House of Commons Hansard #35 of the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was process.
Paddy Torsney Liberal Burlington, ON
Mr. Speaker, the special committee on the non-medical use of drugs examined the issues related to marijuana use in this country and made recommendations for changing legislation. The members were unanimous that we wanted action on the issue of drug impaired driving.
My question is for the Minister of Justice. What is taking place? What can we anticipate? How can police officers deal better with this issue?
Irwin Cotler LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Burlington for raising this important question and also for her excellent work on chairing the special committee that examined Bill C-10.
I hope to shortly introduce amendments to the Criminal Code that will facilitate the detection and prosecution of drug impaired driving.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, I would like to warn the government that Canadians are not amused. When it comes to corruption, the Prime Minister likes to blame the previous administration, yet this one claims that it is new.
When it comes to the ads, the Liberal government only speaks to things done by the last Liberal government when the Prime Minister was not even in cabinet. Student loans, Chrétien; age drug bill, Chrétien; health money, Chrétien; yet corruption, Chrétien.
Will the Deputy Prime Minister tell us, is this Liberal government the same as the old Liberal government? If it is, will it take those ads off the air?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that at least two of the opposition parties have been running ads. Those ads have nothing to do with the priorities of Canadians, if we listen to them.
It is only our ads on this side of the House that speak to the issues that Canadians care about. What do we see our Prime Minister talking to Canadians about in those ads? Health care, education, the issues that matter to Canadians, their families and their communities.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS
What utter nonsense, Mr. Speaker. I will try another minister, the transport minister.
On April 15 Air Canada and its employees face a very crucial day. If Air Canada is allowed to fall, it will have a devastating effect on the 30,000 employees and their families. It will have a devastating effect on communities across this country. It will have a devastating effect on our economy.
The transport minister said he likes to stand behind our port security. Will he now tell the employees and the people of Canada that he will stand behind that airline and support its employees? Will he please tell the House what is the government's game plan?
Tony Valeri LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I can advise the hon. member, as I have done in the past, that I expect the unions, the airline and the investors to work out their differences in order to come to a successful resolution to the Air Canada restructuring.
The CCAA process has been extended. I believe it would be counterproductive to prejudge the outcome.
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, a long string of people connected to the sponsorship scandal have been fired or suspended. They include Alfonso Gagliano, Michel Vennat, André Ouellet, Jean Pelletier and Marc LeFrançois, yet David Dingwall's name is noticeably absent. Allan Cutler's testimony states that David Dingwall was intimately involved in the removal of normal practices and safeguards at public works.
Will the minister responsible for the mint suspend Mr. Dingwall until questions about his involvement in this scandal have been answered?
Walt Lastewka LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I find it very, very disappointing that the member of the opposition would say that the schedule to meet with witnesses has been derailed. That opposition party, with the rest, spent four hours filibustering to make sure that we could not release Mr. Guité's information, to make sure we could not get to the schedule for next week and the following week. I find his question totally out of order.
Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, Allan Cutler's testimony that all sponsorship decisions were taken with the approval of the Minister of Public Works is credible. One former minister was fired. Meanwhile the former minister who supervised the creation of the sponsorship program and the removal of normal safeguards remains the head of the Royal Canadian Mint, which is once again shrouded in controversy.
Why at the very least has the Prime Minister not suspended David Dingwall?
John McKay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows very well all of the processes that are in place with respect to this issue. It is a very strange process involved where the opposition appears to wish to summarily dispense of an individual and his job without due process ever being exercised. If in fact we are to go without due process, then I suppose we could fire a whole bunch of people, but this makes absolutely no sense. Mr. Dingwall, like everyone else--
Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
The hon. member for Athabasca.
Dave Chatters Canadian Alliance Athabasca, AB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the parliamentary secretary brushed off the member for Lakeland's question regarding the $1 billion contract to Royal LePage. When the finance minister was minister of government supply and services, he cancelled the contract because even he could not stand the stench of corruption and bribery surrounding it.
There were alleged internal and RCMP investigations but we have never heard any results or recommendations. Does the government intend to table the results of these investigations or will this be yet another Liberal cover-up?
Walt Lastewka LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, there were some challenges to the tendering process. It went in front of the CITT. The CITT forwarded that to the department. The department has rebid the process. The department is now evaluating the tender and the results of that tender will be announced shortly.
Dave Chatters Canadian Alliance Athabasca, AB
Mr. Speaker, again the parliamentary secretary says that the contract has been retendered, but nothing has changed in the retendering process to protect it from the kind of abuses we heard about last time.
Why would Canadians believe that the process would be any fairer this time than it was the last time if nothing has changed?
Walt Lastewka LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, after receiving the CITT information, the department met with stakeholders to get their information. The information was provided. The new tendering went out. The new tendering bids have come in. We are now evaluating them and the answer will be given shortly.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that the government has decided to have its paper money printed in Germany. This decision puts 110 employees out of work in Beauharnois.
Can the government tell the House whether it thinks it is right to contribute to unemployment among Quebec workers by choosing to have its paper money printed in Germany?
John McKay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, what is true about that question is that the paper will be purchased from a foreign source because after a proper tendering process, the proper paper which would be adequate for fraud purposes, et cetera, was not available in this country. However, the other part of that question is that all of the printing of the money will be done here in Canada.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time that ministers have defended the indefensible. It is not the first time, either, that such a dubious decision has been made. In 1998 a similar decision on the paper for passports was overturned thanks to the action of a Bloc Quebecois member.
Can the minister assure the House that the government will change its decision and apply common sense?
John McKay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member would agree with me that in any tendering process, in any procurement process, Canada should look for the best possible product at the best possible price. That is exactly what happened here. In this instance, that product will be received. When it comes to printing the money, the money will actually be printed here. I think that is a perfectly sensible, legitimate use of taxpayers' funds.
Rick Casson Canadian Alliance Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, primary producers, the devastated trucking industry, other related industries, businesses and communities are all part of the BSE crisis. However, many of these were left out at the recent photo op announcement made by the Prime Minister. The Liberals have been so busy covering up scandals and running away from real responsibilities they have once again forgotten to put together a solid plan and vision for our agricultural community.
I ask the minister, where is the detailed plan our agriculture industry will need to get through the coming year of uncertainty?
Mark Eyking LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (Agri-Food)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for finally asking a question today about agriculture.
The government is totally committed to agriculture. We had three programs rolled out last year. Two weeks ago the Prime Minister announced $1 billion to the agricultural industry. As we speak, the Prime Minister is in B.C. meeting with the cattle producers of British Columbia to help them with their problems.
Rick Casson Canadian Alliance Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, April 7 will mark the end of the U.S. department of agriculture comment period on the proposed rule change that will allow our live cattle under 30 months of age into the United States. With the U.S. getting closer to its requirements to allow trade in live cattle and other ruminants, what has the government done to facilitate a smooth transition to an open border? More specifically, where are the detailed regulations our industry will have to implement to facilitate year-round importation of U.S. cattle?
Mark Eyking LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (Agri-Food)
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for a question on the beef industry. As the member opposite knows, we are in a comment period in the United States and it is going to be over on April 7.
I have to compliment both sides of the House for meeting with congressmen in the United States about this issue. The minister is constantly talking to secretary Veneman. After April 7 all we can hope for is that the U.S. government bases its decision on science.
Yolande Thibeault Liberal Saint-Lambert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have a question that deals with the environment.
The One-Tonne challenge was launched on March 26, 2004. Can the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of the Environment tell this House why Canadians should take part in this challenge?
Serge Marcil LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Saint-Lambert for her question.
Through the Kyoto Protocol implementation process, we have become aware that Canadians produce on average more than five tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each, annually. In order to achieve the Canadian objectives in terms of GHG emissions, we are calling upon individual Canadians to take part in a campaign to try to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by one tonne--about 20%—per person.