Debates of Feb. 4th, 2005

Aboriginal Affairs

[Roy Cullen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the government is studying the report from the Assembly of First Nations. I should say that it takes some time for a program to get ramped up. As it is now, these claims are being settled.

The government is mindful of some of the recommendations and supports some of the recommendations coming out of that report, and will be responding in due course.

National Defence

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the words of the military ombudsman, it was the “reliance upon the spurious claim of national security” that resulted in World War II veterans, who participated in chemical warfare experiments, to wait over 60 years for compensation.

JTF-2 troop injuries are also not reported due to concerns over the Official Secrets Act.

Why does the defence minister say that denying disabled special forces veterans' pensions is just a silly little problem about filling out a few forms?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I answered that question in the House the other day and, judging from today's question, I can only assume that the hon. member left after she asked the question and did not stay to listen to the answer.

As I explained to her, there is a problem. The JTF-2 forces know that their operations are secret. However in order for the Department of Veterans Affairs and ourselves to ensure they receive their appropriate pensions, we must find a way to reserve their right to privacy and the secrecy concerns.

The department is working on it. We have not denied the rightfulness of their claims but we must find a way in which we can do it consistent with the appropriateness of the system. We are finding that--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound.

Veterans Affairs

[Larry Miller, Conservative, Grey—Bruce—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when a country goes to war, it is a big undertaking. From troops on land, sea and air, to the supply ships and crews who provide troops with a means to carry out their mission.

After much urging from the opposition, this government reluctantly spent $1,000 per veteran to supplement their return to Europe for the 60th anniversary of Normandy.

Will the minister confirm that members of the Merchant Navy, who participated in the 60th anniversary ceremonies in May in Murmansk, Russia, will also receive the same $1,000 travel subsidy?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question. I will have to take that under advisement and the veterans affairs minister will get back with an answer in the House next week.

Agriculture

[Denise Poirier-Rivard, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec farmers, along with the Bloc Québécois, are speaking out against the federal government's inaction in managing the mad cow crisis. The federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food had set aside money to help cattle producers, but the measures proposed were not adequate.

If the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food wants to do something useful for Quebec producers, why is he not doing his part by providing $11.4 million, which would represent 60% of the cost of production, making it possible to set a floor price of 42¢ a pound?

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that actions have been taken. For instance, the Canadian Dairy Commission has provided a $5 increase in the price of milk, a portion of which has been allocated to deal with the issue of older animals.

Second, in the contemplated rule change that the U.S. has put forward, the ability to ship meat from older animals is one of the considerations and this would have a positive impact.

Finally, as the hon. member knows, we have been working very closely with the officials in the province of Quebec to determine what additional measures would be in order.

[Denise Poirier-Rivard, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during a meeting with the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Quebec's cattle producers repeated that the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food's plan did not meet their needs. One way to improve the minister's plan would be to provide financial support for the two proposals to purchase slaughterhouses, which would have a solid impact on Quebec's cattle production.

Will the minister respond favourably to the wishes of Quebec farmers?

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear about our public policy in respect of slaughter capacity. We will support projects that increase the amount of capacity available to producers. That is the public policy. I have made it very clear to officials in Quebec that any proposal which deals with increasing capacity will be looked at very carefully.

Citizenship and Immigration

[James Rajotte, Conservative, Edmonton—Leduc, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Edmonton has not had a citizenship judge since July 3, 2004. This is completely unacceptable. I wrote to the former immigration minister in September 2004. I never even got an acknowledgment or a response.

Currently there are 4,000 people in Edmonton who are patiently waiting in line to be sworn in as citizens of this country, but the fact is that there is no judge to do it. There is a seven month wait. That is completely unacceptable. Why do people in Edmonton have to wait seven months to be sworn in as citizens of this country? When will a judge finally be appointed in Edmonton?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, Canada is recognized for both the fairness and the diligence of our immigration system. I know that the minister is working very hard to address the issue the hon. member has raised. We look forward to addressing it in the coming weeks and months.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Clarington—Scugog—Uxbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week CBC reduced Ukrainian programming on Radio Canada International from three and a half hours per week to one hour.

Ukrainians deserve to have a reliable source of programming from a Canadian perspective and Canadians want our voices and values broadcast abroad. After playing a leading role in supporting millions in the lead-up to their elections and after, turning our backs on Ukrainians now is inexcusable. What will this government do to restore programs and ensure that Ukrainians do not lose any service on RCI?

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by first congratulating RCI for the wonderful job it does internationally. It is something we should be very proud of.

Let me also thank RCI and the CBC for actually postponing any kind of decision whatsoever to reduce programming to Ukrainians during the election. I would ask this House to commend CBC Radio-Canada and RCI for the fabulous job they did leading up to the elections in Ukraine.

Public Works and Government Services

[Roy Cullen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. For some time now, unlike certain opportunistic opposition members, I have been working with the Department of Public Works and Government Services to allow companies that manufacture Canadian lapel pins in Canada, companies such as Bursan Limited in my riding of Etobicoke North, to be able to compete on a level playing field.

I would like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Government Services to--

[The Deputy Speaker]

Order, please. I am afraid this is my mistake, but of course a parliamentary secretary cannot ask a question of his own cabinet. I inadvertently recognized the member. I am sorry.

Human Resources

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Langley lies a 43-year-old woman who is dying of cancer and has only weeks to live. Her sister has left her job and home to come and care for her. EI has denied the sister the compassionate care benefit.

Under the sloppy legislation brought in by this Liberal government, a sibling is not considered family. This dying woman has no husband and no children. Her sister is her family. Will the minister of human resources act now and immediately close this loophole so that the--

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

[Jacques Saada, Liberal, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister responsible for the Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, I am very much aware of the case of Ms. Brenda Armstrong and her sister who would like to assist, Theresa Flottvik. I would like to thank the member opposite for the letter that he sent to our minister. The minister is very sensitive to the human considerations in this file. She has undertaken to look at the file and get back to the gentleman in the near future.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the EI act allows for the category of “other” to claim the benefit, but the year-old bill neglected to the define the word “other”. EI staff will not assume that it includes a sibling. The minister has the responsibility to correct this now and can make the necessary changes to include siblings under the definition of “other”. I want to hear from that minister. Will this minister immediately make these changes to allow this family to stay together?

[Jacques Saada, Liberal, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister responsible for the Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, I can only reiterate the fact that the minister is very concerned with the issue and she will get back to the member opposite in the very near future.

Francophone and Acadian Communities

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

Mr. Speaker, when I asked the Minister of Canadian Heritage yesterday whether she had interceded with her colleague from Finance concerning the renewal of agreements between Canada and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, she was evasive.

I ask her again today: did she or did she not intercede with her colleague from Finance to ensure that the government will act on the FCFA's request to increase the funding levels for the Canada-communities agreements to $42 million annually, beginning with the upcoming budget?

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what the minister said in the House yesterday. She is working with the community, with the minority community and with her officials. They are working to find the proper solution, but at this time I should like to also point out that the department has invested over $300 million since 1994 to support the development of official language minority communities throughout Canada and we should be proud of that.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of State for Public Health. In light of all the warnings recently from the World Health Organization about a potentially catastrophic flu outbreak, what are the measures being taken by the federal government to protect Canadians against an influenza pandemic?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of State (Public Health)]

Mr. Speaker, the World Health Organization has called the pandemic influenza plan for Canada one of the best in the world. I believe that is because of the amazing cooperation of the federal-provincial-territorial committee on this. One of their strong recommendations was the purchase of antivirals.

I am pleased to announce to the House that the Minister of Health this afternoon will be announcing an unprecedented investment of $24 million into the purchase of stockpiled antivirals to make sure that we will be ready before the vaccines can be available.