House of Commons Hansard #53 of the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was gst.
Rob Merrifield Canadian Alliance Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, the government continues to mistreat victims of hepatitis C.
One of my constituents, Phylis Dixon, received a lump sum and $1,000 a year from the compensation fund. However she has just recently been cut off because she could not prove that she contracted hepatitis C in 1988.
Mrs. Dixon is a World War II veteran. She recently had a liver transplant and gets around with a walker. Is this the government's idea of compassion?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is quite sensitive to the people living with hepatitis C. I will gladly look into the specific case that the member has raised in the House at this time.
Rob Merrifield Canadian Alliance Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, out of the $1.2 billion, just $366 million has now been paid to the victims. There is far more in the fund, enough to cover all of the victims. We know the government was liable back as far as 1981. What is the government doing with the $800 million left in the fund if it is not looking after people like Mrs. Dixon?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, there has been money invested to help the victims of hepatitis C. We are monitoring the fund with care. We do care for these people with hepatitis C and we will continue to do that job in the next few years.
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, the prosecutor for the U.S. government recently said that Mohammed Cherfi posed a threat to public safety in Canada because he had participated in a demonstration at a government building.
Could the Minister of Public Safety confirm whether the Canadian government told the U.S. government that Mohammed Cherfi posed a threat to public safety in Canada? If not, will she rectify these conclusions with the American government?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, I am not allowed to speak to any individual case but I want to reassure the hon. member that due process is in place and due process is respected in relation to anyone who is removed from this country.
Rodger Cuzner Liberal Bras D'Or—Cape Breton, NS
Mr. Speaker, today in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the Government of Canada in partnership with the province of Nova Scotia, announced a project to clean up the Sydney tar ponds.
Years of study and consultation culminated today in announcing a plan that is supported by all sectors of the community.
My question is for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. Now that the cleanup technologies have been identified and the necessary money peeled out, when can the people of Sydney expect to see the clean up begin?
Stephen Owen LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I am most grateful to the member from Bras d'Or—Cape Breton for a substantive policy issue of great importance to the Canadian people, and particularly the people of Sydney and Cape Breton.
Today the Government of Canada, together with the Government of Nova Scotia, committed $400 million to the clean up of the Sydney tar ponds, as was reported on and pledged in the February Speech from the Throne.
The work will begin soon. I thank the member for Sydney—Victoria and the member for Bras d'Or—Cape Breton who both worked hard on behalf of their constituents leading to a 10 year clean up--
Public Works and Government ServicesOral Question Period
The Speaker
The right hon. member for Calgary Centre.
Joe Clark Progressive Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, my question for the Prime Minister is about HIV-AIDS funding within Canada.
I commend his international initiatives, but he knows that HIV-AIDS is a major issue at home too. He knows that last year the Deputy Prime Minister said “it's important to at least double” domestic funding “on an annual basis”.
Will the Prime Minister honour the word of the Deputy Prime Minister and “at least double” domestic funding on HIV-AIDS?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the right hon. member is asking this very pertinent question. For many years the HIV-AIDS strategy that the Government of Canada set up has been very useful to Canadians. I am pleased to say that I will be making an announcement shortly that we will double the funding for the HIV-AIDS strategy over the next five years to $84 million.
Business of the HouseOral Question Period
The Speaker
Pursuant to Standing Order 81(14), it is my duty to inform the House of the motion to be considered tomorrow during the consideration of the business of supply.
That, in the interest of transparency, the government should ensure that the work that has been done by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts into the sponsorship scandal be continued after the Prime Minister calls a general election and until the Standing Committee on Public Accounts is reconstituted in a new parliament by establishing a commission under the Inquiries Act.
The motion, standing in the name of the hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, is votable.
Copies of the motion are available at the table.
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, earlier in question period the member for Medicine Hat made reference to a document which he claims gives my views on a subject on which a large number of alliance Conservative members have given erroneous information over the last two days.
Given the fact that he stated such a document exists, I wonder whether he would be kind enough to table it.
Monte Solberg Canadian Alliance Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to table a document called “Transportation and Climate Change: Options for Action”, a document that comes from the minister's department dated November 1999. In fact, it does state that tax increases required to achieve the targets would have to go from 54¢ a litre to $1.40. We are happy to table the document.
Points of OrderOral Question Period
The Speaker
Does the hon. member for Medicine Hat have the unanimous consent of the House to table the document?
John Williams Canadian Alliance St. Albert, AB
Mr. Speaker, last night on national television I said that Mr. Pierre Tremblay worked for the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell when he was the minister of public works and government services. I now know that was factually incorrect and that Mr. Pierre Tremblay worked for Mr. Alfonso Gagliano when he was the minister but not for the member for Glengarry--Prescott--Russell.
I fully and completely withdraw the allegation that Mr. Tremblay worked for the member for Glengarry--Prescott--Russell when he was the minister of public works and government services and, unreservedly, apologize to the member for any hurt or embarrassment which I may have caused to him.
Don Boudria Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Speaker, I only want but a moment of the House's time to thank the committee chair, the hon. member for St. Albert, for the very courteous gesture that he has just demonstrated. I thank him very much for this act of generosity.
Roger Gallaway LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 29 petitions.
Joe Volpe Liberalfor the Minister of Health
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-36, an act to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable diseases.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Sarmite Bulte Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, entitled “Interim Report on Copyright Reform”.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
asked for leave to introduce Bill C-527, an act to amend the Textile Labelling Act.
Mr. Speaker, it is a true honour for me to introduce Bill C-527, an act to amend the Textile Labelling Act.
This is a long awaited initiative among those in Canada who decry the use of sweatshop labour in developing and least developed countries to produce the clothes that we wear in Canada.
The bill would make it possible for Canadian consumers to identify the name and address of the factory that produced an item of clothing. Labels would include a reference number that Canadians could use to check on the Internet where their clothes were being made.
More than 10,000 young Canadians have already signed the petition, circulated in Quebec by Amnesty International, calling for this type of labelling.
With the bill, Canadians will have access to greater information. It will be at their disposal and they will know when they buy the clothes.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Rob Merrifield Canadian Alliance Yellowhead, AB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-528, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (substances used in the production of methamphetamine).
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce this very important bill. It would give the RCMP the tools to crack down on crystal methamphetamine problems. This illegal drug has rampaged my riding as well as most of the ridings in Alberta. It is a very serious problem.
The legislation is supported by the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties. They are struggling with this problem on a firsthand basis in their communities.
I talked to an RCMP member on the weekend. He was very impressed with the opportunity to have legislation that would give him the tools to crack down on those elements that go toward the making of crystal methamphetamine.
The legislation is commonplace in many of the states in the United States. It is a matter that we should be looking at very seriously because it would give the RCMP the ability to crack down on this drug. The precursor of being able to make the drug and having large amounts of it in a person's possession would be deemed an illegal act. It is something that we encourage the House to consider as we move it forward.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Rick Laliberte Liberal Churchill River, SK
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-529, an act respecting the motto of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great honour to introduce an act respecting the motto of Canada, seconded by the hon. member for Vancouver Kingsway.
The current motto is “from sea to sea”, which is based on scripture. It says “He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth”.
I propose that the new motto should reflect a vision of who we truly are as Canadians. We are a nation of rivers and a river of nations. As a nation of rivers, we are blessed and responsible for the numerous river basins which are ascertained by founding treaties.
The river of nations celebrates all our ancestors and our multiculturalism, inclusive of the original nations and all the nations that come from the ends of the earth.
Therefore, I hereby declare that the motto of Canada should be “natio fluminum, flumen nationum”, a nation of rivers and a river of nations.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today. The first is on the subject matter of hate crime.
The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that all Canadians abhor hate motivated attacks and believe that promoting hatred toward any person or group is wrong.
The petitioners are concerned about the possible impact of the proposed amendments to section 318 of the Criminal Code. Therefore, they call upon Parliament to take all measures necessary to protect the rights of Canadians to freely share their religious and moral beliefs without fear of prosecution.