Peter Adams

[Canadian Learning Institute, March 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the budget provides $100 million for the Canadian learning institute. This will be an organization that will help give a national overview of education and training in Canada. It is my hope that it will help us capture the best practices of education and training developed in the wonderful diverse regions of this country.

It is also my hope that it will help identify and deal with problems in education and access to education wherever they occur. I urge that, among other things, the new institute make a particular effort to focus on community college issues and on the special challenges aboriginal people face in education and training across Canada.

The Canadian learning institute will further strengthen Canada, which already has the best educated population in the world.

[The Budget, March 17th, 2003]

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I congratulate the hon. member, whom I consider to be the champion for the Inuit, particularly those living in the province of Quebec.

I was very interested in what he had to say about the very high cost of fuel, heating and travel in the 14 Inuit communities of Nunavik. I know this is a matter of great concern to him.

I have always been struck that this is literally the part of the world which has the highest tides anywhere on the globe. I think the member will agree that this itself is an extraordinary thing. I am coming to the energy point in a moment, but this is something that could be promoted for tourism reasons. It is very unfortunate that other parts of the world are recognized for high tides when the highest tide in the world is in the area of Kuujjuaq that the member represents.

My question with respect to energy is this. I know the Inuit people are very interested in renewable energy and it seems to me the tides present an opportunity for that. I know that some years ago tidal energy was thought of in terms of building dams across estuaries. It destroyed the estuaries and these dams proved impossible to control the tides. I know now that there is a new turbine that can be hung in the ocean. I understand it is being hung from abandoned oil rigs. The turbine operates from whichever way the water comes. What is more important for us on the east coast of Canada is something that can operate under the ice.

Is my colleague interested in efforts to tap tidal power to help his Inuit constituents obtain a local source of renewable energy?

[The Environment, February 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, 300 people from 12 countries will meet in Ottawa at the northern contaminants program symposium on Arctic contaminants, a key environmental and public health issue for people in Nunavut, Nunavik, Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Established in 1991, but scheduled to sunset in 2003, the northern contaminants program is managed by four federal agencies, three territorial governments, Dene and Yukon first nations, and Inuit.

An acknowledged success, this program generated the data that made the case for international agreements to reduce polluting emissions globally, emissions that threaten the health of indigenous people, especially women and children.

Canada assumed important monitoring and assessment obligations of the program in 2001 when it signed and ratified the global Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants. This program exemplifies Canada's renewed commitment to Arctic research stressed in the recent budget.

I congratulate the Government of Canada for its support of this fine work and urge a renewal of the northern contaminants program.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to what my colleague had to say. I know she has a great interest in EI, the employment insurance. I was pleased to see that the premiums came down for the 10th year. I understand her other arguments about the fund but did she take into consideration some of the additional expenditures from the fund which have occurred in recent years?

As members know, employment insurance is what it says. When people are unemployed, it gives them time to move between jobs. That is very important. The fund also supports the disability pensions which unfortunately any of us could find ourselves drawing on at any time in our careers. It is not a matter of being unemployed but a matter of being disabled.

However in recent years I have noticed two developments which involve costs based on EI premiums. One is the parental leave and parental leave extension, which I supported very strongly. It allows the parents of a child a considerable period of time, using the EI fund to support them. What does she think of that? It is an additional expenditure from the fund.

In this budget allowance was made for caregiver leave, the so-called palliative leave. This will also be paid from the funds which are gathered through the EI program. My understanding is that it is up to a month of leave for looking after someone who is terminally ill. This is something that I support very much.

What does the member think of these two additional expenditures from the EI fund in recent years, parental leave and palliative leave?

[Committees of the House, February 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 21st report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented to the House earlier this day, be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to)

[Committees of the House, February 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 21st report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs concerning the list of associate members of standing committees. I intend to move for concurrence in this report later this day.

[Post-Secondary Education, February 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

It is very expensive to go to college and university in most provinces in Canada. The provinces control tuition, but the federal government can help through scholarships and loan programs.

I would like to ask the minister, what is she doing to better help students through the Canada student loan program?

[2010 Winter Olympics, February 18th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, before the International Olympic Committee evaluation commission visits Vancouver and Whistler in March, the residents of Vancouver will take part in a plebiscite. On February 22 they will express their views on Vancouver's bid to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games.

My constituents and I encourage all Vancouverites to go out and vote yes on that day. All Canadians can show their strong support for the bid by participating in on-line polling. The Vancouver 2010 website is www.winter2010.com.

Canada is competing against Austria and South Korea to host the world in 2010. We are confident that Canada can bring home the games. Let us make this dream come true for our athletes and our youth. Let us continue to support Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation in its quest for gold.

Let us bring the Olympic and Paralympic winter games home in 2010.

[Canada Elections Act, February 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned the gun control and seemed to be under the misapprehension that it was not working. Before I ask my question I would like to point out that in the latter part of the 1990s, the last three years, gun thefts dropped by 30% and guns reported missing dropped by a similar amount in the same period, but the most remarkable thing is that for the first time in history handgun murders exceeded long gun murders. This had never happened.

I think what is happening is that people are behaving as though the gun control system, including the registry, is already working. I look forward to the day when the system is complete because then it will be more effective.

I have two questions for the member. The member was talking about the valuable impact of this proposed legislation on leadership. I also am very pleased, and I would like his comments on it, that the proposed legislation will at last deal with nominations. It will really mean that a person does not have to be rich and be supported by powerful local interests to seek a nomination at the local level. That is really and truly the grassroots of our system. I think that this is one of the strengths of the bill. I would be grateful for my colleague's comments on that.

[Canada Elections Act, February 17th, 2003]

It's already working.