Diane St-Jacques

[Children, May 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice released the government response to the report by the Special Joint Committee on Child Custody and Access. The reform strategy put forward by the government endorses the committee's recommendation that children be made the number one priority when parents separate.

Every day that goes by is a vital importance to children who are being exposed to the conflicts generated by the separation of their parents.

How then can the minister justify the additional three-year delay she plans to make these children endure before implementing the federal reform strategy?

[Haute-Yamaska, May 6th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, in an increasingly global economy, our country's prosperity depends largely on our ability to innovate and to be competitive.

As the magazine Québec Entreprise points out in its most recent edition, the various economic stakeholders of one RCM in my riding have taken this very much to heart. The Haute-Yamaska region, whose main business centres are Granby, Bromont and Waterloo, has shown that it has what it takes to compete with the best.

A healthy economy, a strong and modern manufacturing industry, and high-tech businesses all combine to make this region one of the most dynamic in Quebec.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay particular tribute to all those who helped build my region and who, through their know-how and leadership, are contributing to the economic growth of Quebec and of Canada.

[Legalization Of Marijuana For Health And Medical Purposes, April 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to commend the hon. member for Rosemont for putting this private members' motion before the House and for the key role he has played these last few weeks in urging the federal government to take concrete measures to support the use of marijuana for therapeutic and medical purposes.

I also want to congratulate all those who, in their own way, have constantly put pressure on the elected representatives so that this debate could be held and concrete measures could be implemented to help the people who need to use marijuana for medical purposes, who need to find some relief from pain and suffering or to deal with the symptoms of chronic or terminal illnesses.

Of course, I am glad to join all those who have worked together to urge the federal government to have the political courage and the leadership to recognize the medicinal value of marijuana by immediately implementing measures to legalize the use of marijuana for therapeutic purposes.

As my colleague from New Brunswick Southwest said, this issue must be addressed from a compassionate point of view. We must keep an open mind and show compassion throughout this debate.

We have to keep in mind that for the sick who need marijuana for therapeutic purposes, every day they suffer is one day too many. Do not think I am talking in abstractions. I know what I am talking about, because my mother died of cancer after many long years of suffering. I will never forget how useless I felt as I watched her suffer and I wish I had known the therapeutic effects of marijuana at the time.

However, it was unfortunately only a few years later that I learned about its therapeutic use, and I support the actions of those fighting for its medical use.

I will tell you that this decision was very easy when I learned that the leaders of this campaign were those who were themselves sick and had to obtain marijuana illegally at the risk of being arrested.

I think it is totally unacceptable that someone who is chronically ill or in the final stages of AIDS is being penalized for medical treatment that many doctors would recommend if they could.

Experiments have shown—and a significant number of health care professionals have recognized it publicly—that the use of cannabis has beneficial effects in the case of at least four serious diseases. First, by lowering eye pressure, it controls glaucoma. Second, it reduces spasms in victims of MS. Third, it reduces nausea and suffering of those with cancer. Finally, it helps those with AIDS fight depression and regain the appetite they need to survive.

It is also felt that marijuana can help those suffering from certain diseases such as migraines and emphysema.

The other factor working considerably in favour of the use of marijuana for medical purposes is that it produces no side effects, as too often occur with other treatments and which can be of such intensity as to discourage those who are ill from taking their medication, despite their suffering.

[Poverty, March 24th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe the Prime Minister feels compassion toward the poor in this country. Even yesterday he thought it a good idea to make fun of them as he tried to explain his unsuccessful dealings in Shawinigan.

This flagrant lack of respect for the most disadvantaged casts doubt on the reasons behind the appointment of a minister for the homeless.

Will the Prime Minister acknowledge that this appointment, occurring as it does two days before an important conference on the homeless in Toronto is nothing more than a publicity stunt intended to camouflage his inaction to date in this matter?

[Poverty, March 24th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the opposition day when we invited the government to take steps to relieve poverty in Canada, the Liberal members denied us the unanimous consent we needed to establish a joint parliamentary committee to study this matter of national urgency.

Since it appears that the Prime Minister has finally seen the light on this, I would ask him once again whether he intends now to agree to the establishment of a committee that would benefit from the expertise and participation of all opposition parties.

[Poverty, March 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada set up its own task force to travel across the country and to look at the issue of poverty in Canada.

Since the Prime Minister claims to care about the poor in Canada, what does he intend to do to solve this national problem, which generates huge economic and social costs?

[The Homeless, March 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, at a meeting of the Prime Minister and the mayor of Toronto yesterday to discuss matters of mutual interest, one topic raised was an action plan initiated by Mayor Lastman to address the problem of the homeless.

Does the Prime Minister intend to support this initiative and, if so, how exactly does he plan to contribute to its success?

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, March 9th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, according to increasingly persistent rumours, the restructuring of RCMP personnel may result in the dismantling of the Granby, Drummondville and Saint-Hyacinthe detachments.

This has mobilized all local and regional parties affected by the increase in crime that such dismantling could entail.

Could the Solicitor General tell us whether this scenario is currently contemplated and, if so, can he assure us that he will consult all interested parties before dismantling these detachments?

[Child Tax Benefit, March 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, despite what the minister has said, the real value of the national child benefit, vital assistance to many low income families in Canada, which include many single mothers, continues to shrink as the result of inflation.

This is particularly true since, in two years' time, inflation will have totally wiped out the increase in the latest budget.

How does the minister intend to offset the losses thus incurred by Canadian families?

[Child Tax Benefit, March 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.

Last fall we learned in the Department of Finance's economic and financial update that, in four years' time, inflation will have eaten $665 million away from the child tax benefit.

With the budget now presented, is it not fair to say that, through inflation, low income families will in fact have lost $365 million net in four years' time?