Beth Phinney

[Human Rights, October 28th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a strong reputation for defending human rights internationally and was responsible for having rape in situations of conflict recognized as a war crime.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell the House what initiatives the government has taken recently to deal more effectively with terrorists and some crimes against humanity?

[Canada Health Act, October 23rd, 1997]

Madam Speaker, I also rise to speak on the subject of private member's Bill C-202, an act to amend the Canada Health Act.

Given the respective roles and responsibilities of the federal and provincial territorial governments in the area of health care, I believe that amending the Canada Health Act may not be the best approach to address the concern of our hon. colleague.

As you are already aware, under the Canadian Constitution, the responsibility for health care lies with the provinces and territories. In other words, the provinces and territories are responsible for administering and delivering the health care that is available to Canadians.

This means that the provinces and the territories act as planners, managers and administrators of their own health care systems. In practical terms, this includes negotiation of budgets with hospitals, approval of capital plans and negotiation of fee agreements with medical associations.

The federal government, for its part by law, is responsible for the promotion and preservation of the health of all Canadians. Health Canada is responsible for bringing together parties on health issues of national and interprovincial concern.

The federal government also assumes the responsibility for setting national policies and for providing health care services to specific groups such as treaty Indians as well as Inuit. It is appropriate when describing federal responsibilities in health care to note what the federal government cannot do.

It cannot interfere in provincial territorial responsibilities as defined under our Constitution, nor can it be seen to be infringing on these responsibilities.

Bill C-202 attempts to require provinces and territories to provide nutrition service on an insured basis. As it is the provinces and territories that are responsible for matters dealing with the delivery of health services, to require that nutrition services be added to the list of insured health services would be perceived as an unacceptable intrusion on the provincial territorial responsibilities under our Constitution.

The federal government cannot and should not act unilaterally in an area of provincial jurisdiction. Any decision to extend the scope of the Canada Health Act requires extensive consultation and support from the provinces.

In 1984 concerns over hospital user fees and extra billing by physicians led to the passage of the Canada Health Act. This was achieved with all-party support. The federal government's aim in passing the Canada Health Act was to reaffirm its commitment to the original guiding principles expressed in the earlier legislation.

It was also to provide a mechanism to promote the provinces' and territories' compliance with the act's criteria, conditions and extra billing and user charge provisions.

In short, the purpose of the Canada Health Act is to allow Canadians reasonable access to necessary prepaid health services.

The provinces and territories have retained the responsibility of administering their health insurance plans under the Canada Health Act and for managing their respective systems. The management of health care personnel and related issues, such as the one proposed in Bill C-202, is also their responsibility.

The criteria of the Canada Health Act are known to most Canadians and regarded as the defining principles of medicare. The principles of public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability and accessibility are valued and cherished by Canadians who will not accept changes to them.

Poll after poll indicates great public support for these national principles. Even while discussions of health care reform are taking place, the values which are reflected in each of these principles are not being debated.

Provincial and territorial ministers of health share this support. We know that Canada's health care system needs to be modernized to ensure that all Canadians continue to have access to needed health services. This is of particular importance as delivery methods, as well as venues, change over time. However, governments at all levels have articulated their support for the five principles of the Canada Health Act.

Regardless of the reforms currently taking place, the principles of the Canada Health Act remain the cornerstone of our health care system.

I would like to reiterate that the provinces and territories may, at their discretion, provide insured services other than those covered by the Canada Health Act. Nutrition services may be offered as complementary health services.

Although the objectives of Bill C-202 have merit, to pass this bill would disrupt the historical distinction and balance between federal and provincial jurisdiction. It would infringe on the longstanding federal and provincial territorial relationship that has facilitated the creation of a health care system that is widely cherished by the Canadian public.

For this reason, although I recognize the value of nutritionists across Canada, this bill cannot be supported by the federal government.

[Land Mines, October 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that the Nobel peace prize has been given to those working to ban land mines worldwide.

We hope this award will encourage the United States to join the over 100 countries planning to come to Canada in December to sign the Ottawa agreement.

We especially want to congratulate our Minister of Foreign Affairs for his leadership in achieving this international ban.

[Health, October 6th, 1997]

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

Many of my constituents have expressed concern regarding the usage of herbal remedies and the regulation of these natural products.

What action is the government taking to ensure the accessibility and regulation of natural health remedies to protect both consumers and practitioners?

[Industry, September 29th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, in the Speech from the Throne the government indicated that it would help small and medium size enterprises develop and commercialize new techniques.

Can the Minister of Industry indicate how the government intends to go about this?

[National Volunteer Week, April 16th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague from Hillsborough said, this week is National Volunteer Week, an opportunity to celebrate the tremendous contributions of volunteers to our communities across Canada.

Millions of Canadians give freely of their time to support non-profit, voluntary and charitable organizations. Their generosity and participation builds and maintains the quality of life in our towns and neighbourhoods. Every year Canadians contribute over $13 billion to charities and non-profit organizations. Approximately 13 million people volunteer their time each year in Canada. In my hometown of Hamilton, more than 100,000 volunteer their time and money every year.

On behalf of all my colleagues in the House of Commons, I want to thank all the volunteers for giving us some of their time.

[Hockey, April 8th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my congratulations to members of the Canadian Women's hockey team who continued their perfect record by winning their fourth consecutive world championship.

This team demonstrated true character, determination and great skill. They were undefeated in the tournament and won the gold medal game against the United States by a score of four to three in overtime on Sunday night.

The World Championships held in Kitchener demonstrated again Canada's outstanding ability to organize such an event and the tremendous emotion and support Canadians have for our hockey teams.

I am sure all members will join with me in congratulating this fine Canadian women's hockey team for this year's victory. We look forward to seeing them next year at the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.

[Dr. Keith McIntyre, March 18th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Keith McIntyre, president of Mohawk College, who will be retiring soon after 21 years of distinguished service to the college.

Dr. McIntyre has been president of Mohawk College since 1980. Mohawk College is one of the larger colleges in Ontario with 12,000 full time students and 60,000 part time students in post-secondary, retraining and apprenticeship programs. The college operates five major campuses with an annual budget of $100 million and a full time staff of 800. Dr. McIntyre launched Canada's first co-operative education college program in 1964.

He is active in many community and extracurricular affairs. He is a founding member of the World Association for Co-operative Education and served as president from 1989 to 1992. He is currently chair of the board of trustees of the Ontario Environmental Training Consortium.

I congratulate Dr. McIntyre on his successful career and wish him the best in his retirement.

[Juno Awards, March 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the 1997 Juno awards were held last night at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.

The 10,000 people attending the show, and the thousands who worked on the event, meant that the hotels and restaurants in Hamilton were booked solid for the weekend. The city organizers can be proud of bringing this economic boost to Hamilton.

This event provides a great showcase for the tremendous talent of Canadian singers and Canada's vibrant music industry. The organizers of the Junos are to be congratulated on producing a wonderfully entertaining program.

Many awards were handed out last night. The recipients included Celine Dion, Shania Twain, the Tragically Hip, Bryan Adams and the best new band was the Killjoys from Hamilton.

I am sure all members will join me in congratulating last night's winners and in saluting the great achievements of all Canadian artists.

[Supply, February 17th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, in response to the question, more than 30 countries presently have in place a private copying regime or similar legislation. It should be noted that the United States has a similar regime but that it differs from Canada's in that it only applies to digital audio support and recording devices.

The proposed Canadian legislation allows the government to extend reciprocal treatment to any country that grants or has undertaken to grant similar benefits to Canadian creators of sound recordings.

The member for Kootenay East, who has worked very hard on the heritage committee with the rest of us, spoke earlier today. I was listening to his speech and believe I am quoting him correctly when he said that no constituency in Quebec had ordered more than 400 flags. I would like to make it clear to everybody so that wrong information is not on the record. There is no constituency in Quebec which ordered fewer than 400 flags.

There have also been comments today about the flag program being disastrous to stores that sell flags, flag poles, et cetera. Here is a quote from a citizen who has a store in Peterborough, Mr. Rick Johnson: "My flag sales are a little down, but the sales of poles are way up. The other thing is, flags are not made to last. Once these flags wear out, people will know where to come to buy a new one".

Another gentleman from Peterborough, Warren Davis, also sells flags. He said: "I think it is a great idea. I really do not see how this could have an adverse effect on my business. People are still going to buy flags". He feels that many people simply love to criticize government initiatives and look long and hard for negatives. He said: "Great innovative projects like this get stifled by naysayers. If people would work together as human beings, they would have a positive outlook. I think this project does just that. In fact, they might find that their business will prosper. Sure it costs money, but it has not affected my business one iota". He goes on to say: "This should get people thinking more about flying flags. It is very patriotic. I have been printing flags for 16 years and I think people are thinking more about it this year".

Another woman who owns a flag store said that her flag sales are also down a bit but everything should be all right in the long run. She said: "This business is basically just a hobby for me, but I have noticed an increase in pole sales. I am getting more and more inquiries these days. People are going to need new flags next year. Hopefully they will continue to purchase them. This should not hurt business in the long run, but I hope it does not continue as an annual thing".