House of Commons Hansard #11 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was riding.
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, many of our servicemen and women choose to live on base because they wish to live on base. They are not living in a slum. I think that is an inaccurate statement. We are providing housing to our personnel. We seek at all times to improve the quality of that housing and will continue to do that.
Let us not exaggerate things in the House to make it look as if our military personnel are living in slums. It is inaccurate, it is not fair to them and it is not fair to our country.
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, on March 1, 2001, the current Minister of Public Works told the House “I do not think there is a better example of a case where public policy was sacrificed on the altar of political expediency than the case of the cancellation of the EH-101 helicopter contract”. He sharply attacked the Liberals' handling of the file saying that it “smacks of partisan politics and Machiavellian manoeuvring at the expense of our brave men and women in uniform”, one of those good lines he was talking about.
Yesterday he told the House that “an open and fair procurement policy has been put in place”. We are talking about the same file, the same member and the same issue. What happened?
Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, the deputy leader of that party called the leader ill-informed and antagonistic.
If we really look at it, the most important priority here is to ensure that the brave men and women in the Canadian Forces have the helicopters they need.
This Prime Minister has responded. We have had a fair procurement process. I am pleased to say that the best possible helicopter was selected for the best possible value for the Canadian taxpayer.
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, and that helicopter will arrive in 2010, just in time for the Vancouver Olympics. Thank you very little, Mr. Speaker.
Something else the Minister of Public Works said about a colleague is, “Now that he is well muzzled and wearing Liberal glasses , everything looks rosy.” So the minister is selling the procurement policy as transparent and fair.
Is the minister politicking or is he simply blinded and muzzled by his new Liberal master?
Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered those types of questions but it gives me an opportunity to talk about some of the very positive changes that are occurring in Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
We have an ethics and integrity package that has been rated by the Conference Board of Canada as the best practice model for both the private sector and the public sector. Beyond that, we are putting in place changes to our procurement processes, IT strategies, as well as ensuring, on a day to day basis, whether in real estate or procurement, that Canadians have the best possible services and the Canadian taxpayers have the best possible value for their money.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment has declared that he did not see any purpose in holding a debate to determine whether Canada can achieve its Kyoto objectives.
When the minister states that we must utilize best practices, are we to understand that he intends to continue making concessions to the oil, natural gas and coal industries, as in the past?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of the Environment
No, Mr. Speaker. What I am saying is that we must take action, using the best methods to obtain the best results. That said, Canada is very lucky to have oil, coal and many other natural resources underground.
Six per cent of our GDP comes from oil. If we are able to increase equalization payments in a few weeks, it will be thanks in large part to the oil-rich soil of Alberta.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister has become a promoter for the oil industry. That is what he is saying today. The only plan the government has implemented so far is polluter paid, by making considerable financial concessions to the oil industry.
Is that not the real reason the minister refuses to hold a debate—because he does not want to enforce the polluter pays principle? That is the reality.
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of the Environment
No, Mr. Speaker. In fact, I am very eager to act. I have never been afraid of debate; I am ready to debate this if the hon. member wants to. It is action that interests me primarily.
As for the oil industry, of course, like all the others, it must make an effort. I am just glad to be sharing a country with Alberta. This arrangement helps Quebeckers pay for better environmental policies.
Steven Fletcher Conservative Charleswood—St. James, MB
Mr. Speaker, it appears that the government has another case of “surplusitis”.
Yesterday the Minister of Health said he is looking at sending our surplus of flu vaccine to the United States. Then, in the same interview, he said there is no need to talk to the Americans about it.
When the minister stops flip flopping like he did last week on the hepatitis C compensation, could he tell the House how big the surplus of flu vaccine is and how many doses he has promised to send to the United States?
Ujjal Dosanjh LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I cannot accept the concern that the member exudes about public health care when his party unduly muckrakes about the Gomery inquiry every day.
HealthOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. The Minister of Health has the floor. All members will want to hear his answer.
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, I would have happily answered the question earlier, in the first few minutes of question period. I will try to do so now.
We said to the Americans that our first priority is to deal with the safety of Canadians and the availability of the flu vaccine for Canadians. If there is an ability on our part to share flu vaccine with the Americans, we will do so.
Steven Fletcher Conservative Charleswood—St. James, MB
Mr. Speaker, that answer makes me sick. I think the minister could use the vaccine.
If I know the government, I would not doubt that it is trying to put this surplus against the debt. However, the final decision on sharing publicly purchased vaccine is up to the provinces.
Has the minister talked to the provinces about their surplus, or is this just another foray into provincial jurisdiction by the government?
Ujjal Dosanjh LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the supplies of vaccine are purchased by the federal government in a bulk fashion and then they are handed over to the provinces. They administer them. We said very clearly that if there was a surplus in Canada beyond our needs, we would be happy to share it with our neighbours.
Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
The topic of refugees comes up regularly in the media, and the public is wondering about the future of our refugee protection system.
Could the minister tell this House what she intends to do to meet the challenges of that situation, which concern the whole country? Could she also indicate what this government will do to strike a balance between the protection of genuine refugees under the definition of the Geneva convention and those who abuse our system?
Judy Sgro LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, it is my government's intention to consult with Canadians, refugee advocates, and other interested parties on how we can better meet the challenges that are facing our government.
Canada is well known as a world leader on human interventions. We will deal with the challenges that are facing us. It is time for us to have a system that more appropriately deals with the needs and the realities of the 21st century while at the same time ensuring that we protect those most vulnerable and persecuted across the world.
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister stated many times that no stone would be left unturned to get to the bottom of the sponsorship scandal. Now we find that millions of stones were left unturned. Ten million pages of information were hidden and kept out of the election debate.
My question is for the Prime Minister. Why did he mislead Parliament and the public by failing to deliver the documents to the public accounts committee before the election?
Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period
October 19th, 2004 / 2:55 p.m.
Kings—Hants Nova Scotia
Liberal
Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the government has responded to all requests for information from both the public accounts committee and the Gomery commission. We have and will continue to respond, commensurate with the legal authority of each and consistent with the laws of the land.
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Mr. Speaker, it would be nice if the government would deliver all the documents because it did withhold documents from the public accounts committee.
The documents were asked for by the public accounts committee before the election. The government deliberately withheld the documents before the election and from the election debate.
My question for the Prime Minister is clear. Is his commitment today any better than the commitment that he made before the election?
Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is just plain wrong in making those allegations.
The Prime Minister acted swiftly to end the sponsorship program and decisively to go forward with the Gomery commission. He ensured that Justice Gomery had the resources he needed to fulfill his important mandate.
I cannot understand why the hon. member is making those allegations that are false when in fact we have cooperated fully with Justice Gomery and with the public accounts committee, and we will continue to do so.
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, the correctional officers have been without a collective agreement since June 1, 2002. Currently at the conciliation stage, the bargaining process has stalled because, in September, after three sessions, the conciliator announced that he would not be available again until November.
In light of this rather odd situation, could the President of the Treasury Board tell us what positive steps he intends to take to ensure that a collective agreement is negotiated with the correctional officers as soon as possible?
As we all know, these officers have a dangerous job which generates high levels of stress, which in turn requires—
Correctional Services CanadaOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. President of the Treasury Board.
Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, this is a serious issue. We have been, as hon. members know, at the table with many groups. We have most of the arrangements with PSAC signed. We are working now with CSN to help it understand how the federal system works. It is new to some of these negotiations.
Our officials are engaged and we will do everything we can, as we always do, to find the best possible solution for our employees.