House of Commons Hansard #113 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was amendment.
Jeannot Castonguay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I should begin by saying that this product is being promoted as a treatment for certain conditions. Thus, Health Canada considers it a drug.
When we look at the ingredients in this product, and the claim that vitamins present no risk to health, I am sorry but I have to say that astronomical quantities of vitamins can be fatal to patients. Obviously, a product whose ingredients are considered to be drugs should be treated as a drug. We must abide by the law, and that we shall do.
Maurice Vellacott Canadian Alliance Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Mr. Speaker, Julian Fantino, the chief of police for Toronto, stated in a letter to me his many concerns about the government choosing to decriminalize marijuana. He referred to research indicating that the number of drivers less than 25 years of age under the influence of marijuana may increase by as much as 400%. Police Chief Fantino spoke of the added hazard that this would create on our roadways.
Does the minister not care about the carnage caused by such impaired drivers each year?
Paul MacKlin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we certainly do care about everyone driving on our highways and we are concerned about the safety of Canadians. We are interested and a modernized drug strategy is coming forward to reduce the harm for Canadians generally. If we look at the Criminal Code right now, it is and has been in place to protect the public from those who drive while under the influence of drugs.
John Harvard Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the chief government whip.
The hon. member for Saskatoon—Humboldt has produced and distributed a pamphlet that raises serious concerns about hate mongering. In it aboriginal leaders are sharply attacked and even smeared as racists. He has done this with House of Commons mailing privileges.
Will this matter be addressed by the House leaders of all parties? I think members would want to know whether any House rules have been broken.
Marlene Catterall Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am spokesperson for the Board of Internal Economy. I certainly take the member's concerns very seriously and will be sure that the board addresses this issue at its meeting in the coming week.
Peter Goldring Canadian Alliance Edmonton Centre-East, AB
Mr. Speaker, $1 billion has been spent over three years and homeless numbers are up. The minister responsible for homelessness hates private landlords, mumbles misinformation and myths, while the minister responsible for CMHC ignores singles altogether.
CMHC states that the census information is missing on singles' housing needs but government spends billions to wine and dine in luxury hotels. A government ignorant of independent living singles' housing needs leaves 15,000 singles languishing in emergency shelters. Does the government not care for Canada's singles?
Steve Mahoney LiberalSecretary of State (Selected Crown Corporations)
Mr. Speaker, the government has shown a great deal of compassion in the area of affordable housing. We have announced over $1 billion with provincial, municipal and NGOs and private developers, matching the funding to create over 40,000 units in the next five years. That is only the beginning.
Unlike the member opposite, we do not want to put people in compartments. We would rather put them in apartments and build homes that Canadians can be proud of.
Brian Pallister Canadian Alliance Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, the leadership chaos on that side of the House continues. We have rebels taking over caucus meetings, secret pseudo cabinet meetings in dark hallways and Chinese restaurants, and now backroom deals with party executives.
According to a member of the Liberal Party national executive, when the member for LaSalle—Émard inevitably wins the Liberal leadership, the first nations governance act is “dead in the water”. Since the fate of this bill is a foregone conclusion, why does the government continue to waste Parliament's time and taxpayers' money?
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I think the objective of a good governance structure for first nations is one that we all share. We are going to continue to work with that in mind. The objective of the exercise for all of us is to improve the lives of first nations citizens. This is a work in progress. If the member has any good amendments to suggest, we would like to hear them. So far we have not heard any.
Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, air service between Montreal and Beirut that Air Canada was slated to provide was cancelled this week by the Canadian government. However, many international airlines continue to offer direct flights to Lebanon from major European cities.
Should we understand that this decision by the Canadian government, far from being the result of air security concerns, is instead a political decision due to pressure from the U.S. government?
Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as the member indicated in his preamble, there are still all kinds of options to fly from Montreal to Lebanon and that was certainly taken into consideration in the decision.
I want to point out that it was not as a result of pressure from the Americans that the Canadian government made the decision that it did. We made the decision based on current security information. As a result, we felt it would not be appropriate for that flight to fly directly to Beirut at this time.
Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, each minute 11 people are infected with HIV. One in every 13 people in sub-Saharan Africa between the ages of 15 and 49 is HIV positive.
Canada has been an international leader in the global fund, being a key founder and one of the first countries to actually contribute.
Could the Minister for International Cooperation inform the House what other initiatives her department has undertaken to fight the AIDS epidemic?
Susan Whelan LiberalMinister for International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be proud of their contributions to the global fund, essential in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
We must use all of the tools that are at our disposal to fight the profound challenges that we face with HIV and AIDS. That is why, through CIDA, we have committed to quadrupling our funding to HIV and AIDS between 2000 and 2005 for a total of $270 million. That is why we have contributed $50 million through the Kananaskis fund to find a vaccine for HIV and AIDS. That is why we continue to support HIV-AIDS awareness programs and education programs and treat those who are living with HIV and AIDS in many countries. We are working to provide hope for many people suffering from HIV and AIDS.
Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC
Mr. Speaker, the ministers of health of the member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, APEC, will hold a meeting on SARS in Bangkok, Thailand. The purpose of this meeting, set for the end of June, is to coordinate the efforts of member states in containing the SARS epidemic.
Has the Minister of Health been invited to this meeting, and if so, will she attend?
Jeannot Castonguay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I cannot claim to know if the minister has been invited; obviously, I have not rifled through her mail. Naturally, I will find out from officials in her department, in order to provide my hon. colleague with an answer.
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is allowing the scallop fleet from his riding to fish in area 29 in my riding and on the best lobster grounds in the world. Meanwhile, area 29 scallopers are not allowed to fish in the minister's riding. As a result, lobster fishermen in area 34 are worried about diminishing stocks that threaten their livelihood.
If the minister's machinations ruin both the scallop and the lobster industries in lobster fishing area 34, will he then allow our fishermen to fish in his riding?
Robert Thibault LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, the full bay scallop fleet has developed the scallop in that area with sound scientific analysis. Last year we included some area lobster fishermen within that fishery, as they will be this year. They are fishing at a very low level with a low yield in a safe manner. I am sure that the fishery will be sustainable both for lobster and scallop forever.
Svend Robinson NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General. A few hours after the first Air Canada flight between Montreal and Beirut took off, the Liberal government withdrew authorization for these flights.
Why has the government given in to pressure from the U.S., particularly when many other airlines, such as Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines, offer direct flights, and no Lebanese nationals have ever been involved in terrorist acts in Canada?
When will the government restore these flights, because it now takes some 27 or 28 hours—
Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I want to underline again that the government does not make decisions based on what the Americans might say. We do our security analysis in a number of ways and we constantly monitor the situation worldwide.
I want to point out that as the member said in his comments on Lebanon, this is not to target any one people. We look at the consequences of terrorist acts around the world. We have a responsibility to protect the security of Canadians.
Leon Benoit Canadian Alliance Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government ripped the heart out of the Canadian army when it disbanded the Canadian airborne regiment, a proud, well-respected, elite, rapid response unit. In today's world many missions must be spearheaded by a fast moving, hard hitting, elite unit that trains together like the airborne regiment.
Will the government agree to right a terrible wrong and reinstate the Canadian airborne regiment?
John McCallum LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, while the government is determined to move forward with modernizing and transforming the Canadian Forces, the opposition seems poised to dive back into the past.
Let me remind the hon. member that we have these capacities. We have a battalion ready and on standby for NATO and the UN. We have no less than five parachute capabilities within the Canadian Forces. We committed some years ago to double the capacity of our special forces, JTF2. We are ready and looking forward.
Paul MacKlin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments made recently by the government.
Paul MacKlin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 46 petitions.
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-42, an act respecting the protection of the Antarctic environment.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)