Debates of Oct. 22nd, 2004

Charitable Organizations

[John McKay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, of course public policy debates are the property of all Canadians. That is not the issue. The issue is whether a charity stepped into partisan activity. When any charity from any source, whether it is religious or otherwise, steps into partisan activity, it catches the attention of Revenue Canada. I would imagine the hon. member would have it no other way.

Science and Technology

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. As members know, we are celebrating the completion of the $174 million Canadian light source synchrotron at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. This new world-class facility will attract scientists and projects from around the world.

Could the minister tell the House how this new facility will benefit Canadians and how this investment will contribute to our future?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian light source synchrotron is a tremendous new addition to Canada's high technology asset base. For me, what is profoundly important about this new development is that it is not in a city or an agglomeration area of three to five million people. It is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. That is a tremendous comment on the way the government is ensuring that the science and technology economy is spreading to all areas of Canada.

Industry

[Ed Broadbent, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. Yesterday, the minister acknowledged that he had some concerns. He was not sure about the proposed Chinese conglomerate takeover of Noranda. He said precisely that it was a state enterprise. The state in question has one of the world's worst records when it comes to the health and safety of its workers and it denies completely the UN based right to an independent union.

Would the minister agree that the Prime Minister virtually gave carte blanche to this deal yesterday with the incredible statement that the deal would--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Industry.

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and I have discussed this issue and we completely agree that it is a complex issue. There are a number of considerations that have to be considered. We will make a thoughtful, information-based decision. We will look at the short and long term implications and we will look at a lot of the broader policy issues that surround this. We will deal with it in due course.

[Ed Broadbent, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister did acknowledge yesterday “the whole issue of human rights...obviously should be taken into account” in reaching a final decision. Since China has no freedom of speech, no freedom of association, no freedom of assembly and no right to an independent union, my question for the minister is this. When the Prime Minister said, “I'm a nationalist...we've got to build this country into a superpower”, was he referring to China or Canada?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the answer is Canada.

Correctional Service of Canada

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, we now have proof positive that the inmates are running the institutions and the Correctional Service of Canada is doing nothing about it.

SINTREP reports in the possession of CSC show that a shocking array of inappropriate and illegal activity is on the rise inside Canada's prison system. Guards say that prisoners have no respect and few consequences for their actions.

Is the minister aware of the reports? Is she doing anything about them? When is her government going to get serious about cleaning up our prisons, ensuring guards are properly equipped, and more importantly, protecting the public?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, CSC is continually evaluating its policies and its programs to ensure the safety of the public, the safety of the staff who work in Canada's federally mandated penitentiaries, and to ensure the safety of the inmates.

We all know that correctional facilities, especially maximum security institutions, are places where violent people are held. That is why CSC is putting in place new policies, new programs, enhanced--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Okanagan--Shuswap.

[Darrel Stinson, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I suggest the minister get her head out from wherever it is buried and look at the facts.

There is growing evidence all over that our prisons are out of control and that criminal activity is on the rise. Security staff reports show that inmate assaults on staff, drugs, alcohol and gang activity are all common occurrences in Canada's prisons.

There are walkaways from our halfway houses. Tragically, a parole officer was killed earlier this month. There have been three murders in my riding alone by offenders living in halfway houses.

Can the minister tell us when the government is going to get rid of statutory release and make our prisoners earn their parole?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I have made it plain, most recently at a speech in front of front line police officers who serve this country every day, that I am more than willing to look at aspects of our conditional release and parole system.

We must first ensure that our conditional release and parole system reflects the paramount obligation which is public safety. Therefore, I would seek the cooperation of those who are baying from the other side of the House in terms of reviewing our--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Pitt Meadows--Maple Ridge--Mission.

Fisheries

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Dewdney—Alouette, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans seems willing to let Pacific salmon go the way of Atlantic cod.

After months of ignoring the salmon fishery crisis on the Fraser River, the minister has decided that the department will now supervise its own investigation to find out what went wrong. What went wrong is that the minister ignored the unanimous, all-party recommendations in the standing committee's report on the Fraser River salmon.

Why does the minister not stop studying, and start acting and implement the recommendations now?

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I share my hon. colleague's concern about the state of the sockeye fishery in British Columbia. The fact is that my department took strong precautionary actions in that fishery.

However, as he knows, record water temperatures in that river, one in 100 year conditions, caused unexpectedly high mortality. That is why I have called for a public and independent post-season review, and he should know that.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Calgary North Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the great pipeline race has now started and we need to know if the government is even in the race.

This past week the United States government moved to fast track the Alaska pipeline. However, Canada's $7 billion Mackenzie Valley pipeline is at risk. The government has failed in its obligation to settle with the Deh Cho and has failed in its obligation to streamline the regulatory process. It has failed in its obligation to resolve environmental issues.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister guarantee that Canada's north will not lose this project due to the government's ineptitude?

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, quite the contrary. We are working with the local community and industries on a day to day basis to iron out the differences that exist. It does not do any good to this process to have the member opposite raise the spectre of problems that exist there while we are working diligently to resolve them.

Petro-Canada

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in spite of the representations made by Desjardins to take part in the sale of shares of Petro-Canada and questions by the Bloc Québécois, the government continues to refuse to say why Desjardins was excluded.

The government contends that it selected participating firms on the basis of objective criteria. What is it waiting for to make these criteria public?

[John McKay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, this turns a fantastic news story for Canadians and for the Government of Canada into a negative news story. This has been an enormous windfall for the Government Canada; $3.2 billion is probably one of the largest successful public offerings in the history of Canada. It has been a tremendous story.

I do not understand why the hon. members opposite shill for particular companies. Why do they not shill for the National Bank with a second tier? Why do they not shill for Casgrain which ended up in the fourth row? Why do they not shill for the Toronto Dominion Bank? This is just a--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Verchères—Les Patriotes.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is the government excluded Desjardins, the institution with the strongest roots everywhere in Quebec, while allowing the other financial institutions headquartered in Quebec to sell a measly 6% of total shares.

Will the government admit that, if it is not making the criteria public, it is because there simply were none?

[John McKay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, this syndication selection was consistent with the best of international standards and at one point or another a decision has to be taken. It is taken on the basis of those companies that are best able to deal with the share issue.

In this case a decision was made. We have 22 companies, six of which are international in scope, that presented what is arguably the best share issue that has ever happened in Canadian history. It has been a tremendous boon to the revenues of the Government of Canada.

Economic Development

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals just cannot resist turning regional development programs into vote buying schemes. In eastern Ontario the pattern is: first, they ignore the region where Liberal seats are safe; second, they announce millions in funding the day prior to an election when the seats are in danger; and third, they drag their heels on this money when the seats are lost.

Now they think the problem is that the region's community futures development corporations are lousy tools for vote buying. The Liberal answer is to replace CFDCs with an ACOA style program, subject to direct ministerial manipulation.

Why will the minister not simply commit that any new funds for Ontario be invested via the CFDCs?

[Joe Comuzzi, Liberal, Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)]

Mr. Speaker, this is in reply to a question that the hon. member asked on that very subject last week.

Eastern Ontario has 15 community futures programs. He will be very interested to know that this coming Monday the $10 million that was requested by these 15 communities is going to be announced. Every Community futures program in eastern Ontario is very happy.

I invite the hon. member to participate in that opening announcement Monday morning.