Debates of Oct. 27th, 2004

[The Speaker]

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

[Members sang the national anthem]

Calvin Ruck

[Michael John Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour a great Canadian, a true civil rights hero in Nova Scotia, who passed away last week. Calvin Ruck was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia in 1925. He led a remarkable life. He was a labourer at Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation. He worked for CN as a porter and was a small business owner.

Believing deeply in education, he returned to school in 1979 at the age of 54 and received a diploma from the Maritime School of Social Work. Each year the Maritime School of Social Work awards the Dr. Calvin Ruck Scholarship.

He received many honours, including the Order of Canada, the Governor General's Commemorative Medal, and the Harry Jerome Award. He was conferred two honorary degrees from both Dalhousie and King's University.

He was summoned in 1998 to the Senate, serving until his retirement in 2000, only the third African Canadian to enter the upper chamber. His son Martin told me last week that the most amazing thing about his father was his humility. This was a remarkably humble man who made the world better in so many ways.

I hope all members join me in sending our best wishes and condolences to the wife and family of Calvin Ruck.

Lou Soppit

[Dale Johnston, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize the exemplary municipal career of Lou Soppit from the historic Alberta town of Rocky Mountain House.

Lou's 7 years as a councillor and 27 years as mayor make him one of Canada's longest, continuous, elected civic leaders. Lou Soppit is a consensus builder who developed ongoing partnership agreements with neighbouring counties and municipalities. Among his long list of accomplishments are the arena complex, the community trail system, the Native Friendship Centre and the Clearwater Multi-discipline Senior Centre.

He was named a special ambassador for the 2005 centennial and is a recipient of the Queen's Jubilee Medal for outstanding service to Canada and his community.

As proud as he is of the unique history of Rocky Mountain House, the coming together of the fur trade companies, the first nations people, and the explorer David Thompson, Lou denies that he was a voyageur with Thompson's crew in 1799.

I wish to thank Lou for serving the citizens of Rocky Mountain House with such competence and compassion for the past 34 years.

Perdita Felicien

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while amateur athletes may fade from limelight, they are certainly not far from the hearts of Canadians.

I rise today to recognize a world class athlete, someone who has accomplished a great deal in the 100 metre hurdles, Perdita Felicien, who is also a constituent. More important, she is a remarkable Canadian.

I watched how she handled herself in Athens after her setback. The way in which she handled herself made us more proud than if she had won a gold medal. I think she truly embodied the spirit of what the Olympics were about and what our Olympians accomplished.

To Perdita, who is a constituent in the riding of Ajax--Pickering, someone who is a great Canadian, who does so much in our community and is such a wonderful role model and incredible spokesperson for the spirit of the Olympics and sport, I thank her for her contribution. I think she deserves to be recognized in the House.

Agriculture

[France Bonsant, Bloc, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the contribution of three agricultural leaders in the riding of Compton—Stanstead.

I want to mention the work done by Antoine Doyon, who completed a seven year mandate as president of the Fédération régionale de l'UPA de l'Estrie. This agricultural producer from Saint-Isidore-d'Auckland is involved in the production of grain-fed calves and he is the president of the Fédération des producteurs de veaux du Québec.

I also salute Noël Landry, who is taking over from Mr. Doyon as president of the UPA de l'Estrie. Mr. Landry is a dairy producer from Cookshire and he is the vice-president of the Fédération des producteurs de lait de l'Estrie.

Finally, I want to mention the appointment of Philippe Véronneau, from Coaticook, to the Service de médiation en matière d'endettement agricole. I am proud to tell the House about this farmer, who has over 38 years of experience in the business.

I want to conclude by saying that, like many others, these three high level producers have been hit hard by the mad cow disease crisis.

Random Acts of Poetry

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House of the inaugural Random Acts of Poetry Week, which runs from October 25 to October 31.

During this week 27 poets will read poetry in 15 towns and cities throughout the country. The performances will not take place in studios or auditoriums, but rather, wherever the poets feel moved to recite. This could be in public parks, on transit, in barber shops or on the street. The poets will also be distributing books of poetry.

Last Friday I had the privilege of being read a poem by Sheila Stewart, a constituent of mine who is taking part as one of the 27 poets in this event.

Random Acts of Poetry is the brainchild of Wendy Morton, a Victoria based poet. She had the inspiration that poetry would be well received if more people were exposed to it, regardless of the venue. A great deal of credit also goes to abebooks.com, who are sponsors in partnership with the Victoria Read Society.

I encourage all members and Canadians to participate in this week by reading a poem to a friend.

Fisheries

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party British Columbia caucus is demanding that the government restore funding to B.C. and Yukon salmon enhancement programs which include our west coast hatcheries.

The minister denies that the DFO program is being downsized and insists that any changes are a result of independent actions and not at his direction. This shows neither leadership nor ministerial responsibility.

The reality is that several million dollars are being cut from the $25 million salmon enhancement program. Rural coastal communities are crying foul. DFO is in local damage control but cuts are proceeding. The minister has received letters of protest from individuals, businesses, organizations and municipalities.

This has changed nothing. All that is required to fix this is an unequivocal statement from the minister. When will he do that?

Immigration

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Canadian Council for Refugees released a report entitled “No Faster Way?” and I would like to speak to this report today.

I am concerned with the long periods of time that some refugee families are forced to wait until they are reunited in Canada. Delays processing refugees in Canada, overburdened visa offices, demanding requirements for documentation, and DNA testing all contribute to these long delays and systemic roadblocks.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that the government should “support the self-sufficiency and the social and economic well-being of refugees by facilitating reunification with their family members”.

Indeed, it must be a priority of this government to see that refugee families are reunited in Canada in a timely and efficient manner. It is important that we reaffirm our commitment to achieving the goals set forth us by the Immigration and Refugees Protection Act.

Minister of Transport

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker,

The one and only reason for the national unity problems in this anglophone country, outside Quebec, is obviously the Quebec issue. This evening, I heard solutions to every problem, except concrete proposals for Quebec's aspirations.

Therefore, when we, as sovereignists, listen to what is being said across the country and when we see how the country is getting bogged down by this process, we can only think that this process is bound to fail.

They looked in the dictionary and came up with a new concept: in order to avoid using the expression “special status”, they are calling it asymmetry in an attempt to confuse an increasing number of Canadians. And the pseudo intellectuals who put their heads together thought that this concept could be sold to the rest of the country.

These words are from the current member for Outremont and political lieutenant for the Liberal Party in Quebec.

Housing

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as noted in the Speech from the Throne, shelter is the foundation upon which healthy communities and individual dignity are built. The government is committed to ensuring that those Canadians who are most in need can access safe and affordable housing.

I would like to inform the House of an initiative that will help communities develop new affordable housing projects. Our national housing agency, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, is inviting community groups and individuals to apply for seed funding.

Introduced in 2003, seed funding helps pay for activities in the early stages of housing project development, including a housing needs analysis and a business plan. Priority will be given to proposals for affordable housing projects, although innovative and community based projects may also be considered.

Interested applicants have until January 10, 2005 to submit an application for funding. Successful applicants will receive a maximum of $20,000 in seed funding. Delivered through CMHC's partnership centre, the seed funding national proposal call for 2004 is expected to result in over 150 housing--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for South Shore--St. Margaret's.

Natural Resources

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we heard excuse after excuse from Liberal cabinet ministers as to why they were not fighting for the prosperity of Atlantic Canada. During the election each and every one of them promised that Atlantic Canada would get 100% of the revenue from the offshore oil and gas.

This is not a partisan issue. This is about fairness and about the future of Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada. It is an absolute insult that the Prime Minister, after winning seats on the promise of 100% of the offshore royalties, now offers only eight years of royalties on existing fields.

Where are Nova Scotia's Liberal MPs on this issue? Nova Scotia has two cabinet ministers, two parliamentary secretaries and two backbenchers in the Liberal Party. Why all the silence and why have they broken their promise to their fellow Nova Scotians?

It should be about the future and the prosperity of Nova Scotia, not about the future and the prosperity of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Agriculture

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, many members of the public believe the BSE crisis is over. Others believe that it was a problem for western Canada alone. Neither of these beliefs is true.

In Peterborough county a thousand families are still suffering from the BSE tragedy and many more are indirectly affected by it. In our region the problem is livestock. Before the U.S. border was unfairly closed, there was a brisk cross-border trade in best quality cattle, sheep and bison from Peterborough to the U.S. This has been at a standstill for a year. Livestock have to be fed. Our farmers have animals they cannot sell, but which cost them money every single day.

I urge that every effort be made to continue to persuade the Americans to open their border, as recommended by their own expert panel. I also urge that existing aid programs be accelerated so that farmers get support soon. Finally, I urge support for local and province-wide abattoirs so that our cattle, sheep and other industries can become more self-sustaining.

Child Care

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. It is a day to recognize and celebrate the valuable contribution child care workers make to the lives of kids, parents and society. However, child care workers need more than appreciation. They need decent wages. They are underpaid and undervalued. That is why we need legislation to ensure a system that is publicly funded, not for profit, affordable and universally accessible.

Next week the government has a clear opportunity at the federal-provincial-territorial meeting of ministers responsible for child care. The federal NDP says to the Liberals, no more broken promises. We want legislation now. We want child care workers to be paid adequately. We demand better for our kids. Put it in legislation and put in the money. No more excuses.

Paralympic Games

[Rahim Jaffer, Conservative, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last month two great Edmontonians achieved their Olympic dreams. I am of course talking about Danielle Peers and Ross Morton, both Paralympians who brought home medals from Athens this summer. I would like to take a moment to congratulate them.

Danielle is a member of Canada's women's wheelchair basketball team. Our team brought home the bronze medal, beating out the United Kingdom. Ross is a member of Canada's men's wheelchair basketball team and returned home with the gold medal after facing tough Aussie competition.

This is an outstanding achievement on both their parts. I would like to thank them and thank all Canada's Paralympians for the great job they did in Athens.

On behalf of Canada's official opposition, I would like to congratulate them and I look forward to meeting with all of Canada's great Olympians next week when they visit Parliament.

Anti-semitism

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec is a society, a nation founded on tolerance. Each year it welcomes thousands of new citizens from all over the globe. We are able to live together in harmony because we are open-minded and reject hatred.

One of the most poisonous kinds of intolerance is anti-Semitism. Unfortunately, we are seeing its resurgence just about everywhere, and Canada is not exempt from it.

Last week, a Vancouver imam literally called for the massacre of Jews, and the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, Dr. Mohamed Elmasry said that all Israelis over the age of 18 are legitimate targets of terrorist acts.

The Bloc Québécois strongly condemns these anti-Semitic remarks, and calls for calm and reason. Words such as these are absolutely unacceptable. The Bloc Québécois calls upon all those concerned to act responsibly and to speak out loud and clear against all forms of hate propaganda, against any group identifiable by religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or skin colour.

2010 Winter Games

[John Reynolds, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last Thursday the official opposition met with delegates from the organizing committee of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. It can be said with confidence that we are as excited about the games as are all of those who have been working so diligently on the project, both before and since Vancouver won the competition to stage them.

I would like to pay tribute to John Furlong, the chief executive officer and his senior team of Catherine Bachand, Terry Wright, Cathy Priestner Allinger and Jeff Chan. The 20 members of the board of directors also deserve our applause.

All members of the official opposition are enthusiastically supporting the concept because the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games will be Canada's games and we know British Columbians will make Canada proud.

John Furlong is an outstanding Canadian and the 2010 games could not be in better hands. His record of public service in sports at all levels serves as a shining example of the meaning of excellent citizenship.

Conservatives across Canada pledge their continuing support for the Vancouver games because we know Vancouver will make Canada proud and the world impressed. My leader looks forward to opening those games.

Health

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I had the honour of speaking at an HIV-AIDS education fundraiser. This fundraiser was organized by Aiding Youth for Life. It is a non-profit grassroots organization aimed at addressing the problems of HIV-AIDS among youth worldwide.

This organization was founded and operated by a group of youth who were motivated to help in the fight against HIV-AIDS while empowering other students to become part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem.

AYL's international student union consists of seven youth run chapters that are comprised of secondary and post-secondary schools in East Africa and North America, representing over 700 individual members. Every summer AYL sends a team of North American university students on a two month internship to East Africa to contribute to their HIV-AIDS awareness campaigns.

I want to recognize the founders of this organization, Ali Kanji and Jessica Shaikh, for their outstanding humanitarian work. They make us very proud. I have no doubt that they will provide strong Canadian leadership at the international level.

Natural Resources

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has flagrantly broken his 100% promise to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Even his own federal Liberal MPs do not believe that he is sticking to his word.

The Liberal member for Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte said that he heard the resource royalty promise, and now he is concerned that conditions and strings are being attached.

The Liberal MP for Random—Burin—St. George's has said that he is considering his future over the broken promise.

If the Prime Minister's own Liberal members are not sure they can trust him on this, why should Newfoundland and Labrador? Why should Nova Scotia? Why should anyone?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity to speak to Premier Williams this morning. The suggestion I have made is that our officials should meet. I am very clear in terms of the understanding that we had arrived at, and I am certainly prepared and in fact most desirous of fulfilling that understanding.

To the extent that there are differences of opinion, I believe our officials should meet. We will see what will come from that.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there should be no hedging. The Prime Minister said that it was the premier's deal he had accepted, and he should accept it today. Even provincial Liberals have supported Premier Williams on this and do not believe the Prime Minister.

Former Liberal Premier Grimes said the following, “Get it in writing because the federal track record is promise and not do it at all or find some way to do it differently.”

Once again, if members of the Prime Minister's own party do not believe him, why should anyone else believe him? Why does he not sign the deal that he promised on June 5, today?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt when we look at the situation in Newfoundland and Labrador, that in terms of its debt and the fiscal capacity of the province, all of us have an interest in ensuring that Newfoundland and Labrador does well. We have a great window of opportunity, given the current prices of commodities, natural resources and oil, to do just that.

It is my intention to fulfill exactly the agreement that I reached with the premier.

Sponsorship Program

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have heard enough of, “I feel your pain”. They want the Prime Minister to fulfill his commitments.

On March 10 of this year, the Prime Minister told the House and the member for Roberval in response to a question about the national unity fund, “Mr. Speaker, first, the answer to the question is: none. I have not used it”. Now we know he did use it. In fact we know he wrote a letter related to a contract of $50,000 under the fund to Claude Boulay and Groupe Everest.

Could the Prime Minister explain on this why he so flagrantly misled the House on the facts?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have on numerous occasions in this House said that I will not comment on daily testimony in front of the commission because it simply leads to misunderstanding. In fact it is very clear from the question of the Leader of the Opposition.

Let me simply say, I stand by my words.

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote from a letter from the present Prime Minister to his friend, Claude Boulay.

My dear Claude,

The services you are offering to my minister strike me as extremely mimely interesting.

This marked the start of a relationship that was to bring over $50,000 in sponsorship program contracts to Groupe Everest.

Can the Prime Minister still deny what he wrote in 1994 when he was the minister responsible for Canada Economic Development?