Debates of Sept. 24th, 2003

[The Speaker]

As is the practice on Wednesday we will now sing O Canada, and we will be led by the hon. member for Portage—Lisgar.

[Editor's Note: Members sang the national anthem]

Israel

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Canada-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group, I was pleased to participate in the recent CIC leadership mission to Israel.

Our understanding of the core concerns are clear. There will be no lasting peace or security until efforts are taken by the Palestinian Authority to honour its road map commitment to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. It also must begin the essential work of eliminating the incitement to violence.

We were impressed by Diana Buttu, the young Canadian Palestinian lawyer from the PLO negotiation unit, who, although she simplistically identified the settlements as the main obstruction to peace, was thoughtful, eloquent and seemed to be working hard toward a just peace that would include a secure state of Israel.

We were saddened to hear that she will soon return to Canada in frustration. Israel needs a partner for peace. We wish the new Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, the courage to control the voices of hatred and stop the violence.

Democratic Rights

[Vic Toews, Canadian Alliance, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend a sincere thanks to all those people across Canada who have contacted their members of Parliament over the past several months in respect of the important issues of marriage, religious freedom and freedom of speech.

There has been an unprecedented volume of correspondence stating concerns with same sex marriage and with Bill C-250, and with the process by which the Liberal government has abdicated its responsibility and broken its promises to Canadians.

I congratulate the thousands of Canadians who have not given up on the concept of democracy and the institution of Parliament despite the betrayal by the Liberal cabinet of their trust.

This debate is not over; in fact it has just begun.

The Canadian Alliance will continue to hold the Liberal government accountable to the people who elected it and for the promises it made to Canadian voters.

Davida Woodland

[Christian Jobin, Liberal, Lévis-Et-Chutes-De-La-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce today that the Raffinerie Jean-Gaulin Ultramar of Lévis has purchased the Davida woodland, a parcel of 65.5 hectares, or, if you prefer, 7 million square feet.

This wooded area located opposite the refinery will be made available to the City of Lévis to be transformed into an urban park. The Davida woodland is an ideal green area, with a magnificent forest, and an unmatched view over the Laurentians, the Appalachians and the St. Lawrence River. This woodland, near the river and the Auberivière golf club, is destined to become a unique and well used park.

This acquisition is yet another demonstration of the commitment of the Raffinerie Jean-Gaulin and Ultramar to work with local authorities to improve the quality of life of the area's residents.

The refinery, in partnership with the employees and various local organizations, makes a contribution to the economic and community development of the area.

Société des Acadiens et des Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick

[Jeannot Castonguay, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark an important anniversary, that of the Société des Acadiens et des Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick.

The members of the Société des Acadiens et des Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick, gathered in Shippagan last weekend for their annual general assembly, took stock of the society's 30 years of existence, and discussed its future as well.

In the members' opinion, the improvement of health care in French and the new Official Languages Act in New Brunswick are among their most significant achievements.

The members of the Société des Acadiens et des Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick also identified some challenges they will have to face.

We are convinced that they will be able to defend the interests of those they represent in their discussions with the various levels of government.

The commitment of the Government of Canada to the francophone and Acadian communities cannot be denied, and the contribution of groups such as the Société des Acadiens et des Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick is important, and I thank them for it.

Arts and Culture

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to rise today to recognize the 17th annual Toronto Arts Week which runs from September 20-28; a city-wide celebration of the arts that highlights Toronto's arts and diverse cultures.

The Toronto Arts Festival attracts more than 400,000 people. It is the largest multidisciplinary, neighbourhood-focused festival of its kind in Canada. Some of the activities include: community street festivals; behind the scene tours of theatres, galleries, studios, rehearsal spaces; textile design studios; special programs; and readings.

The Toronto Arts Festival is promoted under the auspices of Arts Toronto, which was created in 1985 by the Toronto Arts Council with the aim of establishing and promoting a city wide festival.

I would like to offer a special commendation to Peter Herrndorf, the president of the National Arts Centres, for his pioneering work in helping launch this wonderful festival.

Forest Fire Relief Campaign

[Betty Hinton, Canadian Alliance, Kamloops, Thompson And Highland Valleys, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to pay tribute today to the “We Love B.C. Chinese Community Forest Fire Relief Campaign”, which has raised $225,000 for North Thompson forest fire victims.

The campaign is co-ordinated by Johnny Fong and Ian Cheung, along with provincial MLAs Patrick Wong, Kevin Krueger and Richard Lee, and includes seven Chinese community groups.

Mr. Fong said it best when he said “We feel it's an obligation to help each other... The fact that we are Chinese Canadians makes no difference. We are all Canadians, and this is a tragedy for the whole province”.

I was privileged to join in a standing ovation when the campaign made its generous donation to the North Thompson fire relief fund in Barrière last Saturday.

I am sure all members of the House will join me in extending yet another ovation to this group of generous Canadians.

Centre for Wildlife Ecology

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment has announced an additional $1 million for the Centre for Wildlife Ecology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. This doubles the government's previous commitment.

This centre is celebrating 10 years of conducting vital research into migratory bird species, including the great blue heron, the western sandpiper, the brant goose and the marbled murrelet. The centre's work is crucial in protecting many endangered marine bird species.

This support for the innovative research at the Centre for Wildlife Ecology is just one more example of this government's commitment to supporting Canadian cutting edge research to ensure that we leave a better environment for future generations.

I ask the House to join me in congratulating the scientists and researchers at the centre on their past accomplishments and wishing them all the best in their future endeavours to protect and nurture our ecological treasures.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, after the estimates were tabled, we learned that the Minister of Canadian Heritage was continuing to make cuts in culture and communications.

First there was the Canadian Television Fund saga and then the 50% cut in Canada's budget for magazines. Now it is the CBC's turn to suffer budget cuts to the tune of $10 million of the supplementary $60 million the Canadian Heritage Minister announced in March.

The new season at CBC has started and it seems incomprehensible that Canadian Heritage could have had $60 million for the CBC in March and only $50 million by September.

How can we expect CBC officials to do a better job when there are such inconsistencies? These cuts will translate into job losses, fewer CBC regional services and cancellation expenses for existing arrangements.

The minister's current response does not bode well for her response to the report on the Broadcasting Act, which recommends providing stable funding to the CBC, does it?

Foreign Affairs

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval West, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week a dialogue meeting is being held on Parliament Hill between Canadian and African parliamentarians. This will be an opportunity for participants to exchange and update one another on the political, economic and social conditions in their respective countries.

Throughout the week, parliamentarians will address Canada and Africa's priorities for education, health, agriculture and security.

The presence of African parliamentarians in Ottawa this week will, without doubt, help us to better understand the realities they confront in their own countries.

I am pleased to take part in such a meeting and I am sure it will provide me with a greater understanding of the current situation in African countries.

B.C. Forest Fires

[Val Meredith, Canadian Alliance, South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this past summer British Columbia was hit by the worst forest fire season in recent memory, with numerous fires destroying people's homes, businesses and lives.

The Canadian armed forces did send some troops to assist but these troops had to come from other provinces as the Liberal government closed down the only military base on the mainland of British Columbia.

While British Columbians were pleased to receive the assistance of the military, they were shocked to hear that the federal government might seek reimbursement from the province for the use of these troops.

However the Liberals did spend a great deal of taxpayer money sending out countless Liberal politicians, including the Prime Minister and the new Liberal leader, for photo ops in the fire ravaged area. I suppose British Columbians will be billed for these travel costs as well.

If the new Liberal leader is truly serious about building new relations in the west, here is some advice for him: Send the money, send the troops, but keep the Liberal politicians at home.

Iraq Museum

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Donny George Youkhanna is the research director of the Iraq museum in Baghdad. He witnessed firsthand the looting and destruction that followed the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime, and has worked tirelessly to try to recover the priceless antiquities that have gone missing.

Dr. Youkhanna has been giving lectures in Ontario this week informing Canadians of the current archeological and museum conditions in Iraq.

Dr. Youkhanna has been a long time crusader and caretaker of Iraq's rich heritage of antiquities, working as a staff member with the Iraq museum since 1976.

Thanks to his efforts, Canadians are better informed of the vast damage to the world's historic artifacts and to what is being done now within Iraq and within the global community.

On behalf of my fellow parliamentarians and, I am sure, all Canadians, I want to welcome Dr. Youkhanna who is in Ottawa today.

Canada Post

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the government wastes a lot of rhetoric on how it supports rural Canada, yet it is denying basic federal service to much of it.

The Liberals have broken their promise not to close more rural post offices and, worse yet, they have changed the rules so larger commercial accounts are excluded as post office income thus lowering the profit of many of the small branches and putting them on the non-essential list.

I am sure that no one working for the minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation will recognize the names that I am about to list. Tancook Island, Barss Corner, Greenfield, Hunts Point, McGray, Northeast Point, Pleasantville, Port Clyde, Port Joli, Port Mouton, Riverport, Sable River, South Brookfield and Stony Island are all post offices in South Shore that are slated to close.

Too often the only federal presence in rural and coastal Canada is the local post office. How can the government pretend to help rural Canada on one hand while pulling the door closed on rural post offices with the other?

Jewish Community

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to the Hebrew lunar calendar, Rosh Hashanah, which means new year, begins on the evening of September 27.

In honour of this important celebration, the Bloc Quebecois extends its best wishes for a happy new year to the vibrant and flourishing Jewish community in Quebec and Canada.

The Jewish new year is one of the most important holy days for this community. It also commemorates divine judgment and symbolizes a period of reflection about one's self and the year just ended in order to make the next one even better.

On this occasion, which precedes Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, I and all my colleagues want to wish the entire Jewish community a sincere Shana Tova.

Ottawa City Council

[David Pratt, Liberal, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Ottawa city council for its efforts to ban smoking in public places.

Today, Dr. Sunil Patel, president of the Canadian Medical Association, presented Ottawa city council with the excellence in health promotion award.

This new award is presented to all municipalities across Canada that have passed bylaws to ban smoking in all indoor public places as of July 1, 2003.

In taking action to ban smoking in public places, Ottawa has joined a list of cities that have chosen to take decisive action both to ensure that a healthier environment is available for Canadians and to send the message that healthier living includes not smoking.

I ask the House to join me in commending the Ottawa city council for its efforts which have helped ensure that residents of the nation's capital are able to live and work in a smoke free environment.

Status of Women

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today in Edmonton, federal, provincial and territorial ministers for the status of women begin meeting.

This is a perfect opportunity for the federal government to show leadership and coordinate a national response to the United Nations condemnation of Canada's failure to comply with the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

It is also an opportunity for the ministers to receive input from the critical stakeholder and expert women's group involved in the CEDAW process.

The Feminist Alliance for International Action coordinated the alternative report on Canada's failure to act and is prepared to contribute to a multi-jurisdictional response to UN concerns.

It was ready to brief status of women ministers this week but the offer was rejected. Why? Why did our status of women minister spurn the generosity of Canadian women willing to help the government out a most embarrassing situation?

It is not too late. I ask the government to call the member for Etobicoke--Lakeshore and tell her to listen to Canadian women and help restore Canada's commitment to women's equality.

World Forestry Congress

[Gérard Binet, Liberal, Frontenac—Mégantic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, from September 21 to 28, 2003, Canada will host, for the first time, the World Forestry Congress in Quebec City. This event, attended by some 4,000 delegates and forestry experts from around the world, is an opportunity to present and share our experiences and contribute to the definition of a vision for tomorrow's forests.

The Government of Canada, through the Department of Natural Resources, is proud to host this congress.

This is also an opportunity for Canada to show the rest of the world that its investments in skills, knowledge and innovation contribute to maintaining a healthy and safe environment, as well as preserving our natural heritage.

During the World Forestry Congress in Quebec City, the participants from around the world will see for themselves that our country is truly a model in this field.

Congratulations, Canada.

Firearms Registry

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there may be a new Liberal leader but we have the same old policies of waste and corruption. I refer to the government's supplementary estimates that it has just tabled, calling for yet another $10 million to go to the firearms registry. This is after wasting a billion dollars and promising no more money would be spent until the program is fixed.

Why, with the new Liberal leader, is the government wasting more money on the firearms registry when it has not even fixed the problems and it has wasted a billion dollars?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I addressed this question yesterday. However I would think the hon. Leader of the Opposition would be at least a little more forthright. If we turn to the estimates on this money, it says:

This amount represents the operating budget carry forward for Justice designated for the Canadian Firearms Centre.

Not one more cent has been allocated in the supplementary estimates than was previously announced when we put the action plan in place.

Grants and Contributions

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, his own estimates put $10 million under new appropriations for the Canadian Firearms Centre, so he should read his own documents.

Along the same lines, Human Resources Development Canada has already been involved itself in a billion dollar boondoggle. The department is under police investigation, yet the minister has been handed an additional $118 million in grants and contributions, exactly the kind of thing that is already being investigated.

Once again, why, with a new Liberal leader, is the government giving even more money to a program before it has even got to the bottom of the things that are under police investigation?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry I was not paying as close attention as I might have been to the hon. member's question. However I can certainly say in the context of my department when we look at the investments that we make, and itemized in the estimates, they include the national homelessness initiative, the temporary fisheries program, the Voisey's Bay project to ensure that aboriginal people in Newfoundland and Labrador are part of that program and additional money to help us with our SARS strategy.

[Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the speed of that response indicates exactly how in charge they are over there.

The Liberals have a new leader, but they are still rocked by the same scandals. Communication Canada oversees the government sponsorship program. These contracts are currently the subject of thirteen police investigations. Why is the new Liberal leader's first act to give another $28 million to a program under investigation by the RCMP?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition clearly does not know how to read the estimates. The funding listed for Communication Canada is for our fairs and exhibits program, the regionalization services of Communication Canada and citizen information services of Information Canada,

For the information of the opposition, the budget for the sponsorship program has been cut by $5 million.

Agriculture

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

Mr. Speaker, in his speech yesterday on the BSE crisis, the Minister of Agriculture said, “Unfortunately we are dealing with a health issue”.

If this is a health issue now, there is no way live cattle will ever cross the border because of the testing requirements. If that is the new reality about which the minister is talking, then our livestock industry will need a massive overhaul.

When will the minister table his revised plans for dealing with this crisis as a health issue?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows the border was closed on May 20 to the United States and other countries because BSE is considered to be a health issue.

What he also knows, and I pointed out yesterday, Canada's chief veterinary officer along with the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries are leading a discussion at the OIE meetings in Paris in September, and they are there right now, in response to a letter that the United States, Canada and Mexico sent there asking them to review the science, the surveillance and the feeding practices and put the whole situation as far as health in a proper and new risk assessment.