Debates of Dec. 6th, 2004

Violence Against Women

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Churchill.

Air Transportation Security

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday it was discovered that over 1,100 CATSA security items and almost 100 security shields have gone missing. To our surprise, a VP at CATSA told the CBC that the missing uniforms were not much of a concern. Instead of getting us into star wars, the government should be working on real security issues.

September 11 was not caused by ballistic missiles. It was caused by 19 men with box cutters who bypassed airport security. How can the minister support the perception of security by throwing good money after bad when it comes to CATSA?

[Jean Lapierre, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I must tell the hon. member that as soon as we were advised that these items were missing, security was tightened. I asked the president of the agency to tighten security even further.

However, the reality is that ID cards are proof of identity and allow airport access. These ID cards are issued by Transport Canada. ID cards are checked when employees enter the airport and again at various times during their shift, to ensure the cards are properly displayed.

Consequently, airport access depends on the ID card, not just the uniform. Consequently, security was not at risk, but we will—

[The Speaker]

I am sorry to interrupt the hon. Minister of Transport. The hon. member for Churchill.

[Bev Desjarlais, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, air travellers have been paying for security, including those badges and pieces of uniforms that the minister says are not important. It is looking like amateur hour at the agency created to ensure security of the aircraft over Canada.

How does the minister justify throwing money at an agency meant to keep Canadians safe from terrorist attacks when the agency cannot even keep track of its uniforms? How does he plan to get the uniforms back? Will he go on eBay?

[Jean Lapierre, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I must say that if we could give an answer like this, it is because they kept track of all the items.

What everyone has to realize is that CATSA is doing a very good job. As a matter of fact, a lot of people are complaining that it is doing too good a job because it is at every airport. It is checking every piece of luggage and every passenger that goes through all 89 airports in the country.

CATSA is doing a great job. I do not want the member to undermine the security of Canadians because we have the most secure transportation system that we can have.

The Economy

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian businesses and workers are getting hammered by the quick rise in the Canadian dollar. We know that many international factors cause the rise in the dollar, but we also know that lower taxes are a big part of the solution. Frankly, the 3¢ premium cut for EI just will not cut it. In fact, it is an insult.

Why is the government not aggressively cutting taxes as a way to deal with the quick rise in the Canadian dollar?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member will appreciate that one cannot comment on the level of the Canadian dollar. We have a floating exchange rate, and neither the government nor the Bank of Canada has any particular target.

That having been said, it is true that the dollar does represent one of the downside risks to Canada's high economic growth. This underlines the need for the government to remain fiscally prudent to ensure that we stay constantly in the black.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of comment on how the Liberals are running the government. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Governor of the Bank of Canada have both made it clear that the Liberal government's policies are hurting Canada's economy.

In a recent poll, nine out ten Canadian business leaders delivered the same message. They stated that the Liberal government's policies of higher taxes, over-regulation and no investment in infrastructure were killing Canada's productivity.

Will the minister commit that he will accelerate capital tax reduction and cut personal taxes to boost Canada's economy?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed, first and foremost, to implementing what was in the platform of the last election campaign. Health care, support for communities and child care remain the top priorities of the government.

Ukraine

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of thousands continue to stand in the streets of Kiev waiting to have an honest vote. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is calling for an absolute minimum of 1,500 monitors from Canada. The Liberals have offered little but threats of sanctions. Ukraine needs solutions, not Canadian sanctions.

Will the Prime Minister commit to appoint an unbiased parliamentarian for Ukraine with the resources to send sufficient Canadian monitors for the very crucial election on December 26?

[Aileen Carroll, Liberal, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot conceive how the hon. member could fail to understand how important our announcement was today. We are sending up to 500 monitors, up to a cost of $3.5 million, the largest number of monitors of anyone in the international community. We are calling upon Canadians who wish to go to register with CANADEM to be a part of a very important exercise in transparent democracy.

Iraq

[Larry Miller, Conservative, Grey—Bruce—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has ignored the situation in Iraq and abandoned its obligations to the Iraqi people in order that they might enjoy the same democracy as Canadians do. Now the government has decided to send unarmed Canadian men and women to oversee elections in a place that is constantly under fire by insurgents.

My question is for the Prime Minister. What is the government going to do to guarantee the safety of the Canadians he is sending into this international hotbed?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this is a government that has contributed substantially to the reconstruction of Iraq already. This is a government that is investing $300 million in the reconstruction of Iraq. We have already disbursed $250 million. We are training Iraqi police in Jordan, contributing to the security of that country. We are doing our share as a member of the international community. I know very well that those people might have made another decision, but I can tell members that our approach reflects Canadian values and Canadian interests.

National Defence

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a man from my riding, Nicolas Royer, has disappeared in Peru under dramatic circumstances. Mountain rescue specialists from Valcartier have indicated their willingness to take part in the search operation as volunteers.

I am therefore asking the Minister of National Defence whether he plans to authorize these military personnel to take leave in order to go and volunteer in the search?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we do of course have the greatest sympathy for Mr. Royer's family. We, along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be looking at how we could assist with the search operations and with getting Mr. Royer back home. We are working closely together on this and will have a look at all the possibilities for trying to locate Mr. Royer. As for the matter of sending military personnel at this time, that is a rather complicated matter, but we are going to look into that possibility. We will be working with the family and with Canadian authorities in order to try to help the Royer family resolve this terrible problem.

Foreign Affairs

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this family is in urgent need of help.

I also want to know, did the Minister of Foreign Affairs make special provisions with the Government of Peru so that these military personnel could clear Peruvian customs with their specialized equipment without any problem?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, first I want to say that we understand the enormous stress the family and friends of Nicolas Royer are under. This is an extremely difficult situation and our thoughts and support are with them.

Our ambassador in Lima and her staff, as well as my officials here in Ottawa, are working around the clock to coordinate search efforts with the Peruvian authorities.

I want to point out that Hydro-Québec has contributed a helicopter, which began searching this morning over this particularly rugged terrain.

Justice

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, any political interference with the police or the criminal justice system, whether real or perceived, is absolutely wrong. Yet that is what the former prime minister allegedly did; interfere with a parole board decision regarding his son.

Does the Prime Minister condone this type of political interference or will he stand in the House and condemn it?

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

Mr. Speaker, obviously, our criminal justice system has to be one of independence, objectivity and impartiality.

Let me reassure all members of the House that as it relates to the Parole Board and, for example, the selection of those who serve on the Parole Board, there is a rigorous, pre-selection testing and screening process conducted by the Parole Board itself. It does not involve any participation on the part of the government or any individual minister.

Let me also reassure everyone in the House that I personally take very seriously the objectivity--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Fundy Royal.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy, NB]

Mr. Speaker, that did not answer the question. All Canadians deserve to be treated equally before the law. Yet this outrageous interference for special treatment is all too typical of Liberal governments, past and present. To this day, who a person knows in the PMO remains more important than the merits of their case.

Once again, does the Prime Minister condemn or condone those actions?

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

Mr. Speaker, I love the way those people make these sweeping allegations. Other countries, some of which were mentioned here on the floor of the House today, look to this country as an example of integrity, an example of how we establish government structures and run a government and a country of integrity and objectivity that serves its citizens well.

As I have just said, the parole board is independent, it is objective and I demand that--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for York South--Weston.

The Environment

[Alan Tonks, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, vehicle emissions from passenger vehicles are increasing at an alarming rate. In its 2002 climate change plan for Canada, the government committed to reducing passenger vehicle emissions by negotiating with automobile manufacturers vehicle emission standards that would reduce greenhouse gases by 25% to be achieved by 2010.

Could the Minister of Natural Resources inform the House on the progress his department, along with counterparts in Transport, has made in moving toward the goal of a 25% greenhouse gas emission reduction in passenger vehicle emissions?