Steven Fletcher

[HIV-AIDS among Aboriginal People, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, that was quite the speech. There are so many inaccuracies and misleading statements in the member's speech it is hard to know where to begin. Let me just point out a few things.

On the residential school agreement, we, the Conservative Party, signed that agreement. There is $1 billion to help mitigate some of the harm that was done.

On housing, the member says that there has not been a single housing announcement. In fact, the government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in housing. Just a few months ago in Winnipeg, I announced $2.1 million for a three storey, fully furnished, 20 unit apartment building at 415 Logan Avenue. I encourage the member to check it out, the Anishinabe Place of Hope. That was designed for first nations people.

The member talked about hepatitis C. Now, that is something else. For a Liberal member of Parliament to talk about hepatitis C after the Liberals denied compensation to the tainted blood victims, including aboriginal peoples, is just scandalous. It was a deliberate public policy decision by the Liberal government to deny compensation, one of the greatest scandals in Canadian history.

The member talks about fundamentals, first principles. Surely, what is more fundamental than anything else is fundamental human rights. Most Canadians would be shocked to know that first nations people are not included under the Canadian Human Rights Act. The Liberals are preventing this government from including first nations in the act--

[HIV-AIDS among Aboriginal People, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the Minister of Health for attending this evening. I know his schedule is extraordinarily busy. It is always great to have the minister make time for us.

I would like to raise an issue with the minister. I am taken aback a bit when the member for Vancouver Centre seemed to criticize the government for partnering up with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. I actually thought that partnership was an extraordinary one, very unique, and something this government had pioneered.

I wonder if the Minister of Health could expand on the benefits of the program, but also maybe frame some of the challenges this government has inherited on this very important issue.

[HIV-AIDS among Aboriginal People, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, it seems the debate is moving from the specific motion, which deals with Vancouver, to the larger issue of aboriginal peoples across Canada. Would the member at least agree that the 13 years of inaction by the previous government has laid the foundation to a lot of the challenges that aboriginals face?

We should also be intellectually honest. The Conservative government has done some undisputed positive things, such as the $1 billion settlement of the residential schools. Aboriginal peoples have applauded that from sea to sea to sea.

Would the member comment on the 13 years of Liberal neglect on this very important issue throughout the country?

[HIV-AIDS among Aboriginal People, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for raising this issue. It is obviously an issue that is very important for Canadians not only in Vancouver but throughout Canada.

I wonder if the member could reflect on how we have found ourselves in this situation after 13 years of Liberal mismanagement of the file.

The minister is going to speak later on. I will have an opportunity, as will the member for Yellowhead and others to give the government's perspective on this very important issue.

I wonder if the member could frame the things that the Liberal government failed to do when it had the opportunity to do so.

[Petitions, December 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table a petition signed by Canadian physicians from across Canada, including some from the Province of Manitoba, which urges the Canadian government to issue travel advisories warning Canadians that organ transplants in China include the use of organs harvested from non-consenting donors, including Falun Gong practitioners.

Recent reports have indicated that there is widespread and systematic organ harvesting from unwilling, live Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese regime and the Chinese military. This has resulted in over 41,000 unaccounted for transplants. The Chinese regime has not provided any evidence to the contrary.

Canadian physicians urge the Canadian government to issue travel advisories warning Canadians that organ transplants in China are sourced almost entirely from non-consenting people, whether prisoners sentenced to death or Falun Gong practitioners.

[An Act to permit the resumption and continuation of the operation of the National Research Universal Reactor at Chalk River, December 11th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, I think the will of Parliament, hopefully after this debate, is that the law will state that the reactor should be restarted to save lives around the world.

I would like to give the opportunity to the Minister of Health or the Minister of Natural Resources to comment on or provide assurance that the nuclear reactor will be as safe as it has ever been, if not safer.

[An Act to permit the resumption and continuation of the operation of the National Research Universal Reactor at Chalk River, December 11th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, again my question is for Ms. Keen.

If there was respect for Parliament, I think it would have been reasonable for the Minister of Natural Resources to, as you say, hear through a report that this crisis was likely to happen. As I understand it tonight, there was no such warning.

We are in a situation where each day counts and real people are being affected. This is not about applications or just bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. This is about people's lives. I wonder when the common sense light bulb turns on at the CNSC.

[An Act to permit the resumption and continuation of the operation of the National Research Universal Reactor at Chalk River, December 11th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, I actually find that response rather disturbing. I am not talking about economics, I am talking about people's lives, people who are sick, people who want diagnostic imaging, diagnostic help, people who want to get better. What I am hearing is bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo suggesting that public safety is not a concern.

I would urge the commission to take into consideration what we have heard this evening, which is that every day matters, that every day of delay affects from dozens of people, to hundreds of people, to thousands of people, to tens of thousands, and then hundreds of thousands if this continues.

There are engineers here who have said that based on the balance of probabilities, the balance is to restart the reactor, yet the commission seems to be resisting the attempts of this Parliament to save people's lives.

I would like to know from Ms. Keen, will she allow Parliament to exert its will to allow this reactor to produce the isotopes necessary to save people's lives?

[An Act to permit the resumption and continuation of the operation of the National Research Universal Reactor at Chalk River, December 11th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, when I graduated from engineering, I actually worked with AECL in Manitoba for a time. I have found this discussion this evening very interesting and informative, but most important, very serious.

I have a few questions for Ms. Keen. Ms. Keen's testimony tonight seems to suggest she is looking at this issue from a very narrow regulatory point of view. However, as each day goes by, there are exponentially more and more people being affected by the delay in starting up the reactor.

Is there some onus on the regulatory side to take into consideration the broad public safety aspect or consequences of shutting down the reactor?

[Health, December 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the government is concerned about this issue. I am pleased to tell Canadians that the health minister is taking action. We are looking into alternative supplies from other countries. We are ready to fast track those sources.

We are also coordinating efforts among the provinces to help with emergency procedures. We are taking action. We will keep Canadians informed on this very important issue.