Roy Cullen

[Supply, February 8th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I never said that there are not some challenges and some issues within the textile industry. I was trying to remind the House and Canadians that the government has taken very strong action, is completely understanding of some of the challenges, and has responded accordingly.

I know, for example, in the apparel industry, after members on this side worked with the finance minister and the industry minister very recently, I have had some good feedback in my part of Toronto.

I am surprised a Conservative member would sort of imply that every single plant closure in Canada should be looked at by the government. We are saddened by it. In fact, my family comes from the Huntingdon area. My dad grew up in a place called Howick near Ormstown. I know the Huntingdon area very well. It saddens me and it saddens all of us in this House when plants close. However, we need to understand that the government cannot be held accountable and responsible for every plant closing in Canada. I am sure the member was not trying to imply that.

There are some mills, some plants, that because of certain efficiencies and a whole host of issues, where they are strategically located, their labour-management relations, their cost positioning, and a number of other factors, they are on the top end of the cost curve. There is nothing really the government can do. In today's commodity markets, and even in some of the value added markets, one needs to be in the bottom half of the cost curve if one is to survive in this competitive environment. If we as a federal government were to respond to every single industry and plant that was under siege, we would surely blow the fiscal envelope.We need to have measured and strategic responses.

Our government has acted very forcefully and with a lot of vigour. I support completely what our government has done. I do not have many textiles, but I know that the apparel industry in my area was very pleased with the announcements of the minister. We will continue to work with the textile industries to see if we can help them in this very difficult world that we live in.

[Supply, February 8th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Ahuntsic.

I would like to thank the House for the chance to add to today's debate on federal assistance for the clothing and textile industry. It allows me to speak out strongly against the implication in the opposition's motion that our government has been lackadaisical in its support of this sector.

Last December the federal finance and Industry ministers introduced substantial new measures to help the textile and apparel industry to better compete in fast changing world markets. Members on this side, members like the member for Ahuntsic, Beauce, Brome—Missisquoi, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, St. Boniface and many others, worked with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Industry to ensure that we put out a helping hand.

What I want to add is some important perspective--focusing on the fact that these new initiatives build upon an established record of federal partnership with, and support for, these industries.

Our government has long understood that the Canadian textile and apparel industries face evolving challenges in today's fiercely competitive international environment. They have had to transform themselves over the past decade through focusing on higher value-added activity, on innovative and attractive new products, and through identifying and winning niche markets for their products. And the federal government has been part of that transformation.

To assist these cousin industries with their preparations for the future, the Government of Canada established a joint government-industry working group on textiles and apparel. The industry and labour members of the working group were comprised of representatives from the Canadian Apparel Federation; the Canadian Textiles Institute; the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees; Industry Canada; Finance; International Trade; Statistics Canada; Human Resources Canada; Skills Development Canada; and the Canada Border Services Agency.

The industries submitted recommendations for government action to address the issues related to the long term competitiveness of the apparel and textile industries. In response to these recommendations, the Government of Canada has committed to the following: first, continuing to work toward an integrated North American market for Canadian apparel and textile products and to consider any proposals made jointly by the apparel and textile industries for new market development through an outward processing initiative; second, continuing to protect against illegal trans-shipment of imported apparel and textile products and to use existing tools, as appropriate, to respond to industry complaints regarding injurious import surges; third, working through the employment insurance program to continue to meet the needs of workers adjusting to changes in the industry and to ensure, through ongoing support for human resource sector councils, that employees obtain the skills they need to respond to the challenges of a rapidly changing labour market; fourth, identifying and reducing tariffs on imported textile inputs used by the Canadian apparel industry so as to improve the industry's cost competitiveness; and, fifth, continuing to work through the national initiatives component of the Canadian apparel and textile industries program to address the technology support, branding, trade development and e-commerce needs of the apparel and textile industries.

Let me outline some of the specific initiatives the government has undertaken to assist the Canadian apparel and textile industries to compete globally.

Even before the additional assistance package announced last December, the government had announced nearly $100 million worth of support. In June 2002 a $33 million program was announced to help them improve their competitiveness. At the same time, $11 million was provided to the Canada Border Services Agency to counter illegal trans-shipments of textile and apparel products.

Then just a year ago, in February 2004 the government announced additional assistance: $26.7 million would be directed toward the textile industry and another $26.7 million in the form of duty reductions on textile inputs. The measures were part of CANtex, the textiles production efficiency initiative. CANtex itself is building on the success of the earlier Canadian apparel and textile industries program, which has funded 394 projects to assist apparel and textile companies enhance their productivity, lower costs, improve efficiency and find new markets for their products.

I think that hon. members should be reminded of some of the success stories for this program.

Canada's apparel and textile industries, their products and the people who created them have a long and proven history of innovation, creativity and business success. In fact, Canadian companies are recognized around the world for the quality of their products, their leading-edge manufacturing capabilities and, most importantly, their high standards of service.

Canadian companies manufacture a broad range of apparel and textiles, including innovative geo-textiles. Established brand names, such as Roots, Far West and French Dressing, together with niche providers such as Régitex, Barrday and Peerless, are proving that Canada's apparel and textile industries are alive and well, and globally competitive.

To face the challenges of the 21st century, Canada's apparel and textile industries are actively transforming themselves. As trade barriers disappear, global competition is forcing companies to think outside the box, explore new ways of doing business and market themselves and their products more effectively.

Through Industry Canada, the Canadian apparel and textile industries program works in partnership with apparel and textile companies and associations to maintain and improve the strength and vitality of these industries in Canada. With financial assistance from the Canadian apparel and textile industries program, many Canadian apparel and textile companies have acquired the leading edge tools that they need to build and sustain competitive advantage, helping them to become more innovative and able to pursue new market opportunities around the world.

Now, with the further support of CANtex, companies can extend their capabilities even further in a host of ways in eligible projects.

Let me step back for a second and make another important point. Since our government balanced its budget in 1997-98, the first time in 27 years, it has pursued a vigorous effort to fund research and innovation.

In fact, in February 2002, the federal government launched its 10-year innovation strategy which aimed to move Canada to the front ranks of the world's most innovative countries.

In its quest to achieve excellence, the Government of Canada is moving to build on the investments already made in research and innovation, to make essential research and technological expertise available to firms of all sizes, and to facilitate access to venture capital financing.

The Canadian textiles industry is leading the way in such innovation. Indeed, this industry has become one of the most innovative industries in Canada. Allow me to explain.

To begin, the industry invests over $300 million annually in state of the art textile equipment and facilities, $3.1 billion in total in the 10 year period from 1990 to 1999. These capital expenditures contributed to an increase in labour productivity in this sector in the 1990s.

While Canada is not a textile machinery manufacturing country, textile machinery embodying the latest technological improvements produced worldwide is readily available to domestic manufacturers, who must continuously reinvest to remain internationally competitive.

Hon. members can certainly appreciate that critical to the successful adoption of these advanced technologies is a continuous upgrading of the industry's workforce, knowledge and skills.

That is why with initial support from HRDC, a textiles human resources council was established in 1994. Guided by a union management board of directors, it has been cited as a model for other sectors and is dedicated to ensuring that employees of the textiles industry attain and maintain world class skills.

The textiles human resources council is providing a growing mix of innovative education and training programs, such as, on-the-job, hands-on and distance learning, ranging from CD-ROMs to fully interactive computer courses. Total intramural research and development expenditures in the textile industries have exhibited a steady increase throughout the 1990s, increasing from $41 million in 1990 to $67 million in 2000. This ranks the textile sector as 16th out of the 27 industries comprising the manufacturing sector. In fact, innovations proliferate at every phase of the textile supply chain, from upstream fibre production to final products.

Industry Canada, along with the Textiles Human Resources Council and the Canadian Textiles Institute, through the Canadian Apparel and Textile Industries Program, is leading the Canadian Delegation to Material World.

Let me conclude by asserting with real confidence that our government is very aware of the challenging situation facing the textile and apparel industries in Canada and we are responding.

[Department of International Trade Act, February 7th, 2005]

Madam Speaker, my question is one that comes up often in international trade circles. What kind of strategies should Canada be pursuing?

One argument is that we have a huge market in the United States which is relatively easy to access and is close at hand. It is a culture that we understand. It is also a huge and very rich market. By the same token, we have something like 86% or thereabouts of our trade going into that market. Someone in business would say that they want to diversify.

The counter argument is that we should be diversifying our trade away from the United States into Asia and places beyond to achieve that kind of diversification result.

I wonder what the member's views might be with respect to that particular point.

[Food and Drugs Act, February 7th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-206, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning labels regarding the consumption of alcohol). I too would like to congratulate the hon. member for Mississauga South for all the work he has done on this issue over years. I know how passionate he is about the issue. I congratulate him on bringing this issue before the House of Commons.

I know what he has been going through. I strove for a number of years to get my private member's bill into the House. I know he certainly has the best of intentions. However, I will not be supporting the bill.

There are two large breweries in my riding, Labatt and Molson. I have worked with the brewers for many years. I am told on some pretty good authority that these warning labels will not be effective. They have shown not to be effective in the United States. They have had no appreciable impact on the amount of drinking that goes on when women are pregnant, or when people are operating machinery or driving.

Surveys done in Canada have shown that some 96% of Canadians are aware of the relationship that exists between excessive alcohol consumption and birth defects. Among women of child bearing age the level of awareness is even higher. It moves to 98%. When it comes to drinking and driving, the researchers do not even track that any more because a full 99% of respondents in the early 1990s recognized that drinking alcohol impaired a person's ability to drive a car.

Those are important statistics. While we all agree that irresponsible drinking is something we should not be supporting, the brewing industry in Canada has been working on a lot of very important and effective programs with respect to the responsible use of alcohol, and beer in particular. In fact the industry is very proactive in discouraging people from the irresponsible consumption of alcoholic products, especially beer.

The brewers have also done a lot of work on the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal alcohol effect. As my colleague from Weston pointed out they have been supporting mother risk. There is a toll free line which helps women understand the importance of the linkage between drinking and pregnancy.

With respect to the comments by my colleague from Alberta, there is a natural tendency to say that if it works for cigarettes, it should work for beer, spirits and wine. The problem is that if one has a few cigarettes probably no one would argue that it is good for one's health; whereas if one drinks responsibly, a couple of beers a week, in fact it is good for one's health. It is the abusive drinkers who are the problem. We are not going to get rid of abusive drinkers by putting labels on bottles. What about draft beer? What about beer that comes in bulk, in taverns, et cetera?

Respectfully, I will not be supporting the bill.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2004, No. 2, February 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I will respond to the questions and comments from the Bloc Québécois member. If the government runs a surplus, that is good news, in my opinion, not bad news. We can pay down the debt with each surplus.

I said that we must invest in Canada's health care system. At the same time, we have to take a closer look at how that system works.

We do not have the expertise at the federal level, unlike what the member was implying. We have the responsibility to provide national standards and funding, and it is up to the provinces to deliver health care.

What we have said and the commitment we have from the provinces and territories is to have greater accountability and transparency, more public disclosure of what results are being accomplished. This is not intruding into the jurisdiction of the provinces. In fact, the provinces have agreed.

With respect to the province of Quebec, there is a slightly different way of institutionalizing that, but the results are the same. Quebeckers and all Canadians deserve the right to know how their tax dollars are being spent and the kind of value for money they are getting for their tax dollars in the health care system compared to other provinces. That is a reasonable expectation of Canadians and Quebeckers, and that is what we are all committed to.

[Public Works and Government Services, February 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. For some time now, unlike certain opportunistic opposition members, I have been working with the Department of Public Works and Government Services to allow companies that manufacture Canadian lapel pins in Canada, companies such as Bursan Limited in my riding of Etobicoke North, to be able to compete on a level playing field.

I would like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Government Services to--

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the government is studying the report from the Assembly of First Nations. I should say that it takes some time for a program to get ramped up. As it is now, these claims are being settled.

The government is mindful of some of the recommendations and supports some of the recommendations coming out of that report, and will be responding in due course.

[Firearms Registry, February 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the only member shooting blanks is the member opposite.

Police organizations are supporting the gun registry. In fact, I would like to quote the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police President, Edgar MacLeod, who said:

There is no question that the system works and that it is a valuable tool. ...new gun-control system improves the screening of legal gun owners, increases their accountability and provides tools to prevent the diversion and misuse of firearms.

We are managing and containing the cost, and we will continue to do so.

[Firearms Registry, February 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the firearms program has a very positive cost benefit because it is working and it is contributing to public safety.

Police and other officials use the firearms program information. In fact, they are averaging 15,000 inquiries a week from the firearms registry online.

So far this year, 1,100 affidavits have been prepared by the Canada Firearms Centre to support firearms related criminal prosecutions and more than 12,000--

[Budget Implementation Act, 2004, No. 2, February 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly do not use the term “rural Canada” in any derogatory form whatsoever. In fact, my father was born and raised on a farm outside Montreal. As a youth I would go to the farm in the summers and bring in the hay and milk the cows, et cetera. I understand to some extent the challenges of farmers in Canada. We have a job to do to make sure that we preserve the life in rural Canada, the small farm.

A couple of years ago I worked with Ducks Unlimited on a proposal that would allow farmers, if they wished, to convert marginal farmland into ecological areas for wildlife and riparian areas. In fact, that thinking has advanced. I understand the problem of people living on farms and having to have other jobs just to make ends meet. There are areas on farms where there is marginal farmland that could be converted to other uses and provide some much needed capital to farmers.

With respect to the member's comment about health care, I thought I had been very clear that in the health accord we have asked, and the provinces and territories have agreed, that there be greater accountability, more transparency, more benchmarking and performance standards so that comparisons can be made between provinces.

Rural Canada also needs investments in infrastructure. The challenge there is the huge geography and the distances that are involved.

We have the challenges with world subsidies, the U.S. and European subsidies. I am hopeful that we will make some progress on that issue as well. We have a lot to do to support our farming communities across Canada. Our government is committed to doing that.