House of Commons Hansard #7 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pornography.

Topics

2 p.m.

The Speaker

As is our practice on Wednesday we will now sing O Canada, and we will be led by the hon. member for St. John's South—Mount Pearl.

[Members sang the national anthem]

Millennium ScholarshipsStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

David Smith Liberal Pontiac, QC

Mr. Speaker, when the 2004-05 millennium scholarships were awarded, we were in the midst of the election campaign, but I would like to take the opportunity today to congratulate three young scholarship recipients from my riding.

These three young women are Isabelle Arseneau-Bruneau, of the Conservatoire de musique de Gatineau, Cynthia Landriault-Dubois, of the Cité étudiante de la Haute-Gatineau and Véronique Thivierge, of the Collège Saint-Alexandre. Their awards were in recognition of their community involvement, demonstrated leadership abilities, innovativethinking and academic achievement.

The millennium scholarships, begun as an initiative of the Government of Canada, represent a major investment in our students' future and are an excellent means of promoting academic excellence. Congratulations again to these three young women. Canada has many precious resources and shining examples among its young people and you three are among them.

AgricultureStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Conservative

Bill Casey Conservative North Nova, NS

Mr. Speaker, Atlantic Canada farmers have suffered dramatic harm from the ban on Canadian beef by the U.S.A. and other countries. Government programs have been too little too late. Government efforts to resolve the issue have totally failed. Atlantic farmers must now adapt to the possibility of the border never opening again, which means we must create slaughter capacity to process cattle that once were shipped to the United States.

The co-op organization on Prince Edward Island in conjunction with the P.E.I. government have invested almost $20 million in a brand new plant that is almost finished. However, the current circumstances now require the plant to have two additional features not originally planned. First, in order to guarantee a quality product, traceability is absolutely essential. Second, it needs a federally inspected cull cow line in order to process and sell our own beef to Atlantic Canadians.

I urge the Minister of Agriculture to act quickly to help all Atlantic farmers in all four provinces by providing funding for both the traceability program and to help the cull cow line expansion, and to act now.

Women EntrepreneursStatements By Members

October 13th, 2004 / 2 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, last week the Women's Enterprise Centre in Winnipeg celebrated its 10th anniversary. Since 1994 to March of this year, Western Economic Diversification Canada's Women's Enterprise Centre in Winnipeg has provided approximately $6.2 million in loans to help start up or expand 193 women-owned small businesses. It is estimated that this investment has helped to create or maintain 527 jobs in Manitoba. It has also hosted more than 19,000 people in training sessions.

Last year the Prime Minister's task force on women entrepreneurs recognized the Women's Enterprise Initiative for its excellent work and recommended the program be adopted across the country.

Initiatives like the Women's Enterprise Centre build on the Speech from the Throne's priority to foster investment by attending to the conditions that encourage entrepreneurs and providers of risk capital.

Louise PargeterStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Mr. Speaker, Louise Pargeter had worked as a parole officer in Yellowknife since April 2001. Tragically, she lost her life on October 6, 2004. Her lifeless body was found in the home of one of the clients whose parole she supervised. She had sustained multiple stab wounds.

Our thoughts go first to her family, her child in particular, and then to her colleagues and all who work in her field. I am very familiar with, and have the greatest respect for, that noble profession, because of my experience as a criminal lawyer and former minister of public safety in Quebec.

I know that most of those who work in this field consider it a real calling. The work is hard, sometimes risky, often frustrating. Yet this work is essential to any society that considers itself humane. I share the sorrow and horror they must all feel, but I also share their ideals, and will continue to do so.

To the family of Louise Pargeter first and foremost, and also to all those working in the same field, I extend my deepest condolences. I am sure I am joined by all the members of this House.

Arts and CultureStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Sarmite Bulte Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House of the launch of an exciting new cultural event, the first McLuhan International Festival of the Future. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. William Marshall, the executive director of the festival and also the co-founder of the Toronto International Film Festival, the organizers held a successful kickoff on October 8, 2004.

To honour the diverse fields that Marshall McLuhan has influenced, on Friday night the festival presented visionary awards for community, culture and commerce. As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, I had the honour of presenting the culture award to CHUM Ltd. Former Toronto mayor, David Crombie, received the community award and Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, received the commerce award.

The McLuhan International Festival of the Future runs until October 17. It ambitiously attempts to cover the diverse areas of McLuhan's work with a 10 day festival that includes fora and performances in multimedia, new media, public arts, media literacy and sustainable living.

Post-Secondary EducationStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Casson Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Mr. Speaker, when fall returns to southern Alberta, students at the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Community College return as well. With 7,800 students at the university and over 5,000 at the college, these combined numbers have a huge positive impact on Lethbridge and southern Alberta, increasing the population of the city of Lethbridge by 10% to 15%.

These students contribute to the betterment of southern Alberta in many ways. The financial impact of these two institutions and the respective student bodies is substantial. Our community is also enriched by the incredible community involvement of these two respected and renowned venues of higher learning.

Both institutions are led by quality people. Dr. Donna Allen, president of the college, and Dr. Bill Cade, president of the university, have positioned their institutions well to serve their respective student bodies and the community at large.

To the U of L and LCC, I say keep up the good work, for the students from near and far who walk through those doors are the leaders, the movers and shakers of the not too distant future. We are in good hands.

World Sight DayStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC

Mr. Speaker, I put on my glasses to say that tomorrow is World Sight Day, held annually to highlight the problem of global blindness and to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of vision loss.

According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, more than one in nine Canadians over 65 and one in four over 80 experience vision loss that cannot be corrected with lenses. Given these numbers, we must focus on ameliorating the condition of the blind in Canada.

The CNIB has made several recommendations in this regard. One of these is government support for the production and distribution of published print material for the blind or visually impaired.

The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of blindness could be prevented or cured. WHO's Vision 2020 campaign aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020, by providing measles immunization, cataract surgery, eyeglasses and other needed services.

I urge all parliamentarians to visit the websites of Vision 2020 and CNIB to understand what must be done to prevent blindness, improve the participation in Canadian society of the visually impaired and treat vision loss in Canada and abroad.

RamadanStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Bloc

Richard Marceau Bloc Charlesbourg, QC

Mr. Speaker, the month of Ramadan begins at sunset on Friday, October 15. In the Muslim lunar calendar, Ramadan is the ninth month and a strict fast is observed. Fasting during Ramadan is the fourth of the five pillars of Islam and is probably the most observed rite among Muslims.

More than a billion Muslims throughout the world, including nearly 110,000 Quebeckers, will devote this month to fasting, meditation, devotion to God and self-control. From dawn to dusk each day for 30 days, Muslims abstain completely from eating, drinking and smoking.

The last 10 days of Ramadan are considered especially sacred, culminating in the 27th night, Lailat al-Qadr or the night of power, when the Qur'an was revealed to Mohammed.

Ramadan will be followed by three days of festivities called Eid-al-Fitr, the feast at the end of the fast.

My Bloc Quebecois colleagues and I wish all Muslims in Quebec a very joyous Ramadan.

Riding of Honoré-MercierStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is with both pride and humility that I rise for the first time in this House. I must say that, for someone who arrived in Canada at the age of eight, speaking not a word of French or English, it is a particularly moving moment.

My first words will be to thank the men and women of Honoré-Mercier for giving me their confidence and support in the election.

In recent months I have travelled everywhere in the riding to meet people active in diverse economic and social areas. I met women and men who give the best of themselves every day in their respective fields.

There were a number of common threads in these discussions : the Government of Canada should allocate substantial resources to health, contribute to the revitalization of municipal infrastructure, and invest seriously in the environment.

These ideas expressed by people in my riding are certainly valid for the eastern part of Montreal, for other areas in Quebec and even all of Canada.

I am here to work on the realization of these priorities, with all my energy and to the best of my abilities.

Newfoundland and LabradorStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Norman Doyle Conservative St. John's North, NL

Mr. Speaker, I was disappointed that two issues of great importance to Newfoundland and Labrador during the recent federal election campaign were not even mentioned in the throne speech.

The equalization program claws back the lion's share of our provincial offshore oil revenues. In response to our Conservative Party policy to eliminate the clawback, the Prime Minister also guaranteed that Newfoundland and Labrador would be allowed to keep 100% of its offshore oil revenues.

The Prime Minister also promised tougher action on foreign overfishing on areas of the Grand Banks outside the 200 mile limit, including the imposition of Canadian custodial management of those areas if necessary.

These commitments were made in the pressure cooker of an election campaign and I had hoped that they would have been reconfirmed in the throne speech. The election is now over. The time for promises is over. Now it is time for action.

Dartmouth North EchoStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Michael John Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS

Mr. Speaker, today I want to address one of the most important community developments in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour.

For years a number of residents in the Dartmouth North area have been concerned, even angry, about how their community was being portrayed in the media, but rather than sit back and do nothing, a number of community leaders decided to address the need for better communication and the involvement of citizens. They started a community newspaper called the Dartmouth North Echo to tell the full story. These volunteers write the articles, run the office and sell the ads. They make this newspaper happen.

I congratulate Sylvia Anthony and her team for their foresight and dedication in bringing the community together to keep residents informed of the good news that is happening in their neighbourhoods.

Nova Scotia has a distinguished history in the field of journalistic empowerment, dating back to Joseph Howe. The Dartmouth North Echo is a worthy successor to that heritage and I salute all those who make it happen.

Louise PargeterStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

NDP

Bev Desjarlais NDP Churchill, MB

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Louise Pargeter, a parole officer with the Correctional Service of Canada.

Ms. Pargeter was killed in the line of duty in Yellowknife on October 6. She is only the second parole officer in Canada to die in the line of duty. The first was Mary Steinhauser, who died in a prison hostage taking in New Westminster, B.C. in 1975.

Ms. Pargeter was on her eighth day back at work after her maternity leave. Our condolences go out to Louise's family, friends and co-workers in the correctional service.

FinanceStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Monte Solberg Conservative Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, once again this morning we were treated to the farce of the finance minister's forecasting. The Liberals' projected surplus of $1.9 billion was $9.1 billion. Perhaps the finance minister has dyslexia. Could it be that the finance minister is that legendary dyslexic agnostic insomniac who wakes up in the middle of the night and wonders if there really is a dog? Or more likely, the finance minister is deliberately lowballing numbers.

When the Liberals mislead about the size of the surplus, Canadians are denied the chance to have a say on what to do with that money. For example, low income and middle income Canadians would love to have some of that money to spend on extravagances like groceries. Or what about properly equipping our military?

The Conservative Party believes that the revenue, expenditure and surplus forecast should be set independent of the government and its politicized agenda.

That surplus money belongs to Canadians, and Canadians deserve the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help them dog.

Tolérance ZéroStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Bloc

André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC

Mr. Speaker, impaired driving is still a serious problem on our highways. The Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec reports that roughly 30% of highway fatalities involve impaired driving.

Since 2000, in the riding of Richmond—Arthabaska, a not-for-profit organization called Tolérance zéro has been providing a safe escort service all year round. In that time, this organization, which is located in Victoriaville just above my offices, has safely escorted more than 126,000 people to their destinations.

In the past four years, it has expanded its operations to seven regions in Quebec and it plans to keep on growing. It has 800 volunteers and 28 permanent staff.

In 2004, Tolérance zéro was awarded the Prix Hommage bénévolat-Québec in the direct service agency category, at an official ceremony at the Quebec National Assembly.

I would like to congratulate the entire team at Tolérance zéro for their commitment to the community and I wish them much success in their future expansion.

Canadian Television FundStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

Rahim Jaffer Conservative Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, on October 8 it was reported that a Toronto film company used classified ads to search for “the perfect penis”. The project received three separate grants totalling over $133,000 from the Canadian Television Fund.

Why would the government fund such a project? The answer lies with the Prime Minister and the teachings of Freud. The hypothesis is that the Prime Minister related a search for a perfect penis to the search for the perfect caucus. Not only frustrated by having such a small caucus for a governing party, the Prime Minister suffers the humiliation of having a smaller caucus than his predecessor, Jean Chrétien.

The Prime Minister is distraught over the fact that he could not elect a majority. Worse, Jean Chrétien, a man older than he, brags that he did it three times. If the envy of the predecessor's parliamentary-hood was not enough, the challenges of the passage of the throne speech has created performance anxiety, causing the Prime Minister to order the first two votes of his new Parliament as confidence.

To avoid a crisis we would recommend that the Prime Minister stop popping Velotrin and just accept what he has: a minority.

World Sight DayStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Bryon Wilfert Liberal Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise today to bring attention to a very important cause, one that often goes unnoticed but can change our lives dramatically. We should take the time to reflect on just how lucky we are to have the gift of sight.

Today the Canadian National Institute for the Blind is hosting its second annual World Sight Day. It is through the Vision 2020 initiative that the CNIB hopes to bring awareness to this highly preventable disease, find solutions and hopefully eliminate all preventable and treatable blindness by the year 2020.

It is worth paying close attention to the Vision 2020 plan, as its benefits are twofold. If Vision 2020 were to become a reality, not only would we prevent 100 million people from going blind but this would in turn amount to a savings of about $150 billion U.S. on a global scale.

While this is a major undertaking, it can become a reality with our help. If not for ourselves, consider this cause important because of the children facing this fate of blindness at an alarming rate of one child per minute.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

John Reynolds Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC

Mr. Speaker, we have uncovered a British parliamentary report on the submarines and it is damning. It outlines a litany of problems that plagued the subs when they were still owned by the British. Perhaps that was what the British defence minister meant when he said that the purchase was buyer beware.

Was the government aware of this report?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca B.C.

Liberal

Keith Martin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, the government purchased these subs which are excellent submarines. They met the operational demands and requirements of our navy and our country. I am pleased to say that these subs provide our navy and our military with superb capabilities that we have to engage in for the sovereignty of our nation.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

John Reynolds Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC

Mr. Speaker, it was that parliamentary secretary for defence who said “For 10 years the Liberals underfunded and disrespected their military by not giving them the tools to do their job”.

This report details a host of problems, including design flaws, system failures and cable communications. The subs had to be made safe and operational and that cost money. This was at a time when the Prime Minister was systematically cutting the defence budget year after year.

How did the Prime Minister's $54 million slash to the submarine program affect the improvements that were required to make these subs safe and operational?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca B.C.

Liberal

Keith Martin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, on the issue of the subs, $85 million extra was put into the subs over and beyond the purchase price.

However, on the member's premise, let us talk about the facts. We put in $7 billion to purchase some important requirements: the search and rescue helicopters, the new gun systems and the new fixed wing search and rescue planes. Those are requirements that our military needs. Those are commitments the government has made and they will be fulfilled.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

John Reynolds Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC

Mr. Speaker, the same parliamentary secretary of defence, who now has the gall to stand and defend the government, said “The government has been neglecting defence and as a result it is in absolute crisis”. That was then and this is now I guess.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister assure the House that any inquiry will ask the question: How did this defence budget slashing impact the submarine retrofit and safety and operations?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca B.C.

Liberal

Keith Martin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote the head of the navy who is a submariner himself. He said that the ships were qualified and fully seaworthy to go out and that they perform a very important function.

On the costs that the member mentioned, $85 million have gone into the sub program over and beyond what we have already put in. That is the investment into these subs that will do an excellent job and have done an excellent job for our navy and for our country.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Conservative

Bill Casey Conservative North Nova, NS

Mr. Speaker, last night the Minister of National Defence indicated that he had information from the team investigating the HMCS Chicoutimi .

What was the single issue that drove the minister to cancel the program when he heard about the details?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca B.C.

Liberal

Keith Martin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defense

Mr. Speaker, the member is incorrect in saying that the sub program has been cancelled. It has not been cancelled at all.

What we are doing is the responsible thing. We are allowing the navy to do its job and we are allowing the board of inquiry to do its job and get to the answers that we all require and are waiting for.

I would ask the members of the opposition to have patience and let the professionals do their job so we can get the answers that we are all waiting for.