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CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 139 Ï NUMBER 003 Ï 3rd SESSION Ï 37th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Wednesday, February 4, 2004 (Part A) 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 93 HOUSE OF COMMONS Wednesday, February 4, 2004 The House met at 2 p.m. My riding of Calgary—Nose Hill has proven to be a superb example of this forward thinking. Prayers I would like to pay tribute to the leadership and dedication of Ï (1400) Calgary—Nose Hill constituency president Dr. John Huang and [English] vice-president Mel Johnson. Led by these two fine and capable Canadians, our board includes executive officers Jason Hatcher, Stephen Bin, Jeff Henwood, Gerrie van Ieperen and Frank Hickey, as The Speaker: It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing well as a large number of other committed and hardworking of the national anthem, led by the hon. member for Ancaster— members. Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot. [Editor's Note: Members sang the national anthem] It is with great pleasure and anticipation that I enter a new chapter in public life working with this dynamic group of people for the success of the Conservative Party of Canada. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS *** [English] AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE Ï (1405) Mr. Peter Adams (Peterborough, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis in insurance all across Canada. Auto insurance has received a great deal of attention in recent provincial elections but in fact the CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION AGENCY problems extend to most facets of business and social life in Canada. Hon. Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough—Agincourt, Lib.): Mr. I have heard concerns about the cost of insurance, about a Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the reduction in insurance coverage and a limited choice of insurers from Canadian Transportation Agency, as today marks the centennial small business people, health professionals, school bus operators, anniversary of the CTA's 100 years at the heart of transportation. municipalities, realtors, farmers and homeowners. I realize that insurance is a provincial matter in Canada but the time has come for a full scale national inquiry. The variety of auto We Canadians have benefited greatly from the work of this insurance programs across the country alone merits national study. independent agency. I congratulate its chair, Ms. Marian L. Robson, All provinces, territories and citizens would benefit from this. its members and staff for their continuing efforts and success. I urge the government to initiate a national inquiry into insurance at the earliest possible opportunity. The origins of this agency can be traced back to the 1903 Railway Act. The first board of railway commissioners took up their tasks in *** 1904. Through its long history, it has evolved to become the CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF CANADA Canadian Transportation Agency that we know today. Originally it was only to cover rail. Today it includes marine and air sectors. It is Mrs. Diane Ablonczy (Calgary—Nose Hill, CPC): Mr. Speaker, also responsible for the accessibility of the federal transportation the new Conservative Party of Canada is an historic move forward network to persons with disabilities. for Canadian democracy. Voters will now have a broad-based, competitive and energetic alternative to the tired and troubled Liberals. Thanks to the Canada Transportation Act, the agency's enabling statute, it can implement the federal government's transportation The coming together of renewed Conservative forces has been policy which subsequently makes the CTA an important part of the achieved by significant goodwill at the constituency level. Canadian transportation hierarchy. 94 COMMONS DEBATES February 4, 2004 S. O. 31 WHITE CANE WEEK Ï (1410) Hon. Jerry Pickard (Chatham—Kent Essex, Lib.): Mr. YECHEZKEL GOLDBERG Speaker, thousands of Canadians suffer from print disabilities. They Hon. Elinor Caplan (Thornhill, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, on the include people whose vision is impaired, those with perceptual or morning of January 29, Canadians woke to the tragic news of eye problems and people who suffer from blindness. another horrific incident of a bus blown apart in Israel. All Canadians must have the right to access print material in our Dr. Yechezkel Goldberg, of Blessed Memory, was on Jerusalem society. For those Canadians, alternative print material, such as large bus 19. He was murdered in a senseless and appalling act of print books, magazines, Braille, audio materials and specialized terrorism which targeted, once again, the innocent. electronic resources are tools to help keep visually impaired people informed. Dr. Goldberg, of blessed memory, a Canadian, grew up in Toronto and sang with the Toronto Boy Choir which celebrated Jewish During this White Cane Week I encourage the government to music. He was an observant Jew, graduated from the University of continue to help those Canadians to function more independently Toronto and was an internationally renowned psychologist who tried with adequate resources in order to better serve the visually to help and specialized in helping troubled teenagers. impaired. I paid a shiva visit to his family in Thornhill and I could not find *** any words of comfort because of the outrage and terrible sadness that [Translation] is shared by all of the Jewish community and all civilized people everywhere. BLACK HISTORY MONTH I say to his wife Shifra, their seven children, his brothers, sisters Ms. Yolande Thibeault (Saint-Lambert, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is and mother, that their unbearable pain is shared. We pray for an end my pleasure to rise today to recognize Black History Month. to violence and bloodshed and pray as well for a return to sanity in This is a time to celebrate the numerous achievements and our world and peace in Israel. contributions of African-Canadians who, historically, have done so *** much to move Canada toward becoming the culturally diverse, humanitarian and prosperous country that we live in today. It is also [Translation] a time for most people in Canada to learn more about the experiences SOURCES OF INFORMATION of black people in Canadian society and about the vital role this Ms. Christiane Gagnon (Québec, BQ): Mr. Speaker, January 22 community has played throughout our history. was a sad day for our democracy when the Royal Canadian Mounted This year again, as in the past nine years, activities will be Police raided the home and office of Juliette O'Neil, a journalist from organized across Canada. My wish is that these activities have a the Ottawa Citizen, under the Security of Information Act. positive impact on the lives of Canadians. Openness to other cultures This police action challenges one of the pillars of our democracy, enriches all who experience them. namely freedom of the press and the protection of sources. *** The president of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du [English] Québec, Anne-Marie Dussault, finds it disturbing and shocking that police would seize journalistic material collected in good faith. She HEALTH had warned the government, in the fall of 2001, when the Mr. Roy Bailey (Souris—Moose Mountain, CPC): Mr. Speaker, controversial anti-terrorism bill was passed, that things might get most people, including myself, began smoking cigarettes at a young out of hand. age because of peer pressure. The town in which I was living at that The Bloc Quebecois believes that such interference in the affairs time was a military town and not only were the uniforms very of the Ottawa Citizen is a threat not only to the public's right to know attractive but also the fact that many of the soldiers smoked. but also to the right of journalists to carry on their profession freely. At that time no one thought of the dangers of cigarette smoking. The Bloc Quebecois therefore calls on the government to do Today the government spends millions in providing educational everything in its power to ensure that these principles remain sacred. warnings to all cigarette smokers. *** Today's new danger is one now considered by the scientific community to be even a greater danger than smoking cigarettes. It RIVIÈRE DES PRAIRIES has been widely proven by competent researchers that marijuana Ms. Raymonde Folco (Laval West, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, for some smoking is more dangerous to our health than cigarette smoking. time now the residents of Laval West have been battling floods from Where are the government's educational facts about the dangers of the Rivière des Prairies. marijuana and hashish smoking? Because of the ice jams, the residents of Sainte-Dorothée have had Today we have a health care system already overburdened. The to leave their flooded houses and seek shelter with friends and government should be educating the public on the hazards of the use family. I saw for myself that everyone is working flat out to ensure of these two illicit drugs. the safety and well-being of those affected. February 4, 2004 COMMONS DEBATES 95 S. O. 31 Along with the people of Laval West, I offer my help and my Minister has added one—that is right, one—more woman to cabinet. concern for the disaster victims. I hope that the measures being taken And in his array of parliamentary secretaries? We are at 15%. to correct the situation will take effect rapidly so that the victims will be able to go home very soon. Not only did he leave experienced women out of cabinet, he is trying to drive them right out of politics. *** Instead of patronizing platitudes, why does this government not [English] act? It can start by establishing a parliamentary status of women JAMIE BRENDAN MURPHY committee, a standing committee in this place.

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