Debates of Nov. 10th, 2006

Government Appointments

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

—as the head of the Royal Canadian Mint. This is the grand doozy. The Hon. Alfonso Gagliano was the ambassador to Denmark and what did they do to him?

[Some hon. members]

Fire.

International Cooperation

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages took part in the Millennium Promise Conference, which was a huge success for its organizers and for the City of Montreal.

Our government cares deeply about the plight of children throughout this world and is investing significantly in order to reach the millennium objectives.

Could the parliamentary secretary to the minister, my hon. colleague from Macleod, please tell us about the announcement made yesterday in Montreal by our new Conservative government?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages yesterday announced that Canada, through CIDA, would contribute $45 million over five years to UNICEF and the United Nations. This contribution will provide essential drugs and vaccines to treat children with common infections. It will also help prevent pregnancy related deaths.

Our government provides over $100 million a year, through UNICEF, for various initiatives throughout the developing world. This is another example of the government getting things done.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on the topic of aid to developing countries, two years ago Parliament unanimously passed a law to ease access to lower cost generic AIDS medicines for developing countries, confronting the ongoing tide of suffering and death. So far not a single pill has left Canada.

During the AIDS conference in Toronto, the health minister promised that the government would review the law and make it work.

Could the minister tell the House what immediate action will be taken to ensure the first pills will finally reach those who so desperately need them?

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, AIDS and HIV remain an important issue for everyone in the federal government. The health minister has been very involved in discussions to ensure the Government of Canada does the right thing for people in Canada and throughout the world.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, apparently the Minister of Industry is going to review the legislation and has promised to do that. In fact, we pushed him. The NDP made an amendment to make him do that. However, the report will not be ready for another seven months.

The industry minister has promised to meet with NGOs on this issue, but he has not met with anyone to date. He has no date set, as a matter of fact. So far, all he has done is grant an extension to pharmaceutical patents to make drugs more expensive and harder to get.

When will the minister sit down with the experts and fix the legislation so we can get drugs to the people who need them in Africa and elsewhere?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the government is working very hard to fast track the review announced by the Minister of Health at the international AIDS conference in Toronto in August. That review will focus on how Canada's access to medicines regime can make it easier for drugs to get to the developing world, while continuing to respect the WTO rules and the integrity of our patent system.

Canada Post

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is another broken promise.

When unveiling their regional election platform in Quebec, the Conservative candidates all promised to reverse the decision taken by Canada Post to close the mail sorting plant in Quebec City.

Do these members speak to their Prime Minister, or perhaps it is the Prime Minister who will not listen to them? When will the Prime Minister and his band of merry jokers from Quebec keep their word?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, in response to my hon. colleague, if he had carefully read the notes prepared for him, he would have seen that we promised to review that decision. That is what we did. We reviewed the decision. We made certain that everyone already employed by Canada Post and working at that location would keep their job.

This is just another example of the many promises we made for the Quebec region, on which we have delivered and will continue to deliver.

Veterans Affairs

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country will be gathering tomorrow to pay tribute to our veterans and our men and women in uniform. It is our soldiers, our air force, our navy and our merchant mariners who have always been there to defend and protect our great country.

Could the Minister of Veterans Affairs share with the House the importance of taking time to honour our veterans?

[Greg Thompson, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, just a reminder to all of us that tomorrow is Remembrance Day. We will be leaving this chamber, you, I and all members of Parliament, and going back to our largest cities and smallest villages and laying wreaths in honour of those men and women who have sacrificed so much for us.

Last week, when I was speaking in the House, in a tribute to our veterans and Remembrance Day, I reminded all of us that we only serve here because of what they did for us, the greatest democratic institution on the face of the earth. We thank them and honour them.

I thank all members of the House for the support they have given me in recognizing our veterans and doing as much as we possibly can for them. We have some of them with us in the House today. We wish them well tomorrow. I know we will have a big turnout. I urge all Canadians to do the same.

National Capital Commission

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after in camera National Capital Commission board meetings, now the NCC mandate review panel is also meeting in secret, away from prying eyes, as though it were a secret agency. This government preaches transparency, but it has a long way to go.

How can the government claim to be making the NCC more transparent, when it tolerates a dubious consultation process riddled with secrecy?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is mixing up apples and oranges again.

We set up a panel to review all the work of the National Capital Commission. These people have to deliberate, and they conduct consultations at the same time. In order to prepare the work and the recommendations, they need to work together. They have agreed to deliver their report by December 31. I await this report with much interest. We will make this report public.

Government Appointments

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the heritage minister's predilection for hitting up for cash the key industries she is charged with overseeing is not a new phenomenon.

I would like to bring to the attention of the House the fundraiser she held in May of 2005 in the very offices of Corus Entertainment. Fern Belisle was on the board of directors of Corus at that time. He is now rumoured to have the inside track as the new head of the CRTC.

My question for the minister is this. Does passing the hat around a boardroom table constitute a fair assessment process for choosing the next head of the CRTC?

[John Baird, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want all political parties to come together and to pass the most comprehensive election financing reform law ever presented in Canada. Canadians want the House of Commons to get rid of corporate cash, union cash and to reduce to only $1,000 what individuals can contribute to political parties.

I thank all members of the House for their speedy passage of Bill C-2, the federal accountability act. They obviously shared my view that we had to get this important legislation in law. I hope we will continue to see that in the hours and days ahead.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the Honourable John Hickey, Minister of Transportation and Works for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Bill C-278--Employment Insurance Act--Speaker's Ruling

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I am now prepared to rule on the point of order raised by the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform on October 19, 2006, concerning the requirement for a royal recommendation for Bill C-278, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (benefits for illness, injury or quarantine), standing in the name of the member for Sydney—Victoria.

I would like to thank the hon. parliamentary secretary for having raised this issue as well as the hon. member for Acadie—Bathurst and the hon. member for Sydney—Victoria for their comments.

In his intervention, the parliamentary secretary pointed out that the employment insurance program currently includes a 15-week sickness benefit period to provide temporary income support to individuals who are injured or too sick to work. Bill C-278 would extend the maximum period for which such benefits may be paid from the current 15 weeks to 50 weeks. Therefore, he argued, the bill would result in increased spending of public revenues and should be accompanied by a royal recommendation.

On the other hand, the hon. members for Acadie—Bathurst and for Sydney—Victoria contended that it is the contributions of employers and employees that make up the employment insurance fund. The fund should not be considered public revenue, they argued, and therefore, no royal recommendation should be required.

I have carefully reviewed Bill C-278 in light of the interventions of the hon. members and find that by amending the Employment Insurance Act to extend sickness benefits from 15 weeks to 50 weeks, the bill would require the expenditure of additional funds in a manner and for a purpose not currently authorized. Although contributions to the employment insurance program are indeed made by employers and employees, appropriations for the program are taken from the consolidated revenue fund and any increase in such spending would require a royal recommendation.

I will therefore decline to put the question on third reading of the bill in its present form unless a royal recommendation is received.

Meanwhile, however, the next time the House considers this bill, the debate will be on the motion for second reading, and that motion shall be put to a vote at the close of the second reading debate.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During question period I pointed out and made reference to the May 2005 fundraiser held in the offices of Corus Entertainment. I felt that in the interests of illuminating issues for members of Parliament, particularly because the CRTC appointment in January might be one of the most politically charged appointments made by the government, I would like to table the necessary documents around that fundraiser and the facts about who was on the board of directors at the corporation at the time.

I would seek the unanimous consent of the House to table the documents surrounding Bev Oda's fundraiser with John Cassaday, Phil Lind and--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I caution the hon. member about using the name of another hon. member even when he is reading off the document.

Government Response to Petitions

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 11 petitions.