Debates of March 30th, 2004

The Environment

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the situation is not at all out of hand. The fact is that we have a very complicated and sophisticated transportation system for grains in this country and for other agricultural products. Labelling of each individual shipment is next to impossible under our current system.

We do have the voluntary measures that are in place, an opportunity for those who wish to avoid genetically modified organisms to in fact take advantage of that labelling. They can in fact do that, but overall we have a system that works effectively and well and we are going to continue with it.

International Aid

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, four months have passed since the Liberals first introduced Bill C-9, a bill to assist developing countries to get affordable drugs. An estimated 800,000 Africans have died from AIDS and more than 1.5 million have been infected with HIV since that time.

When Kofi Annan was here, the Prime Minister told us that the time to act is now, but this month the Liberals have cancelled the committee four times for the meetings on Bill C-9.

For the Prime Minister, some of the Liberals have told us they want to change the name of the bill to the Jean Chrétien pledge to Africa. Is this why the Prime Minister is stalling the bill? Because of his personal vendetta?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, that is unbelievable. I think that I am going to forget the question and talk about the overall will of parliamentarians, here in the House. The majority of parliamentarians want to have such legislation to allow us to provide drugs to less developed countries.

That is why there is a bill currently before the House. Parliamentarians have worked extremely hard to try to improve this bill. We hope to be able to finalize it shortly.

Foreign Affairs

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Denmark's soldiers land on Canadian Arctic territory, hoist their flag, claim the island as their own, and Canada does nothing.

As a matter of fact, yesterday it was the Danes who had to summon a Canadian official forward to creep forward and peep up on the Prime Minister's position on this expropriation of our property. Incredibly, yesterday his response was simply this, and I quote, “it is not Canada's intention to stir up a tempest...”. That summed up the Prime Minister's shot across the bow of the Danish ship of state.

How much Canadian territory has to be claimed by a foreign power before our scandal-burdened Prime Minister will speak up and stand up for Canada? How much property?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of talk about shots across bows here, but let us make sure we have our aim straight before we start shooting.

This is a matter that has been discussed between Denmark and Canada for years. This is a matter which we have discussed and Canada's sovereignty over Hans Island has been well established by us. It is established in international law. We have told the Danes that. Clearly they have a different approach.

We are working with them. They are an ally with us on many other issues. We will work with them to resolve this issue, but I can assure this House that this government will not surrender any sovereignty of any of Canada's lands in the Arctic or anywhere else in the world.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

We already have, Mr. Speaker. Previous aspiring prime ministers would not even let a foreign icebreaker or a turbot boat into our waters without challenging them. This Prime Minister simply flops around on the deck gasping for air. He is clearly overwhelmed by these scandals and he cannot even protect Canada's sovereignty.

Our ambassador to Denmark was recalled because of the scandals. I want to ask the Prime Minister the question that he ducked last week. Is he not reappointing an ambassador to Denmark because he wants to keep that spot open for the return of his good friend, Alfonso Gagliano?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think we are seeing a return of the Sea-Doo on Lake Okanagan. That is what we are seeing in the House today.

We often have empty places in our ambassadorial corps. We have a perfectly good chargé d'affaires in Denmark who is doing a very good job of representing Canada. In due time that post will be filled.

In the meantime, I can assure the House and all hon. members that we are telling Denmark clearly Hans Island is Canada's, and we will continue to do that.

Terrorism

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been unable to respond to some serious questions on internal security as well. For example, a large tract of land in B.C., namely the Gang Ranch, was purchased by a wealthy Saudi who appears to have been named in a lawsuit by families of 9/11 victims as a possible financial supporter of that terrorist act.

Why has the government made no response to a request to look into what types of activities have been going on in this remote area of British Columbia?

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

I can only suggest, Mr. Speaker, that if the hon. member has any concerns, if he is alleging that there is any wrongdoing, criminal in particular, that he provide whatever facts and evidence he has to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and it can investigate.

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is detailed intelligence reports of this Saudi financier have been forwarded to the cabinet by our foreign affairs critic.

If this information is correct, why has the appropriate response clarifying the issue not been received from the minister responsible? Will this scandal preoccupied Prime Minister, who says he is concerned about western Canadian issues, tell us if he is aware of this serious question, and why has his minister not responded?

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

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member has any evidence of wrongdoing, he should provide that evidence to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and it will review that evidence and determine what is an appropriate course of action.

The Environment

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, four weeks ago I personally wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs asking him to bring before the International Joint Commission, as quickly as possible, the issue of enlarging the landfill site at Coventry, Vermont. This project threatens to contaminate the water of Lake Memphrémagog, which provides drinking water to more than 150,000 people in the Eastern Townships, including 125,000 people in Sherbrooke.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs guarantee that he will bring this before the International Joint Commission in order to ensure the safety of the drinking water supply in the Eastern Townships?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, of course, as the members of this House know very well, the International Joint Commission is just that, a joint commission. In order for it to examine an issue, both parties must agree.

I can assure the House that we are following this situation closely. I have already raised the issue with our American colleagues. If the joint commission finds it appropriate to consider this matter, I can assure the House that we shall follow up on it properly with the American government.

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, because of the international nature of this issue, the Boundary Waters Treaty allows either of the contracting parties to refer matters to the International Joint Commission.

How much longer will the government wait before it refers this to the commission, in order to do all the studies that would ensure a safe water supply for some 150,000 residents of the Eastern Townships for whom Lake Memphrémagog is their drinking water reservoir?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, whenever we have worked with our American cousins on international water issues, we have worked together. Thus, we are maintaining our method of working first with the Americans. If that does not produce the desired results, we can move to other solutions, namely the joint commission. Let us do the necessary work. I assure the hon. member that we are dealing with this matter very seriously and that we shall continue to do so.

Whistleblower Legislation

[Scott Reid, Canadian Alliance, Lanark—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's whistleblower legislation is typical of this government. Far too little, according to Canada's integrity officer, far too late after a decade of secrecy on everything from the existence of the Prime Minister's peekaboo blind trust to the contents of Alfonso Gagliano's briefing notes.

Why did the Liberals wait until a huge scandal forced their hand before bringing forward even the semblance of legislation on this subject?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, my understanding is I am expecting the opposition members to vote in favour of Bill C-25. That is what they should do because we walk the talk. Our Prime Minister, with his vision, and our government promised to put a template and action plan in place, and we have done that with the whistleblower legislation. We have consulted also with all stakeholders, and we will proceed.

Not only that, we are expecting all members from the House to participate fully in the standing committee to ensure that we have a good law that will suit everybody.

[Scott Reid, Canadian Alliance, Lanark—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the course of a decade, the government ignored or killed 13 private members' bills from all parties on whistleblower protection. Now it is proceeding with a bill that denies the integrity of commissioner subpoena powers and that requires whistleblowers to go to their supervisors to get permission to go public or face termination. If this had been enacted a few years ago, it would have put Chuck Guité in charge of whistleblowing in his department.

Why should we believe that Chuckie's law will make whistleblowing cleaner and more open in this country?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member practised all morning in front of the mirror to come up with a line, but really, he should read the bill.

This bill is inclusive and can be improved upon. We do not want to create another tribunal, but we do want to resolve a situation and ensure that everyone can play their roles fully and in an inclusive manner.

I think we have covered the angles at all levels. We are open to further improving on this law, but it is up to him to do his job. He should be glad that we have once again fulfilled one of the promises to help the public service perform well.

Cattle Industry

[Gilbert Barrette, Liberal, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec tell the House what the government is doing to support research in Abitibi-Témiscamingue in order to develop new markets with regard to cattle production?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

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

Last Friday in Amos, at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, I announced a financial contribution by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Canada Economic Development of over $3.6 million for the Boeuf eN’OR research project.

The goal of the research is to develop a new product that meets consumers’ requirements. This project clearly stems from the desire of researchers and cattle producers in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and the Government of Canada is proud to be associated with it.

Whistleblower Legislation

[Paul Forseth, Canadian Alliance, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, public employees need whistleblower protection that really works, but those who can shed light on the situation are actually afraid to come forward. The government legislation is a complete sham.

Will the minister pull that legislation and replace it with a plan that really protects public employees?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, I totally disagree with the preamble to the question.

In my opinion, we have once again proven that we have balanced legislation that covers all the angles. Obviously, we believe that implementing a public service charter in the future will help to protect individuals. Our primary role is to protect whistleblowers, prevent abuse and guarantee that the code of conduct we adopt will ensure once again both accountability and the sense of responsibility and duty of the public service.

[Paul Forseth, Canadian Alliance, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have had 10 years to implement whistleblower protection. The only reason there is legislation on the table now is to whitewash that they got caught losing $100 million.

The bill is just a Liberal pre-election strategy that has nothing to do with protecting the civil service, members of the armed forces or the RCMP. It is about protecting cabinet reputations.

When will the government introduce real legislation that protects whistleblowers?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, again trying to get 15 seconds in the news tonight. First, not only is it good legislation, but we encourage both sides of the House to fully participate in the government operations standing committee where we are open and flexible.

We believe this legislation is well done. We have consulted all stakeholders. It is the first time we have had legislation that will cover not only the public service, but at the same time will cover crown corporations.

I think he must be pleased. I hope that the way he asked his question means they all support Bill C-25.