Debates of Sept. 29th, 2003

Marc Ouellet

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Quebec City's Archbishop Marc Ouellet on being named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II.

Archbishop Ouellet is the third of a family of eight children from Abitibi, Quebec. His Christian service in Canada included serving as rector at Montreal's Grand Seminary and at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton.

His international experience includes studying in Europe, teaching in Colombia and working at the Vatican. From 2001 to 2002, Archbishop Ouellet served on the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Archbishop Ouellet will be formally installed as a prince of the church on October 21 at a gathering of the entire College of Cardinals in Rome for the celebration of the Holy Father's 25th anniversary as Pope.

On behalf of the official opposition I would like to offer our congratulations to Archbishop Ouellet and our prayers for his continued faithful service to God.

Government Assistance

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

Mr. Speaker, you will know and the government will know that hurricane Juan ripped through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island this weekend causing apparently pretty extensive damage.

There has been extensive flooding, trees have been uprooted, power has been out, and a couple of unfortunate Atlantic Canadians have lost their lives. We all wish to express our condolences.

Can the government provide the House with an update on what kind of assistance it is providing?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been seized with this major problem, principally in Halifax.

Our officials have been collocated with municipal, provincial and also military officials as of Sunday. I recently spoke with my emergencies counterparts in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

I am pleased to report that as of 4 p.m. this afternoon there will be at least 200 soldiers in the streets helping to gather debris and there will be a mobile kitchen to provide dinner for evacuees at the Halifax Sportsplex later today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the government for that update.

I want to ask a question more directly about disaster relief assistance because the government does have a patchy record on this.

It was slow to deal with SARS and still slow to deal with fires in British Columbia and the outbreak of BSE. In the case of Newfoundland, it was two years before disaster relief assistance came for 9/11.

My question is, has the government assessed financial and monetary damage? Is it prepared to offer disaster relief assistance?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, actually just a half an hour ago I spoke with Mr. Ernest Page of Nova Scotia and Mr. Elmer MacFayden of P.E.I. on this very topic.

I said to them that if ever there was a natural disaster, it was this hurricane and that there was absolutely no doubt as to the eligibility of the provinces for DFAA.

At the same time, we all agreed that now is not the time to discuss money. Now is the time to clear up the damage and provide the physical assistance which they may require.

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

Mr. Speaker, I get a little bit concerned when I hear that now is not the time to discuss financial assistance. It may be true today, but we have seen in many other crises that the time seems to get pushed farther and farther back, and that is a problem.

We have a new Liberal leader coming into office. Once again, has the government assessed the damage and what assurance can it give the House that this slow transition to a new leader is not going to delay disaster relief assistance to these two provinces?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Leader of the Opposition, I do not think that is an appropriate question at this time.

All of us who are concerned about this emergency are seized with the problem of the hour. Trees have fallen, power has not been fully restored, and people who have been evacuated from their homes need help.

The provincial counterparts agreed with me 100% that now, today, was not the time to talk about money. The money will be forthcoming. The immediate priority is to fix the real situation on the ground.

Health

[Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance admitted last week that the government will be reneging on its $2 billion health care promise to the provinces. He says he does not have the money.

Would the finance minister explain why his government is on a $5.5 billion government wide spending spree in the supplementary estimates, but it cannot keep a $2 billion health care promise to the provinces?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the member's amorous mood of last week has worn off. I even said I liked him last week. It got lost in the orchard or something on the way here.

Neither of the statements are true. First of all, we are not reneging on any promise that we made. We are fulfilling our promise to the letter.

Second, the estimates did not disclose a $5 billion excess. In fact, we are below the amounts estimated in the budget for spending this year.

[Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this issue is bigger than the minister and I. This is about priorities.

The government announced $5.5 billion in new spending, $1.1 billion in new grants for departments such as Canadian Heritage and Human Resources Development, $10 million more for the failed firearms registry, and $28 million for Communication Canada, the father of the scandals that have occurred involving sponsorships.

Would the minister explain why funding these boondoggles is a higher priority for the government than providing health care funding for Canadians?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if he is so confused, I do not know but perhaps we can try to help him out outside the House. However I can tell him that with the main and supplementary estimates that have been tabled so far, in fact our spending is about $5 billion below that estimated at the time of the budget in February.

Of course we have not completed the year and there will be other supplementary estimates. In fact we are doing quite well in terms of following our fiscal plan and meeting the targets that we have set.

The $34.8 billion that we promised in additional health care funding is on its way.

Government Contracts

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services is thinking of going after sponsorship program officials or managers who have broken the law, but they are now retired and out of reach. Unfortunately, the minister does not think it necessary to acquire the tools he would need in order to call to account the former ministers—Alfonso Gagliano, for example—who made decisions in the sponsorship scandal.

Since the Prime Minister says that people who have done wrong must answer for their actions, what is he waiting for before launching a public inquiry so that Alfonso Gagliano is called to account as well instead of being allowed to play at being ambassador to Denmark?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, we are continuing to do a step by step review of a variety of areas and we will await the results.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is certainly reassuring.

By refusing to hold an independent public inquiry, the government is sending an unacceptable message to the people whose money was used to finance the sponsorship scandal and grease the palms of buddies.

Does the Prime Minister realize he is sending a double message to people that public servants will be punished but ministers will be rewarded with appointments?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have already explained to the House that there is a procedure. Investigations have been carried out by the RCMP and are still ongoing. Everyone who is found responsible for illegal activities will be dealt with under the law.

[Robert Lanctôt, Bloc, Châteauguay, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Public Works and Government Services stated that the RCMP and the Auditor General could be relied upon to shed light on the sponsorship scandal. The future prime minster said the same thing.

How can the government give credibility to an RCMP investigation when we know that, in the HRDC scandal, RCMP investigations were the best way to ensure nothing was ever heard again about anything, and no one would ever find out who was responsible for what?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister has indicated, I think we are doing a very thorough step by step process of looking at all aspects of the issue. The Auditor General is looking into it. The RCMP is looking into it. At the conclusion of the investigation, if there are any further steps to take, they will be taken.

[Robert Lanctôt, Bloc, Châteauguay, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services says we are not yet at the public inquiry stage in the sponsorship affair. If the government does not set up a public inquiry now, then that is the last we will ever hear of this scandal, because even the future Liberal leader is not at all interested in having any light shed on the matter. He has already said so.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, it is premature at this time.

Natural Resources

[Loyola Hearn, Progressive Conservative, St. John's West, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible for natural resources is on record as advocating one offshore board for Atlantic Canada.

How does the minister reconcile this with the fact that we have the Atlantic accord which entrenches a joint management board, Newfoundland-Canada, and provides first crack at the provision of goods and services employment to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister of Natural Resources is not here today but I am aware that the minister is aware of these concerns and has made every effort to ensure representation on these concerns is brought to his attention. He will continue to deal with this issue as he has very capably in the past.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Loyola Hearn, Progressive Conservative, St. John's West, NL]

Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2001, some 80 planes with about 12,000 passengers landed in Newfoundland. The people of Newfoundland, as usual, opened their hearts, their homes and their wallets to look after these people with assurances from the Government of Canada that they would be reimbursed.

It is now over two years. They have not been reimbursed. The latest rumour is that the government is talking about reimbursing them for half the costs.

What is the truth? When will they get reimbursed for these costs?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I know the people of Canada and especially the people of the United States, who were in those airplanes, are extremely grateful to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador for the hospitality they provided.

Indeed, many of those Americans still go back to Newfoundland and Labrador for events and to thank them personally two years after this event occurred.

I know as well that my colleague, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, is seized with the specific question that the hon. member posed.

Taxation

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there are new allegations that, while he was finance minister, the member for LaSalle—Émard's company used operations in Barbados that did not meet the government's requirement to qualify as tax shelters.

As the revenue minister, I am sure that the minister believes that tax evasion must be condemned. As a Liberal, I am sure she wants to clear some of the corporate muck that is sticking to her new leader.

The question is this. Before he becomes Liberal leader, will the minister investigate fully the tax evasion practices of Canada Steamship Lines? Will she do that?

[John Manley, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, not only is the question questionably out of order but clearly no minister will enter into a discussion of the tax treatment of any individual or individual company on the floor of the House of Commons.