CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 137 Ï NUMBER 184 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 37th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, May 7, 2002 (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 11263 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, May 7, 2002 The House met at 10 a.m. [Translation] Prayers CANADA POST Mr. Pierre Paquette (Joliette, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I would like to ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS present a petition signed by citizens of my riding. Ï (1000) The petitioners are asking the government to repeal subsection 13 [English] (5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act, which prohibits rural mail GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS couriers from bargaining collectively to improve their working conditions. Mr. Geoff Regan (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both Ms. Galarneau, a constituent from my riding who worked as rural official languages, the government's response to three petitions. mail courier for ten years, arbitrarily lost her contract and has no recourse. *** Ï (1005) If subsection 13(5) were repealed, as requested in the petition, CANADIAN SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT Ms. Galarneau could have participated in a class action. I therefore Mr. John Herron (Fundy—Royal, PC) moved for leave to submit this petition. introduce Bill C-462, an act to ensure safe drinking water throughout Canada. Mr. Bernard Patry (Pierrefonds—Dollard, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I submit a petition signed by rural He said: Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table, in my name and mail couriers from all over the country. on behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, an act that provides for the establishment of national standards for safe drinking water in Canada and for the proper reporting and public These Canadians are asking parliament to repeal subsection 13(5) disclosure of incidents of non-compliance with those standards. of the Canada Post Corporation Act, which denies them the right to collective bargaining. The House may recall there was a motion similar to this initiative presented on May 8, 2001. Given that the government was unwilling to fill that legislative void it is incumbent upon the Progressive While they perform the same task as their city counterparts, the Conservative Party of Canada to do just that. petitioners feel their most basic rights to decent wages and fair and (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) equitable working conditions are being violated. *** [English] PETITIONS MEDICAL RESEARCH NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER Mr. John Williams (St. Albert, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of a number Mrs. Brenda Chamberlain (Guelph—Wellington, Lib.): Mr. of people in Alberta. The petitioners request that parliament ban Speaker, I wish to present two petitions today. The first petition is human embryo research and direct the Canadian Institutes of Health signed by Canadians who support a national day of prayer. The Research to support and fund only promising ethical research that petitioners propose March 8 as a day to unite all Canadians to pray does not involve the destruction of human life. for our nation, its people and its leaders. 11264 COMMONS DEBATES May 7, 2002 Supply Ï (1010) That, in the opinion of this House, the government should set up an assistance program for the softwood lumber industry and its workers, to support them in the face of the unjust decision by the American government to impose a 27.2% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber exports to the United States, the program to continue in NATIONAL TEACHERS DAY effect until such time as this conflict has been resolved. Mrs. Brenda Chamberlain (Guelph—Wellington, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by Canadians who support a He said: Mr. Speaker, please take note that I will be sharing my national teachers day on the first Tuesday during education week in time with my colleague, the hon. member for Jonquière. May. It is a day to honour and thank all of our teachers and to recognize their invaluable contribution to the lives of our children As you just mentioned, we are tabling a motion asking the and to show our appreciation and respect for the teaching profession. government to set up, as soon as possible, an assistance program for the softwood lumber industry and its workers, to support them in the JUSTICE face of the unjust decision by the American government to impose a Mr. Leon Benoit (Lakeland, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, I 27.2% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber exports to the United am pleased to rise again to present a petition on behalf of the people States, the program to continue in effect until such time as this of Lakeland constituency and elsewhere. conflict has been resolved. The petitioners ask the House that bail not be granted for all This debate was made necessary by the May 2 decision of the accused murderers caught in the act of committing their crimes and United States International Trade Commission to impose, effective to give only maximum sentences for those convicted. This petition May 23, 2002, anti-dumping and countervailing duties totalling results from the death of Dana Fair in Lloydminster who was beaten 27.2%. to death by three men with boards. There were many witnesses to this crime. One of the people involved in this crime had a long It is important to remind the House that this decision made on history of violent crime before and yet he is out on $2,000 bail. The May 2 this year is the result of a long administrative process on the petitioners think that is completely wrong and out of line. They are part of the American authorities and of an extremely fierce fight petitioning the House to change that. between the Canadian industry and the American industry, which started on April 2, 2001, that is more than a year ago, because the *** Americans questioned the forest management procedures of the QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER federal and provincial governments, and their support of the Mr. Geoff Regan (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of softwood lumber industry in Canada and Quebec. the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand. Obviously, it was evident right from the start to all provinces, the industry and the parties here in the House that these allegations were The Speaker: Is that agreed? false. Moreover, in previous instances—for this conflict has been going on for 20 years now—Canada has always won out, except Some hon. members: Agreed. when it has got down on its knees and accepted the Americans' orders. *** [Translation] A year later, here we are faced with an outcome that will have VACANCY disastrous impacts on the industry, the workers and the communities. It is extremely important to keep in mind that, in Quebec alone, there LAC-SAINT-JEAN—SAGUENAY are 250 municipalities whose living is connected with the lumber The Speaker: It is my duty to inform the House that a vacancy and forest industries, and which will be affected. If the sawmill were has occurred in the representation, namely Mr. Stéphan Tremblay, to end up closing, this would be more than just the closure of one member for the electoral district of Lac-Saint-Jean—Saguenay, by company. A whole community would be at risk of disappearing. resignation effective May 7, 2002. In this situation that is so difficult for the communities, it strikes Pursuant to subsection 25(1)(b) of the Parliament of Canada Act, me as totally normal for a responsible government to act promptly to today, I have addressed my warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer for put in place programs to support the industry. the issue of a writ for the election of a member to fill this vacancy. On the government side, the Minister for International Trade tells us that industry was not affected. All the statistics are available. He has only to consult the Statistics Canada bulletins. Production has GOVERNMENT ORDERS dropped, deliveries have dropped over the course of 2001, particularly at the end of that year, when the countervailing and [Translation] anti-dumping duties were imposed temporarily. SUPPLY These duties will amount to in excess of $2 billion annually for ALLOTTED DAY—SOFTWOOD LUMBER the Canadian industry as a whole, and in excess of $500 million for Mr. Pierre Paquette (Joliette, BQ) moved: Quebec alone. These are duties imposed by the Americans. May 7, 2002 COMMONS DEBATES 11265 Supply According to the industry, 10,000 jobs would be affected, and Agreement, or of the agreements that they signed with the World close to 2,000 have already disappeared. All stakeholders in the Trade Organization. We will win our case before the panels of these industry, both labour and management, agree that this is an organizations. We must condemn American unilateralism regarding extremely serious situation. this issue and others. However, this does not excuse the govern- ment's irresponsibility in this issue. I will quote, as an example, a press release from the Association des manufacturers de bois de sciage du Québec, which states the This was to be expected, and this is what should have happened following: on May 2: the government should have reacted energetically to this Since September, Quebec's softwood lumber manufacturers have had to slow down activities, either through temporary shutdowns or by cutting shifts.