House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 34% of the vote.
Cape Breton Development Corporation Divestiture Authorization And Dissolution Act October 27th, 1999
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-11, an act to authorize the divestiture of the assets of, and to dissolve, the Cape Breton Development Corporation, to amend the Cape Breton Development Corporation Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
The Environment October 27th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, any specific reference to the federal budget would have to be left to the Minister of Finance.
We welcome the input from the climate action network just as we welcome all the hard work and advice of the 450 Canadians who have been involved in the 16 issue tables that we and the provinces have had up and running on this issue for the past 18 months.
The climate network is talking about transportation alternatives, energy conservation and efficiency, renewables and alternative fuels, new technologies, green procurement programs, building renovations, district heating systems and so forth. We are already investing in all of those fields. I fully expect that we will do more.
Plutonium Imports October 27th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is mixing and mingling a whole variety of unrelated things.
The incident at Dorval, for example, I am happy to confirm, involved a container that was in fact empty. There was no actual spill and there was no health hazard whatsoever.
All the issues the she has referred to are fully covered by Canada's stringent regulations under the Atomic Energy Control Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. The Government of Canada will ensure that every aspect of those regulations are fully enforced.
Plutonium Imports October 21st, 1999
Mr. Speaker, no decision has been taken. Obviously the transportation plans are just now being reviewed and no decision could be taken until Transport Canada makes a determination in this matter.
We have indicated our agreement in principle subject to that technical approval from the Department of Transport. The testing procedure to be conducted at the AECL lab at Chalk River is fully covered by the existing licence granted by the Atomic Energy Control Board, and that licence was granted subject to public hearings.
Grain October 21st, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the Canada-U.S. grain trade is bedevilled by far too many myths and sterile debates about marketing ideologies.
I have met with the U.S. wheat associates organization and with the representatives of 13 American wheat producing states. This weekend I will be meeting with most of the major U.S. grain milling companies.
The message is always consistent. We are each other's best customers. We have a huge amount in common. Let us not batter away at each other. Instead, let us make common cause against the subsidies, the distortions and the unfair market access rules of the European Union which are the most pernicious source of damage to both Canadian and American farmers and the world's grain trade.
The Environment October 21st, 1999
Mr. Speaker, again the hon. member forgets that this is very much a foreign policy initiative in the interest of promoting world peace and reducing the threat of nuclear weapons.
We have said we are prepared to consider the principle and to conduct the tests. We are not committed to anything beyond the testing. The testing is covered under existing regulatory authority. If there is ever to be any further commercial activity, it would be subject to a full environmental health and safety review. The proponents would need to negotiate a commercial contract with the utility in Canada that was prepared to undertake the activity, and that would be a decision to be taken by the utility.
The Environment October 21st, 1999
Mr. Speaker, we both have and are addressing those concerns. We have held public consultations with all the local officials. We have held public open houses to provide complete information. We have provided a public comment period to the Department of Transport, which ended a week or so ago.
Now the Department of Transport will take all that information into account before it makes a final decision on whether all the laws are being properly respected to ensure that the public interest is fully protected.
Aboriginal Affairs October 20th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I answer in my capacity as the federal interlocutor for Metis and off reserve Indians.
The supreme court judgment in the Marshall case was not totally precise in defining exactly who all the potential beneficiaries of the historic treaties would be.
On Friday the Government of Canada announced that we were appointing a federal representative to negotiate and discuss with all of the affected parties. Obviously we will want to ensure in the course of those discussions that the appropriate representation of aboriginal people in the Atlantic region is consulted about this matter so that all the views and all the relevant information can be on the table, rather than speculating in a vacuum.
Devco October 20th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the human resources package announced at the time of the announcement of the Phalen mine closure, we also indicated that there were two other equally important components in the package. One was the attempt to privatize the Prince mine with the objective of maintaining up to 500 jobs in the coal mining business on Cape Breton Island. The other was $68 million for an economic development fund to find a new and more viable economic future for the people of Cape Breton.
Natural Resources October 18th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, our approach to MOx fuel testing is a foreign policy initiative to help, if we can, rid the world of nuclear weapons.
A proposed testing of a very small amount of plutonium oxide is fully governed by Canadian laws to protect health, safety and the environment. Let me emphasize that this is a test only.
With respect to transportation, plans have been published, local officials have been briefed, public open houses have been held and a 28 day public comment period has just concluded. Transport Canada will review all of that input to satisfy itself that the public interest is properly safeguarded.