Debates of Nov. 14th, 2005

Reproductive Technologies

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to detail how significant results are often realized by tenacious people whose efforts overcome extensive challenges.

We live in a remarkably unprecedented era in which technological advances, medical procedures, and scientific discoveries are being rapidly revealed in exponential numbers. One such method which has continually improved is in vitro fertilization. This technique has brought joy to many couples unable to conceive through conventional methods.

In particular, I wish to sincerely congratulate Kevin and Colleen Cook for their ceaseless faith, patience, and hope to have children as advancements like IVF enabled them to recently become the proud parents of special twins, Kasha and Gibson.

Annual Public Health Days

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the ninth edition of annual public health days will run from today until November 17.

This major annual professional development event in Quebec public health draws doctors, researchers, teachers, students, nurses, social workers and many other public health professionals.

It plays a vital role in the acquisition of ever evolving scientific and medical knowledge, enabling participants to increase their effectiveness and expand their expertise.

The Bloc Québécois is proud of the commitment by all of these people to excellence in public health. We wish the event success.

Yitzhak Rabin

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the late prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin. He spent his life defending his people. Rising from the rank of soldier of the Palmah in the second world war to that of Israel's chief of defence staff, he partook in all the battles that shaped the young Jewish state.

But it was as politician, prime minister, that he truly made his mark in the region.

A hawk turned dove, he had the courage to extend the hand of peace to his adversary, Yasser Arafat.

He made agonizing concessions and signed the Oslo accords that broke the paradigms of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He made peace with Jordan and infused the region with hope.

Ten years ago, a Jewish extremist tried to put an end to the democratic process of the people of Israel by assassinating the prime minister.

However, Rabin's legacy of peace perseveres, as does our memory of this great peacemaker.

Government of Canada

[Bob Mills, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this past week in the riding has been a new experience for me, even though I have been an MP since 1993.

I attended five remembrance services at which both young and old paid tribute to those men and women who paid the maximum price for our freedom.

The level of true appreciation for their sacrifices has never been stronger, but at every event I attended, the message I received was the same. My constituents are embarrassed and ashamed at the Liberal arrogance and disrespect they see. The fact that the Liberal government of the present Prime Minister takes no responsibility for the ad scam deception and scandal has shocked them. They are frustrated that the man who has bragged about being second in command, budget balancer, senior member from Quebec, vice-chair of the Treasury Board, and finance minister can say with a straight face that he knew nothing, saw nothing and heard nothing.

They find it inconceivable that this is possible and as a result want him removed immediately from power. My constituents, to the last person, say it is time the Prime Minister should go.

Health Partners International

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Health Partners International of Canada, a humanitarian aid organization in my riding, for its 15 years of dedicated leadership in distributing medical aid to over 100 countries around the world.

Health Partners International turns monetary donations from Canadians into donations of badly needed medical supplies for people in crisis around the world. For every dollar donated to Health Partners International, the organization obtains at least $10 worth of donated medical supplies, including brand name medicines from Canadian health care companies.

Health Partners International also works with Canadian doctors, health care professionals and NGOs to distribute the donated supplies on the ground, as well as with individual Canadians travelling abroad who agree to bring with them travel packs of donated supplies for local distribution.

Since it was founded in 1990, the organization has sent over $175 million in drugs, vaccines and other supplies to 111 countries. The agency is currently sending $2 million in medical supplies to earthquake survivors in Pakistan.

Once again, I want to congratulate the men and women of Health Partners International of Canada.

Government of Canada

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are increasingly concerned about the lack of action of the government to recover the $5 billion illegally taken by the Bush administration.

There is a 10 year old in New Westminster, Luke McAndless-Davies, who has been calling for a boycott of McDonald's to protest the U.S. refusal to pay us back. He has done more on this issue than the Liberal government.

There is George, a firefighter who went to New York after September 11 to help our American friends. George told me at the legion hall in Burnaby last Friday that what the Bush administration did was wrong. These Canadians have a champion in the NDP.

Unbelievably, the Liberals are negotiating more concessions to the Bush Administration and deeper integration with the U.S. behind closed doors right now.

Since the time Justice Gomery delivered a guilty verdict on November 1 on the government's cultural of entitlement, we have been calling for a comprehensive ethics package. The Liberals have done nothing. They have done nothing on softwood, and on so many other issues the government has failed.

Diabetes Awareness Month

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Edmonton—Spruce Grove, AB]

Mr. Speaker, November is Diabetes Awareness Month and today is World Diabetes Day in honour of the birth of Canadian Sir Frederick Banting who, along with Dr. Charles Best, discovered insulin.

Diabetes affects more than two million Canadians. By 2010 that number will rise to more than three million. Rising obesity and a lack of physical activity have resulted in an increase in the number of Canadians with diabetes.

The young Conservative caucus is proud to be working with the Canadian Diabetes Association to discuss the role that preventative health measures can play in the fight against diabetes. This month the CDA will be sharing important information about the seriousness of diabetes and encouraging Canadians to eat well and be physically active.

The CDA is recognized as a world leader in raising awareness for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. It offers support and services to people affected by diabetes in over 150 communities across Canada.

Please join with me in congratulating the Canadian Diabetes Association for its tireless efforts on behalf of all those affected with this terrible disease. I would urge all Canadians to get serious about diabetes.

Yitzhak Rabin

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, November 4 marked the tenth anniversary of the assassination in Tel Aviv of the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin. He was shot by a Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process while singing a song of peace.

Yitzhak Rabin was passionate about safety and prosperity for his people. He reached the highest rank in the military as chief of staff of the Tsahal during its stunning victory in the Six Day War.

This courageous and generous man and winner of the 1994 Nobel peace prize, realized very early on that Israel's security required withdrawal from the occupied territories that he himself took over, as well as the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state side by side with the Jewish State of Israel.

The Bloc Québécois remembers this great man and supports his solution: two viable states, one Jewish and one Palestinian, living peacefully and securely next to one another.

Government of Canada

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are scrambling to hide their latest scandal and buy taxpayers as if the nation's budget was their own personal gift bag.

The finance minister abuses Parliament to give himself a soapbox to launch his election campaign. A budget etched in stone last March, then changed to buy votes in May, is now rewritten as a third attempt to buy voters this January. Investors are having a hard time trying to keep up with the Wascana shuffle.

Agriculture announcements consist of a quick photo op and a long wait, for little or no results. Victims of hepatitis C have waited years for justice, even after the House voted for their relief. Compassionate caregivers have watched $70 million flow to bureaucracy while a paltry $11 million have actually helped Canadians take care of dying relatives. The military is told overdue equipment is on the way, just as soon as the rules are bent to change contracting procedures. Does it sound familiar?

Canadians may not be in total agreement as to when the national election should kick these bums out, but we all agree their departure is long overdue.

Multiculturalism

[Michael John Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday residents in my riding of Dartmouth--Cole Harbour awoke to the shocking news that our community had been desecrated by racist graffiti aimed at Lebanese Canadians. These remarks reflect neither the opinions of the vast majority of citizens in our community nor those of communities across Canada.

Lebanese Canadians have contributed enormously to the growth and betterment of Dartmouth--Cole Harbour. In every way imaginable, business, education, health and culture, Lebanese Nova Scotians like the Chedrawes, Khourys, Haddads, Habibs, Fares, Karems, Toulaneys and others have contributed in countless ways to building our common community.

I strongly condemn this racist graffiti which does not in any way represent Canadian values. They represent hate and ignorance, nothing more.

These events, as unfortunate as they are, remind us that we must continue to do more to understand one another and to have the wisdom to embrace our diversity.

Canada was the first country to officially adopt multiculturalism as a national principle. It defines us as a people who believe in celebrating those things that bring us together, not those things that drive us apart.

Sponsorship Program

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Justice Gomery's report has clearly established that there was a culture of kick-backs and corruption in the Liberal Party of Canada. Justice Gomery has said that the Liberal Party, as an institution, is inevitably responsible for the wrongdoings of its executive and representatives.

There are still $40 million not yet accounted for. When will the Prime Minister institute proceedings against the Liberal Party of Canada in order to locate those missing millions?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what the Gomery report said is that there were individuals who had done inappropriate things and that the Liberal Party as an institution was responsible for these individuals. After the report was released, the government handed the document to the RCMP, so that it might look at these responsibilities at its discretion. We acted exactly as we should have in connection with the small group named by Justice Gomery.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about holding people responsible, getting those millions, he would go after the Liberal Party. He has said that he wants to run on that.

The Privy Council Office has received an “F” from the Information Commissioner for the Prime Minister's first year in office. The commissioner said, “There are so many major deficiencies that a significant departmental effort is required to deal with their resolution”.

I am asking the Prime Minister about his own office. It has been almost two years. Why has he failed to deal with the aspect of the democratic deficit in his own office?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that the PCO or any government department will certainly conform to the law and all questions of access to information.

David Dingwall

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I will ask a third question.

David Dingwall was apparently promised a severance when he resigned from the Mint. Everyone knows people normally do not get a severance when they quit their job, but Dingwall apparently is entitled to it.

Could the Prime Minister give us an update on the negotiations between the government and David Dingwall? Does he think David Dingwall will get paid before an election is called?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Dingwall retired because he said that it was in the interests of the Mint. As for matters of legal obligation, these are under discussion between lawyers. The Prime Minister has made it abundantly clear that he is to receive the legal minimum.

Sponsorship Program

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, here is another one that hits close to home.

Seats were won by Liberals who received stolen sponsorship money, yet they cannot be touched under election laws because the time to investigate and the time to charge has expired.

The sum of $8,000 in ad scam cash was used to pay campaign expenses of the Prime Minister's principal secretary, Hélène Scherrer. Her reward for being a losing Liberal candidate was that she was entitled to an appointment to one of the highest paid positions in the PMO.

Why is Mme Scherrer still in this position in the Prime Minister's Office? When will the Prime Minister take action to punish those who used dirty money to win elections in Canada?

[Jean Lapierre, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I challenge the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to repeat those same words outside this House. His statement that Hélène Scherrer got $8,000 is a total falsehood, and he knows it.

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the member might want to learn that he has to answer questions in the chamber. There is nothing like the enthusiasm of a recent convert.

Justice Gomery's report says that there is over--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I am sure the hon. member for Central Nova appreciates all the advice and assistance, but I cannot hear the hon. member. Somebody will get a question and may want to hear it so a response can be given. The hon. member for Central Nova has the floor.

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Justice Gomery reports that over $40 million is still unaccounted for. The Prime Minister nor his justice minister cannot credibly say that the agreement between the Liberal Party and the Liberal government to pay back the paltry $1.14 million, to which they have committed, was all the stolen money that came from Canadian taxpayers, stolen by his party.

When will the Prime Minister sue the Liberal Party of Canada to get a judicial determination of the full amount that his party stole, pay back every red--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, every penny that was received by the Liberal Party inappropriately has been repaid to the Canadian taxpayer. Beyond that, we based that analysis on the facts in Justice Gomery's report. We know the Conservative Party and the Bloc have been pulling numbers out of the air in terms of what the appropriate figure is. We prefer to base our analysis on the facts in Justice Gomery's report.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in his report on the sponsorship scandal, Justice Gomery wrote, and I quote, “Treasury Board no longer considers its oversight function to be an important part of its overall responsibilities”.

As for Jean Chrétien, speaking of the sponsorship program, he said he had instructed the Treasury Board to conduct the appropriate audits and it was confirmed to him on several occasions that he had nothing to worry about.

My question is very simple. Is it true that the Prime Minister, who was vice-chair of the Treasury Board at the time, was instructed by Jean Chrétien to report? If so, is it true that his answer to Jean Chrétien was that he had nothing to worry about?