Stan Keyes

[Standing Orders Of The House, April 8th, 1997]

Madam Speaker, despite the doom and gloom scenario and the obvious lack of knowledge exhibited by the member opposite on this issue and the work being done by the Minister of Transport on this very issue, the severe weather this winter has had a significant impact on rail movement in western Canada, in particular for grain deliveries to the west coast.

Unseasonably cold weather and heavy snow in November, December and January had a serious impact on rail operations at a critically important time of the year for grain deliveries. Fortunately the situation on the prairies and the west coast has improved. As of April 2 there were 14 vessels waiting for grain on the west coast compared with 20 the week before and 39 vessels the week before that. This marked improvement is the direct result of the combined efforts of all system participants to get the grain moving again.

However, the delivery problems encountered this winter show that the grain transportation and handling system continues to be vulnerable. We have a responsibility to ensure Canada has the most efficient, effective and reliable grain transportation and handling system possible.

This government intends to use this season's events as an opportunity. In this regard the Minister of Transport is currently evaluating several proposals designed to look at the entire grain transportation system with the objective of making it better. In the short term, the Minister of Transport is continuing to actively monitor the performance of the grain transportation system to ensure that any remaining backlog of grain is cleared up as quickly as possible.

[Transport, March 7th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Davenport asks an important question. I want him to take comfort in the fact that safety is and will always be Transport Canada's number one priority.

Even before the recommendations by the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada limited the carriage of 80 dangerous goods in the tanker cars the member is concerned about.

With respect to the recommendation made by the TSB, Transport Canada has already eliminated two of sixteen dangerous goods and is doing a thorough examination of the remainder. Work is already in progress to upgrade the strength of the tanker cars.

[McMaster University, March 7th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in the House today in recognition of the achievement of McMaster University in my riding of Hamilton West.

McMaster consistently ranks in the top five medical doctoral universities in Maclean's magazine's annual university rankings. In the fall of last year the UN flag was raised on campus, instituting McMaster as North America's first campus of the United Nations University Network on Water, health and the Environment.

Now McMaster has been honoured in Newsweek magazine's annual guide to graduate schools as one of six innovative medical schools in North America. McMaster is credited with being the birth place of problem based learning where medical students worked on real or simulated patient cases in a clinical setting.

McMaster president, Dr. Peter George, says that the Newsweek honour is a fitting tribute to the leadership of then university president Dr. Harry Thode and the founding dean of the new medical school, Dr. Jean Evans.

Since its inception in 1965, the McMaster approach to teaching and learning medicine has attracted worldwide attention.

On behalf of my constituents of Hamilton West, I applaud McMaster for its leadership in this field and congratulate the president, Dr. Peter George.

[Tobacco Act, March 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I was just indicating that I would like to table these documents and I was getting them ready for the page.

The World Health Organization states: "The tobacco industry uses the sponsoring of sports and entertainment to complement and/or replace other marketing activities to reach large audiences and to associate their products with positive images", maybe like balloons-

[Tobacco Act, March 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I listened very carefully to the member opposite and other members of the official opposition.

The member said he is tired of listening to the demagoguery of the government members who support Bill C-71. He contends that there is no link between sponsorship promotion and tobacco consumption. It is his party's only argument to justify its position on Bill C-71.

How does the member opposite respond the mounds of studies and information, the substantial evidence that establishes that there is in fact a link between sponsorship promotion and the consumption of tobacco?

The National Cancer Institute of Canada stated: "There is substantial evidence that young people are aware of and respond to cigarette advertising. Advertisements present images that appeal to the young and are seen and remembered by them. Images are used in tobacco marketing rather than information to portray the attractiveness of the function of smoking. The human models and cartoon like characters used in advertising convey independence and strong self-concepts, helpfulness, social acceptance, adventure seeking, attractive role models and youth activities, thus appealing to youth and tapping into area relevant to important development tasks".

What about the information that we receive from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that says: "Evidence from social, psychological and marketing research shows image based advertising such as employed by the cigarette and smokeless tobacco industry is particularly effective with young people and that the information

conveyed by imagery is likely to be more significant to young people than information conveyed by other means in advertising".

The American Psychological Association provided expert opinion with specific citation to numerous studies to show that tobacco advertising plays directly to the factors that are central to children and adolescence and thus plays an important role in their decision to use tobacco. How does the hon. member refute this evidence?

I would be glad for the hon. member's perusal to table this evidence that I am speaking of. The World Health Organization-

[Aéroports De Montréal, March 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member that each and every committee of the House is the master of its own destiny.

If the hon. member would like to bring his suggestions to the transport committee, I am sure its chair, the hon. member for Winnipeg South, would be more than happy to entertain them and possibly have a day on the very issues about which the member is speaking.

[Pensions, February 21st, 1997]

There are children in the gallery.

[Tobacco Act, February 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as always, I remind myself that it is a privilege for me to speak in the House on behalf of the constituents of Hamilton West, more specifically, the constituents, Ms. Smith, Mr. Sullivan, Harper's Wholesale, Food Fare Variety and others who have expressed concerns that measures contained in Bill C-71 could, if passed, as presently written do a number of things.

First, increase a company's operations costs by requiring extensive monthly sales reports by brand and by customer. Second, further increase costs by forcing them to replace staff under 18 years of age who will be prohibited from handling tobacco products. Third, prevent a company from doing business by putting a gag on sales reps who will not be allowed to comment on tobacco products. Fourth, force many retailers to close their doors because of loss of revenue from increased costs of redesigning their stores to comply with display regulations.

I have done a little homework on these concerns and I am happy to say that this moment I can dispel these myths. So let us deal with the last question first.

In the government's consultative document "Tobacco Control: A Blueprint to Protect the Health of Canadians", it was proposed that only one pack of cigarettes per brand be exposed for sale at retail. The purpose of the proposal was to reduce the inducement youth to purchase tobacco products while at the same time providing adult customers with information regarding brand availability.

During consultations with the retail sector on the blueprint, it became apparent that this proposal would not be practical and would involve additional expenses for retailers. Because of the concerns expressed by them during consultations, the blueprint proposal was not carried forward into Bill C-72, the tobacco act. So retailers can continue to display products for sale. Retailers along with other interested parties will be consulted regarding the development of any regulations or policy guidelines concerning product display.

On the subject of display, my constituents are concerned that once the legislation comes into effect retailers will have to lock up the tobacco products they sell. While Bill C-71 does not require retailers to lock up tobacco products for sale in their stores, it prohibits, except in duty free stores, self-serve displays which allow the customers to handle the tobacco product before paying for it.

In addition self-serve displays create the impression that tobacco products are as harmless and ordinary as other consumer goods offered for sale in the same manner. So we have to balance that particular scenario.

Let us address the myth that Bill C-71 is a massive and unwarranted assault on retailers who will lose money and may have to fire every employee under 18. The federal government's objective is to reduce the demand for tobacco products and to restrict youth access to tobacco. The government does not intend to licence retailers who can or cannot sell tobacco products. Each and every retailer who now sells tobacco products will be able to continue to sell those products. There is no provision in Bill C-71 restricting the age of persons selling or handling tobacco products and there is no offence for possessing tobacco products.

Retailers will continue to be able to hire persons under the age of 18 to sell or deliver tobacco products. The government's objective is to prevent the sale of tobacco products to minors.

With respect to the point about requiring extensive monthly sales reports, reporting requirements will be the same. They will be the same as they were under the previous tobacco control legislation, the Tobacco Products Control Act, which was in effect from 1988 to 1995.

I will discuss the myth that there would be a gag on sales representatives. In his wisdom, the Minister of Health has amended clause 18 in Bill C-71 by replacing lines 18 to 20 on page 7 with the following:

-a promotion by a tobacco grower or a manufacturer that is directed at tobacco growers, manufacturers, persons who distribute tobacco products or retailers but not, either directly or indirectly, at consumers.

In short, Bill C-71 restricts tobacco advertising and promotions that affect the public, not communications within the tobacco industry. This change to the application clause of the bill will provide a greater certainty that internal business communications are not caught by the bill.

On behalf of these constituents and many other constituents of my colleagues I have spoken to on this matter, I hope their serious concerns have been addressed in Bill C-71.

[Supply, February 13th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the hon. member that the Canada infrastructure program was done in concert with the provincial government and the municipalities. Those spending decisions were not patronage spending decisions made by the government; they were made by the municipalities. This was a municipally led program. They determined where the money would be spent. They came to the Ontario and federal governments, or in his case B.C. and federal governments, and received the funding necessary for the municipality.

The member should not be talking about patronage funding coming from the federal government. That is ridiculous.

I found it quite entertaining and interesting to listen to the hon. member about Pearson airport. He does mention there were Liberal players involved in the Pearson airport deal. Yes, absolutely. We admit that there were. But it is this government that is standing up and defending the Canadian taxpayer by saying that we do not care if there was a Liberal involved with Pearson Development Corporation or a Conservative involved with Pearson Development Corporation. This is the corporation that came together because Paxport, the deal hatched by the Tories and Brian Mulroney's fundraiser, did not work.

We are saying that no matter if they were Liberals or Tories who were involved in Pearson Development Corporation, they are still only entitled to the money they spent on the project. They are entitled to $30 million, $40 million or $50 million, not the $600 million the hon. member is defending that these individuals should receive.

Where does the hon. member stand? Is he defending the Canadian taxpayer saying that the consortium is only entitled to what they spent or is he saying that they are entitled to $600 million? We are saying that we are protecting the Canadian taxpayer. What is the hon. member saying?

[Supply, February 13th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I will say it quickly. Representations have been made to the Minister of Transport from this caucus, from the municipality of Kamloops, from Peter Armstrong, the head of Great Canadian Railtour Company, from VIA Rail and others. He is doing a full evaluation of this situation so that the right decision can be made in the interests of the travelling public as well as Great Canadian Railtour Company, a private company, and in the interest of VIA Rail that is trying to get on a sound footing financially.

I give my personal guarantee that the decision the Minister of Transport will make is one that is based on sound input and it will be the right decision.