House of Commons Hansard #222 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was horses.

Topics

TaxationOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

The Speaker

Order. We cannot hear the question. The hon. member for Kings—Hants.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Scott Brison Progressive Conservative Kings—Hants, NS

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is saying no to tax cuts. The industry minister is saying yes to tax cuts. The finance minister is saying “Maybe we should cut taxes, maybe we should not”. Yesterday the trade minister told us that, yes, Canada needs lower taxes. So much for cabinet solidarity.

If entrepreneurs are having difficulty building their businesses in Canada because of high taxes, as the trade minister said yesterday, what taxes would he cut first to make sure that Canadian entrepreneurs can prosper here in Canada?

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

York West Ontario

Liberal

Sergio Marchi LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the hon. member was not at the trade committee because there was and still is no contradiction.

Let me quote to the hon. member exactly what I said: “I think it is clear that the tax base between the United States and Canada needs to continue to be closed”. Clearly the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have stated repeatedly that we have started that work and that work will continue.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

It is our tradition that we do not make comment as to whether a member is in this House and I would extend that to the committees.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Scott Brison Progressive Conservative Kings—Hants, NS

Mr. Speaker, this is the same trade minister who when he was in opposition was one of the most vocal opponents of the free trade agreement.

The gap in taxes between Canada and the U.S. is growing almost as wide as the split in cabinet. The gap in taxes between Canada and the U.S. continues to hinder growth in Canada.

Canadians are united. Despite the split in cabinet, Canadians are united in their belief that we need lower taxes. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the industry minister and the trade minister all know that taxes need to go down in Canada for growth to go up.

Will the Prime Minister listen to the experts, listen to Canadians, listen to his own colleagues and lower taxes to keep industry leaders like Nortel here in Canada?

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the hon. member that there was a government that was here before us which imposed a surtax on everything. That was the government that introduced what is called bracket creep today.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please. The Right Hon. Prime Minister has the floor if he wishes to use it.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

More, more.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

Mr. Speaker, we had a $42 billion deficit that was a gift from the Tory party and we got rid of that.

I think that members of the Tory party should have a period of reflection and dream about policies that will not put the country into bankruptcy, as was the case when we became the government in 1993.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

May 5th, 1999 / 2:30 p.m.

Reform

Val Meredith Reform South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, last week the government admitted that there is no protection for property rights for the Nisga'a women in the agreement. Women in this country have fought for years to get legal protection for property rights. Why is the minister prepared to ignore Nisga'a women and deny them the same legal protection for property rights that other Canadian women enjoy?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, members of the Reform Party continue to show why they have no credibility on this issue.

First they undermine the process of the government and of parliament to accept or reject such an important treaty. Then they continue to show that they do not have any understanding of the significant roles in this land of the Constitution and the charter of rights which apply and protect aboriginal rights.

Here again we have them confusing the details of the treaty. Maybe the hon. member should go with her colleague, the critic for the Reform Party, and sit down with the Nisga'a to understand how they do protect and do include women in that society.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Val Meredith Reform South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is the government, not the opposition, which is denying Nisga'a women their rights.

In the event of a marriage breakdown the Nisga'a women have no legal protection under the treaty for property rights.

Can the minister give me the section and verse of the Nisga'a agreement that guarantees Nisga'a women property rights protection?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, first of all, if they would take the time to speak with the Nisga'a they would see that women are very much involved in that society. Women are leading the ratification process. Women are on the education—

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Jane Stewart Liberal Brant, ON

Mr. Speaker, fundamentally, the fact remains that provincial laws will apply on Nisga'a lands.

Economic MissionsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, in response to my first question just now, the Prime Minister stated that the President of Mexico had refused to meet the Premier of Quebec. In a letter from Foreign Affairs, however, it is clearly specified that it was the federal government which refused to pass Quebec's request on to the Mexican authorities.

Could the Prime Minister state the facts and admit that, if there is no meeting, it is because his government is opposed to such a meeting?

Economic MissionsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois is the one who said earlier that the President of Mexico reused to meet with the Premier of Quebec, not I.

I am sure that the Government of Mexico has been informed of the Quebec Premier's desire to meet the president. However, the president had decided not to receive him. These are the facts, and known to everyone.

Economic MissionsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I will quote an excerpt from the letter “Foreign Affairs informs Quebec that it is not diplomatic practice for the provincial premiers to meet the Head of State of Mexico”. That is what happened.

Premier Bouchard wanted to meet with the President of Mexico, but was not able to at the time of the Team Canada mission, because of the ice storm. He was prepared to do so now, in the presence of the Canadian ambassador.

Does the Prime Minister realize that his petty partisan politics are doing a disservice to the business people of Quebec? The Prime Minister has none of the stature of a statesman.

Economic MissionsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I have given all the facts. There is a visit by the Premier of Quebec. He will meet with several ministers. He would have liked to meet the President of Mexico, but for his own reasons the latter decided not to meet with him. I do not believe there have been very many meetings between provincial premiers and the President of Mexico, and there will not be one with Mr. Bouchard. That is the decision of the President of Mexico.

I cannot give any orders to anyone. When I receive people in my own office, I am the one who decides whether or not to do so.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the federal aboriginal affairs minister, when asked to simply quote the chapter and verse that shows the constitutional protection for aboriginal women, cannot or will not do it. That is a shame.

This deal sets many precedents and yet many people, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal people, are afraid that it will divide Canadians along racial lines instead of uniting us along the principle of equality.

It also sets another precedent. The local Nisga'a chief will now have greater lawmaking powers than the Prime Minister of Canada in 14 constitutional areas. Think of it. We pass laws in this place which will not apply on Nisga'a land.

I ask the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs what he thinks of creating an ethnically based nation state in the heart of British Columbia.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, this is becoming ridiculous. Here again they fall. They do not know how to read the treaty in the context of the application of laws. They bring up matrimonial property and they have that all wrong. They talk about labour provisions and they get that wrong.

They keep saying they do not need briefings to understand the treaty and how it was written because they know it all, but they have yet to show in this House how they know anything about the laws of Canada or the importance of this treaty.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley, BC

Mr. Speaker, I do not see the point in asking a question of the aboriginal affairs minister. She never quotes a single chapter or verse from the agreement when she tries to justify her point.

Let me read from the Nisga'a treaty for the intergovernmental affairs minister. It states:

In the event of an inconsistency between Nisga'a law and federal or provincial law, the Nisga'a law prevails.

That is in the agreement. That affects 14 key constitutional areas. These are the sorts of demands that Quebec would make on the federal government, and properly it rejects those demands. Why would it accept those same things in a Nisga'a agreement in the heart of British Columbia?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, it would probably be helpful for the hon. member to take time to read the charter of rights and freedoms, in particular section 25. I remind him that the charter of rights and freedoms guarantees that certain rights and freedoms shall not be construed as to abrogate or derogate from any—

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.