Debates of May 5th, 1999

The Environment

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite incorrect to say that nothing is being done for these citizens and those who have had recent concerns about contamination on their properties.

Tests have been done. They are undergoing analysis right now and there will be reports out on them shortly.

Province Of Ontario

[Jim Jones, Progressive Conservative, Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today a provincial election was called in Ontario. The Conservatives are seeking a mandate to continue to cut provincial income tax by 20% and to increase health care spending by 20%.

Over 540,000 new jobs have been created by Premier Mike Harris, and according to the Conference Board of Canada the number of new jobs will total 866,000 by the end of next year.

Here in Ottawa we have three different cabinet ministers with three different lines on taxation. Will the Prime Minister explain why Ontario gets a booming economy and record setting health care spending while Canada gets the three stooges of high taxes?

[The Speaker]

The question is out of order.

Aboriginal Affairs

[John O'Reilly, Liberal, Victoria—Haliburton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I wish I could answer that question.

When the document entitled “Gathering Strength—Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan” was released in January 1998, it contained a commitment to develop an aboriginal human resources development strategy.

Could the Secretary of State for Children and Youth inform the House if the government is acting on that commitment?

[Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, I would much prefer to hear the Prime Minister's answer but I will answer this question.

I thank the member for his question. Last week the Government of Canada announced a $1.6 billion aboriginal human resources development strategy. We are entering into agreements in every part of the country with the Metis, Inuit and first nations.

This strategy flows from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and it includes labour market programs, youth programs, programs for urban aboriginal people, people with disabilities and child care. It is an excellent initiative and they should applaud it.

Ports

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the new provincial appointee to the St. John's port authority is a prominent Liberal and former candidate, the usual, but it gets even better. This gentleman also owns a controlling interest in a port user, which makes his appointment illegal according to section 16(e) of the Canada Marine Act.

Why did the minister sign off on this illegal appointment of another Liberal hack to a port authority?

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I hear the word illegal but I will permit the question.

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for reviewing an individual's name and qualifications from the provincial level is with the appointing authority. The province of Newfoundland has determined that Mr. Woodward has met the criteria as defined by the act.

I find it passing strange that the hon. member opposite would publicly denigrate in the House of Commons one of Atlantic Canada's leading businessmen. Shame on him.

Francophones Outside Quebec

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Richelieu, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Commissioner for Official Languages, whose complacency as far as the federal government is concerned is legendary, was the one accusing the government of not doing enough to support francophone communities outside Quebec.

Does the Prime Minister realize that, when the Commissioner for Official Languages, who is known for his accommodating attitude toward the Prime Minister, reaches the point of making such a claim, it is because the situation of francophone minorities is deteriorating dramatically?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased to substantially increase contributions to francophones outside Quebec in the last budget.

The hon. member, whose question is loaded with insinuation, is a member of a party that wants to abandon forever the one million francophones outside Quebec, while we are doing everything possible to support them.

Ethics Counsellor

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question for the Prime Minister is about making our government more democratic. Tomorrow the ethics counsellor will respond to MPs' questions at a parliamentary committee regarding whether or not the Prime Minister was in a conflict of interest regarding his business practices in his riding.

The problem is that the ethics counsellor reports to the Prime Minister, not to the House of Commons. Will the Prime Minister commit to changing the law by having the ethics counsellor report to parliament in a similar way that the chief electoral officer reports to parliament and not to the Prime Minister of the country? Will he change the law?

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the ethics counsellor, if he chooses to appear before a committee at the invitation of members of parliament, will answer the questions of the members of parliament provided that they are properly put.

The hon. member knows that he should not bring issues that are before the committee in front of the House. That is out of order.

Taxation

[André Harvey, Progressive Conservative, Chicoutimi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board and I do not want him responding with the $42 billion deficit of the Conservative government, not to mention the $200 billion debt the Liberals left us.

I simply want to ask him if he thinks it honest to continue policies of camouflaging on taxes in order to take as much money as possible from the pockets of middle class tax payers.

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be able to say once again that this government has the taxpayers' interests at heart.

What we are doing with the pension plan is returning to Canadian taxpayers what is rightly theirs, something the Conservative government did not manage to do during its years in office.

Presence In The Gallery

[The Speaker]

I wish to draw the attention of the members to the presence in our gallery of His Excellency, El Hadj Omar Bongo, President of the Republic of Gabon.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

I also draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Dr. James Arthur. He is the recipient of the Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering.

This award recognizes the extraordinary and sustained contribution by an individual to research in the natural sciences and in engineering.

Please welcome our fellow Canadian, Dr. James Arthur.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Government Response To Petitions

[Gar Knutson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.

Committees Of The House

[John Williams, Reform, St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 25th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts relating to votes 25 and 30 under the finance of the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2000, and reports the same.

I also present the 26th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts relating to chapter 24, Revenue Canada—International Tax Directorate: Human Resource Management, of the December 1998 report of the Auditor General of Canada.

I also present the 27th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on chapter 27, Transport Canada—Investments in Highways, of the December 1998 report of the auditor general.

I also present the 28th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts relating to chapter 26, Contracting for Professional Services: Selected Sole-Source Contracts, of the December 1998 report of the Auditor General of Canada.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109 of the House of Commons, the committee requests the government to table a comprehensive response to these reports.

Income Tax Act

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Orléans, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-507, an act to amend the Income Tax Act (child adoption expenses).

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to provide individuals who adopt children from other countries with tax exemptions of at least $2,000, or 20% of total expenses incurred.

Quebec already has such a tax provision. I feel that the federal government should follow Quebec's lead and introduce legislation that would provide financial assistance for people, who can spend up to $20,000 to adopt a child from another country.

This measure will encourage international adoption in Quebec and in Canada, providing children with a better quality of life.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Hepatitis Awareness Month Act

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-508, an act to provide for a Hepatitis Awareness Month.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great privilege to introduce this bill. I also want to thank my hon. colleague from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for supporting this initiative.

What we are trying to do on this side of the House is make the month of May hepatitis awareness month. It would be a gesture on the part of all parliamentarians in the country to honour and respect those people who have hepatitis in various forms.

I do wish to stand up on behalf of Mr. Joey Haché and on behalf of Mr. Bruce DeVenne from my riding of Lower Sackville who have hepatitis C. This bill will honour them in their fight and struggle for fair compensation and fair packages, and make everyone more aware of the people who struggle with hepatitis in their lives.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Members Of Parliament Superannuation Act

[Jim Gouk, Reform, West Kootenay—Okanagan, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-509, an act to discontinue the retiring allowances payable to members of Parliament under the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act and to include members of Parliament in the Public Service Superannuation Act and to discontinue members' tax free allowances for expenses and include the amount in members' sessional allowances.

Mr. Speaker, my private member's bill contains two simple provisions. One is to implement the Blais commission recommendation which would cancel a non-accountable allowance, gross it up and include it as income subject to full taxation.

The second, once that is implemented, is to cancel the MPs' pension plan in its entirety and place all MPs in the Public Service Superannuation Act plan. This would treat all MPs the same as federal public servants. It would also give the government more credibility in dealing with Bill C-78. If the government wants to change the pension plans of others it should first put members of parliament in that plan and then have those changes affecting them.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, following consultations with all sides of the House, I wish to seek consent of the House to put the following motion:

That during May, which is Hearing Month, the House recognize the importance for the public and private sectors to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing persons with the tools required for them to take their place in an increasingly communications-oriented world.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?