House of Commons Hansard #50 of the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was oil.
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes to a clinic that is publicly accessible to anyone who needs health care.
How does the leader of the official opposition think that this clinic gets listed with Info-Santé? How does he think this clinic gets listed with local CLSCs in the downtown Montreal area? In fact, the clinic is listed because the clinic is one that provides health care services to the public. It is publicly accessible to those who need health care.
Jay Hill Canadian Alliance Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, while I was in Trenton, Ontario over the past couple of days, I had the privilege of meeting 81 year old D-Day veteran James Montgomery. He asked why is it that the Liberal government seems to have unlimited ways to waste taxpayers' dollars, but cannot support our veterans like him who wish to participate in the 60th anniversary D-Day pilgrimage to Normandy, France?
In addition to months and months of preparation, the Minister of Veterans Affairs has now had another 24 hours to consider this. Will the minister provide an answer for Mr. Montgomery and other D-Day vets?
David Price LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question because it gives me a chance to say that the minister is busy at this time looking for other options to assist D-Day veterans, the Battle of Normandy veterans who wish to return to France.
The member opposite has also criticized the people going over there. I would like to let the member know that the people who are going over there are going to help out the 60 veterans who are going. They are groups such as the Royal Canadian Legion, the army, navy and air force, cadets, the youth, pipers, the padres, medical people.
Jay Hill Canadian Alliance Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. I am criticizing the government, not our veterans.
The government and the Prime Minister pretend to care about our veterans, but nothing could be further from the truth. Billions have been blown on Liberal scandal after scandal over the last decade: HRDC; Shawinigate; the useless gun registry; sponsorship; extravagance by senior bureaucrats and even the Governor General.
Yet the vets we all owe our freedoms to have been left to pay their own way back to France. Why will the Liberal government not provide financial assistance for these Canadian heroes?
David Price LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member opposite was not listening to the announcement this week made on the new bill.
Besides that, as far as the Normandy trip, it was not decided by Veterans Affairs; it was decided by regimental associations, naval associations and air force associations who would go on the trip.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, through its inaction the federal government is contributing to maintaining the unreasonable increase in gasoline prices, which is having a major negative impact on the economy of small businesses, transportation and taxi industries and on inflation in general.
Will the federal government, the Minister of Industry in particular, react in order to stop the negative effects of the fluctuating gas prices?
Lucienne Robillard LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government is concerned by what is currently happening with respect to the steep hike in gas prices and the economic impact this may have on consumers and businesspeople. The government still maintains that gas prices are set by market forces and not by anti-competitive practices.
Yesterday, the Minister of Natural Resources said that he would contact his provincial counterparts to discuss this problem and determine with them what solutions could be implemented.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, is it not the Prime Minister's responsibility to send a clear message to the oil companies by creating a petroleum monitoring agency or by launching a broad inquiry into the oil industry? When will the Prime Minister send them a clear message?
Lucienne Robillard LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, it is clear—and the member for Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques has just given us an example—that the Bloc, by virtue of being in opposition for many years—and it will stay in opposition—thinks it has the magic recipe for solving highly complex international problems. The Canadian government is implementing a series of initiatives in order to be able to meet these challenges, but it also must cooperate with its international partners with respect to events happening on the oil market.
Art Hanger Canadian Alliance Calgary Northeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Janice Summerby was asked about the government's refusal to fund the war veterans' trip to D-Day ceremonies in Normandy. She was quoted as saying, “They can enjoy the overseas ceremony on television”.
My question for the minister is, why should World War II veterans watch from the sidelines today when they fought on the front lines 60 years ago?
David Price LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, in actual fact what the member is not mentioning is that there will be ceremonies all across Canada on that day and they will have a chance to participate in those. As I said before, we are looking at ways to assist others to go.
Art Hanger Canadian Alliance Calgary Northeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, Veterans Affairs is obviously dragging its feet on the issue. Here we are at the 11th hour and it has still made no decision.
D-Day veteran Joe Galombos in my constituency received a letter from Veterans Affairs telling him to pay his own way to the Normandy ceremony. His question for the minister is, “I was good enough to fight for this country 60 years ago and the government supported my way over there then. Why now am I told to pay my own way to Normandy if I want to participate?”
David Price LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I thought I was clear before that Veterans Affairs does not choose the veterans who go. This is done by the regiments and the different associations. It is not Veterans Affairs that chooses.
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. This week is Mental Health Week in Canada. Mental health indirectly affects everyone, whether it is through a parent, a friend or a colleague, regardless of age, education, revenue or culture.
What is the Government of Canada doing about mental health?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his very important question. Along with all the provinces and territories across Canada, we are trying to find solutions to mental health issues. We have numerous programs in place to support this commitment. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research are currently investing over $30 million in research relating to mental health.
Hon. members can show their support by visiting the National Gallery of Canada, where an exhibit entitled “Mindscapes” is featuring works created by artists affected by mental illness. I had the opportunity to see it two days ago. It is very important. We must congratulate our artists.
Loyola Hearn Progressive Conservative St. John's West, NL
Mr. Speaker, yesterday three ministers called a press conference to announce that citations had been issued to foreign vessels fishing on the nose and tail of the Grand Banks.
My question is for the parliamentary secretary to the fisheries minister. What effect did these citations have and are these boats still fishing?
Shawn Murphy LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, this issue is being taken very seriously by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
What we saw yesterday was just a part of the continuum that is going on with air and sea surveillance, and international agreements.
The hon. member said yesterday that he thought this was a joke. If he thinks that for a fisheries officer to go on a foreign vessel for 35 hours is a joke, I say he is playing politics.
Loyola Hearn Progressive Conservative St. John's West, NL
Mr. Speaker, for two and a half years we have been beating this into their heads.
Let me ask the member, why over the last 10 years have we issued 300 plus citations and nothing has been done? Exactly the same breaking of regulations took place this week and just because it is a week before an election call we have a big hoopla.
Why was there special treatment given to the issuing of a citation yesterday and not over the past 10 years?
Shawn Murphy LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, as I just said, this is being treated very aggressively as a priority by the government, the Prime Minister, and a number of ministers. It deals with our multilateral agreements.
Some 14 months ago we were talking about multilateral agreements. The opposition members led by their leader were screaming at us. They were telling us to turn our backs on international law, turn our backs on multilateral agreements, turn our backs on our international partners, and send our troops to Iraq.
We did not follow the opposition's advice then and we should be cautious about following it right now.
Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, the workers at the plant of Acton International in Acton Vale had some sad news yesterday: 240 of them, mostly younger workers, will be losing their jobs at the end of August.
In response to this massive layoff, will the minister at last decide to revive POWA, which, if available in this particular case, could have convinced the older workers to take early retirement, thereby limiting the layoffs affecting the younger ones?
Acton International PlantOral Question Period
Verdun—Saint-Henri—Saint-Paul—Pointe Saint-Charles Québec
Liberal
Liza Frulla LiberalMinister of Social Development
Mr. Speaker, as you know, the minister is working extremely hard on finding a solution to these matters. I know that he is focussing particular attention on the older worker issue, as he is on the issue of part time workers and, in the longer term, the entire employment insurance file.
Sarmite Bulte Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Three days ago on May 4 the office of the U.S. trade representative released its special 301 annual report on the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property rights protection in trading partners around the wold and in fact placed Canada on its special watch list.
The fact is that Canada has made little headway in addressing long standing intellectual property issues related to copyright, such as ratification of the WIPO Internet treaties.
In fact, a recent Canadian court decision has found that peer-to-peer file sharing to be legal under our current copyright law, a position that underscores the need for Canada--
Hélène Scherrer LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank my colleague, the chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, and all members of the committee for their excellent work on this issue. I am looking forward to receiving their report as soon as next week.
As my colleagues know, I am very much committed to introducing legislation on that issue as quickly as this fall. I intend to work very closely with all members of the committee to ensure that the music producers and the artists get the recognition and protection that they deserve.
Joe Jordan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 13 petitions.