House of Commons Hansard #20 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was victims.

Topics

PrivacyOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. President of the Treasury Board.

PrivacyOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Winnipeg South Manitoba

Liberal

Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that the government takes this extremely seriously.

I have met with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada who has looked at this situation. We have discussed specifically the CIBC's situation.

I am assured under the legislation passed by this House that we have the tools to address this particular concern.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister clearly has not even picked up the phone to call the President. Maybe he could raise it in his next conversation with the oval office.

Now, I want to speak about the so-called missile defence shield, a threatening armament system. It will start the arms race again, and that will be very costly.

Will the Prime Minister at last heed the concerns from all sides and ask the next U.S president to give up this dangerous idea?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Graham LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, it is not up to us to tell the Americans how to defend themselves. As I have said, and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said on numerous occasions in this House, we Canadians are looking at what needs to be done to protect Canada in the North American context, a context in which we have always had a very good relationship with our neighbour to the south. That is all. We are continuing our discussions. We shall see what the outcome will be.

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Belinda Stronach Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of International Trade.

Today is election day in the United States. Softwood producers have had $3.4 billion of their money confiscated by the United States. Canadian cattlemen, ranchers and others in the beef industry have been losing $11 million a day for the past 18 months because of the BSE border closure.

So far, the government has failed to produce any results. What will the government do differently tomorrow that it has not done before?

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Willowdale Ontario

Liberal

Jim Peterson LiberalMinister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to pursue our remedies before the WTO and NAFTA and we will continue to win.

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Belinda Stronach Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Mr. Speaker, Canadian industries are suffering.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Were senior Liberal ministers and MPs, such as the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Human Resources and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence thinking of the Canadian lumbermen and farmers when they picked a preferred winner in the U.S. election? What happens to those Canadian interests if they picked wrong in their recklessness?

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Willowdale Ontario

Liberal

Jim Peterson LiberalMinister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, I just had the privilege of meeting with the representative of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association who said that they want to thank our government for what it has done for Canada's cattle industry, that they appreciate the way we are standing behind them and the way we will continue to fight.

In terms of softwood lumber, we will stand behind our industries as we have in the past. We will continue to win those disputes. We fully expect those deposits to be refunded.

Air Transportation SecurityOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Rob Nicholson Conservative Niagara Falls, ON

Mr. Speaker, after 9/11 the government brought in legislation that would allow it to create a no-fly list for passengers that would strengthen security at Canada's airports.

Despite that, it has done nothing in this regard. It still has not produced a no-fly list that will protect Canadians. Why has the government not acted to ensure that this protection is in place at Canada's airports?

Air Transportation SecurityOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Outremont Québec

Liberal

Jean Lapierre LiberalMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, we have been working on the list but we want to make sure that we respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because we want to uphold the Canadian charter, not like that party.

Air Transportation SecurityOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Rob Nicholson Conservative Niagara Falls, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am sure they checked on that when they brought in the legislation. We need that list now. The minister himself has asked, “What happens if bin Laden shows up at the counter?” That is a very good question. When is the government going to get serious about security and provide that list now to help Canadians?

Air Transportation SecurityOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Outremont Québec

Liberal

Jean Lapierre LiberalMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, I know that the members over there have no respect whatsoever for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but we on this side want to ensure that citizens' fundamental rights are respected. We have no intention of coming up with a list that does not respect those rights.

I do, however, have the power at this time to prevent anyone from flying. As soon as we receive notification, we can take action. We will not, however, rush into anything that does not respect fundamental rights.

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has just told us that in the matter of parental leave, the appeal was necessary because the scope of the issue was much broader than the agreement with Quebec.

How, in that context, can we interpret the remarks by the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, who has just confirmed his earlier announcement that Ottawa would abandon its appeal if an agreement were reached with Quebec?

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Joe Volpe LiberalMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the member opposite believes everything he reads in the papers. I have already said that there were two issues. The legal issue is one thing; negotiations with the province are another. I am still working on the second. Negotiations are continuing with the province to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC

Mr. Speaker, the announcement just before the election implied that everything had been worked out between the two governments and that all that remained to be settled was the matter of money.

What happened so that, all of a sudden, negotiations between the governments are on again, when everything was supposed to have been worked out just before the election?

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Joe Volpe LiberalMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the hon. member should talk to my provincial counterpart. In fact, he and I and our officials are continuing to negotiate, as we must, to arrive at a satisfactory solution. I met with him barely five hours ago. We are continuing to do what we must in order to arrive at a comprehensive solution.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Denise Poirier-Rivard Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC

Mr. Speaker, because of mad cow disease, millions of dollars are being lost not only by beef producers, but also by dairy producers in Quebec, who have lost $54 million in cull alone since the crisis began 18 months ago.

Does the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food realize that his aid package for dairy farmers in Canada and Quebec has totally missed the mark since it compensates for only a very small percentage of their loss?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, there are two component parts to this issue that are important.

First is the need to have increased slaughter capacity in the province of Quebec in a competitive environment, and that the announcement on September 10 is providing additional resources to do.

There is also the issue of cull cows from the dairy herds. That is an issue in Quebec. It is also an issue in other parts of Canada. I have indicated a willingness to try to arrive at a solution working with my provincial colleagues and with industry associations. We will find a solution that assists producers.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Denise Poirier-Rivard Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC

Mr. Speaker, before the crisis, a dairy producer got up to $700 per cull, while the average price since the beginning of the crisis is $150, which does not include the transportation cost or the slaughter fees that continue to increase. A new low was reached when a producer received a mere 7¢ for his cow.

What will it take for the minister to realize that his aid package is inadequate and that it is leading Quebec dairy producers straight into bankruptcy?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, like I said, in terms of increased slaughter capacity which is essential to resolve this issue, there is funding that is being made available.

In terms of the actual pricing of the cull cows, there are three component parts to that. First, there is what the market continues to provide. Second, the Canadian Dairy Commission when it establishes the price of milk takes into account any decrease in the inventory value of the animals. Then there is the issue of providing direct government support.

If we are to go that route, it is essential that that support go to producers.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Diane Finley Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is not just beef producers that are suffering from the Liberal insults to the Americans, but dairy producers as well. Will pork or poultry producers, or agri-food processors soon also have to pay the price for the Liberal caucus insults?

In his infamous announcement on September 10, why did the minister ignore the dairy producers?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, anything but. The reality is that the September 10 announcement provides additional support for creating increased slaughter capacity. The reality is that through the various programs the federal government working with the provinces have provided for those involved in the beef industry, there has been a little over $2 billion in support.

As I have said, there are issues in terms of the dairy industry and we are in fact working on those.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Diane Finley Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. border has now been closed to the trade of live Canadian cattle for 531 days. The government's inaction and failure to open the border has forced the Canadian Cattlemen for Fair Trade to file a chapter 11 claim under NAFTA.

I ask the agriculture minister, when will his government take responsibility, stand with the cattle industry and file challenges at the WTO and under chapter 20 of NAFTA?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, unlike the hon. member across the way, I am interested in getting the border open, not in creating a legal process that may go on for years and years and years. Our intention is to have the border opened.

The reality is that we have not ignored cattle producers. In fact, $2.1 billion between the provincial and federal governments is flowing to beef producers. Also, on September 10 we made an announcement that will work toward ensuring that the industry can be profitable with or without a border opening.

Softwood LumberOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC

Mr. Speaker, the government continues to bungle Canada-U.S. relations. This puts Canadians and our $3 billion softwood cash deposits at risk.

There are reports from industry that the minister wants to initiate softwood discussions with his U.S. counterparts starting tomorrow. The industry is still waiting for the minister to call a stakeholders meeting to develop a Canadian consensus prior to entering into any negotiations.

Why is the minister so anxious to move tomorrow when he has done nothing for months?