Elsie Wayne

[Hepatitis C, May 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister maintains that Ottawa has no responsibility for those who have contracted hepatitis C except between 1986 and 1990.

The Minister of Health has said that he is looking for a consensus going into next week's meeting about compensating all the victims.

Will the Minister of Health tell us here today whether he has the approval of the Prime Minister and the finance minister to increase Ottawa's share of the compensation package to help reach this consensus?

[Supply, May 5th, 1998]

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member. Certainly it is politics. Talk about calling us opportunists. I would have to say the opportunists sit on the government side.

It really bothers me. I do not think there has ever been a subject in this House of Commons that has bothered me more than this one. Our job here as the opposition is to bring in checks and balances so that whatever is brought to the floor of the House by the government is what is best for Canada.

In this case we are talking about people out there who are hurting because they are ill due to no fault of their own; no fault whatsoever. If that is the only reply the government can give, pointing fingers at us and saying we are playing politics, I say thank God we are speaking out and thank God we are doing what is right.

It is because of what has been done here and what has been done in Ontario that this will finally be corrected. It is because of what we have done on this side of the House.

[Supply, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for the member for Mississauga West, as well. However, he and I were not in that room. We did not hear what the Minister of Health put on the table. We did not hear the discussion that took place between the provincial and territorial ministers of health and the federal Minister of Health.

I would be very surprised if they were not told by the federal Minister of Health “This is the deal and this is the only deal that the federal government is going to enter into, and there will be no one compensated unless you enter into my deal”. That is how I see the minister.

As far as I am concerned, it was wrong. If the premier of Ontario had enough compassion to stand up and say “What I have signed is wrong”, then I have to say he becomes the tallest premier there is in all of Canada.

[Supply, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the hon. members for Mississauga West and Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford who were referring to people in the opposition as opportunists. Actually we are fighting for those people who we feel within our hearts should be treated equally. Because we stand in the House and fight for those people who are not being treated equally I cannot believe anyone would say that all those who do that are opportunists. Not in this case.

As the hon. member from the Reform Party just stated, some compared Canada with Russia or Germany. I do not know if the hon. member has been to Germany, but I have been to Germany. I was invited there by the German government to look at unification. I was asked to go to Romania as well. Canada is known to be the best country in the world in which to live. All those countries look to us and they would expect Canada to take a leadership role in treating our people equally. They would not expect to ever see Canada have a two tier system for people with hepatitis C.

I can imagine that around the world people have been watching us and wondering what has happened to us. Talk about opportunists, when the Liberals were in opposition they fought the GST. They fought the free trade agreement. They signed the NAFTA agreement so fast after they got elected that we could not even blink. Talk about opportunists. The opportunists are over there on the government side.

I do not believe there is anyone in this House who has not made some mistake in their life. Once a person admits that they have made a mistake and correct it, they become much taller and more respected. None of us is perfect. The Liberals have made a mistake. The Minister of Health has made a mistake.

The Prime Minister told the provinces to put their money where their mouth is. One province has already said “ We are going to put our money where our mouth is”, and that is the province of Ontario. I want to thank the province of Ontario very much for taking the leadership role. I give credit also to Mr. Johnson in Quebec. At least he said that everyone should be equal. Now Mr. Filmon is saying the same thing from out west. Everyone should be equal. I know some of them will have a difficult time finding the money at the provincial level, but somehow we have to come up with a formula that is equal for everyone, not just for those from 1986 to 1990.

I want to say to the member from the NDP who brought forward this motion that, yes, we support the motion. We thank him for the motion. We do feel that representatives of the Hepatitis C Society of Canada should be at the meetings. They are the ones who can discuss this and they are the ones who can bring forth points. They can tell them it comes not just from the heart. They are the ones who are suffering.

They should have been at the table the first round. That is where they should have been. I think if they had been at that table we would not be where we are at today. We would not be having this kind of debate.

If the Minister of Health does have a heart—and sometimes I question it in this House—how could he look at those people with hepatitis C and say that we have a two tier system? “Sorry, you got this in December 1985, but we are only going to look after people beginning January 1986”.

I was pleased to see the actions taken by the Government of Ontario yesterday which compelled the Minister of Health to reopen the file. He said it was closed. You will recall, Mr. Speaker, the minister did say “This file is closed. We're not going to do another thing”.

All along, all we have wanted on this side of the House is for him to do the right thing for the people who are sick through no fault of their own. He refused, but he is saying now that he will open the file. He will open the door, but we realize today in listening to government members that he is just going to open the door a crack. He is not opening the door all the way. I cannot believe it. I am hearing members speak today and things are not changing in their minds. One member got up and said it should still be just for those from 1986 to 1990. The Liberals are still saying the same thing.

We are going to continue to push the Minister of Health to start showing some real responsibility on this issue by committing to a deal that will include all of those innocent victims when he goes into this meeting with the provincial ministers and their territorial counterparts. There are, according to him, 20,000 to 40,000 Canadians left outside. But our critic, the member for Charlotte, today said that no one knows the figure. Some people say it is 6,000 people. Some people say it is 10,000. But the minister keeps saying it is 40,000 and it could be 60,000. He has absolutely no idea how many Canadians have been left outside this compensation package, none whatsoever. The government does not know how many.

My colleague, the member for Charlotte, pointed out a couple of weeks ago that the Minister of Health admitted the government does not know, yet the Minister of Health still refers to 40,000 to 60,000 people.

Before 1986 a human being in Canada was not allowed to bank his or her own blood for their own use. The government says it has no responsibility, but the law of the land was that no one could bank their own blood for their own use. People had to take whatever was given to them. Therefore the government does have a responsibility and a big one.

We on this side of the House, in my party, cannot support an unjust policy that would leave these people out in the cold because of reasons that do not hold up against the tests of compassion, fairness and justice.

I do not sit in this seat and try to be an opportunist. I came here to fight for what is right for all Canadians from coast to coast and I will continue to do so. I will continue to get up here, as will our critic and all of my colleagues in the PC Party, to fight for these people who, unfortunately, through the system we had in place became very ill.

I have a great deal of respect for my colleagues on the government side and for a lot of other people, but I am surprised to hear them try to portray the image that what they were doing was right, fair and just. It was not just, but we are going to fight to make sure that justice comes for all.

[Supply, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it has been brought to my attention today that there are victims who became infected after 1990 as well. The government has said yes to those between 1986 and 1990. It was not until today that I was informed from Ontario that there are those infected after 1990.

Prior to 1986 no one in Canada was allowed to bank their blood for their use. They had no option at all. They had to take what the government gave them.

I pray the government is going to look after all victims prior to 1986 and after 1990. I pray that is going to be addressed. Is that correct?

[Merchant Navy Veterans, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I know that is the standard answer from the minister, but all he has to do is ask those veterans, look at the list of 40 inequalities, the list that I gave to him, and address them.

I want to raise the issue of money with the minister. Bill C-84, the legislation that was to make merchant veterans equal with the other veterans, originally had a budget of $100 million. It was lowered to $88 million. According to the Merchant Navy Association it estimates only $7 million to $8 million were spent.

Will the minister tell the House if he is able to account for the rest of the money. If not, why not and where did it go?

[Merchant Navy Veterans, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the men and women of the merchant navy who risked their lives supplying our troops on the frontline during World War II held a rally in front of the Peace Tower today. They were protesting the inequalities and benefits that have existed between them and other veterans for the last 50-plus years.

I wrote to the Minister of Veterans Affairs giving him a list of the 40 inequalities. What I would like to know today is whether he address these inequalities and when these veterans can expect to see corrective legislation to make them equal with all the other vets in Canada.

[Points Of Order, May 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that I must have unanimous consent of the House in order to table the resolution from the Ontario Harris government with regard to the hepatitis C situation. I would like to have unanimous consent, Mr. Speaker, to table this resolution in the House today.

[Hepatitis C, May 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we have one province that has put its money where its mouth is, as asked by the Prime Minister of Canada. That province is willing to help those who are sick through no fault of their own.

Now we also have a former senior official from the Department of Health, Dr. Brill-Edwards, who has stated “If the federal government had been doing its job safeguarding the blood supply, then the huge numbers of people suffering and dying simply would not be there”.

Why will the government not take the stand today, do its job and compensate all hep C victims?

[Hepatitis C, May 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has been saying that just as soon as he gets a copy of the resolution then he will take a look at it and the government will. I would like to table that resolution right now. I will do so at the end of my question so that he can deal with it.

The primary responsibility for the control of blood safety rests with the federal government. It is clear that there are provinces that believe it is wrong to cut off 40,000 people who are suffering from hepatitis C.

When will this government and the Minister of Health show the same leadership as Ontario and compensate all hepatitis C victims?