereby rejecting the Harbinson report?

[Claude Duplain, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has often expressed a desire to protect supply management. If supply management is to be protected, the three pillars of supply management also need to be protected. This is clear.

Employment Insurance

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was reported that the EI surplus has ballooned by $6.5 billion. The government is collecting a whopping 33% more in premiums than what is necessary. Payroll taxes hurt hard-working Canadians and businesses, yet the Liberals only moved to cut premiums by a measly 2¢ in the last budget.

Why are the Liberals continuously and intentionally ripping off Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member does not get it. First of all, it is not 2¢. The member knows that the rates have gone down to $1.98 from $2.10. Second, the member also knows that for 10 years the rates have been coming down. Previous to this government they were going up. It is simple mathematics. If it is going down, that means people are paying less.

What is the problem? The problem obviously is that the member does not appreciate the fact that rates are going down and that we are looking at dealing with this system through the meetings with the minister for the reports that will come out after June of this year.

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the member needs to go to a math upgrade class because the increases to the CPP have offset any reductions in EI, and he knows that full well.

The former finance minister has said that he is running to become Prime Minister because he wants to bring integrity back to government. Well, his idea of integrity has been to balance the books on the backs of hard-working Canadians who pay inflated EI premiums.

Since the current finance minister is running against his old rival, will he undo the damage of the past 10 years to hard-working Canadians and immediately slash EI premiums?