Alexa McDonough

[Hepatitis C, April 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. Whether or not the federal minister likes it, health ministers will hold further talks next week on hepatitis C compensation.

To date the health minister and his cabinet colleagues have closed their eyes to the injustice and inhumanity of not compensating tens of thousands of hepatitis C victims. Canadians are watching. What will the health minister take to next week's talks?

[Fisheries, April 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, this government is eroding the measures that are necessary to protect the species. The coho salmon crisis is the focus of an open letter to the Prime Minister in today's Globe and Mail . In case he has not seen it, I have sent him a copy. This letter once again illustrates the government's indifference to the hardship its misguided policies have brought to B.C.'s coastal communities.

Is this dismissal of the coho salmon crisis the next installation of the Mifflin plan which has been so destructive to British Columbians?

[Fisheries, April 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

Coho salmon have an importance to British Columbians which extends far beyond their economic significance. The coho is a powerful Canadian symbol as one can witness with the totem poles nearby in the Museum of Civilization's Haida village. The coho could soon be extinct due to Alaskan overfishing and federal mismanagement.

Will the Prime Minister promise to reject any salmon treaty which does not specifically restrict Alaskan overfishing of the coho salmon?

[Hepatitis C, April 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, even Liberal caucus members are now indicating they cannot live with the package. They know that it is not fair or just.

Since the leaders in waiting have botched this compensation package, will the current Prime Minister now do the only just thing and implement Justice Krever's recommendation to compensate all victims with hepatitis C?

[Hepatitis C, April 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the health minister admitted to excluding 60,000 hepatitis C victims from compensation. That is like turning your back on every man, woman and child in Antigonish and Moose Jaw because it would cost money.

What will it take for the Minister of Health to finally admit that his decision to exclude so many victims was not based on compassion or humanity? Why will he not admit this policy was worked out with a calculator?

[Health, March 31st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, today's cabinet tobacco go around is just a smokescreen to hide the many things the minister does not want to talk about. No new money for health transfers. Inadequate compensation for hepatitis C victims. Continuing chaos in the health protection branch. More cave-ins to the multinational drug companies.

How can the Minister of Health pretend to be in charge? How can he do his job when every major health decision is being made by the Minister of Finance?

[Hepatitis C, March 31st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the health minister. I hope today the back doors are locked.

Can the minister tell this House, without blaming the provinces and without hiding behind the lawyers, does he think the hepatitis C victims infected before 1986 have been treated justly and fairly?

[Millennium Scholarships, March 30th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, if this government would not keep engaging in unilateralism it would not always have to be scrambling to do damage control.

With the millennium fund unilateralism did not work. Unilateralism will never work. It just gives separatists another cause célèbre. Bilateralism will not work either.

In the spirit of co-operative federalism, will the government agree to meet with all the premiers to ensure that the education funds are allocated to meet the real and pressing needs of our students?

[Millennium Scholarships, March 30th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, by agreeing to negotiate with Quebec on the millennium fund, the Prime Minister is acknowledging the failure of his unilateral approach. The other provinces also have reservations about the millennium fund.

Is the Prime Minister prepared to discuss with all the provinces to determine the use to be made of the money available for students?

[Banking, March 27th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister conveniently ignored the question about fast tracking foreign banks.

If the financial services report is so important, why not defer the foreign banks issue as well until after the task force report?

Should we not consider foreign banks at the same that we consider the megabank merger? Why does the government not cool its jets on foreign banks legislation until after the financial services task force report, or are the interests of Canadian citizens and Canadian communities not as important to the government as the interests of foreign banks and financial elites?