Debates of March 11th, 1999

John Manley Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to note that the last budget again contained help for R&D in Canada and for the process of innovation.

These are some of the most important sectors for building the industries of the 21st century here in Canada and in Quebec. These were the same sectors that received funding in the budget brought down a few days ago by Quebec's finance minister.

Antoine Dubé Lévis, QC

Mr. Speaker, given the inflexibility of the Minister of Industry, will the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Agri-Food go back and tell the men of the Davie shipyard that there is nothing he can do for them?

John Manley Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, it is not true that the federal government has done nothing for the Lévis shipyard. It invested large amounts of money in the shipyard for several years.

I have also just explained that there are tax shelters for the shipbuilding industry here in Canada. The assistance that has already been given and that will given in the future is not negligible.

Alexa McDonough Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the justice minister. Ten and eleven year old kids are being recruited to commit crimes. They are being recruited into youth gangs in Winnipeg and elsewhere.

The minister knows what I am talking about. Yet the new package fails to come down hard on those who would lead those kids down that road. The bill is silent in the face of that growing problem.

Why did the justice minister ignore the problem of the recruitment of 10 and 11 year olds into criminal activities?

Alexa McDonough Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, let me make it absolutely clear that we are advocating the very opposite of that.

The government seems to refuse to deal with the recruitment of 10 and 11 year olds by gangs. It is real. It is an ugly reality but the Reform solution is not the right one. We need to get at the cause of the problem.

Will the government amend its bill so youth gangs will stop using 10 and 11 kids to commit crimes?

Art Eggleton Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, none of the above. There are also provisions in the defence estimates relevant to the disaster financial assistance arrangement, which is not directly related to military but does form part of the expenditures.

However, we are grateful that for the first time in a dozen years the Department of National Defence and the Canadian forces have received an increase in their estimates. That gives us the opportunity to pay more to our troops and to be able to deal with issues of housing, care for the injured and support for the families.

Elsie Wayne Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, the air force is currently flying 35 year old Sea Kings. These helicopters require upwards of 60 hours of maintenance for every hour they are flown.

I know a lot of people on the government side do not believe in the estimates. We heard that this week. However, the estimates show that $4 million went into a new joint strike fighter program.

Can the minister tell us why he is spending $4 million on that program instead of spending $4 million on initiating a Sea King replacement program? How many more crashes will we have and how many more lives will be lost before he brings in the Sea King program?

Art Eggleton Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that all of our pilots and all of our air crews are in fact safe when they fly any of our equipment.

The Sea Kings are kept at a very high standard of maintenance. We ensure that they are safe to fly.

Yes, they are getting on in years. They do cost more to repair. There is more down time. That is why the government feels we need to replace them and that is why I will be bringing in a strategy for their replacement very shortly.