Rose-Marie Ur

[Supplementary Estimates (A), October 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I will be abstaining.

[Small Business Week, October 23rd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to inform the House that this week is Small Business Week in Canada.

This year's theme is “You're the power behind the Canadian economy, let's share the energy”. As the theme suggests, Small Business Week 2003 focuses on the power within every entrepreneur who has taken an idea and used it as the foundation for building a business.

During this special week which began as a small event in 1979, Canadian entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to celebrate their innovative ideas and to demonstrate the benefits of nurturing research and development with Canada's small businesses.

A recent survey shows that small enterprises employ close to 4.8 million people, or 49% of the total private labour sector. Between the first quarter of 2002 and the first quarter of 2003, small businesses created 163,000 jobs, or 39% of the new jobs in the economy. Their role in the Canadian economy is increasingly important and their contribution to total employment is constantly growing.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all small business employers and employees in Canada.

[Heritage Conservation Award, October 9th, 2003]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that the town of Petrolia and the Petrolia Discovery, located in my riding of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, has received the 2003 Heritage Conservation Award from Communities in Bloom, CIB.

The results were announced at the national awards ceremony hosted by the city of Stratford, which honoured competing municipalities from each province and territory across the country.

Petrolia, competing at the national level for the second straight year, also maintained its four bloom rating, the second highest CIB rating possible.

The CIB judges described the Petrolia Discovery as “a heritage site that depicts the early oil exploration and drilling in Petrolia, where the Canadian oil industry was born. The site is definitely worthy of special recognition for supporting heritage”.

Petrolia competed in the 3,001 to 5,000 population category against towns from Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba. Petrolia garnered 801 points out of a possible 1,000 points.

In addition to maintaining its four bloom rating, Petrolia also increased its overall point score from last year, earning an invitation to compete nationally again next year.

These awards speak for themselves.

[Petitions, October 1st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex who call upon Parliament to protect the health of seniors and children and to save our environment by banning the disputed gas additive MMT as it creates smog and, hence, global warming.

[Supply, September 23rd, 2003]

Madam Speaker, as my hon. colleague sits with me on the agriculture committee, it is very important to note that, yes, I honestly believe they recognize the urgency. I sometimes have been accused of being more of a critic of my own agriculture minister than my colleagues on the opposite in agriculture, and I have been told that more than once.

Never in 10 years that I have been a member of Parliament have I been called back to Ottawa on a particular issue to debate. We were called back three times this year, and I was more than happy to be one of the participants.

[Supply, September 23rd, 2003]

Madam Speaker, I do not think a stone should be left unturned to ensure that we positively resolve this serious situation. I certainly agree that a delegation should visit the United States and any other countries that need to be visited on this issue, along with agency officials who could certainly back up this team.

The member asked if I supported the motion. This very motion basically came up in the agriculture committee and was unanimously accepted. I think that speaks to what I have addressed here today

Furthermore, the committee has a motion that will be dealt with in the next few days concerning an all party delegation which would visit, as an agriculture committee, on this very matter. I believe it is important that we move very quickly on that and assist the minister. We never know what that small element will trigger to benefit our beef industry.

[Supply, September 23rd, 2003]

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to respond to the motion from the hon. member for Perth--Middlesex. The hon. member's motion would have the Prime Minister lead a delegation to Washington to persuade the United States authorities to open the border to shipments of Canadian livestock.

Federal and provincial governments, along with industry officials, have been working diligently to resolve this issue since a cow affected by BSE was first discovered in May.

In an effort to reopen international borders to Canadian cattle, the government has been maintaining a dialogue at the highest level, not only with United States authorities but with other countries as well.

Our case is clear. There is no scientific evidence to prove the need to keep the borders closed to Canadian cattle. We stand by our rigorous investigation that we conducted and the sound science it represented, which the international team of scientists agreed to as well.

With a single BSE cow being discovered in May, the science capacity of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was certainly put to the test. I believe that hon. members from both sides of the House will agree that not only did it meet that test, it surpassed it. It was proven that this animal did not enter the food chain, which was gratifying to Canadian consumers.

The CFIA launched a very thorough investigation on trace-forward, trace-back and trace-outs from this cow. Eventually the agency quarantined 18 locations. These included farms in two lines of inquiry, trace-forward locations, and a feed inquiry. The CFIA also investigated another 36 trace-out premises in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In all, they submitted over 2,000 samples to the laboratory. Out of the 2,000 samples, only one, the original cow, was found to be infected. This was very encouraging news.

On July 9, Canada made the decision to stop supplementary permits of non-NAFTA beef and veal. This action was taken to increase opportunities for Canadian beef and veal suppliers.

Since the investigation, the government has been successful at partially reopening some borders to certain beef products. Canada was able to regain access to the United States, Mexico and Russia in just over 90 days, as opposed to the seven years recommended by the Office international des épizooties.

No other country hit by mad cow disease has been able to open its borders, although partially, so quickly. This proves that the international community has confidence in the surveillance and testing we have in place and that the efforts made by the federal and provincial governments, along with industry, have been successful.

Regular shipments of certain cuts of beef are now moving across the border into the United States through permits. Discussions are ongoing to finalize requirements for the export of Canadian beef and beef products to several other countries, including Mexico, Russia, Jamaica, Antigua, the Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago. We demonstrated that by working together we can surpass international standards, not only for our food safety and investigation but also to be able to partially reopen international borders in such a timely fashion.

In a letter signed by Canada, the United States and Mexico, they requested that the OIE encourage a more current, practical, risk based approach to BSE. The objective is to assure consumers worldwide of a safe food supply and to address international trade issues that arise upon discovery of the disease in a given national herd. All three countries believe there is a crucial need for an international agreement upon a science based trade response for countries that have tested positive for BSE.

Since the letter was sent, other countries such as Australia and New Zealand have provided supporting letters to the OIE to back North America's position. This proves that not only North America but the international community believes it is time for international standards to be revised.

Canada has demonstrated that we are a leader. And although we have accomplished more than any other country before us, we need to continue to work toward completely reopening international borders to live cattle. We need to continue our main focus, that is, to reopening international borders to live cattle as soon as possible. I cannot say that enough.

Border closings are to be based on science. It is time countries revisit the issue basing their concerns on science perhaps rather than politics.

I am sharing my time with the Minister of Health, Madam Speaker. I apologize for not indicating that earlier in my speech.

The current situation facing our beef and cattle industry is just another example of the support we provide. I assure the House that we will continue to support the agriculture sector until international borders are opened to livestock.

Over the summer we had three emergency agriculture meetings to address the BSE situation. I know that all members of that committee and the House want to do everything we possibly can to ensure that international borders are opened to live cattle as soon as possible.

The hon. Minister of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture have been working tirelessly to open international borders to livestock. The Manitoba minister of agriculture had some positive comments to make today, according to the Winnipeg Free Press . Minister Wowchuk is quoted as saying:

In my opinion, they (the federal government) are moving on this as quickly as they can. I believe in the near future we will see live animals under 30 months moving across the border by the end of this year or very early in the New Year.

That was certainly a positive comment coming from Manitoba.

The Prime Minister has spoken directly with President Bush, who has agreed to work hard to reopen the borders. Many cabinet ministers, senior officials from CFIA and the Privy Council Office have also had numerous discussions with officials and ministers, not only with the United States but with other countries as well to urge them to reopen their borders.

Although the government has been in constant contact with officials from many countries and we have been successful in partially reopening international borders, I believe we need to ensure that we make every effort to open international borders to live cattle in the very near future. If this requires the Prime Minister to lead a delegation to the United States or wherever there could be a positive message, that should be done. If a trade delegation led by the Prime Minister is needed to help speed up the United States regulatory process, then I believe as a government we owe it to our producers to try every means possible.

This issue is not only affecting our beef producers but also many other sectors of our agricultural community and our communities as a whole. However we need to ensure that a trip to Washington by a group of politicians and industry officials is something that will be well received in Washington because if not, it could perhaps be a step backward.

Although we are making headway through the discussions that are taking place behind the scenes, maybe more advances could be made if the Prime Minister did go to Washington. It is definitely something we need to consider very seriously.

Canada understands that countries have control over their own borders and we would never dispute this fact. We just need to ensure that every effort is made to help convince the community that our beef is safe, continues to be safe and that borders can be reopened.

I also want to thank consumers for their faith in the industry, which has been so valuable during these serious times. We have never given up hope of opening up all international borders and we do not intend to give up on this fight. If it takes the Prime Minister to lead a delegation to accomplish this, that is what should be done.

Much has been done by all levels of government and industry since May 20 to move this along. Perhaps one area that needs to be improved by all of us is communication to our members and to our producers.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition presented on behalf of the constituents of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex who call upon Parliament to protect children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia and sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, who call upon Parliament to protect the health of our seniors and children and to save our environment by banning the disputed gas additive MMT as it creates smog and enhances global warming.

[Stroke Awareness Month, June 12th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to inform members of Parliament and all Canadians that the month of June is Stroke Awareness Month. I speak today not only as a member of Parliament but as a wife of a stroke survivor.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Canada. Each year, approximately 16,000 Canadians die from a stroke. There are between 40,000 and 50,000 strokes in Canada each year. Currently, approximately 300,000 Canadians are living with the effects of stroke. After age 55, the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years.

In adults, stroke is associated with risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure or history of strokes in the family. In children, a stroke is usually the result of another underlying disease or condition.

The warning sings of stroke are caused by the sudden interruption of brain function. Some warning signs include: sudden weakness, numbness or tingling in the face, arm or leg; sudden temporary loss of speech or trouble understanding speech; sudden loss of vision, partially in one eye, or double vision; sudden severe and unusual headache; or sudden loss of balance.

Although there has been significant advancement in stroke research, we need to continue our research to understand the reasons why strokes occur and ways to prevent them. Unless the prevention of stroke is improved, the number of strokes across Canada is expected to increase over the next two decades.