CANADA VOLUME 137 S NUMBER 004 S 1st SESSION S 37th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, February 1, 2001 Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) All parliamentary publications are available on the ``Parliamentary Internet Parlementaire'' at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 67 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, February 1, 2001 The House met at 10 a.m. protection of employees in the public service who make allega- tions in good faith respecting wrongdoing in the public service. _______________ He said: Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the bill is to protect the Prayers members of the Public Service of Canada who blow the whistle in _______________ good faith for wrongdoing in the public service, such as reports of waste, fraud, corruption, abuse of authority, violation of law or D (1005 ) threats to public health or safety. The public interest is served when employees are free to make such reports without fear of retaliation [English] and discrimination. MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE Therefore, I am very pleased to introduce my private member’s The Speaker: I have the honour to inform the House that a bill, entitled an act respecting the protection of employees in the message has been received from the Senate informing this House public service who make allegations in good faith respecting that the Senate has passed certain bills, to which the concurrence of wrongdoing in the public service. this House is desired. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) _____________________________________________ * * * ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS ACT [Translation] Mr. Gurmant Grewal (Surrey Central, Canadian Alliance) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-202, an act to amend the GOVERNMENT OF CANADA Statutory Instruments Act (disallowance procedure for statutory Hon. Lucienne Robillard (President of the Treasury Board instruments). and Minister responsible for Infrastructure, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in order to provide to parliamentarians and Canadians information He said: Mr. Speaker, my private member’s bill, entitled an act on the government’s performance, I have the honour to table, in to amend the Statutory Instruments Act, seeks to establish a both official languages, a report entitled ‘‘Managing for Results’’, statutory disallowance procedure for all statutory instruments that and reports on the performance of 83 departments and agencies. are subject to review and scrutiny by the Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations, which I was co-chair in the last * * * parliament. The bill will give teeth to the joint committee and will empower members of the House and the Senate to democratize our INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS rights in parliament. Hon. Charles Caccia (Davenport, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to table in the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-Europe Parlia- mentary Association, which represented Canada at the fourth * * * session of the year 2000 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the D Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg, France, from September 25 (1010 ) to 29, 2000. PETITIONS * * * KIDNEY DISEASE [English] Mr. Peter Adams (Peterborough, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I rise to WHISTLE BLOWER HUMAN RIGHTS ACT present another petition on behalf of Canadians who believe that Mr. Gurmant Grewal (Surrey Central, Canadian Alliance) the Government of Canada can deal more effectively with the more moved for leave to introduce Bill C-201, an act respecting the than 18,000 Canadians who suffer from end stage kidney disease. 68 COMMONS DEBATES February 1, 2001 The Address The petitioners point out that those on kidney dialysis and those GOVERNMENT ORDERS successfully transplanted recognize the importance of the bioartifi- cial kidney as an alternative treatment. They call upon parliament to work and support the bioartificial kidney, which will eventually [English] eliminate the need for both dialysis or transplantations in those suffering from kidney disease. SPEECH FROM THE THRONE Mr. Paul DeVillers (Simcoe North, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pur- suant to Standing Order 36, I have the pleasure of presenting a RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY petition containing 135 signatures of people primarily from Simcoe county. The House resumed from January 31 consideration of the motion for an address to Her Excellency the Governor General in reply to They petition parliament to work and support the bioartificial her speech at the opening of the session, of the amendment and of kidney, which will eventually eliminate the need for both dialysis the amendment to the amendment. or transplantation for those suffering from kidney disease. Mr. John Reynolds: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I wish to advise you that all members of the Canadian Alliance will HUMAN RIGHTS be sharing time during the remainder of this debate. Hon. Brian Tobin (Minister of Industry, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, Mr. Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, Canadian let me take this opportunity to join with many of my colleagues in Alliance): Mr. Speaker, in view of the fact that Canada has a long congratulating you, Sir, on your election as Speaker. Let me assure history of recognizing the rights of freedom of religion and you that I will always abide by the wisdom of your rulings and seek freedom of conscience, the petitioners lament the fact that health in speedy fashion to comply with your direction to me. care workers and those seeking training for a career in the health care system have been stripped of those rights by medical facilities My next words are words of thanks to the voters of Bonavista— and educational institutes. Trinity—Conception who have allowed me the privilege, and it is a real privilege for all of us to be here, of coming back to parliament They refer to examples of some hospitals where nurses are having been absent from this very special place for the last five forced to assist in abortion procedures against their deeply held years. religious and moral convictions. That is now happening in respect of pharmacies too. There is no question that having the right and, more important, having the responsibility to speak and to participate in the debates in this place is one that few Canadians are given the opportunity to In view of the fact that some nurses have lost jobs due to their do. As the member of parliament for Bonavista—Trinity—Concep- adherence to religious and moral beliefs, they call upon parliament tion the second time around, I have a special awareness of what a to enact legislation against such violations of conscience rights by great honour this is. administrators of medical and educational facilities. My duty today is to speak in support of the Speech from the Throne. I do so as Minister of Industry and as somebody who is * * * tremendously excited to be in that role. The Prime Minister has asked me to take on these duties, and I am doing so with great enthusiasm. I say that because I reflect back on where Canada has [Translation] come since the first time I sat in this place in 1980, nearly 21 years ago this month. QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER D (1015 ) Mr. Derek Lee (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Our country has changed enormously in those 21 years. I Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I ask remember the debates of the early 1980s in which we talked about that the remaining questions be allowed to stand. the protection, enhancement and promotion of Canada primarily but not exclusively as a resource based economy. We talked about The Speaker: Is that agreed? our capacity in the manufacturing area, primarily about our industrial might and muscle in southern Ontario. We talked about the structured arrangements under the auto pact which gave Some hon. members: Agreed. possibility or potential to that manufacturing might. February 1, 2001 COMMONS DEBATES 69 The Address We talked about our position vis-à-vis our neighbour to the south will be managed and measured south of the border, whatever the as being that of a much smaller player, one-tenth the size. Indeed, state of play, Canada is tremendously well positioned to absorb, the cliché was coined, shaped and nurtured back then that when the ride out and recover quickly from whatever adjustment we see U.S. got the sniffles we got pneumonia. south of the border. How much has changed since 1980? We no longer think of our That is not by accident, but by smart and good planning. In that southern neighbour as a colossus that might inadvertently in the regard the House owes as well a special recognition and a vote of middle of the night roll over and lay waste to Canada and all of our thanks to the Minister of Finance for his stewardship of Canada’s aspirations. Rather, we see our neighbour to the south as a economy. tremendous market of opportunity, as a place that we can penetrate successfully and compete with and win in on a fair playing field D with the quality of our products. (1020 ) Let those who come from the so-called old economy, such as our Exactly a month ago on January 1 Canadians received the first farmers, compete on a fair playing field. The farmers of Canada $17 billion down payment on a five year $100 billion tax cut. This can compete and win in any marketplace in the world today. is not some kind of theological tax cut, one that is driven out of some misplaced ideology. This is not money that is borrowed from A fair opportunity to compete is what is being asked for, whether our children.