Debates of Oct. 19th, 2005

Justice

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I have met with representative police associations and with families of crime victims. I went across the country this past summer and said that we were open to any initiative with respect to combating crime in the matter of mandatory minimums.

I have no aversion to mandatory minimums, neither personally nor professionally. I only look at the evidence and the evidence has demonstrated that such mandatory minimums are neither effective nor are they a deterrent.

We are still prepared to look at any initiatives that may assist in that regard.

Foreign Affairs

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is entitled “There's No Life Like It”. This morning, we learned that the new priority of the Bloc Québécois leader, our new James Bond, is to develop a plan for the army and the secret service of a future sovereign Quebec. The leader of the Bloc Québécois is intent on interfering in the PQ leadership race.

With proposals like this one, it is clear where the Bloc's priorities are. What does the Minister of Foreign Affairs think of that?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Bloc leader is totally out of touch with the real concerns of Quebeckers. What the Bloc wants is hard-core independence. The much promised association, the link they used to talk about, is a thing of the past. We are back to the 19th century.

I would suggest that the Bloc leader's spies be assigned to find out what the real priorities of Quebeckers are.

Health

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the health minister may not have a problem with the NDP but the NDP and Canadians have a problem with the government's money-for-nothing federalism.

The NDP is ready to sit down and come up with new rules to stop private health care's growth any time. We need new rules because the Liberals do not have any. There is not one word to stop private health care. So much for the Prime Minister's fight for his life.

Is the minister willing to sit down with me and write new rules to stop private health care, yes or no?

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to sit with anybody.

The issue is that the Prime Minister has provided an additional $41 billion over the next 10 years to the provinces.

Wait times are coming down. Benchmarks are being crafted. We will get there before December 31 with the benchmarks across the country.

The Environment

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty clear why the B.C. New Democrats won 33 more seats without this minister than with him.

This week the Suzuki Foundation said that Canada is at number 28 on a list of 30 when it comes to the environment. When the world comes to Montreal, the government will be thoroughly embarrassed. The only two numbers going up for Canadians are for the amount of pollution and the number of empty promises the government continues to make.

What will the minister do to finally stop failing Canada and the world? When will pollution finally go down in this country?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that we need to do much more for the environment. That is why we have the Prime Minister's project green, to do much more, and the greenest budget since Confederation.

The one who must be embarrassed is the hon. member, for quoting a study that lists Turkey as the country that has the best environmental record. As for presenting Mexico as thirteenth, that means that we would take water from a tap in Mexico City before doing it here in Ottawa. What a study.

Government Contracts

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, The Globe and Mail is reporting today that KPMG had found irregularities in the activities of the firm run by the family of the MP for Pontiac.

Does the Minister of Public Works—

[The Speaker]

An answer has already been provided by the Leader of the Government on the House of Commons, saying that the member for Pontiac had referred the matter to the ethics commissioner. I suggest that the hon. member refer to subsection 27(5) of Appendix 1 to the Standing Orders.

Once a request for an inquiry has been made to the Ethics Commissioner, Members should respect the process established by this Code and permit it to take place without commenting further on the matter.

The hon. member may ask another question, but not on the same matter.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is more generally pertaining to Liberal fat and Liberal corruption, then. KPMG did an additional audit on approximately $16 million worth of additional contracts that were handed out and it found serious irregularities in that amount of money.

We already know that some of this money went directly to Liberal friends and Liberal cronies, some of whom sit in the House of Commons now. How much went to Liberal friends and Liberal—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

I think we will move on to the next question.

The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.

Lobbyists

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal candidate Richard Mahoney, a close friend of the Prime Minister, lobbied for Canadian Satellite Radio even though he was not registered, in complete contravention of the rules.

The Prime Minister's mandate started with promises of greater ethics and accountability. He said that the sins of the past had nothing to do with them, but had to do with Mr. Chrétien. He promised that never again would this happen on his watch, yet last month, his friend, the candidate for Ottawa Centre, broke the rules by failing to register as a lobbyist.

Will the Prime Minister honour his commitment to greater ethics and accountability and remove Richard Mahoney as the candidate for Ottawa Centre?

[The Speaker]

I am afraid that the question has nothing to do with the administrative responsibilities of the government.

The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills may have a supplementary that is in order.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, maybe I will rephrase the question. The Prime Minister's mandate began with promises that no longer would Ottawa be about “who do you know in the PMO”. Last month, Mr. Mahoney, along with supporters of Canadian Satellite Radio and other large Liberal donors, went to a cocktail party at 24 Sussex just before cabinet was to decide on his client's broadcast licence. Two days later, the Prime Minister and the cabinet ruled in favour of Mr. Mahoney's client.

How does he reconcile his own promise that no longer will it be about “who do you know in the PMO” with this kind of behaviour?

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that the party across the way never lets facts get in the way of a good smear. Those members say facts do not matter, but I believe facts do matter.

Fact: the Prime Minister cancelled the sponsorship program and established the Gomery commission. Fact: the Prime Minister established the first ever independent Ethics Commissioner. Fact: the Prime Minister adopted a new code of conduct for ministers and public office holders. Fact: the Prime Minister created a new policy for proactive disclosure. Fact: the government has given committees a greater role in influencing legislation. I could go on and on, but my time is up.

Employment Insurance

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in his latest report, the Employment Insurance Commission's chief actuary recommends reducing contributions by 8¢, which would mean a shortfall of more than $720 million in the fund.

Since this option is not what workers want, would the minister not be better off considering the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities and improving the system by enhancing coverage instead of reducing contributions?

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, we have reduced premiums every year for many years, but in the last year we have established a new commission, which is a public commission and a transparent commission, and which will recommend the premiums for the coming year. We look forward to the first ruling of that commission as to what the EI premiums should be.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, take for example the Program for Older Worker Adjustment, or POWA, abolished by the government in 1997. Such an income support program, that workers and the Bloc have been calling for for a long time, would cost less than a penny of the 8¢ reduction the actuary is recommending.

What is stopping the government from restoring such a program?

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal]

As I mentioned, and as the party opposite worked for, we have established a new public commission, an independent commission, which will recommend to the government what the EI premiums should be. By the way, it has certain criteria to meet when it makes those recommendations.

The Bloc supported that process. It wanted an independent commission. Now we have it. We should wait and see what that commission recommends.

Health

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday the health minister misled the House when he said that wait times have decreased across the country. A new report released yesterday indicates that in at least five provinces wait times have increased. The minister's own wait time bureaucrat admits that deadlines for evidence-based benchmarks will not be met.

This weekend, the minister will meet with provincial counterparts to discuss this issue. With this government in such disarray over wait time benchmarks, how can the minister possibly have any credibility with the provinces?

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is ironic to see crocodile tears from privatizers over the state of public health care, which we have been trying to strengthen in this country. The fact is that this Prime Minister has provided $41 billion for the next 10 years to strengthen public health care.

We will defend public health care. We will strengthen it. We will have the benchmarks by December 31. We signed a deal. All the premiers across the country, including the Prime Minister, signed a deal. We shall have those benchmarks for the people of Canada.

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should not be so tough on the private sector because that is where he is going to be applying for a job after the next election.

The Conservative Party supports the Canada Health Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This government undermines both. While the minister continues to use wishy-washy weasel words to wiggle out of promised wait time commitments, wait times have actually increased.

Will the minister admit to the provinces this upcoming weekend what Canadians already know: that this government caused the wait time crisis and that this health minister has no idea how to fix it?

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that wait times have come down. I do not rely on the Fraser Institutes of the world. There is evidence from all of the provinces across this country that the wait times are coming down.

Let me tell members what the privatizers say. The leader of that party today said, back in 2002:

The Canada Health Act, at least it has been interpreted, prevents co-payment, user fees, these kinds of things. Surely in some cases these would be preferable to taking services and options out of the public system entirely.

This means they want to gut the Canada—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Thunder Bay--Rainy River.