John Duncan

[Petitions, February 21st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, this petition is signed by approximately 40 individuals from my riding. They are asking Parliament to repeal section 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act which prohibits rural route mail couriers from having collective bargaining rights.

[Petitions, February 21st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by 30 individuals from my riding. The petitioners are asking Parliament to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to protect their children from any material promoting child pornography and to make it clear that any such exploitation of children will be met with swift punishment.

[Softwood Lumber, February 21st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, U.S. car buyers have filed an antitrust class action lawsuit against Canadian and U.S. automakers, alleging collusion to raise prices only in the U.S.

U.S. consumers have expressed similar concerns that the Canada-U.S. softwood discussions will lead to agreement to increase softwood lumber prices only in the U.S.

What is the Minister of Trade doing during the current talks in Washington to ensure that Canadian forest stakeholders and his own department are not involved in violations of U.S. antitrust law?

[Fisheries, February 12th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the largest employer in Port Hardy had a major fire Saturday night at the fish processing plant. Fortunately no one was injured but 260 people were put out of work.

The Alpha Processing Plant supplies several hundred tonnes per week of north island fresh farm salmon for the Canadian and international markets.

North Vancouver Island has been under severe stress in recent years in the forest, fishing and mining sectors. It is reassuring to see the broader community pull together after this tragic fire. Nearby fish processing competitors have agreed to co-operate to maintain capacity for processing during reconstruction of the plant. They will retain important market share and jobs on the water for the growers.

The workers, their families and the community at large are pulling together to rebuild the Alpha Processing Plant.

[Softwood Lumber, February 7th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, $1 billion is hardly frivolous.

Yesterday, the trade minister was asked twice to assure Canadians that he would not drop our softwood lumber dispute legal challenges at NAFTA and the WTO. Both times the minister evaded the answer.

Will the minister assure the House that Canada will not drop its legal challenges unless the provinces and industry are in agreement?

[Fisheries, February 7th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, in the 1990s the Department of Fisheries and Oceans took the initiative to buy out all of the wild Atlantic salmon commercial fishery licences in Newfoundland and Labrador for conservation reasons. This was a welcome and necessary move.

Now we have a similar situation on the west coast. There are approximately 70 rock cod boats for inside waters on the B.C. coast. Their current and projected catch allocations are too small to be economic due to serious conservation concerns.

I have been asked by licence holders to present to the minister the benefits of a licence buy-back. This would solve the conservation issue and remove extreme economic hardship. It would be in the public interest and would also remove a major long term management hurdle for fisheries and oceans personnel at a reasonable cost. I encourage the minister to quickly adopt this proposal.

[Softwood Lumber, February 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. lumber lobby is demanding that any softwood deal requires Canada to drop its legal challenges through NAFTA and WTO.

Will the minister assure the House that Canada will not drop its legal options unless the provinces and industry are in agreement?

[Softwood Lumber, February 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the mandate of the federal government includes responsibility for international trade agreements. At the softwood talks in Washington the provinces and industry tabled various export tax proposals.

Why is it that everyone but the federal government is taking the lead?

[Softwood Lumber, February 3rd, 2003]

Then why, Mr. Speaker, did the minister's office say that there definitely were not softwood meetings this week?

Canadian provincial and lumber stakeholders are in Washington talking to the U.S. Department of Commerce, all 200 of them. Some are there for self-preservation, some believe a quick deal is the answer and some, such as the $2 billion independent British Columbia lumber remanufacturers, are never invited.

Meanwhile, the minister has compromised free trade in lumber by hinting at this border tax. If the minister cannot come up with coherent leadership or positioning, why does the minister not just stay home?

[Softwood Lumber, February 3rd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, a border tax but not necessarily a border tax. The Minister for International Trade is unclear as to why he is going to Washington this week, has delivered an unclear position on softwood and is part of a government that regularly offends the U.S. administration.

Last week the minister said his trip was not about softwood. Two days later the minister reversed himself and said he was going to Washington for softwood meetings.

Quite simply, what is the minister's position? What is Canada's negotiating position? What is it?