Bill Gilmour

[The Environment, October 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the global warming treaty has major economic ramifications for Canada. Canadians have a right to know our position and medium term answers do not give us the specifics we need. Our governments are sending mixed messages all over the place. The U.S. president is openly consulting Americans. Our prime minister and environment minister have not been actively consulting Canadians. The provinces have been left out of the formula.

Will the minister ensure that all the provinces are in agreement before, not after, the agreement is signed in Kyoto?

[The Environment, October 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this December in Kyoto, Japan a legally binding treaty will be signed to set reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. We have less than two months to go, yet Canadians have no idea of the government's position.

On the one hand the environment minister has warned Canadians to be ready for “drastic measures.” On the other she announced that we will try to negotiate a special, softer deal for Canada. Canadians want and expect straight answers.

Will the minister clearly state the position Canada will take to Kyoto this December?

[The Senate, October 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, next week will mark the anniversary of the first Senate election in Canada. On October 16, 1989 Albertans elected the late Stan Waters to the Senate.

Albertans chose Stan Waters and the Prime Minister honoured their choice by appointing Stan to the upper chamber in 1990.

Stan Waters made Canadian history when he was elected by the biggest majority of Canadians in any election. He was chosen by the people to represent the people, not the interests of the political party in power.

Stan Waters set the example that the Prime Minister can follow, if he chooses to respect the principles of true democracy and honour the will of the people, because Senate election acts currently exist in both British Columbia and Alberta.

Canadians deserve more than government by patronage and appointment. Today an elected Senate is possible without constitutional change. Let us follow the—

[The Senate, October 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Senator Andrew Thompson is one of the reasons why Canadians have such a low opinion of our upper House.

Senator Thompson's attendance record is the worst in the Senate. He shows up about once every two years and yet he continues to collect his pay cheque of around $85,000 per year.

This not only brings into question the internal workings of the Senate, but obviously senators cannot or refuse to police themselves. It also begs the question that if the prime minister has the power to appoint senators should he not have the power to dismiss senators.

As Mr. Thompson is a former Ontario Liberal leader, it is doubtful our prime minister would toss him out despite Senator Thompson's being the most rotten apple in an ancient—

[Global Warming, September 30th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this December in Kyoto, Japan, Canada will be signing an international legally binding treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The signing of this agreement is only two months away, yet the government refuses to divulge the standards to which Canada will agree.

President Clinton and Vice-President Gore have been front and centre consulting Americans on global warming issues. European leaders are actively debating global warming strategies. However, in Canada we have heard nothing from the Prime Minister yet alone the environment minister, despite the fact that the economic and environmental implications regarding this treaty are substantial.

The provinces, whose responsibility it is to administer emission reductions, are not on side. Ordinary Canadians are still waiting to be consulted.

Before the government agrees to any reductions in greenhouse gas levels, ordinary Canadians and the provinces must be in agreement. This agreement must come before the treaty is signed, not after.

[Access To Information Act, September 29th, 1997]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-216, an act to amend the Access to Information Act (Crown corporations).

Mr. Speaker, the bill will make all crown corporations subject to the Access to Information Act. As it stands now crown corporations such as Canada Post, the CBC and the Canadian Wheat Board are exempt from access to information even though they are subsidized by our tax dollars. One must ask why the CBC and the wheat board should be exempt from access to information. The answer is that they should not and that is what the bill addresses.

During the last Parliament the auditor general published a scathing report on the operation of crown corporations. The bill will open crown corporations to the public and make them accountable.

It is my hope the House will recognize the right of all Canadians and support the bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Health Care, April 22nd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this issue has little to do with safety and acting in the public interest. This issue is about money and about power: money and power in the hands of the big pharmaceutical companies. That is what this issue is about.

The government is forcing Canadians to pay more for health supplements and is driving small companies out of business.

My question is for the Minister of Health. Will the minister act now to put a moratorium in place to stop the removal from store shelves of vitamins, minerals, and herbal and natural extracts?

[Health Care, April 22nd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, many Canadians practice preventive health care with health supplements, yet the health protection branch under the direction of the government is actively removing vitamins, minerals and herbal and natural extracts that have been on the shelves for decades.

Some of these products have been in use for centuries with no history of harm. There is simply no scientific evidence to support the government's actions. Canadians are paying more for health supplements and their access to health products is being restricted. This is clearly not in the best interests of Canadians.

My question is for the Minister of Health. Why is the minister banning herbs and vitamins that have been on store shelves and in use for years with no history of harm?

[Taxation, April 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to scrap and abolish the GST.

Instead of scrapping the GST as it promised, the government has not only expanded the GST into the harmonized sales tax in the Atlantic provinces but is now charging Canadians outside Atlantic Canada the expanded tax as well.

Effective April 1 the new Liberal postal tax grab means that Canadians across the nation will now pay Atlantic Canada's harmonized sales tax, an additional 15 per cent surcharge, on parcels and courier mail sent to the three Atlantic provinces with the harmonized sales tax.

My question is for the minister responsible for Canada Post. Why are all Canadians being forced to pay the 15 per cent HST on parcels and courier mail sent to Atlantic Canada?

[Natural Health Products, April 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the health minister explicitly stated in the House that Bill C-7, then reintroduced as Bill C-8, was a narcotics bill and that it did not deal with natural health products.

However, the Liberals then declared vitamins, minerals and herbs with any therapeutic value to be drugs. Now, without any evidence that these products are unsafe, the Liberals are actively removing vitamins, minerals, herbal and natural extracts that have been on our shelves for years. In addition, Canada Customs is

arbitrarily seizing natural health products at the border or refusing their entry into Canada.

Under the new rules, companies must provide these products are safe beyond a shadow of a doubt. Only the big pharmaceutical companies can afford to market their products under these rules.

The bottom line is that what is taken off the shelf in the public interest is put right back on in an official bottle at double or triple the price.

The issue is not about safety; it is about money and power. Under the Liberal government, consumers and small businesses are losing to big corporations.