Stan Dromisky

[Radioactive Waste Importation Act, October 31st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to speak to Bill C-236, proposed by the hon. member for Fraser Valley East. The bill would prevent the importation of radioactive waste into Canada.

Although at first this bill appears somewhat harmless, in reality it is fraught with a number of negative consequences. Those consequences are international and domestic in scope. They pertain to health and have serious environmental impacts. Presently Canada does not import any nuclear fuel waste whatsoever. The Government of Canada has no plan to do so.

The hon. member from the Reform Party mentioned plutonium. There are international agreements and conventions in operation at the present time to prevent the transportation of plutonium across borders.

Plutonium is one of the deadliest materials available at the present time. As a result, every nation in the world must be on guard and vigilant in the prevention of the transportation of any plutonium through the black market which comes from the dismantling of nuclear bombs and nuclear warheads in countries such as Russia.

However, we import radioactive waste produced by medical equipment that is used in other countries. To discontinue this practice would have serious negative consequences. For example, the potential exists for significant impacts on the health of people from developing countries that often cannot effectively manage radioactive waste disposal like we can.

Specifically, developing countries with inadequate waste disposal systems may not be able to utilize radiological treatment of cancer and early detection analysis of various diseases. This would be a very real possibility if we refused these countries access to our disposal systems. At present clients from all over the world obtain products from Canadian firms that manufacture radio isotopes and equipment containing radioactive materials which are used to make medical diagnosis and treat disease, particularly for cancer and heart patients, sterilize surgical instruments and blood for transfusions, prevent diseases such as malaria and increase the efficiency of agricultural methods.

When discussing the benefits of nuclear energy, we often concentrate on the production of an economic, environmentally sound way of producing electricity. We often forget to highlight the other benefits such as those just mentioned in the health area which lead to the avoidance of diseases, the elimination of infections and the provision of good nutrition and food.

There are many examples where the uses of nuclear energy considerably improve the health and economic development of people worldwide. Let me highlight one. Chile has developed a multibillion dollar food export industry. It is also the only country in South America that is internationally recognized as being free of the Mediterranean fruit fly. Until recently, however, Chilean fresh foods were still excluded from certain markets because of the fear of outbreaks originating from Med flies in northern Chile.

After many unsuccessful attempts with insecticides, finally in 1990 Chile turned to a biological method using flies sterilized with radiation. As a result of this, no wild Med flies have been detected since mid-1995. And in December 1995, Chile was formally declared a fly free zone by international experts.

According to the Chilean minister of agriculture, this will mean an annual increase of $500 million in fruit exports over the next five years. This is a very good example of the use of the type of material and equipment produced and exported by Canadian firms.

The countries that utilize medical equipment and material exported by Canada expect us to assist them with their waste disposal. If they are refused assistance in waste disposal, in turn they could readily refuse to buy equipment containing radioactive sources and radio isotopes from Canada. Canadian exporters of medical and industrial equipment and materials would lose a sizeable portion of their clients. A reduction of this nature would lead to job losses here at home. Certainly the Reform Party does not want job losses.

With know-how and good marketing practices, Canadian firms have managed to be leaders in the industry that provides radio isotopes and irradiation equipment around the world. They have proven themselves to be a reliable supplier of these products. They contribute significantly to Canada's exports and in the process provide quality jobs for Canadians in this rapidly growing high technology field. Bill C-236 would put the brakes on the growth of this industry.

I would like to highlight one of the Canadian firms in this field. Nordion International Incorporated is a leader worldwide in the production of radio isotopes. Nordion contributes worldwide to the prevention of diseases and healing patients. Nordion's total revenues in fiscal 1995 were $191 million. The company exports to over 70 countries and 98 per cent of its sales are from export markets. It has over 700 employees and more than 50 per cent hold post-secondary degrees or diplomas. Nordion's Canadian facilities are located in Montreal, Vancouver and in Kanata, Ontario.

This company expects that future growth will see a considerable expansion of their products, including the development of new radio pharmaceuticals, new sterilization processes, food irradiation, sewage sludge treatment and commercialization of therapeutic based opportunities. All relevant export sales by Nordion involve the return to Canada of the spent radioactive sources from the irradiation equipment.

Bill C-236 would prevent Canadian companies such as Nordion from providing essential products to companies that unfortunately cannot properly dispose of radioactive waste resulting from the use of these products.

The reality is that this bill is of no value. Canada has the expertise and regulatory system to ensure that radioactive waste is treated in a manner such that it would not pose a risk to human health or the environment. We are the leaders in the processes. We are the leaders in knowledge. We are the leaders in this field. Passing this bill would negatively affect the health of people in some developing nations. It would harm the environment of these countries and lead to job losses in Canada. It is for these reasons I cannot support Bill C-236.

[Income Taxes, September 23rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.

On August 22, a Globe and Mail article alleged that the Liberals had increased the personal tax burden by more than $12 billion in just three years.

Can the minister tell Canadians why he has vehemently claimed that personal taxes have not increased when it was reported that the government has gouged Canadians for $12 billion?

[Westfort, May 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding the residents of Westfort are renowned for their friendliness and fierce loyalty to their community. In order to further build on this positive sense of community, Westfort was chosen for a recent federal-provincial project aimed at increasing neighbourly ties in small communities.

The three year Neighbourhood Outreach Development Project wound up recently. As far as the project organizers are concerned, there is no such thing as too much community goodwill.

A key outcome of this initiative was the construction of the West Thunder Community Centre. At this centre one will find people of different ethnic origins and linguistic groups, mingling and interacting together in harmony. What a model for community living.

This model demonstrates that our differences are no reason for division. Instead, diversity can serve to bind us closer together in peace and harmony.

[Referendum On Funding For Abortions, May 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, responsibility for determining insured health services has

always been with the provinces. We must stress that time and time again because apparently our colleagues from the third party are not in harmony with this concept.

The responsibility is determined in conjunction with the respective medical associations. The Canada Health Act principle of comprehensiveness requires that all provincial and territorial health insurance plans provide coverage for medically necessary services.

Let us be clear. The responsibility for determining which services are medically necessary is a provincial one. Even though the decisions regarding medical necessity are the responsibility of the provinces and territories which manage their own health care systems, we find that insured medical and hospital services are more than evident between and among provinces and territories.

The federal government's role in part is to assume responsibility for setting national criteria to ensure Canadians receive the care they need. This is exactly what the Canada Health Act does. It ensures residents of Canada have reasonable access to necessary health care services on a prepaid basis.

Provinces administer their own health insurance plans. They manage their own systems. They are in the best position to make decisions regarding insured health services. This is particularly important given that there is almost no service that is not medically necessary in some situations. Why should we fix something that is not broken?

The federal government has a responsibility to promote and preserve the health of all Canadians. However, it cannot make the kind of decision this private member's motion is asking for. To try and use the spending power of the federal government in this way would be contrary to how this federation functions.

What we should do and will continue to do is to use our spending power to ensure that the five principles of the Canada Health Act are maintained. There is in this country a longstanding partnership between the federal, provincial and territorial governments with regard to health care. It is a partnership that we continue to develop and promote. Supporting this private member's motion would disrupt this historical distinction and balance.

[Mining, May 14th, 1996]

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

This week having been proclaimed national mining week, the keep mining in Canada lobby has produced a provocative 12 point plan for mining in our country.

Will the government be acting on this 12 point plan and what will it being doing to further promote mining in Canada?

[Employment Insurance Act, May 14th, 1996]

Madam Speaker, it is no shock to me the kind of question that is being raised. The member from the Bloc party is advocating that all responsibilities should be passed on to the Quebec provincial government. Then when we do give more responsibilities to the provincial government we hear complaints that we are abdicating our responsibility from the federal level. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

[Employment Insurance Act, May 14th, 1996]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the interesting question the hon. member raised. The areas of concern he presented have been discussed time and time again. There is nothing new as far as the answers are concerned.

We know that training is going to be the responsibility of the provincial governments. We know that the federal government will become a partner in any model the provincial governments develop. They will get the full support of the federal government.

The federal government in this bill definitely recognizes the responsibility of the provincial governments in programs for retraining, for the development of new skills, for the development of new avenues of hope with our young people and even our more elderly people who are searching for new careers. There is provision in the bill for the opportunity to create new models for those in seasonal employment situations, whether it be a supplement or whether the individual who is unemployed takes another type of job and receives a lower income which will be topped off with supplements.

There are avenues available for the creative mind. All we have to do, and the bill permits us to do it, is sit down in partnership and come up with solutions in which all Canadians in these different situations will benefit.

[Employment Insurance Act, May 14th, 1996]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss Bill C-12, the legislation to bring into being Canada's new employment insurance system.

Of the many improvements brought about by Bill C-12, the most important is its impact on Canada's young people. Youth is a priority concern for the government's job and growth agenda and Bill C-12 neatly reflects that concern.

The employment insurance legislation not only provides more effective treatment for young workers in terms of benefits, but also provides positive, active measures to help young people get and

keep good jobs. For young people a great problem with the current UI system is that it often fails to recognize their actual working effort.

UI measures work in terms of weeks which is a very poor measure of time spent on the job, particularly for part time workers and multiple job holders.

Within the hours based system provided in Bill C-12, part time workers earnings are insured and four out of ten part time workers are under 25 years of age. Another inequity under UI has been the employer's tendency to limit part time employment to less than15 hours per week per person in order to avoid having to pay UI premiums. For many young people this has meant not only do they get less work, but that their earnings are not insured.

Employment insurance eliminates this 15-hour trap. All hours will now count toward eligibility. More young people who enter the labour market after leaving school and who must rely on a number of small jobs to earn a living will now have insurable work.

Further, an impact which particularly benefits young people is the fact that employment insurance also reduces the risk of workers developing a dependency on employment insurance. Far too many young people come into the labour market and end up on UI benefits before completing their education. Then they find themselves in another sort of trap where they work long enough to qualify for benefits then go without work for as long as the benefits last.

The new employment insurance system will discourage this behaviour pattern. It will in fact encourage young people to complete their education rather than dropping out to take short term, often low paying work that does not lead to career advancement.

Higher entrance requirements under employment insurance encourage young people to develop a stronger attachment to the labour market. We have heard loud protests from the opposition about the concept of higher entrance requirements. Far from being draconian, these very measures have been recommended to the government by many many groups.

For example, two recent reports were quite specific. The report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development recommended longer qualifying periods to encourage young workers to remain attached to the workforce longer and to improve their career prospects. The working group on seasonal work and unemployment insurance also recommended stiffer entrance requirements for young people.

In the process of designing this legislation, the government listened to the concerns of Canadians in all regions and all walks of life in more than two years of consultations. Town hall meetings, seminars and policy workshops were held. Phone lines were opened and the Internet was put to work. Through these and other channels including open line radio shows, Canadians told us what they wanted. It was social security reform.

The minister invited the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development to further examine ways to improve the legislation. More than 100 witnesses from across the country were heard and nearly 150 briefs were received, analysed, digested and studied very carefully by members of the committee. The purpose once again was to listen carefully to Canadians' views on fine tuning the employment insurance legislation to ensure that the system is fair, to be sure that the system is balanced and reflects the varying labour market conditions across the regions of Canada.

In this process the work incentive provisions of the bill have been strengthened. Changes have been made to make the system fairer to youth, fairer to women, fairer to the low income families and fairer to workers in seasonal industries.

There are other ways in which Bill C-12 will benefit young people. Contributions to EI for example will have minimal impact on young people. For instance a student working 14 hours a week at $7 per hour would pay less than $3 per week in premiums. The hours will now be insured which will help meet entrance requirements when entering the labour market full time. Premiums will be refunded to about 625,000 young people, 49 per cent of all of those who receive rebates. Of the total young people receiving rebates, 400,000 will be full time students.

Again let us look at the benefit side. Total benefits paid out under EI will be less and benefits paid out to young people by the year 2001-02 will decrease by 6 per cent. This is considerably less than the forecast overall decrease of 9 per cent.

We should not forget that EI is a two pronged program: income support for the unemployed coupled with employment benefits to help people get back to work and to get productive work. Targeted wage subsidies for example will help young people who qualify for employment insurance benefits to get needed work experience to qualify for more stable or permanent jobs.

The government has recognized the problems facing Canada's youth and has set in motion a process leading to a national youth strategy which will be announced this fall. The member for North York has been appointed chairman of the ministerial task force on youth which is now holding consultations to gather public input for such a strategy.

The task force is now holding town hall type meetings across the country hosted by local members of Parliament and senators. Such a meeting is to be held in my riding of Thunder Bay-Atikokan on May 23. In this way we can participate directly, solicit the views of our constituents and our young people and shape an effective

strategy to permit youth to fulfil their vital role in our future asa nation.

Bill C-12 and the government's initiatives for young people aim at giving young people hope, hope that they will be better equipped to take their rightful and productive place in the future of our country.

[Immigration And Refugee Board, May 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to speak to Motion No. 120 by the hon. member for Calgary Northeast advocating the elimination of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Let us examine that which is to be destroyed by this motion. The IRB, an independent administration tribunal, was to identify those who need our protection as convention refugees.

In 1989 the IRB was established so that refugee claimants would have the right to a hearing in order to explain their claim personally. This resulted following a supreme court decision which indicated the claimants had a right to an oral hearing when questions of credibility were at stake. As well, the IRB was formed in order to respond to charges that the former system was not impartial. A return to the former system would only lead to the same criticism and legal challenges which plagued it.

The IRB is comprised of three divisions. The refugee division of the IRB deals exclusively with claims to convention refugee status. Before the division comes into the picture, a senior immigration officer of Citizenship and Immigration Canada determines whether a claimant is eligible to claim convention refugee status. If eligible, claimants are referred to the IRB for determination. Claims are usually heard by a two member panel, although in a number of situations decisions can be made by a single member.

The IRB also plays the key role in adjudicating all immigration inquiries. This is handled by the adjudication division of the IRB which is mandated to conduct immigration inquiries and detention reviews. Inquiries are held at the request of department officials to determine whether persons are to be admitted to or removed from Canada.

The appeal division of the IRB is in charge of handling appeals by Canadians citizens or permanent resident sponsors in cases where the department officials have rejected an application for permanent residence made by a close family member.

It also handles appeals for removal orders issued by the board's adjudication division or department officials against permanent residents, visa holders or convention refugee claimants who have been convicted of a serious crime in Canada, who have made a material misrepresentation on their application for permanent residence, or who have not complied with the terms and conditions of their landings.

As well, the appeal division handles appeals by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration against decisions of the board's adjudication division. The minister may reject or admit the subject of an immigration inquiry.

As everyone can see from this description, the IRB performs an extremely important and complex function. Transferring the IRB's function to the department would not be a small feat. It would be expensive and would not add anything positive. Most important, it would seriously compromise the impartiality of the refugee determination process.

We must do everything possible to avoid a perception that refugee determining officers are seen as simply doing the will of the government of the day. Impartiality is imperative. The independence of the IRB ensures the principles of our charter of rights and freedoms are preserved.

Our charter provides that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person, and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

Refugee status determination requires particular skills and expertise. It requires personnel who have knowledge and understand-

ing of the refugee experience. Departmental officials could be trained to do the job of IRB members, but we must keep in mind current members were selected because they already had many of the qualities necessary for the job.

As such, there would in essence be no sense in moving these positions to the department. Moreover, regardless of whether the IRB were dismantled, the qualities required of refugee decision makers would not change one bit. The bottom line is that transferring the functions of the IRB to the department would mean significant and unnecessary expenditures and would also compromise the impartial nature of the refugee determination process which the IRB performs so effectively. This latter point is crucial. It is the reason I must reject the hon. member's motion.

It is important to be aware that the previous Minister of Citizenship and Immigration recently introduced changes to the IRB. This includes downsizing the IRB from 175 members to 112 for a cost saving of $6 million. Also, an independent panel will be set up to choose new IRB members and reappoint current ones. The selection process prior to this change was previously the responsibility of the minister.

This is evidence that the IRB is continually reacting to a changing environment and is evolving. The need to evolve however does not imply that we should dispose of the entire system. If there is a problem, we fix it. We make changes. We do not mindlessly destroy what is already created and in place.

To destroy and dismantle will not solve anything. It will not accomplish a thing. This government has worked hard ever since its inception to make sure that Canada's refugee determination system is fair, to be certain that it is affordable and that it is also sustainable. The changes that have already been made to the IRB are a clear example of this. We have an excellent refugee program that will only continue to improve.

[Schep Family, May 10th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the accomplishments of the Schep family in my riding are quite remarkable. The Schep's Thunder Bay Oak Cheese Farm utilizes the cheese making skills the family learned in its native Holland to operate Ontario's first and only Gouda cheese on-farm operation.

Mrs. Schep comes from a long line of cheese makers near the city of Gouda, Holland. Her parents still make cheese. Since the Scheps moved to Canada in 1981 to take over a large dairy operation they have been making the occasional Gouda cheese. What was originally a hobby has become a full time operation.

This is yet more evidence of hard working immigrants coming to Canada and contributing to our economic growth. I am proud of the government's positive immigration policies and especially proud of the accomplishments of the Schep family.