House of Commons Hansard #22 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was province.
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has been consistent over the last decade in announcing unworkable agricultural programs. Then when Canadian producers try to move ahead on their own, every door they open reveals a government inspector with a stop sign.
How can the minister justify his CFIA minions' unwarranted stalling of increased domestic slaughter capacity for cull cows that has nothing to do with health and safety but paving parking lots?
Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member was not listening to the previous answer. On those regulatory issues that do not deal directly with health and safety, they will not be put in the way of ensuring that licensing comes forward. However, on those issues that deal directly with the health and safety of Canadians, CFIA officials have an obligation, and I support that obligation, to protect the health and safety of Canadians. They will not compromise on that.
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, for years Canadians endured the grey fog rolling out from those benches on the opposite side, and I would certainly prefer that to the dense fog we are getting from the minister there today.
Producers would like the minister to stop hiding behind his own self-serving press releases and investigate what his bureaucrats are really doing. Who is in charge over there? Will the minister admit that every announcement he has made has been undermined by his own government and the roadblocks it throws up to prevent producer-driven processing?
Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, that is nonsense. There has been over $2 billion of assistance to the beef industry in the country. If the hon. member would take a look at the estimates from last year, he would see $4 billion of funding to producers.
On this side of the House, we are not interested in the empty rhetoric and the fancy speeches over there. We are interested in real things that help producers with real investment. That is what we are doing. That is what we will continue to do.
Francine Lalonde Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Mr. Speaker, at a CIDA conference this week, Stephen Lewis, special advisor to Kofi Annan on AIDS and former Canadian ambassador to the UN, gave a brilliant speech on the need for developed countries to contribute 0.7% of the GDP if they want to achieve the millennium objectives of reducing hunger and AIDS and providing access to education and to safe drinking water.
When will the Martin government do its fair share to achieve these millennium objectives?
International AidOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for La Pointe-de-l'Île is well aware that it is unacceptable in the House to refer to a member by name. She must not do so, and I suggest that the next time she refer to members by title or riding name.
The hon. Minister for International Cooperation.
Aileen Carroll LiberalMinister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, we have just received at CIDA an 8% budget increase last year and this year. That means we will be doubling our budget by the year 2010. We have a large and important commitment by the Prime Minister and the government to give us resources to effectively work with other donors, other countries and the UN to achieve the millennium development goals. It has a great deal to do with effectiveness and our resolve. I am very comfortable with the directions and the resources that I have.
Francine Lalonde Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Mr. Speaker, Stephen Lewis pointed out that Canada will rank 25th out of the 29 OECD contributors of international aid by the end of 2006. The apparent desire to achieve the millennium development goals will be nothing but an illusion if Canada does not move quickly to bring its international aid up to the 0.7% level.
Will the Prime Minister at last make a firm commitment to achieve 0.7% of GDP at least by 2015 in response to the cries of desperation—
International AidOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. Minister for International Cooperation.
Aileen Carroll LiberalMinister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, we could play the game of numbers, but I think that instead we should listen carefully to what Mr. Stephen Lewis said. He speaks to the reduction of poverty. He speaks to the commitment that my agency and this government have to that reduction worldwide. I can mention, if we want statistics, that in 2003 Canada ranked eighth among OECD members by ODA volume. I can tell members it is fourth among G-8 members by ODA GPI, but really I think it is about coherency, effectiveness and our commitment to world poverty.
Gordon O'Connor Conservative Carleton—Lanark, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday at the defence committee the Minister of National Defence was asked how long it would take to recruit and train the 5,000 soldiers promised in the Liberal election platform and about the related costs. The committee was advised that it will take five to six years to implement the manpower increase and the costs at this time are unknown.
Will the Minister of National Defence advise the House why the Prime Minister and the Liberal Party made an election promise to Canadians that they did not cost and cannot keep in their current mandate?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is extremely experienced in matters of the military and he knows we are not going to recruit 5,000 people in the first year. What I said in committee yesterday was that we are not going to recruit everybody in the first year but we are going to begin right now.
The government has promised it is going to have fresh money in the budget to enable us to recruit 5,000 new members of the armed forces plus 3,000 new reserves. This is one of the biggest investments the Government of Canada has made in our military in years. I think the member should be proud of it rather than attacking it.
Gordon O'Connor Conservative Carleton—Lanark, ON
Mr. Speaker, we were not talking about one year; we were talking about six. I wonder if the minister understands his government's election commitment to Canadians. A promise implemented two elections from now is no promise. Will the Minister of National Defence confirm that the 5,000 soldiers promised by the Liberal government represent a true baseline increase to the forces, that is, a total of 65,000, and that it will happen in this mandate?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I am not going to make irresponsible promises. The military have told us that they will be--
National DefenceOral Question Period
The Speaker
I am sure the Minister of National Defence appreciates the help with his answer, but I cannot hear him and he sits very close to me. There is simply too much noise. The Minister of National Defence has the floor. Members will want to hear the answer.
Bill Graham Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, you cannot hear the minister because of the baying across the way. They do not want to talk about responsible government. They just want to talk about political cheap shots.
They heard yesterday in committee from the chief of the defence staff about how we have a plan to recruit 5,000 new members to make our military more responsive to the problems of the world. We will do it, we will do it responsibly, and we will do it in a way that is effective for Canada.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, in the last election the Prime Minister made a commitment to run the federal government smarter and more efficiently in cooperation with the provinces and territories. Could the Minister of National Revenue inform the House of any initiatives to cut down the duplication of services in the field of tax collection?
John McCallum LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that the federal government has entered into negotiations with Ontario with a view to the federal government collecting Ontario's corporate income tax. This is very good news. It will streamline the process. It will reduce duplication. It will provide lower costs and greater certainty to business. In short, it is a fine example of federal and provincial governments working together for the benefit of Canadians.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I would like to draw to the attention of the House the presence of a number of distinguished visitors today.
I will first draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of Dr. Lee Jong-Wook, the Director-General of the World Health Organization.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I would also like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the Honourable Edward Picco, Minister of Education, Minister responsible for Nunavut Arctic College and Minister responsible for Homelessness and Immigration in Nunavut.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the recipients of the Governor General's performing arts awards.
For Lifetime Artistic Achievement in the Performing Arts, the following: Kate and Anna McGarrigle; Gordon Pinsent; Joseph Rouleau; Jean-Louis Roux; Veronica Tennant; and Eric Till.
For the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts: Constance Pathy.
Finally, for the National Arts Centre Award: Rick Mercer.