Peter Adams

[Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, February 4th, 2004]

Mr. Chair, I want to thank my colleagues from Huron—Bruce and Lambton—Kent—Middlesex for their work in starting this. I would like to say to them and to all the members who are on the standing committee that I hope this exercise will be continued in the standing committee and that there will be a national inquiry into these matters.

I also would like to say that one of the purposes of these hearings and of anything that is conducted in the standing committee is to educate people outside the farm community on the nature of the industry. My colleague started to mention that. It is a huge, diverse, high powered, high quality industry.

I represent about a thousand farm families. Many people out there think we are just talking about beef cattle. About half the farmers I represent are in beef cattle. Another 150 farm families are in dairy. We have dairy farmers here and this is extended to the milk industry. People watching this should know that. It has flowed into that industry now. A year or so ago that was not the case. I also represent substantial sheep farmers, goat farmers, and one buffalo farm of 300 or 400 head.

I think Canadians should know this. We are talking about a very diverse industry. Also when they hear members talk, people think we are just talking about meat. We are not. We are talking about livestock. We are talking about semen and embryos.

Having said that, I ask my colleague, is he going to work with us on dealing with the United States? What does he think of the international team's report on the U.S. industry? What should we be doing about it?

[Agriculture, February 4th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. I know the minister is working hard on the BSE file. I know that the Prime Minister made that issue a priority for his meeting with President Bush, but complications following the discovery of BSE in the United States have made farmers in my riding desperate.

I represent 1,000 beef, dairy, sheep, goat and buffalo farmers and their families. Can the minister give us some hope that there will be an end to the BSE crisis and give us an update on the U.S. investigation into BSE?

[Automobile Insurance, February 4th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis in insurance all across Canada. Auto insurance has received a great deal of attention in recent provincial elections but in fact the problems extend to most facets of business and social life in Canada.

I have heard concerns about the cost of insurance, about a reduction in insurance coverage and a limited choice of insurers from small business people, health professionals, school bus operators, municipalities, realtors, farmers and homeowners.

I realize that insurance is a provincial matter in Canada but the time has come for a full scale national inquiry. The variety of auto insurance programs across the country alone merits national study. All provinces, territories and citizens would benefit from this.

I urge the government to initiate a national inquiry into insurance at the earliest possible opportunity.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, February 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague on her speech. Also I want to commend her colleagues for their fine work on the Task Force on Women Entrepreneurs. This is a very fine piece of work. I was pleased that the Speech from the Throne echoed many of the recommendations of the task force.

Perhaps the member could comment on the fact that the Speech from the Throne suggests that it is going to be an extension of the multilateral framework for early learning and child care. That matter is very important for all small business people, for all entrepreneurs but particularly for women entrepreneurs.

The throne speech also mentioned the extension of the scope of programs currently available to small and medium size businesses to social enterprises. I think I understand what that means but I would be grateful if my colleague could explain that to us.

[Agriculture, February 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that the first member's statement of the new Parliament be on the tragedy which is BSE.

I urge the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to remember beef and other ruminant farmers who are still suffering from the closure of the U.S. border as a result of BSE.

One cow, which did not get into the food chain, caused the U.S. border to be closed to Canadian products. Now one cow with BSE in the United States has further complicated things.

The government did well in getting the border open to some meat exports but the export of live animals from Canada to the U.S. is still embargoed.

This is a very tough winter for beef and other farmers and those associated with their industry.

Although hundreds of millions of dollars have been put into relief programs, the only solution to the problem is to open the border.

I urge the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Prime Minister himself to keep this file active until the Canada-U.S. border is fully opened.

[Petitions, February 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from citizens concerned about kidney disease who point out that kidney disease is already a great and rapidly growing problem in our society. They appreciate that real progress is being made in dealing with kidney disease. They appreciate the work that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research are already doing to improve solutions to kidney disease, but they call upon Parliament to encourage the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to explicitly include kidney research as one of the institutes in its system, to be named the kidney and urinary tract diseases institute.

[Petitions, February 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from citizens of the Peterborough area who are concerned about stem cell research. They point out that hundreds of thousands of Canadians suffer from debilitating diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injury.

These Canadians support ethical stem cell research. They call upon Parliament to focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary to treat such illnesses.

[Committees of the House, November 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 53rd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented to the House earlier this day be concurred in.

[Committees of the House, November 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 53rd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the Standing Orders relating to delegated legislation.

If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 53rd report later this day

[Committees of the House, November 3rd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move:

That the Supplementary Opinions of the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party be appended to the 52nd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented to the House on Thursday, October 30, 2003.