House of Commons Hansard #59 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was colombia.
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is simple. The government is obstructing the Military Police Complaints Commission, and is interfering with its work. Furthermore, it is dragging its feet regarding the agreement to reveal information on the torture of Afghan prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, how can the government claim to respect your decision, when it is doing everything it can to avoid shedding light on its involvement in the torture of Afghan prisoners?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I suggest to the hon. member that he discuss this with some of his colleagues. There are ongoing negotiations and ongoing meetings. Those meetings are going well.
We have always indicated, throughout this process, that we want to do nothing to compromise national security or do anything that would jeopardize the men and women who are serving this country. That, of course, should have the support of all hon. members.
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, this has really nothing to do with transparency, accountability or national security. It has to do with the obstruction of justice by the government. It has been obstructing the commission since February 2007. Now, it wants to obtain a court order to prevent the release of the documents recently found in the shipping container in Kandahar.
Why is the Conservative government hiding things from Canadians? I would like to know what it is hiding in those shipping containers in Kandahar with respect to those documents.
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome this member back to his file. He is concerned for Afghan prisoners, but this government has been consistent. We have stood up for national security. We have stood up for the safety of the men and women in uniform. I wish that he would get on his feet for once and praise those individuals who are standing up for what is right in Afghanistan.
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, we all support our troops, but the refuge that this member is seeking is the refuge of the scoundrel. Ultimately, these are the same documents that Parliament is seeking, pursuant to your order, Mr. Speaker, and the government is currently in discussions with the opposition to make arrangements for that access.
Does this obstructionist application in the courts with respect to the commission mean that Parliament is not going to have access to these documents, contrary to your order, Mr. Speaker?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, that of course, is a bunch of nonsense. This government has been completely co-operative. Good advice is being provided by dedicated public servants on all these matters.
If the hon. member says that he wants to stand up for the Canadian Forces, why have the last 300 questions he has asked on this concerned Taliban prisoners? Why does he not ask a question in support of our men and women in uniform, just to mix it up for a change?
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, there are fake lakes, gazebos, $1 billion in security, and yet we stand by and watch as TB rates continue to grow in first nations communities.
The government is well aware of the health crisis. TB rates among aboriginal Canadians are 35 times higher than those of non-aboriginals, and Health Canada has just cut funding for prevention programs.
The health committee has investigated this issue. We know what the solutions are.
Would the minister commit to act quickly and not let this report languish on her desk for months?
Leona Aglukkaq ConservativeMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to the health and safety of Canadians. As a minister from the north, I know full well the impact of tuberculosis in our communities.
Our government has almost doubled the spending on the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis in our aboriginal communities. We continue to support health care in the provinces and territories by increasing the transfer payments by 6% this year as well.
The approach we are taking is broader than prevention. We are also investing in housing, nutritious food, clean water, poverty. Bill C-32, the tobacco legislation--
Carol Hughes NDP Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Mr. Speaker, the government's handling of the HST has shown a continuing disrespect toward Canada's first nations.
The Chiefs Council of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has put its support behind a legal challenge to the implementation of the HST. The Conservatives only agreed to talk to Ontario first nations about the loss of point of sale exemptions after they threatened a summer of blockades and protests.
When will the government start treating first nations as equals instead of as second-tier nations and finally deal with the screw-up on the HST?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member is behind the times on this subject. We have actually had constructive negotiations with the Government of Ontario and the first nations. I expect that we will be able to work out a resolution of the issue over the course of several weeks. We have had discussions of late, most recently on Monday.
I welcome the hon. member to get up to speed on the subject.
Lois Brown Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, through the Prime Minister's G8 initiative, our government is working toward saving the lives of women and children by advancing maternal and child health.
Will the Minister for Status of Women please update the House on the response from the international community?
Rona Ambrose ConservativeMinister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the international community is supporting our G8 initiative to save the lives of women and children. In fact, Hillary Clinton recently said:
We commend the Canadian government for focusing attention on this issue by offering a flagship initiative on maternal and child health at the upcoming G8 meeting.
Melinda Gates also praised us by saying:
Canada is proposing a bold but achievable plan that can save countless lives, and I hope all G8 members will lend their strong support.
The international community is supporting us. I wish the opposition would.
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
Mr. Speaker, if anyone from the Conservative government actually dared to attend the women's health summit in Washington this week and would take the time to listen, he or she would learn the facts about maternal and infant mortality, evidence-based care, and actual ways to save lives. Here is a fact: 70,000 women die each year in Africa from unsafe abortions.
By continuing to refuse to fund safe abortion services, is the Minister of International Cooperation saying that the lives of these women are not worth saving?
Rona Ambrose ConservativeMinister for Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Cooperation is in Washington today to share with the international community how our government is focused on saving the lives of women and children. In fact, in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has praised Canada. She said:
We commend the Canadian government for focusing attention on this issue by offering a flagship initiative on maternal and child health at the upcoming G8 meeting.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supports us. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports us. Development aid agencies around the world support us. Why does the opposition not support us?
Marc Lemay Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, my colleague from Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel told the government about the disturbing situation in the community of Kanesatake. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs downplayed the events and essentially said it was up to the municipality to manage the potential crisis. Yet the government can put a stop to this new risk of confrontation immediately, instead of denying the events that led to the 1990 Oka crisis.
When will the government stop being so short-sighted and put in place—
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
John Duncan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, we continue to monitor the situation. We are working with the first nation to resolve outstanding issues in the best interests of the Mohawks of Kanesatake and the wider community. We believe that dialogue remains the best venue to resolve this problem.
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, asbestos is the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known. More Canadians die from asbestos than all other industrial causes combined, yet Canada continues to be one of the largest producers in the world, dumping 200,000 tonnes a year into developing nations such as India and Indonesia, where there are virtually no health and safety protocols.
Instead of being one of the world's cheerleaders and boosters of asbestos, why does the government not stop giving corporate welfare to these corporate serial killers and ban asbestos once and for all, as the rest of the developing nations have? Why does the government continue to give them money and support this killer of an industry?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, for the past 30 years, Canada has taken a safe approach to using chrysotile asbestos. Moreover, recent scientific journals report that chrysotile asbestos can be used safely.
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
Mr. Speaker, impaired driving remains the most common cause of death by criminal means. It was just over two years ago that our government's bill, the Tackling Violent Crime Act, received royal assent. Among other things, it closed the loophole that could allow a person involved in the most serious accidents to refuse to provide a breath sample. Today, impaired drivers can be charged with a criminal offence if they refuse to do so.
Could the Minister of Justice please update this House on the status of this file?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, it is true. Thanks to our Tackling Violent Crime Act, we have tougher mandatory penalties for people convicted of impaired driving. What we also did in that act was finally get rid of the so-called two beer defence.
In our efforts to make our streets safer, I am pleased to see that our auto theft bill is back from the Senate. I am calling upon the members of the opposition coalition to put aside their ideological problems and support this important piece of legislation. Canadians deserve safer streets.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Mr. Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of la Francophonie.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I would also like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.