House of Commons Hansard #83 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
Guy Côté Bloc Portneuf, QC
Mr. Speaker, the money in personal trusts was not subject to any control and, at midnight on December 31, 2003, it was automatically transferred without any explanation being provided as to where that money came from.
Will the minister at least admit that it is very possible that this is where part of the dirty money is and that it is necessary for the government to establish a trust into which to deposit this dirty money?
Denise Poirier-Rivard Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Mr. Speaker, farmers have long been aware that despite rules to ensure the proper functioning of the supply management system, control of imports can easily be gotten around by all sorts of products specially designed by the industry. Imports of butter oil and milk proteins account for $70 million a year in losses for dairy farmers in Quebec.
What is the government waiting for to take action?
Jim Peterson LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, we certainly respect the supply management system. It is very important for our farmers and all Canadians. We will continue to work very closely with them to protect the supply management system.
Denise Poirier-Rivard Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has introduced a motion to strengthen the three pillars of supply management. The government has a duty to support it with concrete action.
What is the minister waiting for to limit the import of butter oil and other products designed specifically to get around trade barriers?
Wayne Easter LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (Rural Development)
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of International Trade has said, we defend supply management and we aggressively promote it. What I am surprised the member did not say in her preamble is what the loss to dairy producers in Quebec could be if they ever separated from the country like that party wants them to do. This is a national supply management system in which we defend and promote the rights of farmers.
Belinda Stronach Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, today a CIBC World Markets report says that Ontario's gap now stands at $23 billion, 10 times what it was just a decade ago. It says:
Its sheer magnitude weighs on an already burdened economy, taxing the Ontario government's ability to invest in a strong, vibrant provincial (and hence national) economy.
When will the Prime Minister meet with the premier of Ontario to address the Ontario gap?
John McKay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, Ontario enjoys the status of a relatively wealthy province. As a consequence, on a per capita basis, relatively more moneys do generate from Ontario and go to the national government.
On the other side of the equation, Ontario does not have as many poor seniors. On a per capita basis, Ontario does not have as many unemployed people, the consequence of which is those transfers do not come back into Ontario.
I do not understand the argument. Should we be asking that Ontario be less wealthy, have more poor seniors and more unemployment?
Belinda Stronach Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, the government should stop taking Ontario voters for granted.
Glen Grunwald of the Toronto Board of Trade said that the government's failure to address the Ontario gap has resulted in “crumbling infrastructure, declining service levels and increasing municipal and provincial taxes. It has also seen Ontario squeezed financially towards deficits and tax hikes that kill prosperity”.
When will the Prime Minister meet with the premier of Ontario and address the Ontario gap? When will he give us a firm date?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that we are willing to work with the province of Ontario, department by department, minister by minister, on issues of substance. We have been doing that. We will continue to do that.
Rick Casson Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, we in the official opposition have been calling on the government to use all the legal tools at its disposal in the fight to open the U.S. border to our live Canadian cattle. The Canadian cattle industry now is calling on the government to do the same.
The second anniversary of the border closure is fast approaching and prices paid for slaughtered cattle in Canada are once again in free fall. The adverse effects of this dramatic fall in prices is being felt in the trucking, grain and other related industries as well.
For the sake of all those affected, will the government finally initiate the NAFTA and WTO dispute mechanisms available to it.?
Wayne Easter LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (Rural Development)
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows full well the efforts of all members of the cabinet on this side of the House, especially the Minister of Agriculture and the Prime Minister. In fact, the U.S. administration is onside with Canada that the border should be open to cattle coming from Canada. We have aggressively gone out there and we have in fact achieved that. The only reason the border is closed is because of the decision of one judge in the state of Montana.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture has continued to announce band-aid solutions for farm families. The agriculture industry has its jugular severed and is bleeding red ink, and the band-aid being offered will not stop the hemorrhage. The latest flawed program is just another in a long Liberal lineup of flawed agricultural programs. It is based on outdated data. The money farmers get will be clawed back in the CAIS program.
What farmers really need is a minister with the backbone to challenge our trading partners and fight for market access. Why has the government not challenged the U.S. and other countries under the WTO and NAFTA--
AgricultureOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Wayne Easter LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (Rural Development)
Mr. Speaker, what the farm community really needs is a party in opposition that would at least be reasonably straightforward and honest with the facts instead of saying that this is a band-aid solution. Do those members call $1 billion to the farm community a band-aid solution? Do they think Canadian taxpayers call $4.8 billion last year from federal and provincial governments band-aid solutions?
The minister is negotiating hard. The government continues to negotiate hard at the WTO, and we will stand with farmers in their time of need.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of State for Public Health. Last fall the first ministers agreed to establish health goals in order to improve the health of Canadians and reduce the pressure on the health care system.
Could the minister update the House on progress in implementing this part of the accord?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of State (Public Health)
Mr. Speaker, together with Theresa Oswald, the minister of healthy living in Manitoba, we have launched a completely non-partisan program across the country to hear from Canadians as to their dreams and visions on what it takes to keep as many Canadians healthy for as long as possible. Poverty, violence, the environment, shelter, equity, education, dignity, a sense of belonging, we know these things matter to Canadians and we want to hear from them at www.healthycanadians.ca.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. When a woman attacks George Bush, she is out. When a man attacks women and equality, he gets to stay.
What kind of double standard Liberal Party is this? Attack George Bush and members are out. Call a woman, an MP, “dumb blonde bimbo” and advocate for charter rights to be taken away and members are in.
Could the Deputy Prime Minister explain why attacking George Bush is bad and attacking women and equality is okay?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, first, the comments that were made were completely unacceptable. That point was made plain by the Prime Minister. No one on this side of the House supports or condones the making of those comments.
The hon. member in question did apologize for the making of those comments. However, let there be no misunderstanding, no one condones or accepts those comments on this side of the House.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, it is time for the Liberals to take responsibility. The MP who attacked George Bush apologized, but she was kicked out anyway. The MP who attacked women and who openly advocated charter rights being stripped away is still there. Worse, the Prime Minister has cut a deal with him that delays the very equality that Liberals pretend to want.
Again, what kind of Liberal Party is this? Why is it when Liberals attack Bush, they are kicked out, but when they attack women and equality, they get to stay?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I do not quite understand what the hon. member does not understand about what I just said, which is the following.
The Prime Minister, no one on this side of the House accepts or condones the comments made by the hon. member in question. The Prime Minister made that plain yesterday. The hon. member apologized.
I think that is the end of the matter. The case is closed.
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, the government screws up everything it touches. It owns 13,000 hopper cars which it has decided to dispose of, but it will not hold an open procurement process. Originally, the Liberals said that they would only deal with one group. Now a second Liberal friendly organization has the opportunity to buy cars. All the other producer groups are completely frozen out.
What is going on here? What is the minister trying to hide as he disposes of a $200 million asset?
Jean Lapierre LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we have been very open and transparent on this deal. We said that we would start negotiations and discussions with the FRCC. We said that we were biased toward the farmers and we would start negotiations to see if we could make a deal for the betterment of Canada and for the betterment of the farming community and that of the transportation system. This is how we will deal with it.
Dick Harris Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, British Columbia asked the government for $1 billion to $1.5 billion over 10 to 15 years to help mitigate its pine beetle disaster. Knowing full well the magnitude of the beetle crisis in B.C., the Liberals have offered B.C. less than 10% of the money that is needed with no guarantees to the future.
I want to ask the Minister of Industry, British Columbia's senior minister, why is the government so intent on shortchanging British Columbia over and over again?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, it is far from shortchanging the province of British Columbia as it relates to the challenge of the mountain pine beetle. The government has provided some $100 million to the province of British Columbia to help deal with the challenge of the mountain pine beetle.
Nobody on this side of the House needs to take lessons from those guys in relation to the challenge of the mountain pine beetle. The Department of Natural Resources has been working with its counterparts in British Columbia for years on this challenge and we have come to the table--