Grant Hill

[Tobacco Legislation, November 26th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal legislation on tobacco to stop our kids from smoking hits a major cabinet snag that looks like they were joking.

The reasons for the hold-up are pretty plain to see The list prepared would have one scared if not for Minister D. So powerful and confident that he could state no joke If Liberals do not bring this bill into law Liberals don't deserve your vote.

But problems have arisen; big lobbyists strike home And cabinet in-fighting leaves our Mr. D alone.

Swinging from a shaky limb He'll attempt to bring tobacco back like a rocket Hoping that we don't notice the secret stogies in his pocket.

[Tobacco, November 21st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is real good at these cute little answers, but the issue is very, very specific. There is no excuse to justify the fact that the Liberals have let personality conflicts and political back stabbing nonsense come before the lives of 45,000 Canadians.

Shame on the health minister, shame on the finance minister and shame on that whole caucus for this behaviour. When will the government bring anti-tobacco legislation to the House of Commons? When?

[Tobacco, November 21st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals have been fighting, Canadians have been dying.

The Reform caucus supports effective enforceable anti-tobacco legislation and we will bring that to a conclusion in one day if these rascals will bring it in. All we need is for the legislation to be on the table.

When, when, when will the government bring the legislation to the floor of the House of Commons so that Canadians will not have to die?

[Tobacco, November 21st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, what an embarrassing spectacle. We have had the health minister fighting with the finance minister. We have had the finance minister fighting with the Deputy Prime Minister. We have had the Liberal caucus and cabinet fighting with everybody. Meanwhile 30 per cent more teenagers in this country have started smoking and 45,000 Canadians this year will die because of Liberal inaction on tobacco.

Will the government call a truce in its family feud and bring in anti-tobacco legislation immediately?

[Canada Labour Code, November 20th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I will be voting yes.

[Tobacco Legislation, November 20th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the tobacco legislation has been long awaited. Too many kids have started smoking in the meantime. There is a vacuum. Reform has waited for that legislation and we are now ready to move.

The minister said: "Judge me by my legislation, not by my oration". Reform is ready. We will go through the legislation in a fast track. When can we expect it?

[Tobacco Legislation, November 20th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the health minister with big fanfare said that there would be a big announcement made tomorrow at a national press conference.

Suddenly that national press conference has been cancelled. I would like to ask the minister why.

[Health, November 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, some co-operation. We have a legal challenge, we have an end run with transfusion Canada and now a gag. That is co-operation?

Justice Krever thinks this information is vital for his inquiry. The blood supply killed thousands of Canadians, yet this government refuses to give him the information. Cabinet secrecy, it says. Nonsense. The only secret is this government's trying to keep from the public that Liberals could have protected the blood supply in 1984. Instead they chose to do what was politically expedient. They chose to do nothing.

My question, again, is to the Prime Minister, who was deputy prime minister in 1984. Why will he not release these documents to Krever? What is the government trying to hide?

[Health, November 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, in August 1984 senior scientists at Health Canada were sounding alarm bells about the danger of HIV and AIDS. At the same time that legislation was drafted to protect the blood supply, the Liberal government of the day ignored the warnings in the legislation because it did not want to touch such a hot potato just before the election.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Why is the government hiding the fact that it had warnings and draft legislation prepared that would have protected the blood supply and saved thousands of Canadian lives in 1984?

[Krever Inquiry, November 18th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, these secret cabinet documents bracket the time when the Liberals were taken out of government by the Tories. It looks very much like health scientists had told cabinet far more than previously had been thought.

Which administration is at fault: the Liberals under the current Prime Minister or the Tories under Mulroney?