Debates of March 23rd, 2004

Canadian Wheat Board

[Garry Breitkreuz, Canadian Alliance, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it does not even sound like the minister knows what he is talking about either, because of the very issue I am talking about. In order to make the appearance that the Canadian Wheat Board is getting a good price for the farmers' wheat that it markets, it adds $10 per tonne to the price paid, but later it deducts an extra $10 in freight from the pool account.

In 2002-03 this amounted to about $86 million that was taken out of the wheat pool account and $57 million that was taken from the durum pool. This was done after the grain was taken from the board's possession.

Why were farmers made to pay an extra $10 to $15 for--

[The Speaker]

The hon. the President of the Treasury Board.

[Reg Alcock, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the progressive actions by the current Minister of Finance, when he was minister responsible for the Wheat Board, management of the board has been given over entirely to farmers. Farmers are making these decisions on behalf of farmers. They are managing the board. They have just gone through quite a modernization of the management of the board.

Frankly, when I was talking to farmers across western Canada, they by and large were very pleased with the changes in the board. Why does he not trust farmers to manage their own business?

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, two RCMP officers in dress uniform took part in the nomination meeting of the Liberal member for Portneuf last Friday. According to the RCMP, the activities of its members should normally be related to one of its five priorities: youth, aboriginal communities, international police services, terrorism and organized crime.

Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us under which of these priorities the partisan activity of the member for Portneuf falls?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is undoubtedly aware, the commissioner is responsible for the management of the RCMP. As I understand it, there are procedures that permit RCMP officers to participate in special events. They have to be approved under those procedures.

I would suggest that if the hon. member has any questions or concerns, he take them up with the commanding officer in question.

RAI International

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few corrections to an erroneous statement made yesterday by a Bloc Quebecois member concerning RAI International.

Since September 15, 2003, the CRTC has received applications to add 15 non-Canadian satellite services, including RAI International, to the list of eligible services.

Knowing that the Italian-Canadian community has led a very aggressive campaign supported by many Liberal members and several community leaders to have access to Italian cultural programming on a 24 hour a day basis, and knowing that a petition signed by over 106,000 people and over 330 letters were submitted to the CRTC, the minister—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage.

[Hélène Scherrer, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, first I would like to congratulate the hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel for his diligent work on this issue. As I already said on several occasions, the CRTC is an independent organization which operates at arm's length and it will make its decision after a thorough review of this file.

I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the Liberal colleagues who expressed the views of their constituents, this within the framework set by the CRTC.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jim Pankiw, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, statistics reveal that Indians make up a disproportionate number of prison inmates because they commit a disproportionate amount of crime. However, the Liberal government's racist, two tier sentencing scheme is giving disgraced Band Chief Daniel Morris a get out of jail card.

Morris was convicted of kidnapping, beating and raping his estranged wife at gunpoint. He got probation because the Criminal Code orders judges to give lenient sentences to Indian offenders.

When will the Liberals scrap their racist, two tier sentencing scheme so that criminals are sentenced based on the severity of the crime, not their race?

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, once again the hon. member proceeds by castigating aspersions of a racist character, and I will not answer those questions.

Foreign Affairs

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia. Just last week another 1,000 Serbs fled their homes, joining the 200,000 forced to flee since NATO entered Kosovo in 1999.

It is unacceptable that death and destruction are happening under NATO's watch, and Canada must assume part of the responsibility for what is happening.

What has the government done to halt the violence and contribute to lasting peace in this troubled region or is the government so bogged down by its own scandals that it is blinded by the suffering?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

It is quite the contrary, Mr. Speaker. The right hon. Prime Minister and myself met with Javier Solana, the representative of Europe and the European representatives, here last week. We discussed this very important issue. Canada remains committed to bringing peace in the Balkans. We have made a tremendous contribution there in terms of our troops and our stability forces in that region.

The Europeans are presently under NATO command responsible for security in that region. However, we will continue to work with them and other countries to bring peace in the Balkans and to ensure that human rights are respected there.

We are active on this. The Prime Minister remains engaged, and we will continue to be active.

Sponsorship Program

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said “come hell or high water” that he would get to the bottom of the ad scam scandal. Guess what? The water is high and the Prime Minister is drowning. He is so desperate that he blocked the public accounts committee motion to have Alfonso Gagliano's briefing notes brought to the committee.

Will the Prime Minister call off his guard dogs at the committee and allow that motion, which will have those papers tabled, so we can get to the bottom of this?

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, things have not changed from the start of the question period. The committee has approved five motions. Some of them call for information. Whatever information is requested that is pertinent to this will be provided by the government, as we have on past occasions when we have received requests for information from this committee.

Gasoline Prices

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the unjustified increases in the price of gasoline are causing major headaches to the whole trucking industry, while also putting an unfair burden on consumers. The government is irresponsible because it is not doing anything to deal with the negative impact of the gas price increases.

Will the Minister of Industry finally agree to create a petroleum monitoring agency, as recommended by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology?

[R. John Efford, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we have this issue under discussion. I have always been of the view that private industry and the prices in private industry should be determined on the market price. Also, each provincial government has an option to regulate gas prices. Two provinces in Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I., already have given that consideration.

We are looking at the issue, and we will make a decision some time in the near future.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Dr. José G. Amorin Batlle, Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, and his delegation.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Saskatoon--Humboldt on a question of privilege.

Privilege

[Jim Pankiw, Canadian Alliance, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, if you would check the video transcripts of the last several times I have risen in the House to ask a question, each time the member for Winnipeg Centre, when I have asked my questions, rises and walks in front of me in an attempt to disrupt my question. I believe that is a violation of my privilege in the House.

The question I asked today was a very serious matter about a victim of crime who was victimized, in the first instance by her ex-husband who kidnapped, raped and beat her and in the second instance by a justice system that let him off on probation. Now in the third instance, the NDP got up and applauded the lenient sentence because the guy is an Indian offender.

The NDP members may find it is acceptable that criminals are sentenced based on their race as opposed to the severity of the crime they commit, but I do not and I think I should be given due respect, and there is the member for Burnaby—Douglas. Why these childish antics? Do I not have the right to stand in the House and ask a serious, legitimate question without listening to this childish, juvenile heckling?

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Saskatoon--Humboldt has raised a point. I draw to the attention of all hon. members, particularly those sitting near him, since he is in perhaps the most difficult place for this rule to apply, Standing Order 16(2) of the House. It states:

When a Member is speaking, no Member shall pass between that Member and the Chair, nor interrupt him or her, except to raise a point of order.

This is a rule that sometimes is not carefully observed in the House, but I would remind all hon. members that it is a Standing Order which we live by in here and which should apply to all hon. members.

I stress the point about interruptions and I stress, on behalf of the hon. member for Saskatoon—Humboldt and all other members, the rule that members are not to pass between the person who has the floor and the Chair. Usually it means having to go by another route. If the member for Winnipeg Centre, for example, wanted to get up and leave the chamber during the hon. member's question, he has to go forward and out that door or across the House and not back between me and the hon. member.

Is the message clear? The Standing Order says so. I can only enforce the Standing Orders. I thank the hon. member for Saskatoon—Humboldt for drawing this to the attention of all hon. members.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order on the same issue. I would like to point out that the member who has just spoken is not a part of our caucus and if there are members of the Conservative Party, who just clapped, who would like to have him sitting over there, we would most definitely welcome that.

[The Speaker]

I do not think the hon. member is rising on a point of order. She seems to be getting into a debate. If she wants to debate the Standing Orders, the place to do that is the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs Committee, and I would invite her to go there with this point.

[Howard Hilstrom, Canadian Alliance, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

I would certainly ask that member from B.C. to withdraw those remarks.

[The Speaker]

I do not know to what remarks the hon. member is referring. If it was suggesting a change of seating or something, I do not know. I think we will leave the matter at rest.

When the House broke for question period, the hon. member for Nanaimo—Cowichan had the floor, and I understand there are eight minutes remaining in the time allotted for his remarks.