House of Commons Hansard #81 of the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was producers.
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry the hon. member may be offended by a free vote on a private member's bill but that is the case.
We are moving ahead on our agenda and one item is the mandatory jail terms for people who commit serious drug offences and ID theft. I hope the hon. member will support these initiatives.
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court authorized the resumption of executions, ruling that lethal injection is constitutional. With the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty, which is cruel and unusual punishment, it is more urgent than ever that the government request that the death sentence facing Canadian Ronald Allen Smith be commuted to life in prison.
Will the government finally intervene with the authorities in Montana?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, that particular matter is before the court. However, as we have indicated, on issues involving Canadians outside this country, we will deal with them on a case-by-case basis.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Speaker, Barry Cooper has been a close friend and ally of the Prime Minister and Tom Flanagan for decades. He is a columnist who has written specifically about the environment minister.
Friends of Science briefed Conservative MPs in May 2006 on its climate change denial rhetoric and 35,000 copies of its anti-Kyoto video were distributed, including to each member of the Conservative caucus.
Will the Environment Minister now admit that he misled this House yesterday when he claimed that he had never heard of any of these people and never heard of Friends of Science?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. Yesterday the member for Ottawa South said that I was the co-chair of the 2006 Conservative Party campaign. That, in fact, was not the case. I have never heard of Morten Paulsen, Barry Cooper or Douglas Leahy.
I did attend a dinner by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association and I am told that two people from the group in question attended. I do not recall ever seeing them.
Nina Grewal Conservative Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians clearly expressed their desire for shorter wait times even though the former Liberal health minister said that it could not be done.
Last year, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health announced that a significant step had been taken in fulfilling the wait times election promise. Within a year of that promise, all the provinces and territories committed to our wait times project.
Just today, the Wait Time Alliance released its report card on wait times in Canada.
Would the Minister of Health please update this House on the results?
Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member mentioned, we have signed 13 agreements with each of the provinces and territories respecting Canada's first patient wait time guarantees.
This new Wait Time Alliance report indicates that there has been clear progress in the five priority areas, with marked progress being made in cancer care and cardiac care at a time when the demand for health care only grows.
Progress is being made, more work must be done, but after 13 long years of Liberals doing nothing on the health care file, we are acting.
Dawn Black NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canada's involvement in the combat mission in Afghanistan has increased. Funds for domestic operations of the Canadian Forces have been allocated to the mission in Kandahar. Media reports today reveal that there is a half a billion dollar shortfall for the air force. This will affect transport aircraft, Arctic sovereignty and search and rescue in B.C. and the rest of Canada.
The cost of the war is rising by hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Where will the minister find the money to protect Canada's lands and coasts?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, do you know what is really cynical about the NDP members? They voted against the mission in Afghanistan. They do not support increases for the men and women in uniform, or their families or veterans.
Being a defence critic for the NDP is a bit like being a tailor in a nudist colony. There is lots to see, lots to talk about but at the end of the day they do not do anything. That is the naked truth about the NDP.
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, 442 Squadron is flying 50-year-old Buffalo search and rescue planes. Only two other countries use these planes. The Kenyans sold theirs and the Brazilians are selling parts to us but there are not enough propellors to go around.
The government promised to replace the aging fixed-wing aircraft. Now it will be waiting six more years.
Our SAR techs are doing their best to provide safety for British Columbians. Will the government give them the modern equipment they need to do their job today?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, again, it is not only cynical, it is hypocritical for the member from the NDP to be getting up and somehow trying to suggest that she is worried about the health, welfare and well-being of the Canadian Forces.
On every occasion we have brought legislation, we have brought bills, we have brought initiatives before this House for support for the Canadian Forces, the veterans and their families, that member and that party in the communist corner have voted against them.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr.Speaker, the minister seems to forget about a lot of dinners. Let us refresh his memory.
Mr. Paulsen acted as a spokesman for him during the last election while on Friends of Science's payroll. Friends of Science says that it was Mr. Paulsen who was responsible for selecting the ridings where these illegal third party radio ads ran.
Will the minister simply tell Canadians who in the Conservative Party helped Mr. Paulsen choose which ridings to target and what exactly was promised to Friends of Science in exchange for its climate change denier attack ads?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, a spokesman for me? I have never met the man. I do not know the man.
What is very clear here is that all the Liberal Party has left is smear, slander and character assassination.
The member for Ottawa South has nothing better to do with his time than to make things up. The fact that he will not repeat any of these allegations outside the House of Commons speaks volumes of the character of the member for Ottawa South.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB
Mr. Speaker, last October, the Prime Minister announced Canada's new national anti-drug strategy. Groups from every sector of the addictions fields came out in support of the strategy because Canadian parents have been bombarded by confusing mixed messaging from the previous Liberal government for far too long.
The Liberals' poorly devised and misplaced messaging has led to some Canadians wondering if marijuana is still illegal.
Since launching the strategy, the Minister of Health has strengthened and improved the messages we send to Canada's youth on drug abuse.
Would the Minister of Health please update this House on how that process is going?
Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, it is going very well, and the hon. member has outlined our national anti-drug strategy.
When I became the health minister, I found a Liberal, government funded booklet which says that young people would choose marijuana to have a good time, to experiment, to relax, to relieve boredom, to cope with problems and to be different.
Canadians deserve clear anti-drug messages to protect their kids. They do not need Liberal Party talk that would confuse our young people and lead to harm.
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Speaker, when I ask the question, the government says there is plenty of money to resolve the golden nematode crisis in Saint Amable.
Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food tell us whether he was more selective in his comments when Christian Lacasse, president of UPA, told him during their meeting, “Quebec is prepared to come to an agreement but the federal government is dithering”? When will there be a long-term plan to help the producers in Saint Amable?
Christian Paradis ConservativeSecretary of State (Agriculture)
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows as well as I do that the federal government has shown leadership on this issue. We have resolved the crisis in the short term. Now we are working on the medium and long terms. If the hon. member were honest in the House, he would see that work is being done on the ground, that the industry is being consulted and that departmental officials are working flat out, as requested by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, to put this problem behind us.
What are they doing? They are doing nothing. They just talk and talk.
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the government House leader would be good enough to explain not only what he has in mind for the rest of today and tomorrow, but for the week that the House will resume after the April break.
Since the government House leader designated this particular week as a week of fighting crime, I wonder if he would explain how that has been going, especially at Conservative Party headquarters. I wonder if he would take the opportunity to explain the difference between financial transactions and political parties that are under the national spending limit and those transactions that exceed the limit and break the law.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The question concerns the business of the House. I think perhaps the government House leader might want to stick to that in his answer rather than wandering off as invited by the opposition House leader.
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, in last fall's throne speech, our government presented five clear truths to Canadians.
We said we would get tough on crime, maintain our prosperous and vibrant economy, improve the environment and health of Canadians, strengthen our federation and restore Canada's place in the world. Over the past few months we have made significant progress in all of these areas with lowering taxes and debt, extending the military mission in Afghanistan, and passing the Tackling Violent Crime Act to get tough on crime.
This week is indeed stronger justice system week. We have been successful so far in moving forward on our plan to tackle violent crime with Bill C-31, a bill to amend the Judges Act which has been sent to the Senate, and Bill C-26, our anti-drug law which passed second reading.
However, we will not rest on our laurels. Today and tomorrow we will wrap up our stronger justice system week by hopefully returning our bill on criminal procedure, Bill C-13, to the Senate. We also hope to debate our bill to reinstate modified provisions of the Anti-terrorism Act, Bill S-3, as well as Bill C-45, dealing with our military justice system.
Next week's theme is “putting voters first” because MPs will be returning to their ridings to consult Canadians in their communities.
The following week, we will be examining another priority: “improving the environment and health of Canadians”.
As members already know, our environmental plan announced in the throne speech was adopted by the House last fall.
There is, however, more to be done. We will start by debating Bill C-33. This bill requires that by 2010, 5% of gasoline, and by 2012, 2% of diesel and home heating oil be comprised of renewable fuels. This bill will help reduce greenhouse gases and represents an important part of our legislative plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020.
In addition, we will begin debate on two very important bills concerning food safety and consumer and health products in Canada, namely Bill C-51 to modernize the Food and Drugs Act and Bill C-52to establish An Act respecting the safety of consumer products.
Taking together, these two bills represent an extraordinarily tough and thoroughly new approach to consumer safety. I hope that the opposition will work with the government to ensure these pass through the legislative process in a quick and timely fashion.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to pose a supplementary question with regard to the Thursday question.
Having looked over the House calendar very carefully, the first thing that is obvious is that there is a real dearth of new legislation, which leads one to the conclusion that the government certainly seems to have run out of steam and ideas. There is really nothing there. In fact, some pieces of legislation that the government did introduce are actually provisions that were previously approved but did not get through, so they are just a reintroduction.
I would like to ask about two bills that have gone through the House but have yet to come back. Bill C-21, deals with human rights for aboriginal people. From the first session of this Parliament, there is Bill C-30, the climate change bill. Both of these bills have been through committee. We are waiting for both of them to come back into the House. I think the government should give us an explanation as to why these bills are not coming back to the House.
I also wonder if the government House leader would illuminate us as to whether or not there are other opposition days. We know that there will be one when we get back, but I wonder if he would tell us if he is allotting the other oppositions days and what days they will be.
Peter Van Loan Conservative York—Simcoe, ON
Mr. Speaker, I apologize if I do not answer all the questions. There were a lot.
In terms of bills that we wish to bring forward, I have a card here the two sides of which are full of legislation.
We introduced a new bill this week on auto theft, which we hope to be debating this week. We introduced the bills on food product and drug safety that I just spoke about. We will be continuing to introduce bills.
We already have an enormous amount of legislation that is either held up at committee or being debated. It is often the NDP that likes to debate these bills at greatest length here in the House. I am very anxious to have the support of the NDP to help facilitate the passage of bills, and the more we do that, the more we will be able to bring them forward here.
In terms of opposition days, between the Easter break past and the end of our sitting toward the end of June, we have to have eight opposition days. Four of those have already been allocated, so that means between now and the end of June, we shall have four more.
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, on that last point, just to be clear, is it the government's intention to designate opposition days in the first week that we are back after the April break?
Peter Van Loan Conservative York—Simcoe, ON
Mr. Speaker, I will designate opposition days at a point when we are prepared to do that. There will be four between the time when we return and the end of June.
Raymond Chan Liberal Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege. In the April 13 edition of the Sing Tao newspaper in Vancouver, the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity said, “The member for Richmond, when interviewed by the Chinese media, claimed that the Immigration Act amendment is a terrible matter, but voted yes in Parliament”. He went on further to say, “This is a serious credibility problem”.
The secretary of state's claim is completely baseless and false. I voted against Bill C-50 at second reading, a fact that is on the public record. This is clearly recorded in Hansard and in the House of Commons Journals of April 10.
It is unbelievable that the secretary of state thinks that such a blatant misrepresentation and perversion of the facts would be accepted. It is being outright dishonest, and such spiteful and deceitful behaviour is unbecoming to the House.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for your ruling that the secretary of state is in contempt of the House by misrepresenting House proceedings, and demand for him to take the honourable step of immediately issuing a public apology and retraction of his comments.