Debates of April 2nd, 2004

Liberal Party of Canada

[John Duncan, Canadian Alliance, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was in British Columbia contradicting himself by appointing Liberal candidates. While he was there, a B.C. judge released a summary of the search warrants for the homes and offices of individuals, including key figures in the Prime Minister's leadership campaign.

Can the Prime Minister assure the House that while he was in B.C. he did not meet with a single member of his B.C. leadership campaign who is part of the RCMP investigation into drug dealing and money laundering?

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

Mr. Speaker, I fail to see how this has anything to do with the government's business. Therefore we are not going to provide an answer.

[John Duncan, Canadian Alliance, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I think it has everything to do with Liberal ethics and Liberal corruption. It is long overdue for the Prime Minister to assure British Columbians that persons who are currently part of the RCMP investigation into drug dealing and money laundering will not play a role in the Liberal campaign in British Columbia.

Will the Prime Minister assure Canadians that he has dismissed these individuals from the Liberal campaign team in B.C. because of their implication in the RCMP investigation?

[The Deputy Speaker]

That question is not in order.

The hon. member for Sherbrooke.

The Environment

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, although the Minister of Foreign Affairs is now aware that, by virtue of the International Boundary Waters Treaty, one of the contracting parties can make a reference to the International Joint Commission on any aspect with the potential to impact negatively upon it, he still appears to be unaware of the urgency of the matter. The public is concerned. The region needs to invest time and money in order to make its views heard and protect its sources of drinking water, but in the meantime the minister claims to be discussing the matter with the United States, rather than taking action.

If the minister steadfastly refuses to refer the matter to the International Joint Commission, what assurance can he give the public, and on whose authority?

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member who has asked this question that the government is very concerned about the issue of drinking water for everyone in this country.

The member suggests we ought perhaps to go before a court. We have already sought an opinion and are waiting for it. In the meantime, however, I must point out that our government is indeed very much aware of the need to ensure that everyone has access to drinking water.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, last June the government wharf to Saturna Island was severely damaged by fire. Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans inform the House in terms of what the government's plans are to repair that wharf?

[Shawn Murphy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, last June there was an unfortunate incident on Saturna Island where the wharf burnt. The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the department have been working very closely with the community organizations. They are going to take over the management of the wharf. Yesterday, the minister announced that his department will replace the wharf.

Sponsorship Program

[Jim Gouk, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claimed that the opposition tried to block the testimony of Chuck Guité but the exact opposite was true. We simply wanted the old staledated testimony to be released in conjunction with the new live testimony scheduled for April 22.

The Liberal members wanted the old testimony released before the parliamentary break to enable them to claim the public had a scapegoat and the Liberals could call an election. Devastating polls may now thwart the PM's plan.

Why were the Liberal members not prepared to wait two parliamentary sitting days before releasing two year old testimony?

[Walt Lastewka, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, it is very strange for the opposition, especially the members over there, not to want to see Mr. Guité's information.

I am sure this will give them a couple of weeks to have better questions in public accounts than they have ever had before. Mr. Guité made remarks two years ago, and not only the people in the House should see them all, but all Canadians should be able to see them.

Saint-Hubert Airport

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, negotiations for the divestiture of the Saint-Hubert airport, on Montreal's South Shore, are coming to a close.

Can the Minister of Transport guarantee us that his government will provide funding for all infrastructure improvements required by the airport, as the Grand-Longueuil community called for, particularly the DASH-L group, which stands for the groupe de Développement de l'aéroport Saint-Hubert—Longueuil?

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as in every case, when the government receives proposals, they are under consideration. We are reviewing what is before us. I obviously cannot provide the member with a guarantee today in the House. I can only assure the hon. member that we are looking at it. It is in the best interest of the community and Canada to ensure that we have the kind of transportation system that contributes to competition and to efficiency in passenger and cargo, and we will take action.

I would like to thank the hon. member for the question and take it under advisement.

Finance

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is number one in contention to host the 2006 International Summit on Microcredit. This would be the largest global conference in Atlantic Canada's history.

Microcredit is a proven strategy for lifting the poorest families out of poverty, domestically and in developing countries through collateral free interest bearing sustainable loans for self-employment.

Detailed planning for the summit to happen in Halifax is completed, except for the required federal contribution to meet the June 1 deadline for final approval.

Will the government today confirm its commitment to meet that deadline to ensure that Canada does not lose out to its second choice European--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.

[John McKay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member raises a good question with respect to microcredit. It is something that the government has supported in a variety of initiatives and ways, both nationally and internationally. It is an excellent way in which to get money to less than credit worthy customers.

In general principles the Government of Canada supports the initiative. However, I am not in a position to comment on it with respect to her specific request.

Justice

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, secure communities and the safety of our children are priorities for my constituents.

Could the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness advise the House of the progress of Bill C-16, the Sex Offender Registry Act?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased this morning to advise the House that Bill C-16 received royal assent last evening.

The bill provides for the creation of a national database of convicted sex offenders for use by police to investigate crimes of a sexual nature. The database registry has been unanimously supported by all provincial and territorial governments.

I want to thank all members who participated and cooperated in the House and in the other place, to ensure that the bill, which protects some of our most vulnerable members of our society, in fact has the protection that--

[The Deputy Speaker]

It seems that we have a little time left over. The hon. member for Verchères—Les-Patriotes.

Taiwan

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in response to a question I asked on March 12 about Taiwan's request for observer status at the World Health Organization, the Minister of Foreign Affairs informed me that the bylaws of this international organization did not permit such status to be granted.

If Niue and the Cook Islands, which have respective populations of fewer than 2,000 and 20,000 inhabitants and which are not independent states, if the Order of Malta, Vatican City, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies can all have observer status at the WHO, why, according to the minister, should Taiwan continue to be denied this status?

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the member's interest in this matter. He has worked very long and very hard on this. There are many political issues relating to globalization that affect this matter. It must be given full and serious consideration.

To answer the hon. member, the Department of Foreign Affairs is implementing measures to ensure balance in all the positions we take.

Air Canada

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport rose earlier and expected the investors, Air Canada and the unions to solve all their problems. My question was very clear. April 15 is the deadline. If it does not work, what does the government plan for April 16?

The people of Canada and the employees have a right to know. The communities across the country and our economy has a right to know what the government's plan is for Air Canada if it does not work out on April 16.

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, what we have today are the unions, the airline and investors around a table negotiating for an outcome that will be in the best interests of the company, and the workers, I might add.

What the hon. member is asking me to do is to comment on a hypothetical situation. I will not do that.

The Prime Minister

[Jim Gouk, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the coming election is all about trust. As finance minister, the Prime Minister cut health and social transfers by $25 billion. His cuts devastated the health care system, doubling wait times for Canadians. His social transfers also devastated education, doubling tuition costs for students. He reduced military funding and increased the gas tax, without providing increased funding for highway infrastructure. Now he wants us to believe that he is the person who will save us from his own actions.

How can Canadians trust their future to the man who caused all the problems in the first place?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us reflect upon the actions of this Prime Minister, our former finance minister.

This Prime Minister dealt with the deficit. We do not have a deficit any more. Canada is the only G-8 country that does not have a deficit, seven years in a row. This Prime Minister put the debt on a permanent downward track.

We have seen unprecedented economic growth during the time that this Prime Minister was finance minister.

We do not get the money out of thin air to fund health care and education. We only get it because--

Presence in Gallery

[The Deputy Speaker]

Order, please. I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the Honourable Archie Lang, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources for the Government of Yukon.