Debates of April 4th, 2005

Softwood Lumber

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, before the hon. member asks questions he ought to do a certain amount of basic research.

Not only was softwood lumber raised with the president at the morning meeting, it was also raised at lunch and in the afternoon. The fact is I raised it in the press conference following the morning meeting when everyone who was interested in the subject, including I would have hoped the hon. member, was listening.

What is fundamental is that softwood lumber is a priority. We do not have to wait for a meeting in Waco, Texas. Every single time I have met or have spoken with the President of the United States I have raised the issue.

Agriculture

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced a $1 billion plan to help farmers.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker]

Order. The hon. member for Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal MPs and ministers from Quebec should not have risen to applaud this initiative, because out of this $1 billion, there is not a penny for cull cow producers in Quebec. That is the reality.

How can the minister and the government agree to invest $1 billion in agriculture, but not give one penny to Quebec producers, who are confronted with the cull cow issue? Answer the question.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely and totally inaccurate. Those producers in Quebec are receiving funds. Dairy producers do receive funds for part of the per head payment. In addition to that, he totally overlooked the fact that grains and oilseed producers in Quebec were in great need of a liquidity injection. This government understood that and this government delivered.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of December, an agreement was reached in Quebec between the provincial government, producers and associations representing producers to buy a slaughterhouse and to set a floor price of 42¢.

Why did the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, who did not include one penny in the assistance plan for them, provide nothing to help Quebec producers? This is what we are asking him. He had a duty to help them, but he did not.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely ridiculous. As part of the billion dollars, substantial dollars are flowing to Quebec. As we said, specifically in terms of that plant, if it has plans to increase capacity we have programming that can assist in that respect.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier, QC]

You're just lying.

Transport

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it seems the transport minister's proximity to the Prime Minister has resulted in the minister catching a contagious condition, the dithering disease.

The Oshawa harbour requires environmental remediation. Last fall the minister told me that he would have an answer on the harbour soon. In December he told me that he would make a decision by Christmas. Last month he told me that he would get back to me within days.

Why has the minister not come clean with his decision on the Oshawa harbour?

[Jean Lapierre, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, that is because I am not alone in deciding. We happen to be in discussions with the City of Oshawa and with the port authority. We want to make sure the decision is fair for everybody. We are consulting and at the end we will make the right decision. We do not have to be in a rush. We will make the right decision.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Oshawa has been without its harbour for two years. I can tell from the minister's answer that he has a bad case of the dithering disease.

Oshawa's harbour problem is a real environmental problem requiring real solutions. Belleville recently received $10 million for environmental cleanup.

I will ask my question again. When will Oshawa get a decision on its harbour?

[Jean Lapierre, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, first, the hon. member should realize that Oshawa has a harbour and it is working very well. As a matter of fact, it is making a profit right now. He should not tell the House untrue things.

The reality is that we will be making a decision on property that is not being used at this time. We will do it as soon as possible but with the municipal authorities, and they are not easy to get along with.

Marriage

[Pat O'Brien, Liberal, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in June 2003, the work of the justice committee on marriage was totally pre-empted when the Government of Canada refused to appeal the ruling of the Ontario Court of Appeal which incredibly and instantly redefined marriage in Ontario.

Will the Minister of Justice ask the recently formed legislative committee on Bill C-38 to hold meaningful public hearings to receive important input by Canadian organizations and individuals?

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I would expect that the legislative committee will consider Bill C-38 in a serious way, as do legislative and House committees when they consider bills before them. As to the nature and scope of that consideration, that is a determination of the committee and its chairman.

The Senate

[Ken Epp, Conservative, Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe the unmitigated gall of the democratic deficit Prime Minister. Imagine appointing senators from his list while totally ignoring those chosen by Albertans in a free and open election.

I do not want any of this piecemeal argument from the henchmen back there. I want the Prime Minister to answer. I challenge him to stand and try to explain why his list is better than the people's list. Let him stop being such a chicken and do it.

[The Speaker]

I think hon. members might refrain from using analogies with other animals or birds or, indeed, fish. It is not helpful or orderly in the House and the Speaker appreciates help from all hon. members, including the hon. member for Edmonton—Sherwood Park.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the government is perfectly aware of the importance of the other place in the bicameral Parliament. The Prime Minister has proceeded with filling some of the vacancies so the other place can function properly, as it has, in our system. We will continue to do so to ensure its capacity to function.

As far as the reform, the member opposite knows quite well that the government is prepared to consider that but a consensus has to emerge from the provinces in order for us to attempt to do that.

Health

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, another Liberal cover-up has surfaced.

Health Canada just completed a marijuana educational program. The program includes a web page that demonstrates the harmful health effects caused by marijuana use. The problem is that this program is being covered up because it will hurt the Prime Minister's plan to decriminalize marijuana.

Who ordered the cover-up? Was it the justice minister or the Prime Minister?

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure members that there is no such cover-up. Health Canada is always interested in ensuring that people know of the risks of using any narcotics, not prescribed and not for medical reasons. It is important for us that our youth and adults know this information and do not abuse narcotics. We will continue to do that in a responsible fashion.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, three years ago this House voted to implement the refugee appeal division. Now, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration wants to abandon the concept. Refugees currently have no means of appeal, except to the Federal Court, where only 10% of rejected cases are heard. Moreover, the Committee against Torture of the United Nations human rights tribunal has recognized that the Federal Court was not truly a court in which remedy could be sought.

Is the minister aware that by setting up the Federal Court as the only instance for refugee appeals, not only is it imposing a long and costly process on the refugees, but in addition, it is refusing them a proper right of appeal?

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I am aware that the United Nations has indicated that Canada is a world leader in its treatment of refugees.

I am also aware of the fact that the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration has said that it would look into whether or not this appeal system has had an impact. The committee has said that it would propose an alternate solution in six months, and that time is not yet up.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Farm incomes across the country have dropped considerably for farmers over the last few years because of a number of factors: BSE; a strong Canadian dollar; high energy costs; et cetera. Farmers across all sectors are hurting.

Could the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food expand on what he has done to help address this issue?

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

Mr. Speaker, as was mentioned earlier in this House, the government last week announced a $1 billion package for Canadian producers.

Although this is a widespread program, impacting many producers, there is an emphasis in the cattle and beef sector, in the grains and oilseed sector and in the other ruminate sector. This needs to be built upon, the need to move toward transformative change, as we have done in the cattle industry with our repositioning strategy, where I was last week in international negotiations to create a level playing field through our WTO negotiations and through the parliamentary secretary making sure our producers get more out of the marketplace.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker]

I would like to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Arturas Paulauskas, Chairman of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.