Debates of May 2nd, 2006

The Environment

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, what I can say is that I will not commit to what the Liberals have done, which is nothing on this issue for the past 13 years. I was in the area and I met with the minister and the community and we are working on it together.

Rail Transport

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the future of rail transport is still under threat in Gaspé. Even though representations were made to the former government, very few guarantees were given to the public. A petition currently circulating in the region calls on the federal government to intervene.

The Matapédia-Chandler line is for sale. Can the Minister of Transport tell us what he plans to do to ensure that the train will continue to be operational in Gaspé?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question.

I had the opportunity to go to the Gaspé a few days ago. I told the people there and the socio-economic stakeholders that, indeed, the Gaspé had already been greatly affected by the cuts in forestry and by the entire fisheries issue. I told the people of Gaspé as Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec that it was not true that the train would be cut too.

It is in this vein that we are currently working with our partners. That does not mean of course that we will throw money at the problem, but the desire to keep the train in Gaspé is real.

Museum of Science and Technology

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage must soon choose a location for the new Museum of Science and Technology. The city of Ottawa already has eight museums, but there is only one in the Outaouais.

Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage agree with the Minister of Transport, who, during a meeting with the city's Chamber of Commerce, spoke in favour of locating the new museum in Gatineau?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, currently, I can report to the House that we are working on a new museums policy. We are reviewing the needs of every one of the federal museums. I will be meeting with the Science and Technology Museum to identify its needs and we will have a plan in place.

Transportation

[Belinda Stronach, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, almost 100 Canadians are killed annually in train accidents, and reflectors on the sides of trains are good but installed over 10 years is not the answer.

I hope the government will not use today's budget just to reposition itself for re-election but instead will invest in infrastructure renewal to save lives.

Just two weeks ago the Minister of Transport indicated publicly that he would not rule out calling a public inquiry into rail safety. When will the minister be calling that inquiry?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question has to do with transportation safety and security. Clearly, our first priority is the safety of the people who travel not only by rail, but also other means of transportation to get from one place to another in Canada. My hon. colleague's preamble lacked some detail. Yesterday, we announced that over the next seven years, we will specifically step up the application of reflective material—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Edmonton East.

International Cooperation

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, despite years of chronic problems, Haiti is buoyed today with successful elections sponsored by Canada, with a new president-elect, René Préval, and with a new renewed commitment from our Prime Minister to help.

Could the Minister of International Cooperation tell the House more details on what this commitment will be?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for focusing on development assistance in Haiti. Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting the president-elect, René Préval. I informed him that Canada would contribute an additional $48 million to support democracy, education and small businesses, and to improve Haitians' quality of life. Haiti is a friend of Canadians.

Employment Insurance

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development invited the opposition to help her assess a pilot project that gives workers five additional weeks of EI benefits.

The minister also mentioned that she must take the time to look at the results of this pilot project. The reality is that workers cannot wait. The five additional weeks of benefits are a question of survival for many families across Canada and in my home province, New Brunswick.

Will the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development promise to renew the pilot project before June 4, yes or no?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I have explained, this is a pilot project. Pilots are run as tests before we decide whether to continue this program or not. We want to determine how effective it has been in achieving the goals of helping people who need to fill in the gap.

To do that, we need to analyze the results. I want to make sure that we make an informed decision so that if the money can be spent better to help these people in other ways, we will do that, but if the money is better spent where it is, we will do that. However we will do the right thing and make an informed decision.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, assessing is all well and good, but we need action. June 4 is only 33 days away. This pilot project is very important to seasonal workers. Every year, the seasonal gap plunges families into poverty. The government finally has the chance to do something about the drastic cuts made to the employment insurance system by the Liberals.

Will the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development prove her commitment to seasonal workers by proposing a comprehensive reform to the EI system, yes or no?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, what I want and what the government wants to ensure is that all Canadians get the best value for their dollars and that any programs that we invest in really do help the people who need it and they do not go beyond that but serve the purpose for which they were intended.

I am inviting the hon. member to help me in this consultation to ensure the people he is fighting for are getting the best value they can for the Canadian dollar.

Air Transportation

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport is getting ready to propose that the number of flight attendants on passenger flights in Canada be reduced by up to 25%, when the above-standard number of flight attendants may have prevented deaths in the crash of Air France flight 358 in Toronto last summer.

Is the minister going to cancel this plan and make public his department’s internal report challenging it?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, basically, the procedure is one of going and consulting those involved, finding out everyone’s best practices.

We know that there is one practice prevailing in the U.S. and another in Europe. In fact, we are going to submit a proposal so that we can get the best possible ideas in order to move ahead on this file.

Safe Drinking Water

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is still refusing to confirm the implementation of the Kelowna agreement and is trying to create a diversion by praising the merits of the action plan to guarantee safe water in first nations communities, but forgets to say that the Anishnabee of Kitcisakik and the Lubicon Cree, who are still today transporting their water by tank, are excluded from it.

What does the minister plan to do to permanently improve the lot of these communities?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question.

The new government’s program is based on accountability and assumption of responsibility. This should also be the case for first nations policies.

In the coming months, the new government will be working with Canadians of native origin. We are going to define the new framework for establishing the federal action plan and federal expenditures. This is something the Liberal government never did.

Toronto Port Authority

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently there have been repeated questions about the operation of the Toronto Port Authority. Revitalization of the waterfront is an important issue to all residents of Toronto.

Could the Minister of Transport give us an update on his plans for addressing the concerns surrounding the operation of the port authority?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as the House knows, there is a long and complex history of activities surrounding the operation of the island airport. Questions have been raised about decisions made in the past so I have retained the services of an independent advisor to shed light on those decisions.

I am pleased to report today that I have appointed Mr. Roger Tassé as an external advisor to conduct a review of the decisions, actions and transactions of the Toronto Port Authority and have requested him to table a final report by September 1.

Status of Women

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my office has received numerous calls that funding has been stalled for various organizations that advocate for women. I am very concerned that important programs are not receiving the appropriate attention of the Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Equity seeking groups fear that they will not receive the funding they need to advance women's rights. There is great concern that today's budget will leave these programs in the lurch.

Will the minister continue to shirk her responsibility to advance the rights of 51% of the population, or will she stand up in this House today and commit to making the Status of Women a file that is a priority?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member and all women in Canada that this government will stand up for the equality of women and their full participation. I am looking forward to a meeting with my counterparts in the provincial governments to further our work as we work together on these important issues.

Canada Council

[Maka Kotto, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, three weeks ago, in response to questions about the ridiculous budget of the Canada Council, which the previous government had pledged to increase, the Minister of Canadian Heritage expressed an outrageous paradox by answering from both sides of her mouth. Out of one side, she said that she was assuming the commitment to support the arts and culture community and out of the other, she said, on the same issue, that she was not here to honour commitments made by the Liberals.

In the same vein as the logic of going to Afghanistan, has the minister done what was necessary with her government to ensure it will raise the budget of the Canada Council to $300 million in order to help this very vulnerable community?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, the government has always stood behind its commitment to support the arts, the creative community and the artists and performers. I ask the member to wait for the budget and it will reveal the support that will be given by the government to the creative community.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Judy Streatch, Minister Responsible for the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission and Minister Responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women for Nova Scotia.