Debates of Dec. 3rd, 2004

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Roy Cullen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.

We have dealt with this in the House many times. This was an operational decision of the RCMP. It is to enhance the critical mass of RCMP officers in the province of Quebec so they could focus on the fight against terrorism and organized crime. The same measures were implemented in the province of Ontario just a few years ago, and that is working very well.

We should rely on the expertise of the RCMP who have advised the government that this is in the interest of the citizens of Quebec and Canada.

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is the same kind of argument used to withdraw RCMP officers from Montreal ports, and that situation had to be rectified at a very high price.

Last October, the Association des membres de la Police Montée du Québec Inc. confirmed that the closure of RCMP detachments was a step back for the public and a tactical error in the fight against organized crime.

Was the decision to close these detachments not made for the sole purpose of reducing costs at the expense of the fight against organized crime?

[Roy Cullen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member well knows, this was an operational decision of the RCMP.

If resources were unlimited, we would have a lot of easy decisions in government. This was an operational decision of the RCMP. The member knows full well that the commissioner was at the committee the other day and he reaffirmed that. The committee will be meeting with the RCMP on that specific question. I know the mayors will be coming to town.

We should be guided by the experts. The RCMP has said that this is to help with the safety and security of Quebeckers and Canadians.

Canadian Heritage

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Corporal Fred Topham's Victoria Cross is up for sale. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion is fighting to keep it in Canada, and I have a private member's bill to ensure this.

I wrote to both the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Minister of Veterans Affairs, encouraging them to do the right thing and protect this national treasure. In a vaguely worded press release the Canadian Heritage minister said, “I am determined to keep this medical in Canada”.

Would the minister tell the House what progress has been made on this issue?

[Liza Frulla, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I totally reject the premise of the hon. member's question. What we did was respect the wishes of the 1st Parachute Battalion Association, which was keen on holding a fundraiser. About three weeks ago, I indicated to them that we were prepared to cover the cost of buying back this Victoria Cross.

I have also said that the Victoria Cross would stay in Canada. This is our firm intention.

We do, however, respect the organization's desire to raise the funds.

Canada Post

[Brian Pallister, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government ministers say they cannot possibly meddle in the Canada Post decision to jack up stamp rates and mailing rates.The fact is they have been meddling in Canada Post for years. They have turned it into patronage heaven over there.

They have dumped so many Liberal appointees, friends, flacks, hacks and family members onto that corporation that they have had to set up a special hiring unit at a cost of almost $3 million to deal with all the patronage. No wonder they have to raise the stamp rate. Pork-barrel politics are expensive.

How many of André Ouellet's family members are still employed in Canada Post?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for his courage to stand up in the House and raise this matter again. The last time he did, it produced a headline in the Winnipeg Free Press yesterday, which reads as follows, “MP gets licking in efforts to stop postal rate hike”. He is at it again.

Does he want another licking? My answer from the previous day stands.

United Nations

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

This week, the United Nations released a set of recommendations, 101 in all, drawn up by a panel of experts. These propose the most thorough reform to the UN since its creation in 1945.

Could the minister give us his opinion on this report?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are pleased with this report. Many of its recommendations are of interest to Canada, and we congratulate the expert panel on its vision and courage.

We are particularly encouraged here in Canada that the report includes two significant Canadian initiatives: the responsibility to protect and the L-20, i.e., the G-20 leaders group. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, this is a very important step for Canada, which is actively involved in developing a dynamic foreign policy.

Foreign Affairs

[Bill Casey, Conservative, North Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I just sent over a copy of a letter that I received from the Russian prosecutor general regarding the illegally confiscated hotel in Moscow, owned by a Canadian investors, I.M.P., in Halifax. In that letter, it says that the prosecutor general of the Russian Federation “is ready to initiate dialogue and cooperation” in this matter.

Would the Minister of Foreign Affairs confirm that he will put the full weight of his department behind this exercise to get justice for this company and take advantage of this new opening by the prosecutor general of the Russian Federation?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this is clearly a dossier on which the government has been working very hard over the last few years.

We welcome this opening to which the member drew my attention just before question period. I want to say that every time we have had the opportunity, the Prime Minister, the Minister of International Trade and myself have argued strongly that the true judicial system enlightens this thing very well. We very much believe that this is evolving in the right direction.

International Aid

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, with a cloud of controversy hanging over the government benches, Liberal ministers are gallivanting around the world on junkets paid for by the taxpayers, ensuring they are anywhere but in the House of Commons. Yet these trips are not about feeding the hungry. They are not about alleviating poverty.

My question is for the CIDA minister. When programs to fund humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness have been slashed to zero, is her priority foreign aid or foreign travel?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible for international development has been doing an outstanding job, ensuring that the CIDA programs deliver the best possible services for development and for alleviating poverty. We have been doing a lot of work on the HIV-AIDS epidemic. The member knows very well that on all these trips it is important that parliamentarians join her and my colleague, the Minister of International Trade.

We should be very cautious to speak about these trips with the respect they are due when we work on behalf of Canadians to help contribute to build a better planet.

Ukraine

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, four parliamentarians, including myself, just returned from an observation mission in Ukraine. We noted that there were not enough international observers to cover the entire area. In addition, Ukrainian MPs have told us that Canada did not provide all the resources it might have.

Will the Prime Minister pledge to convince his counterparts of the urgent need for our countries to support the democratic reconstruction effort in the Ukraine and will he tell us right now whether he intends to send more Canadian observers in the future?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the work of our colleague from Etobicoke--Centre who was in Ukraine promoting Canadian values and making sure that we reflect on the result of the next election.

I appreciate the question of the hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. It gives me an opportunity to confirm that the supreme court of Ukraine just announced the invalidation of the second round of voting and called for a new one in its stead, to be held on December 26.

I hope that, this time, the results will reflect the opinion of the Ukrainian people. Rest assured that Canada will do its utmost to support this election.

Labour

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Labour has announced the first comprehensive review in 40 years of part III of the Canada Labour Code. Part III of the code establishes basic conditions of work and provides protection for some one million employees, 10% of the Canadian workforce.

Could the minister tell the House what this review will encompass?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his hard work on this file.

As the House knows, the government wants to build the modern economy of the 21st century. In order to do that we have to modernize our labour standards which are over 40 years old. We have appointed Professor Arthurs as the commissioner. We will consult broadly. We will ask employers and employees to forge the new labour standards that this country needs to make sure that everyone is protected. At the same time, we want to continue to excel internationally and domestically and build that modern economy for workers and employers.

Ukraine

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last night I returned from Ukraine with the member for Etobicoke--Centre. Like the Bloc member, I want the foreign affairs minister to know that the situation is critical and that Canada's help is desperately needed in that we are a leader in the election process.

Has the minister contacted Jean-Pierre Kingsley to assess whether or not his involvement would be helpful? Will the minister commit to a greater number of Canadian observers to ensure a fair and transparent process? Has he notified the NGO and the Ukrainian Canadian community--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, about an hour ago the supreme court of Ukraine cancelled the last election. We will be acting on that information. We do welcome the decision here in Canada. We hope that the result will be an election which reflects the true will of the Ukrainian people.

Canada will help in all possible ways in support of this election, including the provision of a significant number of observers.

Agriculture

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture is on the record as saying that the much awaited, long delayed review of the CAIS program would begin on December 1. Has that review started and if not, why not?

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, at this time we are assembling the personnel who will be conducting that review. We have asked for nominations, both from provincial governments and from the private sector. We have received some of those names and we are awaiting some additional ones. Once all of the personnel are in place we will commence that review as quickly as we possibly can. I had hoped we would have it in place on December 1. It will take a few more days, but we will get it in place as soon as we possibly can.

International Trade

[Sébastien Gagnon, Bloc, Jonquière—Alma, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Agropur cooperative has announced the closing of its dairy plant in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, thus putting 50 employees out of work. Agropur explains that this closing has been caused by a WTO decision whereby the dairy can no longer produce milk for export.

Since the federal government has taken note of the WTO decision, is it prepared to do its part in getting the dairy plant going again?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.

It is true that we are going to work with the industries affected by such decisions.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the 2002-03 annual report of the Inuvialuit final agreement implementation coordinating committee, the 2002-03 annual report of the implementation committee on the Gwich'in comprehensive land claim agreement, and the 2002-03 annual report of the implementation committee on the Sahtu Dene and Métis comprehensive land claim agreement.