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.
James Rajotte Canadian Alliance Edmonton Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, the industry committee is currently studying the patent medicine notice of compliance regulations in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Minister of Industry has an interesting history with the pharmaceutical industry, in particular when he broke the Patent Act to order Cipro, a generic drug not yet on the market.
Will the minister take the opportunity today to set the record straight for his government? Does he support the current notice of compliance regulations or not?
Serge Marcil LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, for now, the minister plans on reading and analyzing what is happening in the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, which is hearing from representatives of the generic and patent drug industries and from Health Canada and Industry Canada officials.
Following these hearings, we will see if the committee makes any recommendations and at that time, we will consider the report.
Dave Chatters Canadian Alliance Athabasca, AB
Mr. Speaker, the existing farm safety net programs cannot work for the current animal health crisis. The feedlot and packing industries need an immediate aid package that is bankable in days, not months. If it takes the government as long to get aid to the feedlots as it did to the lumber producers they will all be bankrupt and gone.
When will the government announce an aid package to cover the BSE disaster?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question twice in the question period today. The industries have put proposals to us and we have had those discussions. The discussions have been ongoing and they are ongoing today.
I am very optimistic that we will be able to not only use the new business risk management program, which is far more effective than we have had in the past, but also be able to put forward some additional help in order to help the industry get through this situation.
Charles Caccia Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Given the ratification of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea, a promise made in the 1993 election, and given the importance of this convention and the fact that two former ministers of foreign affairs had expressed, in recent years, their intent to ratify, could the minister indicate when Canadians can expect the ratification of the law of the sea to take place?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his interest in this subject which he has pursued with the intensity with which we are familiar. I think it is very important that we do.
I recognize that this is an obligation of the government, which was in fact in the Speech from the Throne some years ago. It is something for which I am personally committed. The hon. member and all members of the House know that there are serious political issues here in Canada. We wish to work with our colleagues in the Atlantic provinces to ensure the fishing issues are addressed.
I believe that when the straddling stocks convention is signed with the Europeans this fall that opportunity will be done and we will be working both domestically and--
Foreign AffairsOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
The right hon. member for Calgary Centre.
Joe Clark Progressive Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, in an April 9 letter to the American Bayridge Corporation, the Minister for International Trade promised he would “continue to seek an exclusion for independent remanufacturers in any future negotiations”.
Then, in a May 22 proposal to the United States, he threw the independent remanufacturers into a quota regime that could devastate the industry.
Did the minister know about the May 22 proposal when he wrote the April 9 letter? Could he explain why he explicitly said one thing and then did the reverse? Will he give us a commitment today that he will honour the clear promise that he made on April 9?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, let me be quite clear that this government has always believed that remanufacturers should have been exempted from day one by the department of commerce of the United States.
We have gone to the WTO and we were very pleased that a key element of the WTO decision last week, on the final determination of the United States, is that the Americans had failed to demonstrate that there was any pass through of alleged subsidies to the remanufacturers. Therefore we were right to ask for their exemption and we continue to demand their exemption from the department of commerce actions.
Gary Schellenberger Progressive Conservative Perth—Middlesex, ON
Mr. Speaker, the beef farmers of Perth--Middlesex are facing serious threats to their livelihood. Livestock disposal, laid off workers and financial hardships are big problems.
Some of my constituents are facing bankruptcy. At $11 million a day, the cost of industry inaction is approaching $200 million. The borders are still closed.
Will the Minister of Agriculture inform the House when Perth--Middlesex farmers and plant workers can expect financial assistance from the government?
Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, for the fourth time in this question period I will repeat that we are having excellent discussions with the industry.
The government understands fully the effects of the finding of one cow with BSE and the fact that the one cow did not get into the food chain. We know we need to complete the science so that we can demonstrate, not only to our customers, to Canadians who are being very supportive, I must say, but to our international customers and to the world that we have a good system.
In the meantime we will be there with existing programs and with other support to help the industry.
Lorne Nystrom NDP Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK
Mr. Speaker, in his budget, the Minister of Finance cut $25 million in annual funding for Canadian television producers, and increased support for American producers by $25 million per year. Yesterday, the government slashed a further $12.5 million from next year's budget.
Instead of making cuts, will this government announce stable and appropriate funding for Canadian television?
Bryon Wilfert LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that somewhere in that question was congratulations to the government on the fact that the government extended the Canadian television fund by $150 million over two years.
He should congratulate the government on the fact that the minister advanced $12.5 million yesterday. The minister was listening to the stakeholders. The minister, within the fiscal framework, has advanced this money. It is good for the industry and it is good for Canadians.
Svend Robinson NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It concerns the decision of the Israeli government to demand that peace activists entering the occupied Gaza area sign waivers that absolve Israel from any responsibility should they be injured or killed.
This has targeted groups such as Amnesty International, the International Solidarity Movement and Christian Peacemakers, including a number of Canadian citizens.
Blocking the peace monitors will lead to more deaths of innocent civilians and violations of international law.
Will the minister call on Israel to rescind this repressive, illegal policy which is clearly a breach of the fourth Geneva convention--
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, clearly this is a responsibility for the Israeli government. We believe that it is sincerely committed to the peace process and it is working very hard. We congratulate Prime Minister Sharon and the efforts that he is making, along with all the parties in the Middle East, to try to come around to the road map and make sure it works.
This is a specific issue that relates to international legal obligations of Israel in respect of individuals who will be going into Gaza. We are sure that it can be worked out by them consistent with international law and other legal principles which govern their occupation there.
Gurmant Grewal Canadian Alliance Surrey Central, BC
Mr. Speaker, the process for granting a temporary resident permit, also called a visitor's visa, is unfair, mismanaged and full of irregularities.
The government allows for front line locally hired staff in our foreign missions who are under-resourced, underqualified, poorly trained and who compromise the honesty of the system.
Often genuine visitors are rejected while others get through. When will the weak government restore credibility, integrity and fairness in the visitor's visa process?
Denis Coderre LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, this type of comment is completely unacceptable. It is completely unacceptable because these people are doing extraordinary work to ensure a certain level of well-being for society.
I will never accept such an individual, who—to top it off—comes and asks us for Minister's permits, telling us that we are not doing our job. These employees do their jobs well, end of story.
Garry Breitkreuz Canadian Alliance Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, we have just made another damning discovery about the government's firearms fiasco. In an effort to push out a pile of paper called gun registrations, the Liberal government failed to complete the background checks and call character references before issuing firearms licences.
Talk about straining at a flea and swallowing a camel. If the Solicitor General is trying to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, why did he not do the reference checks? Why?
Wayne Easter LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we have for a while discovered the benefits of the gun registry program. In fact, the registry program provided assistance with 347 investigations in the month of April alone. We conducted 113 firearms traces. We provided assistance with 17 search warrants through the Canadian Firearms Centre. We provided 19 training and/or presentation sessions to ensure that guns are stored safely and used appropriately.
Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, many Canadian postage stamps are printed in the United States, despite the fact that there are companies here with the skills and capacity needed to do the job. The United States, on the other hand, forbids foreign production of its stamps. Furthermore, the stamps made in the United States are not labelled, “Made in the U.S.A.”.
Is the minister responsible for Canada Post aware that the lack of such a statement of origin constitutes a violation of labelling regulations under the North American Free Trade Agreement?
Steve Mahoney LiberalSecretary of State (Selected Crown Corporations)
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House that Canada Post will in fact be soliciting tenders for the production of definitive postage stamps this spring.
The corporation is pleased to consider the application of any Canadian printer who is qualified to meet the standards that Canada Post has for the rolled stamps and the high quality of stamps that we continue to produce for all Canadians.
Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canada Post asked the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency for an exemption to the labelling regulations for Canadian stamps produced in the United States. Normally, the statement, “Printed in the U.S.A.” should appear on the stamps, but it does not.
Rather than contravening NAFTA, should the government not require Canada Post to have its stamps made in Quebec or in Canada, which would be the proper thing to do?
Steve Mahoney LiberalSecretary of State (Selected Crown Corporations)
Mr. Speaker, the first priority of Canada Post is to ensure that we have the quality that Canadians expect in the stamps that are sold right across the country.
We have met and talked with representatives of the printing industry to discuss their concerns. I have assured them that Canada Post, which is an arm's length corporation, will take into consideration their concerns and give Canadian companies who can meet the standards every opportunity to print stamps in Canada.
Ted White Canadian Alliance North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday at the request of the Canadian Alliance health critic, Health Canada officials provided MPs with a briefing on E.M. Power Plus, a vitamin and mineral supplement developed in Alberta which some Canadians claim combats the effects of bipolar disease.
Since Health Canada officials were unable to identify a single harmful effect from the product, could the minister tell the House why she has imposed a ban on the importation of E.M. Power Plus, a product which apparently harms no one but could be helping thousands of Canadians?