Pierre Pettigrew

[National Unity Fund, April 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, this reserve was absolutely not secret. The very first time questions were put to the Prime Minister in the House by the member for Roberval, the Prime Minister acknowledged its very existence.

It has been very helpful. It helped the battlefield of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. It was a very solid investment to promote bilingualism in New Brunswick. It helped les Jeux de la Francophonie as well. It has done a lot of good in prolonging and extending some very legitimate programs in this country.

[National Unity Fund, April 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government speaks with one voice, be it through the Treasury Board or through the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. The Treasury Board Secretariat continues to scrutinize very closely the use of this national unity reserve. We have to look in each department that used this envelope to extend existing programs. Those involved in this process are working diligently.

[Official Languages, April 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, access to quality health care in French all across the country is a priority that we have identified in our action plan for official languages. Our plan provides for substantial investments in three policy sectors, namely networking, training for health care professionals and primary care.

As was announced in this House on November 6 by my predecessor, who is now the Deputy Prime Minister of the country, I am prepared to put health care access for official language minority communities on the agenda of the next official meeting of federal, provincial and territorial health ministers.

[Health, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. We must seize this historic opportunity to work closely with the provinces and establish a plan for lasting reform.

Following the 2000 and 2003 agreements on health, we are determined to sit down with the provinces in order to arrive at a plan whereby our government is prepared to inject more funding in addition to the $36.8 billion already provided for in these agreements.

As for accountability, we must move beyond this stage of one level of government being accountable to another. What we want is for both levels of government to be accountable to their citizens.

[Health, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the question went in all kinds of directions, so I will use this opportunity to absolutely confirm to the House the firm intention of our government to work very closely with the provinces. The Prime Minister has committed to meet the first ministers next summer, following the good work we will be doing in the next few weeks and months with the health ministers.

We will want to guarantee the five principles of the Canada Health Act. We will want to work cooperatively with the provinces for a long term plan for the long term sustainability of our health care.

[Government Contracts, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we get the best possible strategic communications advice we can get. This was made by standing offer, organized by public works in a very transparent way.

I can tell the House that Earnscliffe has organized its way of working with a Chinese wall between its operations. It has been reviewed by the ethics counsellor. They do respect what the Supreme Court of Canada indicated in its 1998-99 annual report that they respect absolutely those guidelines. Therefore, the ethics counsellor approves that they can do both, advise on strategic communications and the other activities they have--

[Government Contracts, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely normal that Health Canada uses the best possible advice it can get across the land. This is why we organize workshops across the country as well. We need the private sector sometimes to organize some of these workshops and get some advice, the best possible strategic communications advice.

Earnscliffe is one of the four companies that we have on standing offer. This is not a decision made by the minister nor his office. The opposition knows that very well. The process is transparent and we respect it.

[Government Contracts, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada uses the services of a number of suppliers of strategic communications services through standing offer contracts that are placed by Public Works and Government Services of Canada.

Public Works and Government Services of Canada respects the Treasury Board guidelines for doing so. The process is absolutely transparent and neither myself, as a minister, nor my office entered at all into the granting of those contracts.

[Committees of the House, April 21st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the government's response to the report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages entitled, “Access to Health Care for the Official Language Minority Communities: Legal Bases, Current Initiatives and Future Prospects”.

[National Unity Fund, April 21st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board Secretariat is working with all the departments in order to gather information on the use of the national unity reserve. In order to obtain this type of information, it must scrutinize all government programs and activities that go back a number of years. A certain amount of time is needed to complete this process.