House of Commons Hansard #155 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was producers.

Topics

Automobile IndustryOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Automobile IndustryOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member knows I do not speak to her constituents. I think she was addressing her remarks to the Chair, but may have inadvertently got her mind on to the minister instead. He may wish to respond to the question, if he has something to say. The hon. Minister of Industry.

Automobile IndustryOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Vancouver Kingsway B.C.

Liberal

David Emerson LiberalMinister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, I find it breathtaking that the party members think the only thing the economy needs, and I presume the auto industry needs, is a 2% reduction in the GST and happiness will follow. What kind of economics is that?

She should explain to her constituents that the auto industry would collapse under a Conservative government.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we asked the government about landings in Newfoundland by U.S. prison planes. The Minister of Public Safety told us that she had no information on that. Iceland knows, Spain knows, the European Union knows, Normand Lester from the daily Le Journal de Montréal knows, and so do several other media, but the minister responsible for public safety does not know.

How do we explain the fact that the Minister of Public Safety is so ill informed and that, moreover, she refuses to ask Washington to provide explanations?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, I was very plain yesterday, but let me repeat for the hon. member. We have no information or reason to believe that any plane that has landed in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador or elsewhere had anything to do with the practice of extraordinary rendition.

Let me underscore again for the hon. member that the country, this government, has never returned anyone to a country where they face a substantial risk of torture. We are in full compliance with both our domestic and international obligations.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Mr. Speaker, will the minister commit to inquire?

Let us be clear. Can the Minister of Public Safety tell us if, indeed, aircraft N221SG and N196D did transit through Canada, and if they were carrying prisoners that the Americans call terrorists?

Can the minister at least get that information?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, I have no information that any planes landed in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, or anywhere else, carrying passengers that involved the practice of extraordinary rendition.

AgricultureOral Questions

November 22nd, 2005 / 2:35 p.m.

Bloc

André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC

Mr. Speaker, the government claims to be in favour of protecting the supply management system, but tries to alter the Bloc Québécois motion by opening the door to a reduction in over quota tariffs and an increase in tariff rate quotas, while talking about mitigating the negative effects.

With its proposed amendment, has the government not just revealed its real intentions? Is it not about to create a serious breach in the whole supply management system, which is so essential to Quebec agriculture?

AgricultureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)

Actually, not, Mr. Speaker. This party has stood behind supply management since its inception 35 years ago.

AgricultureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK

We invented it.

AgricultureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Andy Mitchell Liberal Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON

We have invented it, as the Minister of Finance has just said. We have protected it for 35 years and we will do so in the future.

It is not a debate about supply management. The House has said time and again that it supports such a regime. It is a discussion about the best way of going about protecting it, and we are determined to do that as a government.

AgricultureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC

Mr. Speaker, how can the government claim to be committed to defending supply management at all costs and foolishly announce to the people it is negotiating with that it is already prepared to weaken supply management? Could the minister please explain that to me?

AgricultureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Liberal

Andy Mitchell LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)

Mr. Speaker, it is nothing of the sort. What we said as a government, and I think prudently so, is that we are working in the WTO to achieve an agreement that works for all Canadian producers, whether they are supply management producers or otherwise.

We believe the outcome must work for all Canadian producers. Our defence of supply management over the last 35 years has been second to nobody and it will continue to be as we go into the future.

Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS

Mr. Speaker, today again the Auditor General blasted the Liberal government, this time for the resource shortfalls and the mismanaged priorities in the RCMP federal policing.

Contrary to the misrepresentation of the minister, the RCMP vacancy rates are now as high as 25% in certain units, including drug interdiction and organized crime, the same units that they claim are used as an excuse to shut rural detachments.

The RCMP budget for contracting policing is shortfall, shortchanged and that shortfall is made up by taking budgets away from units for terrorism and organized crime. Why should anyone believe the government is serious about fighting organized crime when it is under resourcing our--

Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. Deputy Prime Minister.

Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, I guess I can do no better than quote Commissioner Zaccardelli when he was questioned at committee. He indicated that the commitment of the government to the resourcing of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had been nothing short of remarkable over these past number of years. In fact, its budget over a relatively short period of time has gone from $2 billion to $3 billion.

The hon. member is talking about the Auditor General's report. Let me reassure the hon. member that the RCMP and my department have read the report and we accept the recommendations.

HousingOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Dean Allison Conservative Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON

Mr. Speaker, since 1999 the Liberal government has funnelled over $1.1 billion into the national homelessness initiative. The minister has stated that since these programs we have had incredible results and recognizes that this good work must continue.

However, the Auditor General reports today that the national homelessness initiative does not have a system in place to measure the results of the program and some programs do not even target the homeless population. Since the Auditor General says that there is no way of knowing, how does the minister know if the program is working or not?

HousingOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

London North Centre Ontario

Liberal

Joe Fontana LiberalMinister of Labour and Housing

Mr. Speaker, I am sure then that the other side and that member know that they have never supported funds for the homeless or for housing. Today, I have announced the renewal of SCPI and the renewal of RRAP which will give hope and housing to people, the most vulnerable in our society, low income seniors, low income Canadians, aboriginals and women in crisis. That is what we did today and we will continue to do so.

Employment InsuranceOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General confirmed today that Canadian workers have been forced to pay $40 billion more in EI premiums than they have collected in benefits.

We all know that the Liberal government, which has no ethics, never found a dollar it could not spend and now it has changed the rules to say that it will not give the money back to the workers.

My question is for the Minister of Finance. On the eve of an election, why would taxpayers be gullible enough to vote for the Liberal government when it is stealing their money?

Employment InsuranceOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, when we came into office the premium rate was $3.07 and it was headed to $3.30. Today it is $1.95. Beginning next year, it will be $1.87. We have saved over $11 billion in the premium rates.

During that period of time, we have also had the best job creation rate in this country and we have had the best participation rate in the G-7. The best solution is a good job for Canadians and this government delivers.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Jim Prentice Conservative Calgary North Centre, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has again slammed the Department of Indian Affairs for bureaucratic bungling that fails aboriginal Canadians.

That department was supposed to help first nations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba convert their settlement lands into reserves. In the past 12 years the department has spent $500 million, but there is still more than one million acres of land backlogged in red tape. The Auditor General says that the government has no plan and the department agrees that it has no plan.

Could the parliamentary secretary tell us today how much longer we have to put up with the rank incompetence of this minister?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

London West Ontario

Liberal

Sue Barnes LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

First, Mr. Speaker, I will start by thanking the Auditor General for her work. I think the diligence was there. We always learn from the work of the Auditor General. In fact, the department has already started to implement a number of the report's recommendations.

The settlement agreements are multi-party in nature, often involving municipal governments, provincial and territorial governments, first nations and other interested third parties. We will do our best and we will even do better.

IndustryOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

John Maloney Liberal Welland, ON

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. The Canadian Steel Partnership Council is holding its inaugural meeting in Ottawa this afternoon. Could the minister tell us how this new initiative will help support Canada's steel industry?

IndustryOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Vancouver Kingsway B.C.

Liberal

David Emerson LiberalMinister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, I must say to my colleagues in opposition over there that the steel industry has learned something they have not, that is, when we work with this government as the automotive industry has done, and when we collaborate with industry, with labour and with academics, we can make progress in creating a globally competitive industry. That is what the Canada steel council is all about. We are going to create a globally competitive steel industry here in Canada, here in Ontario and across the country.

HealthOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Copeman Healthcare Centre opened in Vancouver today, providing unhurried care for a membership fee. B.C.'s Minister of Health said he was concerned that this clinic violates the Canada Health Act. The head of the B.C. Nurses' Union said preventative care should be available to everyone, not just those who can pay.

Liberal Senator Michael Kirby has called for even more clinics like the Copeman. Will the minister tell us that Kirby's ideas are not those of the Liberal Party?