House of Commons Hansard #31 of the 35th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was armenians.

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Department Of Human Resources Development ActAdjournment Proceedings

7:15 p.m.

Saskatoon—Dundurn Saskatchewan

Liberal

Morris Bodnar LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, in 1995 a major conference was organized in Timmins on the economic development needs of northern Ontario. Over 200 northern Ontario stakeholders attended.

The results of the conference were analysed by expert groups that formulated recommendations which were further refined by regional sounding boards comprising a cross section of regional interests.

The new FEDNOR will work closely with all existing regional economic development stakeholders, including the province. It seeks to create a permanent set of local capabilities to support jobs and growth while reducing overlap and duplication. Under the new FEDNOR, small businesses will have better access to the information, services and capital they need to be successful.

FEDNOR will increase the availability of capital in northern Ontario by forming partnerships with financial institutions to provide new forms of higher risk financing of small businesses. It will also provide additional capital to community futures development corporations to further develop their micro-lending programs.

Finally, FEDNOR will provide start-up financing for emerging, innovative small businesses as well as for such activities as non-bankable R and D specialized training.

FEDNOR remains a work in progress which will continue to evolve to meet the needs of northern Ontario. Future priorities include programs to address the equity and quasi-equity needs of intermediate small businesses having difficulty attracting venture capital, initiatives to meet the special needs of aboriginal entrepreneurs and northern Ontario's francophone communities and measures to improve the economic prospects of women and youth.

Department Of Human Resources Development ActAdjournment Proceedings

7:20 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Caccia Liberal Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, in essence this intervention is to urge the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans not to give away key federal powers.

Let me explain. Last week I asked the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans not to delegate to the provinces section 35(2) of the Fisheries Act. In brief, this section prohibits the harmful alternation, disruption or destruction of fish habitat unless authorized by the minister or under regulations.

If section 35(2) is delegated to the provinces it could no longer serve as a trigger for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The result would be less protection for our streams, our shorelines and wetlands when it comes to the environmental assessment process.

Instead the suggestion is being made that environmental assessment be carried out only on large projects, as some are proposing. I submit this is not desirable because dealing with large projects only means that the cumulative effect of small projects would not be taken into account.

In the past the government has, on occasion, delegated certain powers under the Fisheries Act to the provinces but it should be cautious and learn from experience. For example, in his 1990 report the auditor general points out that when powers were delegated to the provinces for monitoring and enforcement of mining effluent regulations under the Fisheries Act, compliance fell from 85 per cent in 1982 to 48 per cent in 1988.

This poor track record is now compounded by the fact that some provincial governments such as the Harris government in Ontario are deeply cutting their ministries of the environment and natural resources. These are the ministries that would be charged with monitoring and enforcing the federal powers such as the protection of freshwater fish habitat under section 35(2).

For example, the Ontario government is cutting 752 staff from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy and 2,170 from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Furthermore, with the implementation of Bill 26 and the repeal of the Planning Act legislation, the Harris government has effectively eliminated protection for environmentally significant areas in the province of Ontario.

In light of this massive dismantling of environmental regulations, can the minister of state responsible for natural resources assure the House that he and the government will not give away section 35(2) of the Fisheries Act and actually retain that section as a federal power so that the trigger offered by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act will not be lost and its benefits to the Canadian population and future natural resources not damaged?

Department Of Human Resources Development ActAdjournment Proceedings

7:20 p.m.

Beauséjour New Brunswick

Liberal

Fernand Robichaud LiberalSecretary of State (Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans administers a piece of legislation, the Fisheries Act, which contains very broad prohibitions against the destruction of fish and their habitat. In simple terms, no one can modify a fish habitat without being authorized to do so by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, which, by the way, is the only one empowered to grant such authorizations.

Many human activities can alter fish habitat, from the construction of a culvert to the damming of large rivers to generate electricity.

Reviewing development proposals to determine their potential impact on fish habitat is a key component of DFO's habitat management program. Like all other DFO activities, this program is being assessed as part of the program review.

In other words, the department asked itself if maintaining this function was justified. The provinces are also reviewing a number of these development proposals according to their own legislation on the environment as well as on land and water use.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans wondered whether its was appropriate for two levels of government to be involved in projects of such little significance as building a drainage trench or if efforts should not be made instead to identify any potential areas of duplication and overlap with a view to eliminating them. I think that the choice was obvious.

As the hon. member knows, this government's intention to take a more efficient approach to freshwater fish habitat management in closer partnership with the provinces was clearly stated in the speech from the throne. The challenge now facing all levels of government will be to identify those sectors where activities can be streamlined while at the same time ensuring the level of protection that we all want for the environment in general and fisheries resources in particular.

To conclude, I can assure the hon. member that the government attaches and will continue to attach great importance to the protection of fish habitat and to the integrity of the environmental assessment process.

Department Of Human Resources Development ActAdjournment Proceedings

7:20 p.m.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted.

Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24.

(The House adjourned at 7.27 p.m.)