Debates of June 8th, 1995

Minister Of Canadian Heritage

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the member raised the issue of double standards. I ask the member how he can stand there attacking the government for having-

[The Speaker]

I am sure all hon. members want to hear the answer.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Hamilton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party accepted $75,000 in donations from Sabre Energy Limited, $25,000 from Burns Fry Limited, $25,000 from Canadian Pacific Limited, and $15,000 from Company 135482.

When the Reform Party asked the Parliament of Canada to revise the standing orders to remove the justice critic of the Reform Party, I did not hear a lot of talk about double standard then.

G-7 Summit

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

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

This week, a leaked communiqué revealed that the topics on the G-7 summit agenda included obstacles to employment, social programs, education reform, occupational training, flexibility on the job market, and elimination of redundant regulations.

How does the Deputy Prime Minister explain that the government did not invite the provinces, when the topics it is about to discuss with its G-7 counterparts come under their jurisdiction and concern them directly?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, we would love to invite them. In fact, provincial environment ministers were invited to participate in a meeting last month in the Yukon.

Unfortunately, the Government of Quebec chose not to be represented.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that, on the whole issue of manpower, the HRD minister, who is directly responsible for such issues, has never convened the provinces since he took office.

What credibility will the Prime Minister of Canada have with his G-7 colleagues when discussing and making commitments in areas over which he has no jurisdiction?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the hon. member stated, last Friday I had a meeting with all the ministers of the provincial governments of the Atlantic region to talk about a wide variety of issues relating to unemployment insurance and modernization.

We talked about how we could combine efforts to deal with youth employment issues and how we could begin to work together to provide some joint initiatives to deal with problems of poverty.

Some 48 hours ago we were meeting with provincial ministers as we have been doing over the past year. I tried to tell the hon. member this but it does not seem to quite sink in. I have written to my counterpart in Quebec. I have offered to have meetings. I have yet to have a response.

Minister Of Canadian Heritage

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the previous response of the Deputy Prime Minister illustrates exactly what the government's problem is. It is the inability to discern between legitimate political fundraising and influence peddling or at least the appearance of it.

Every contributor to this event who has been made known to us has received a contribution from the minister, these being taxpayers' dollars through grants and contracts. That is a fact.

The minister and the Prime Minister have stated that all information is public, yet the minister's office refuses to make public the names of those who attended.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage table in the House today a list of who was invited to the dinner, who actually attended the dinner, who contributed to the dinner and all the contracts they received from the minister and the department? Yes or no?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the allegations and the questions our colleague has been putting for several days raises an important issue.

The Canadian political system calls for each party and each parliamentarian to take part in fundraising. That is how our democracy works. It is done to avoid an undue burden to the taxpayers.

I would like to know whether the Reform Party is suggesting that there should be no fundraisers and whether the whole bill should be borne by the taxpayers.

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about what the issue is. It is not about contributions made to political parties. It is about the misuse of a cabinet minister's position to reward those who contribute to his election debts and to the Liberal Party.

It has been reported that this is not the only dinner that Mr. Gervais has organized involving client interest of the department.

Will the minister confirm that other dinners were organized for similar purposes, one prior to September 18, 1994 and one recently this year?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

No, Mr. Speaker, there was no other dinner.

Kanesatake

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. On Saturday, June 10, an election will be held in Kanesatake. The Indian Act provides a procedure for the election process.

Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell us if her government received the necessary guarantees to ensure compliance with that procedure during Saturday's election?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that all Canadians, including those who live in Kanesatake, must comply with the laws that govern them.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Indian Act includes a process which specifically applies to elections held by aboriginal people. These rules are not necessarily the same as the ones which apply to all Canadians.

Considering that she is responsible for aboriginal rights, how can the Deputy Prime Minister claim to protect those rights when, two days before the election, she cannot even guarantee the legality of the election process? There is not much time left.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I said quite clearly that the laws that govern the people of Canada are applicable in every part of Canada including Kanesatake.

The member says it is not the same law. Just as Jacques Rose has the capacity to elect his membership according to the rules that he establishes, so there are different mechanisms in place in different parts of the country.

We are complying with the request for distinct status regarding this election.

Government Appointments

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the failure of the government lawyer in a high profile drug case in Nanaimo, B. C. is a classic example of the government putting the appointment of friends before competence.

Yesterday the parliamentary secretary unbelievably said that we should allow a representative of the attorney general to prosecute even though he or she might not have had previous case experience under that particular section of the Criminal Code.

Will the justice minister stop supporting these patronage appointments or is he to continue his policy of amateur hour?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, first, I ask the hon. member to bear in mind that he is dealing with the professional reputation of a lawyer who took a case into court in good faith on behalf of the Government of Canada. We ought to be careful, in my respectful submission, how we deal with that professional reputation.

The case to which the hon. member refers is one that may be appealed and I will not speak to that case. In this instance, as in every other, we send lawyers into courtrooms because we are satisfied with their competence to do the job.

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the justice minister's comment certainly is reflective of his comment also on June 5 at which time he said that these agents were appointed because they are competent to do the work they are asked to do.

The failure of the appointed agent in Nanaimo and the comments by law enforcement officials clearly indicate that simply is not the case.

This patronage issue relates specifically to public safety. Will the minister undertake a complete review of all appointments of justice legal agents?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, in a very real sense I already have. I have already agreed to provide my hon. friend with a list of the agents we appointed as a result of that review which took place since we came to office.

That review also resulted in the imposition of new terms and conditions for all agents: the imposition of a conflict code for the very first time, express terms saying that if they do not practise to the high standards we expect they can be relieved of their responsibility, new training and supervision requirements, and a reduction in the overall number of agents throughout Canada so we can get better value for the dollar for taxpayers.

I will furnish all of that information to the hon. member.

Canada Labour Code

[Bernard St-Laurent, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Tuesday, the Minister of Labour claimed that her actions in the labour conflict at Ogilvie were consistent with all of the workers' demands. But, at the same time, the workers were demonstrating in Montreal to have the government pass a law against strikebreakers. Remember, this conflict has dragged on for one year and that calling in strikebreakers interferes with negotiations.

How can the minister continue to claim that what is happening with the negotiations is normal, as she claimed Tuesday, while the unionized workers at the Ogilvie mill blame the length of the conflict on the absence of a law against strikebreakers in Canada?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, what I said, and will repeat today, is that the two parties, including the union, decided to resume mediation in the month of May. There was mutual consent to hold a mediation session on June 20 and 21, this month, therefore. I drew the conclusion that both parties are willing to sort things out at the negotiating table, which is my true wish.

As I have already said, we are dealing with the issue of replacement workers in our overall review of part I of the Canada Labour Code.

[Bernard St-Laurent, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at every opportunity lately, the minister has been trying to water down her original commitment to bring in a law against strikebreakers in Canada.

How can the Minister of Labour go back on her word and refuse to officially commit to tabling a law against strikebreakers when she knows quite well the positive effects that such a law would have in Quebec?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I have always said that this issue is being reviewed, which is true. This issue, as well as everything else covered in part I of the Canada Labour Code, is under review.

The Canada Labour Code had not been thoroughly reviewed for at least 20 years, so it is high time we update it. I guarantee the members of this House that the issue of replacement workers is included in the ongoing review.

Environment

[Gary Pillitteri, Liberal, Niagara Falls, ON]

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

On Tuesday, June 6, I took part in the kick off event of the Niagara River remedial action plan, stage two, the cleanup of the Niagara River.

Can the minister tell us what support the federal government is providing to the remedial action plan?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I am very appreciative that the member participated in the stage one response to the remedial action plan in Niagara Falls on my behalf only a couple of days ago. I know the mayor would have liked to have had me there, and I am sorry I could not attend. I know the work that has been done by the member on the Niagara River is key to moving the remedial action plan forward. I would like to pass along my apologies to the mayor as I was unable to be there.

We have a targeted phase for stage two. We intend to begin the implementation of stage two by the end of this year. We are looking for strong support from our American friends and neighbours because, as members know, most of the pollution in the Niagara River comes from the American side. We want to work with them to make sure that this gets off the list as one of North America's hot spots and returns to its original state which was the heart of the Niagara peninsula.