House of Commons Hansard #54 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was trade.

Topics

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Laframboise Bloc Argenteuil—Mirabel, QC

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague a question. One section of this bill contains, among other things, an amendment to allow the Senate to participate in the appointment of experts, including to make recommendations. Obviously, this resulted from Jean Chrétien's promise to Africa.

We must remember, however, that Jean Chrétien left the Liberal Party and this House over a year and a half ago. Does the member not believe the introduction of this bill has led to unreasonably long delays? At that time, should the bill not have been split in two? Just one of them could have been introduced, simply to permit the commitment to Africa, which would have made everyone's job easier. Now, once again, there is a delay caused needlessly by the Liberal Party.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:40 p.m.

Liberal

Paul Steckle Liberal Huron—Bruce, ON

Mr. Speaker, that is certainly a very valid question. Given that the member may be new to the House, I can assure him that it was agreed something needed to be done to correct the past mistake. As one would know in the House, all measures and all bills of the House are usually referred to the other place at some time. There was an error in omitting the Senate from this process. This is the first opportunity the House has had to bring this to the point where we can now bring the Senate back into the process where it always should have been.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:40 p.m.

Bloc

Paul Crête Bloc Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC

Mr. Speaker, I will briefly repeat what I said at second reading. This bill must be passed as soon as possible, since it will allow us to provide Africa with quality drugs as soon as possible and at a lower cost.

When all the parties helped pass this bill at second reading, it was in the months leading up to a possible election call. Collaboration in the House permitted the desired result to be achieved at that time. The intention was extremely good, although we will have to wait a bit longer for the results. We passed this bill at second reading, but at the same time, we did not necessarily provide the funding to go with the drug supplies.

When Africa receives the crates of drugs it needs to treat these kinds of diseases, it must also have the necessary infrastructure and staff. We have some work to do here, which is much more important than the aim of the amendment moved today. Be that as it may, the two amendments deserved to be adopted.

Let us hope that we will then be able to achieve a workable system as soon as possible to eradicate diseases such as AIDS, which is wreaking such devastation in Africa. New cases appear daily. The phenomenon has, unfortunately, become commonplace, and taken for granted in recent years. Major corrective steps need to be taken. It is always the same. We in the developing countries have better means to defend ourselves against such things as earthquakes and disease, for example.

In this case, we really needed to make changes to the matter of intellectual property in order to meet international objectives on this in order to help Africa. This has been a collaborative effort by both the R and D companies producing experimental drugs and the generic drug companies. The same collaboration took place here in the House. This is, everyone must admit, a rather rare occurrence. The R and D firms researching new drugs and the generic firms are locked in battle, and there are often serious clashes here as well, leading to some pretty sharp exchanges. In this instance, however, we all felt that the situation needed to be remedied as soon as possible. That is the purpose of the two amendments we are looking at now.

In fact, an oversight occurred in our rush to get the bill through. The senators kindly agreed to pass the bill regardless, so as to not hold up the process. Now we are making the correction in this first amendment.

The second amendment, is intended to assist business, small research firms in particular, which felt they were being penalized by the kind of fines that they occasionally had to pay. So we are correcting this situation as well. This is a definite advantage.

I therefore encourage everyone in the House to vote in favour of this bill as soon as possible, so that we may at last put the finishing touches on this legislative package that will enable us to provide the countries of Africa, generally the most disadvantaged countries in the world, with these drugs.

Let us also call upon the government to make some specific announcements as part of its next budget for companion actions. This must not be just a bill but rather an action plan that will make it possible to eradicate such diseases as AIDS and malaria from Africa. We have no right to leave these countries struggling with these diseases as they are at the moment.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:45 p.m.

Chatham-Kent—Essex Ontario

Liberal

Jerry Pickard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, it is important for me today to thank all of the different parties in the House. There was strong cooperation in committee from all parties in the House and that was very much respected.

This is a significant time to move forward and to move forward quickly. My colleague across the way has been instrumental in bringing forward the issue of disease and the help that we can bring forward with the patent changes so that generic drugs can flow to Africa and help people there.

Does my colleague see ways that we can expand that cooperation so we can meet our humanitarian challenges around the world? Every party worked together very carefully and has been supportive with respect to Bill C-12.

I wonder if the member has some views about the way we could extend the opportunity to work in humanitarian ways in all other conflicts or problems around the world. That is critical today. The Canadian government has been called upon to do things that are humanitarian in nature. We have reached out to other countries as we saw with the tsunami. We saw it in this particular case. We see it all the time. How can we work together better and achieve the goals we need to achieve?

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:45 p.m.

Bloc

Paul Crête Bloc Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious there is no easy solution. Nevertheless, there are some possible actions I can suggest to my colleague.

The first is to significantly and effectively increase the money available for international aid, most particularly in the area corresponding to this bill. Internationally, Canada, which was one of the first counties to vote on this bill, should also be in the avant-garde and not the rear guard of international aid.

The second may appear to be a bit of a stretch, but I think it is actually very closely related. The bill splitting up the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade must be withdrawn. It is important not to create a distortion such that, in our trade policies, we would no longer consider the human aspects, the impacts, and the decisions we make on the international level. I think that would be an important idea to follow up on here.

Also, as quickly as possible, we must come up with a foreign affairs policy that integrates trade and diplomacy issues as well as questions of international aid, so there will be guidelines, so all departments know which way we want to go. The NGOs must also get much more support than they do now. For example, Doctors Without Borders works in the field and is often at a loss when they have drugs but not the people who can administer them, because the protocols and support do not exist, or because there are not enough nurses. Those are the kinds of steps we should be taking.

I will add one final point. Parliamentarians should go into the field and see what conditions are really like in Africa. When one returns from such a trip, it is impossible ever to forget the importance of having a bill such as the one before us. In addition, for a developed society like ours, we must devote a bigger share to international aid.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Bev Desjarlais NDP Churchill, MB

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Burnaby—New Westminster. I too want to comment on Bill C-29.

I want to indicate that we all recognize here in the House and in Canada the serious nature of HIV and AIDS, and the consequences they are having around the world. To highlight, we just saw the tremendous tsunami that literally has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and the huge devastation.

The reality with HIV-AIDS is that it is like a tsunami happening every 10 days. Deaths and illness due to HIV-AIDS is equivalent to a tsunami happening every 10 days. It is absolutely crucial that as a Parliament, as a nation and as a world, we respond as viciously and vibrantly to that disaster that is happening to humankind as we do to the tsunami.

My colleague from Huron—Bruce indicated that we have a process where bills have to go through the other place and that is the proper process. However, the reality with the technicality in relation to the Senate and this bill is not that we would avert that normal process of bills going from the Commons to the Senate. In this so-called technicality what is put into the bill is the fact that there has to be a Senate representative on the advisory council. That is absolutely not necessary. It certainly is not something that we would see as a technicality that had to be fixed in order for this bill to do its job.

There is no question that on the issue of the fees we have to respond, and we have to respond quickly. We do not want to delay these products being made available. However, I wanted to correct the impression that somehow we were suggesting that we would not go through a certain process. However, we all recognize there is an unelected other side over there that not all people of Canada support.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:50 p.m.

Chatham-Kent—Essex Ontario

Liberal

Jerry Pickard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, with that correction it is my view that we are a body of half of Parliament. The other place, the Senate, is the other half of Parliament. Bills are passed and policy is set in this place and the other place. It was not the intention of the House of Commons to have a House of Commons committee appoint those people who would decide who the experts were or what would happen with regard to people that are going to do the future work on the bill.

It was the intention all along of the government not only to have representation from the House but also to have representation from the Senate. However, in the drafting of the bill, when it got to the Senate, the Senate pointed out that it was not recognized as part of that committee or group which was going to make the decisions. As a result, officials from this department made a commitment to the Senate that we would correct that situation as soon as we had opportunity to bring the bill back in the House.

That is why we corrected it and I want to make that very clear. We had the Senate commit to passing the Jean Chrétien legislation with the commitment that we would ensure the Senate could be a part of making those decisions in the future. That was fair. The Senate acted in good faith and now we are acting in good faith to that commitment.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:50 p.m.

NDP

Bev Desjarlais NDP Churchill, MB

Mr. Speaker, the point I was making was that it was not necessarily a technicality that had to be fixed within the bill in order for the bill to proceed and do the job that it is intended to do.

There are differences of opinion as to whether or not everyone thinks it is necessary to have a Senate member on the advisory committee. I think it is going to go through because generally people want to see this proceed. I would hope that had that not been included in the bill, had there been a decision in the House not to approve it, I would hope that the reason that the Senate would not proceed with passing the bill would not be because its members did not get to sit on the advisory council.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:50 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Churchill for her intervention which as always was very succinct, to the point and effective. I know she is aware that there were significant amendments brought forward by the member for Windsor West who improved what was a badly flawed bill in the beginning. Does she have any comments about the role that the member for Windsor West played in the improvement of the original bill?

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:50 p.m.

NDP

Bev Desjarlais NDP Churchill, MB

Mr. Speaker, I know that our colleague from Windsor West kept us updated as a caucus on how things were proceeding on a very regular basis. Previously I had the opportunity to be the industry critic and dealt with one aspect of the patent legislation. I found it hard to understand how a ruling could come from an unelected body such as the World Trade Organization. It would tell a country to change its legislation because it said so, and the country would say that it would do it even though it was not representing the elected members of a country.

I know that my colleague from Windsor West, on a number of occasions, tried to ensure that legislation was put in place that reflected the needs of Canada, and not necessarily the desires of corporations in the World Trade Organization.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-29.

I will start by coming back to the work that the member for Windsor West did on the initial legislation. The initial regulations were badly flawed, I think it is fair to say, in the original bill that was proposed. The member for Windsor West, who is a member of the NDP caucus, submitted over 100 amendments and was instrumental in improving the bill. We can take some comfort in that many of the worst aspects in the original legislation have been improved.

The government was forced to present substantial amendments to the bill. The amendments eliminated the first right of refusal clause and extended eligibility to other developing countries. Amendments by the member for Windsor West also forced the establishment of an advisory committee; placed humanitarian reasons before economic considerations in an appeal of the royalty rate; added a key fixed dose combination drug for the treatment of tuberculosis; and added East Timor to the list of eligible countries. These were all passed.

Effectively he presented a series of amendments that helped to improve the basic legislation. Some amendments were not accepted, such as the amendments on alpacas and others. The basic issue is that a bill that was presented to the House was improved through the actions of a member who was able to bring in improvements at the committee level and also push the government to improve it.

That is the role we play in this Parliament. As a minority Parliament members have perhaps more input than they would normally have. Very clearly in this case a single member was able to force improvements to the legislation. What has happened here is perhaps one of the better sides of how a minority Parliament can work effectively. Members have now been working together since the beginning of October when this session of Parliament opened. Members from all sides have been able to contribute to the debate.

In this particular case, we are talking about an amendment that deals in the longer term with the crisis in Africa and helps to provide the HIV-AIDS drugs to people who sorely need them. We know the crisis that exists. Many of us have seen the devastation of HIV-AIDS in villages in Africa.

Stephen Lewis, a former NDP leader In Ontario, has spoken on this subject extremely eloquently. He has spoken about the devastation in communities. He has spoken of the orphans in villages. Their parents have passed away and there are millions of orphans as a result of this pandemic. It is crucial that we start to flow drugs to those individuals, the villages, communities and countries that have been affected by the pandemic.

Patent ActGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker

The hon. member for Burnaby—New Westminster will have time to complete his remarks after question period.

John VandertuinStatements By Members

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to pay tribute to an outstanding member of the Brant community. Dr. John Vandertuin is a gentleman with exceptional musical talent and I am honoured to acknowledge him today.

At an early age Dr. Vandertuin began his formal study in piano and music Braille. He attended the well known W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind, as it was then known, in Brantford. At the age of 14 he made his recital debut in Paris, France. Dr. Vandertuin continued his studies in music and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with highest honours from the University of Michigan. After a lengthy and rewarding career as an organist, Dr. Vandertuin has earned numerous awards and honours. Most recently in July 2004 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists.

I would ask all of my hon. colleagues to join me in congratulating Dr. Vandertuin on his many outstanding accomplishments.

SaskatchewanStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Conservative

Brian Fitzpatrick Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Speaker, 12 years ago a rather famous Saskatchewan Liberal said, “Vote for me for a powerful voice at the cabinet table and much will be accomplished for our province”. Let us review his record.

His government implemented a useless $2 billion gun registry. His government gutted a good part of the Saskatchewan rural rail network and terminated the Crow rate. He has permitted his tax collectors to harass and attack amateur junior hockey in Saskatchewan. His farm programs have utterly failed farmers in Saskatchewan. To put the icing on the cake, he is contemptuous of Saskatchewan's legitimate demand for a fair deal on equalization.

The House has witnessed the introduction of the endangered species legislation. I would suggest that for Saskatchewan, Liberals should be included on that list as a species at risk.

LabourStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Brent St. Denis Liberal Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON

Mr. Speaker, February 11 will mark the 42nd anniversary of one of the most tragic labour conflicts in Canadian history, a tragedy that pitted father against son and brother against brother. Bush workers were on strike against Spruce Falls Power and Paper Company in Kapuskasing in January 1963.

On February 11, during the early morning hours, approximately 400 strikers descended on Reesor Siding, and the farmers felt threatened. Shots were heard. Three strikers were killed, and eight wounded.

The Reesor Siding incident is a tragic reminder for the entire community. Regardless of sides, it highlights the sacrifices made by workers in defending their rights and their jobs, as well as the potential for tragic consequences.

This anniversary was immortalized by Doric Germain, in his book Défenses légitimes .

By looking back at our history, we hope to prevent history from repeating itself.

Persons with DisabilitiesStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Bloc

Marc Lemay Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, the 8th regional telethon for persons with disabilities was held in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The event is an outstanding example of social solidarity and collective generosity.

Approximately $287,067 was raised. This money will be used exclusively to provide help and services to local persons with disabilities, regardless of the disability.

The success of the telethon can be measured by the great generosity of donors and the work of the 1,200 volunteers who have demonstrated the goodness of their hearts and their sense of caring and sharing.

The funds raised are administered by the regional service organization Ressource d'aide et de services pour personnes handicapées de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Thank you, and bravo for your dedication.

Canadian Commercial CorporationStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC

Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate the Canadian Commercial Corporation, or CCC, and its president, Hugh O'Donnell, on having just won for the second consecutive time the Auditor General of Canada's award of excellence for its annual report.

The CCC is not well known, but we have all heard of the Canadarm used on space shuttles. The CCC was responsible for selling it to NASA. More recently, the corporation was also instrumental in fulfilling Canada's commitment to helping resolve the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, by using its contract negotiation skills to make helicopters available to the observers.

The CCC helps Canadian companies secure export contracts—over $1 billion in new contracts last year alone—and, as suggested by the Auditor General's award, it performs its duties with transparency and in a responsible manner.

The Canadian Commercial Corporation is involved in promoting trade and investment, two tenets of the government's economic strategy. Most of its clientele is comprised of small, growing companies, the engine of job creation in Canada. With fewer than 100 employees, the CCC is truly a gem among crown corporations.

Congratulations on its excellent work.

FirefightersStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Rob Moore Conservative Fundy, NB

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the many career and volunteer firefighters in my constituency of Fundy Royal.

On Monday, June 14 of last year Albert County suffered one of the worst fires southeast New Brunswick had seen in the past two decades. This fire consumed 125 acres of forest and resulted in 100 homes being evacuated.

If it was not for the heroic efforts of the firefighters and other emergency service providers in our community, the results of that fire could have been much more devastating. These brave men and women willingly put their lives on the line to protect others and they deserve our appreciation.

At this time I would like to extend my congratulations to the community of Riverview which is preparing the official opening of its new fire station in May of this year. Riverview Fire & Rescue provides fire and emergency services to 20,000 citizens in the town of Riverview and neighbouring areas in Albert County and responds to over 1,000 emergency incidents per year.

Again, congratulations to Riverview Fire & Rescue.

Free the ChildrenStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Susan Kadis Liberal Thornhill, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the unprecedented achievements of Craig and Marc Kielburger who grew up in my riding of Thornhill.

In 1995 at 12 years of age, Craig founded the not for profit Free the Children organization. Since that time Free the Children has grown into an international network of children helping children through leadership and action.

The goal of the organization is not only to free children from poverty and exploitation, but also to instill in young people the idea that they can effect positive change and improve the lives of their peers.

In the past 10 years Free the Children has spread to more than 35 countries with over one million participants. The organization has built more than 400 schools which provide education to over 35,000 children every day.

I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Craig, Marc and the many volunteers to improving the lives of those who are most vulnerable, our children. I am truly inspired by the presence of such great humanitarians and amazed at the growth of Free the Children. In less than 10 years it has grown from a tiny operation in a Thornhill basement into the world renowned organization that it is today.

Tibetan New YearStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Bloc

Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to acknowledge today in this House the Tibetan New Year, better known as Losar. On this occasion, I wish the entire Tibetan community, here and elsewhere, all the best as they celebrate a most wonderful spiritual and secular festival.

At a time of international debate on cultural diversity, every nation in the world must first recognize this diversity within its own borders. It is this diversity that has always shaped humanity and it is our duty not only to preserve it, but to promote it.

I invite you to celebrate Losar with the Tibetan community next Saturday evening in Longueuil. In addition to being an act of solidarity, it will be an opportunity for you to discover more about this great people and their rich culture and spirituality.

Let us hope that this year's celebration will be one of hope for all Tibetans. More than 50 years after the Chinese invasion of Tibet, openness to discussion seems to be on the horizon. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whom I had the privilege of meeting, said so well, when peace survives, war dies.

Happy Losar.

Belgian CommunityStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB

Mr. Speaker, 2005 is the 100th anniversary of Le Club Belge in Manitoba. Since 1905, Le Club Belge has been serving the Belgian Canadian community of Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.

I want to congratulate all the members of Le Club Belge who, over the years, have managed to promote and preserve the culture and heritage of the Belgian community. The first group of some 200 Belgians immigrated to Canada in 1888 and settled in the rural French-speaking parishes of Manitoba.

Le Club Belge, founded in 1905, offers to all newcomers a meeting place for cultural, social and sports activities in the community. It is also home to Branch 107 Belgian Veterans who have made a significant contribution to preserving Canada's democracy and quality of life.

The influence of the Belgian community is certainly felt through the written press, and the business, political and banking sectors in our province.

Congratulations to Le Club Belge on its 100th anniversary. It has certainly left its mark in the unique riding of Saint Boniface.

Border SecurityStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Rob Nicholson Conservative Niagara Falls, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Niagara Regional Police Service patrols one of the largest geographical areas of any municipal police service. It provides policing and public safety for 12 municipalities and 430,000 people.

What most people will find surprising is that the Niagara Regional Police Service also has the primary responsibility for patrolling 120 kilometres of international border and this cost is picked up by municipal taxpayers. This is wrong.

The federal government should have another look at the Canadian Constitution. Border security is a federal responsibility. How big does the federal surplus have to get before the federal government starts living up to its obligations and starts paying for the protection of Canadians?

It is not that complicated. The federal government should do what the federal government is supposed to do: pay for international security.

Aquatic ChampionshipsStatements By Members

February 10th, 2005 / 2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC

Mr. Speaker, we are celebrating a great moment in amateur sport and a great moment for our athletes and coaches.

Today I would like to stand up and say how proud I am of my city, Montreal, and its mayor, Gérald Tremblay. Mayor Tremblay has succeeded, against all odds, in saving not only one of the most important of world sporting events, but also the reputation of his city, our province and our country.

Despite the detractors and nay-sayers among the Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives, both more keen on pointing fingers and scoring political points than on saving the event, Mayor Tremblay has saved the day, and the World Aquatic Championships will indeed be held in Montreal in July 2005.

Honourable mentions should go to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and to FINA President Mr. Larfaoui. His sensitivity to the situation enabled him and his board members to come up with the best solution for these athletes.

In a world constantly trying to discredit politicians, I would like to close with a quote from a great contemporary philosopher—

Aquatic ChampionshipsStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Hamilton Centre.

The EnvironmentStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

NDP

David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, this morning a group of proud Canadians from Hamilton stood outside the federal government's offices in Downsview, Ontario to apologize to federal civil servants and to urge the enforcement of Canadian environmental law.

They have apologized because the city of Hamilton has launched a $75 million lawsuit against 64 civil servants and four Chrétien cabinet ministers for the alleged crime of doing their job to protect Canadians by applying the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act in the matter of the Red Hill Creek Expressway.

Our civil servants conducted over 5,700 environmental assessments last year. Hundreds of government staff worked to implement this law, and the lawsuit is imposing a chill on them. They do not know whether their government, their employer, will support them or cut a backroom deal.

Seven out of fifteen Hamilton city councillors not only voted against it, they have also written the government urging a vigorous fight against this lawsuit.

It is time for the government to stand up and defend its own environmental law.