House of Commons Hansard #237 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was treaty.

Topics

Government GrantsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Calgary—Nose Hill.

Government GrantsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Diane Ablonczy Reform Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, I wonder why that answer had absolutely nothing to do with my question.

The fact of the matter is that the Prime Minister has a financial interest in a piece of property and there have been grants, loans and dealings affecting the value of this property in which he and his office have been actively involved.

Again I ask the Prime Minister, why can he not see that that is a clear conflict of interest?

Government GrantsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I sold the shares in November 1993. That is the end of it.

National DefenceOral Question Period

June 3rd, 1999 / 2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois has obtained a copy of the agreement signed by negotiators for the federal government and for British Columbia with respect to the use of the base at Nanoose Bay by the U.S. government. This agreement reflected British Columbia's concerns.

My question is for the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. How is it that this agreement, signed by his government, was tossed out by cabinet under pressure from the Americans?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois is not up to speed.

It was very clearly argued that the Government of Canada had a responsibility to protect the interests of all Canadians where Canadian defence was concerned, and that the premier of the province of British Columbia was wrong in wanting to shut down the Nanoose Bay base. Expropriation was the only option.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is odd that the government signed an agreement a few days earlier that said just the opposite.

How does the minister explain that his government has decided to cave in to the U.S. government and that, to please the Americans, it has first of all repudiated its signature on that document and, second, that it has pushed the limits of arrogance by going so far as to expropriate British Columbia's own land from it? Who is the minister defending: the provinces or the U.S. government?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois is not up to speed. All these issues have been debated and discussed. I do not know where it was when this was going on.

The agreement it thinks it has discovered was signed by officials. It was not an agreement between governments.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please. The hon. member for Skeena.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Reform

Mike Scott Reform Skeena, BC

Mr. Speaker, one of Manitoba's oldest and most respected construction companies is out $2 million and is on the verge of bankruptcy because of fraudulent representations made by Chief Jerry Fontaine of the Sagkeeng first nation.

The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is aware of this. As a matter of fact she has been aware of it for over a year. She promised to help. She promised to do something about it and make sure that Wing Construction was not put in a position of bankruptcy.

Is the fact that four of Mr. Fontaine's family members work directly or indirectly for this minister a barrier to resolving the issue?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

I will permit the question because they work directly with the minister.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Reform

Mike Scott Reform Skeena, BC

Mr. Speaker, when Chief Jerry Fontaine was running for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Manitoba, cabinet ministers across the way had no trouble showing up for his fundraising events. They had no trouble supporting him.

Why is this government not supporting a good, taxpaying citizen who employs dozens of people in Manitoba? Does the government not understand that it has a role and a responsibility here? Or is it just going to throw Wing Construction to the wolves?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, let me clarify for the House that there was a commercial partnership arranged between the first nation and this particular construction company. That partnership has dissolved.

There are outstanding issues. KPMG has been retained to look at the work that has been done and to come up with a fair and equitable settlement. I would encourage both parties to work together in that regard.

Millennium ScholarshipsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs has just told us that the agreement signed between the federal government and the Government of British Columbia on Nanoose Bay was not valid because it was only between public servants and not between governments.

Are we to understand that this same fate could await any agreement that might be signed between the facilitator representing the Minister of Human Resources Development and the Government of Quebec relating to the millennium scholarships?

Millennium ScholarshipsOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that the hon. member for Roberval is in a good mood today. He wants to lighten up our debates a bit, which are often pretty heavy going.

I can assure members that the Government of Canada is working very hard at this time to ensure that Quebec students can take advantage of the millennium scholarships. Our government is committed,, in this knowledge-based economy, to ensuring that our students can acquire the maximum of skills and knowledge in order to perform well within that economy.

That is what our government wants and I am very pleased to say that we are close to a conclusion in this important matter.

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Lou Sekora Liberal Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, there are many media reports on the possible breakthrough of the Pacific salmon dispute with the United States.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs please advise the House on any progress that is being made?

Foreign AffairsOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Winnipeg South Centre Manitoba

Liberal

Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that indeed there has been a successful negotiation toward an agreement on the Pacific salmon dispute.

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans will be making a detailed announcement on the west coast in a couple of hours. It demonstrates that when two sides work together for a mutual benefit, in this case the conservation of the fishing stock, they can come up with a good deal.

I would like to personally thank Don McRae, the chief negotiator working under the auspices of the Prime Minister, for the excellent work he has done, and a personal thanks to Secretary of State Albright for her personal commitment to make this agreement a success.

Correctional Service CanadaOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Reform

Randy White Reform Langley—Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, we finally gave them something to do over there.

Last year Richard Joyce, a federal prisoner, died of a drug overdose. He had lethal levels of residual chemicals from heroin in his blood and damage to his organs that were consistent with long term drug abuse in a prison.

Since Richard Joyce was in prison for a long time, why was it that there were so many drugs in that prison that could sustain his addiction and even kill him?

Correctional Service CanadaOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Cardigan P.E.I.

Liberal

Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if the member just came to realize that there are drugs in prison, but there are. It is a simple matter.

A test done in 1995 showed that 39% of the people in federal prisons used drugs. A test was done about a year ago and it showed about 13% or about a 300% decrease in drug usage.

I can assure my hon. colleague that the problem is not solved. We are still working on the drug and alcohol—

Correctional Service CanadaOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Langley—Abbotsford.

Correctional Service CanadaOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Reform

Randy White Reform Langley—Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, he should get a life over there. I realized there were drugs in this prison and rampant throughout the country a heck of a lot sooner than those people did over there.

Let me give the member a quote from an assistant warden at Correctional Service Canada. He said: “Richard Joyce was a regular heroin user at Mission Institution and always tested the quality of his drugs before he used them”.

Would the government tell me if this is some kind of bad joke, or does it understand what zero tolerance in our prisons really means?

Correctional Service CanadaOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Cardigan P.E.I.

Liberal

Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, as I said to my hon. colleague, there are drugs in prison. I am well aware of the drug and alcohol problems with our federal inmates. Seven out of ten people who are in our federal institutions are in there because of alcohol or drug abuse.

I have instructed my officials to evaluate our programs and to have a program in place for our offenders when they are on parole. After they are on parole there needs to be some type of a program to help people who are addicted to alcohol, who are alcoholics and who—

Correctional Service CanadaOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Vancouver East.

HousingOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, at the opening of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities tomorrow, the key issue that is going to be facing municipal leaders is homelessness and the housing crisis in Canada.

It has been more than two months since the Prime Minister appointed a minister of homelessness, but there has not been one solitary homeless person who has been helped in Canada. There has been no action, no plan, no dollars.

Where is the commitment of the Prime Minister and the Canadian government at the FCM to provide housing assistance, and for the federal government to become involved again in a housing program?