House of Commons Hansard #91 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was yukon.

Topics

Report Of Finance CommitteeOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, it must be said that the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal wants the two taxes to be harmonized, as do the Quebec Chamber of Commerce, the Quebec manufacturers' association and the PQ candidate, but not the member.

I must tell you that it is clear for the Conseil du patronat that most of the interested groups and individuals in Quebec want harmonization; most of them do not agree with the Bloc Quebecois on that and on everything else as well.

Interprovincial TradeOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

While Ottawa and the provinces had promised to conclude an agreement on interprovincial trade liberalization by June 30, negotiations now appear to have broken down. According to the daily La Presse , the federal negotiators are even talking about a possible failure of negotiations if several provinces start asking for more and more exceptions.

My question is as follows: As negotiations are continuing in Toronto today, can the Deputy Prime Minister confirm that these negotiations have stalled because several provinces want to preserve the ability of their government corporations to intervene?

Interprovincial TradeOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Hamilton East Ontario

Liberal

Sheila Copps LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment

I think that the hon. member has answered his own question, stating as he did that negotiations are continuing as we speak. Naturally, if they are continuing, this means there is no breakdown.

Interprovincial TradeOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I gather that the Deputy Prime Minister has not taken part in very many negotiations.

I will nonetheless put this supplementary question to her: Will she confirm the ministerial statement to the effect that the federal government is now contemplating not signing an agreement it considers flawed? Does this failure not confirm yet again the inability of this government to negotiate with the provinces?

Interprovincial TradeOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Hamilton East Ontario

Liberal

Sheila Copps LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, the member across the way has just stated that the negotiations are continuing. There is no breakdown of negotiations. The discussions and the negotiations are continuing and we expect that they are going to bear fruit.

I know that hurts the Bloc Quebecois. I know the Bloc Quebecois would like to see the negotiations fail so it can continue to repeat its false accusations that Canada is not working.

In fact, Canada is working. Over the course of the last six months we have signed in every ministry of this government harmonization agreements with the provinces to make government work better.

I am sorry that does not follow the Bloc's plan, but it certainly follows the Liberal government's plan.

Time AllocationOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Reform

Elwin Hermanson Reform Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the government House leader who in March in this House invited me to bring to his attention excessive use of time allocation and closure.

I would like to share some quotes with the House on the subject of closure. The member for Ottawa-Vanier said that it was far from being democratic. The member for Winnipeg St. James called it a draconian device. The member for Kingston and the Islands said it was morally wicked. These are quotes from Liberal members who now sit on the other side of the House.

Does the government House leader concur with his colleagues' description of closure mechanisms?

Time AllocationOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, the comments quoted are quite relevant when there is excessive use of closure.

Unfortunately for the hon. member's question what happened yesterday was not closure. We used the time allocation rules of the House and they were not used to force a decision on the House. Instead they were voted by a majority of the parties in this House, plus the NDP. That is democracy.

Time AllocationOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Reform

Elwin Hermanson Reform Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, several amendments were brought forward in this House and received almost no debate as result of closure motions, time allocation and closure, I might add.

Members of the current government when they were in opposition consistently maintained that these activities were contrary to democracy and the free operation of this House. Now we have the same members over there defending the use of closure to rush bills through the House before they have received adequate and normal public exposure or scrutiny.

How does the government House leader explain, justify, defend this basic inconsistency, this awful compromise?

Time AllocationOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, how does the Reform House leader explain his party's attempt to filibuster an agreement worked out over a period of 21 years in a democratic fashion by the people of Yukon? He cannot explain that because they were wrong in their filibuster.

Time AllocationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Elwin Hermanson Reform Kindersley—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, a few hours to go through nine inches of material that is marked confidential and not to be discussed is not adequate time.

I would like to quote from the Liberal red book under the fictitious chapter entitled "Governing with Integrity". "This erosion of confidence in government seems to have many causes, including an arrogant style of political leadership. The people are irritated with governments that do not consult them or that disregard their views, or that try to conduct key parts of public business behind closed doors".

The government campaigned on restoring honesty and integrity to Parliament. Can the government House leader explain where is his government's integrity after the unprecedented action last night of imposing closure and time allocation on no less than four pieces of legislation-

Time AllocationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

It is true we are getting toward the end but I would hope that questions would be a little more compact as I hope will be the answers as well.

Time AllocationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, the people across the country and in the Yukon who are watching will want to know that these bills did not suddenly come up yesterday. They were available publicly days, if not weeks, before yesterday. The Yukon bills were studied for over 20 hours in committee.

Instead of bringing up these specious questions, the Reform Party House leader should apologize to the people in the House, across Canada, and in the Yukon for abusing the opportunities that they have to debate in the House.

Conversion Of Defence IndustryOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC

Mr. Speaker, last week, Quebec's largest defence companies, clearly dissatisfied with Ottawa's policies, announced that they would get together to press the federal government to change its approach in order to facilitate defence conversion.

Does the minister responsible for Quebec's economic development not see in this action a full repudiation of the federal government's policy by Quebec's defence companies and what does he intend to do now to fulfil his party's election promises regarding defence conversion?

Conversion Of Defence IndustryOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Acadie—Bathurst New Brunswick

Liberal

Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, the minister responsible for this issue, the Minister of Science and Technology, has always said very clearly that the transition to the private sector, which will happen given all the changes in military activities around the world, will be very complex. We are confident that any consultation in Quebec that may help us find solutions will certainly be taken into full consideration.

It will not be easy either in Canada or in other places where the same kind of activity is taking place, but we are very interested in seeing what kind of solutions this group can offer us.

Conversion Of Defence IndustryOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to hear that the Minister of Finance has political identity problems, but I still have a question for him. Given that the spokesman for this new association, Claude Daigneault of SNC Lavallin, announced that 6,500 manufacturing jobs will be lost in the defence industry, can the Minister of FORDQ undertake to do all he can to ensure the conversion of these manufacturing jobs, which are crucial to the Quebec economy?

Conversion Of Defence IndustryOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Acadie—Bathurst New Brunswick

Liberal

Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity in the last few months, as late as this week in Montreal, of meeting with representatives of SNC Lavalin.

The effort being made to convert from military production activities into the private and civilian sector is a phenomenon that we are all faced with in free countries around the world.

It is not going to be easy in Quebec. It is not going to be easy in Canada. We are looking forward to recommendations from members of the House, like my hon. colleague, to tell us exactly what they think can be done.

Whether it is SNC Lavalin or the consortium to which the hon. member was just referring, when they come forward with solutions to this very complex problem, obviously the Government of Canada and provincial governments across the country will look forward to trying to implement those solutions where they are feasible.

The EconomyOral Question Period

June 22nd, 1994 / 2:35 p.m.

Reform

Preston Manning Reform Calgary Southwest, AB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions.

It is being reported today that the secretary of state has said that the government will release an economic statement in September which will include spending cut announcements. Reformers have been demanding such action for months and wish to be assured that this statement accurately reflects the position of the government.

Do the remarks of the secretary of state mean that today the government is prepared to tell investors, taxpayers and lenders in clear language, yes, we will announce deeper spending cuts in September?

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Scarborough East Ontario

Liberal

Doug Peters LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)

Mr. Speaker, the quote was not quite accurate. There was no promise or suggestion of a mini budget.

For the hon. member's knowledge I reiterated the budget promise made last February that an economic statement would be made this fall, as we promised, at the beginning of our consultation process with the people of Canada leading to the February 1995 budget.

If the hon. member had read the budget in February 1994 he would know that is not very much news. That is exactly what was said.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Preston Manning Reform Calgary Southwest, AB

Mr. Speaker, these kinds of statements and the earlier statement just add to the mixed signals and the uncertainty to which the market is reacting.

This is the government's last chance before the summer recess, the last chance to stop dancing around on spending cuts and deficit reduction. It is the last chance to come down hard on the side of deeper spending cuts in order to cope with the deficit.

Is there anyone on the government side, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the finance minister, who is willing and prepared to commit the government to announcing deeper spending cuts in September?

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Hamilton East Ontario

Liberal

Sheila Copps LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, if the member wants to talk about confusion, I heard the leader of the third party last week saying that we needed a constitutional crisis to get the country back on track.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Sheila Copps Liberal Hamilton East, ON

The only party that is so confused unfortunately is the party across the way that cannot get its act together.

Francophone And Acadian CommunitiesOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Bernard Deshaies Bloc Abitibi, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Recently, representatives from the minister's department met various organizations representing francophone and Acadian communities to confirm new cuts in federal subsidies and to try to make adjustments in the department's relations with these organizations.

However, the approach proposed by the department was judged to be unacceptable, and I would like to quote what was said by the spokesperson for the Coalition franco-ontarienne, in referring to the government's discussion paper: "We realized it failed to mention the issues we wanted to discuss. We want a comprehensive policy that respects the principles of the Charter".

Would the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who claims to defend the rights of francophones from the Atlantic to the Pacific, confirm that his discussion paper was rejected by the Coalition franco-ontarienne?

Francophone And Acadian CommunitiesOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Laval West Québec

Liberal

Michel Dupuy LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should set the record straight. It is not exactly news to say now that there are budget cuts. Of course there are budget cuts. Just read the last budget brought down by the finance minister.

The purpose of our dialogue with francophone communities is to see how we can decentralize our administration to give them more authority and a chance to identify their needs so they can better serve the communities they represent.

Francophone And Acadian CommunitiesOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Bernard Deshaies Bloc Abitibi, QC

Mr. Speaker, the spokesperson for the Coalition franco-ontarienne also said that the government was cutting down to the bone.

How can the minister make substantial cuts in subsidies to organizations that are out there to defend the interests of francophones, before deciding on a comprehensive development policy for francophone and Acadian communities, which is on the drawing board in his department?