Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2000

[The Speaker]

As is our practice on Wednesday, we will now sing O Canada. We have invited a chorus from Christ the Redeemer Church to help bolster our own singing, which was to have been led by the hon. member for Dauphin—Swan River. I invite the chorus to please lead us in our national anthem.

International Women's Day

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval West, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the theme for this year's International Women's Day is “Canadian Women taking Action to Make a Difference!”

International Women's Day is an occasion to reflect on the progress made to advance women's equality and an opportunity to assess the challenges facing women in contemporary society.

This year's theme was chosen to honour the initiatives and actions of women's organizations to fight violence and poverty in Canada, two priority issues for Status of Women Canada.

The government wishes to remind us that we all have a role to play in reaching this goal, and we will all benefit from these efforts.

Indian Affairs

[Derrek Konrad, Reform, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, for years now the government has been engaging in a dangerous game. It has been referring to Indian bands as first nations, Nisga'a now have a form of citizenship, they talk about self-government as though it was self-evident.

Furthermore, the government has been enacting legislation that abdicates federal authority and responsibility to band governments without corresponding guarantees of accountability.

Now the Liberals are considering another misguided policy proposal. This week in Great Falls, Montana, Canadian and American Indians began to push for an Indian only border crossing between Alberta and Montana.

This raises concerns about the sovereignty of Canada and its ability to police its own border with all that that implies.

It is past time for the government to uphold the sovereignty and authority of Canada. Canadian Indians are citizens of this country with all of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. They are citizens of no other nation. It is time to move ahead with one law for all Canadians.

Guide-Scout Week

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February 20 to 27 is Guide-Scout Week.

Scouts Canada operates nearly 4,500 individual groups in most cities and towns across Canada with a total membership of 212,000 youth and adults.

Its mission is to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.

I would encourage Canadian parents and youth to take part in religious observances, dinners and displays in shopping malls this week to help ensure scouting's future in Canadian society.

Calgary

[Sophia Leung, Liberal, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the city of Calgary continues to bring international pride to Canada, especially in the area of winter sports where Calgary remains the undisputed champion.

The week's Goodwill Games founder, Ted Turner, announced that Calgary beat out bids from Norway and Switzerland to be chosen to host the Winter Goodwill Games in 2005.

The nine day games are expected to draw 1,000 athletes, 25,000 visitors and pump $160 million into the economy of southern Alberta.

It is clear that it was the legacy of facilities and expertise left by the extraordinarily successful 1988 Winter Olympics as well as Calgary's renowned volunteer base that made this city—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Bruce—Grey.

Bruce—Grey

[Ovid Jackson, Liberal, Bruce—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week we are welcoming to my community in Bruce—Grey several educators from Nunavut who will be in my riding exchanging ideas about how to educate young people from the north. In my riding of Bruce—Grey, we have some of the best educators.

Our country is very unique. Its tapestries are interwoven with many cultures and many ideas and our great geography will allow a great exchange between the teachers in my riding of Bruce—Grey and the people from Nunavut.

I want to wish them all a great exchange and I hope we will visit back and forth to continue to make our country great.

Telemarketing

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, nothing bothers Canadians more than to be interrupted on the telephone by someone trying to sell a good or a service that they do not want. Many consider this an invasion of their personal privacy or, at the very least, an annoyance.

There are currently laws in five U.S. states to prevent telemarketers from phoning people who do not want to be bothered. I have introduced a private member's bill that would make this law in Canada.

My bill would force telemarketers to consult a list to ensure people who do not want to be bothered are not contacted by establishing a do not call list that will be controlled by the CRTC. For individuals or companies who ignore the list, substantial fines under the Telecommunications Act would be imposed.

Canadians simply want privacy in their own homes. My bill will help make that happen.

Canada Post

[Carolyn Parrish, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, all members of the House and all Canadians will surely welcome the news that Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have negotiated a new collective agreement that will help to ensure labour co-operation until the year 2003 and beyond.

The union announced today that the tentative agreement reached with Canada Post in December has received overwhelming support from its members in the ratification vote held during the past month. This is a clear sign that labour relations at Canada Post are improving. Canada Post has now successfully negotiated new collective agreements with each of its four unions.

The new collective agreement provides an avenue for building on this new spirit of mutual trust. Both parties have agreed to work together to develop new work rules to serve customers better and face the competition posed by new technologies and multinational corporations.

On behalf of my fellow members, I congratulate the union and the management of Canada Post for this significant accomplishment.

Human Resources Development

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what kind of surprising information can be found in the Minister of Human Resources Development's list? According to it, my riding supposedly received $6.4 million from the transitional jobs fund, with the potential creation of 1,031 jobs.

According to the local employment centre in my riding, the amount was in fact $2.3 million and the jobs created, 300. It seems to me that the minister's 10,000 pages and lists are more about quantity than quality of data.

Why does she insist on the amounts announced and the potential jobs, instead of giving the figures for what was really achieved? The program is over.

I encourage my colleagues to check the figures and publicize the errors, in order to preserve the true intention of these programs—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik.

Trucking Industry In Quebec

[Guy St-Julien, Liberal, Abitibi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, following the tabling of the synthesis report of the forum on the trucking industry in Quebec, the Quebec Minister of Transport, Guy Chevrette, will meet this week with the truckers' representatives to inform them of his policies.

The CSN and the CSD agree on a minimum, namely that the Quebec labour code should be similar to the federal labour code, which allows self-employed workers to organize themselves.

Yesterday, the federal Minister of Labour confirmed to me in a letter that a Labour Canada official attended the forum as an observer. The minister is aware of what is going on in the trucking industry in Quebec.

According to the minister, so far, no request has been received from the Quebec Minister of Labour or her officials to amend the Canada Labour Code.

On February 25, progress must be made for the benefit of Quebec's truckers, through long term solutions to correct problems experienced by these truckers.

Black History Month

[Deepak Obhrai, Reform, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise today on behalf of the Official Opposition in recognition of Black History Month.

Ancestors of Canada's black community have been present in Canada for more than 300 years and have made a tremendous contributions in the building of our nation both as slaves and as free men and women.

Thankfully, slavery in the British Commonwealth ended on August 1, 1834. Abolitionists and others, who fought against slavery, including those who arrived in Canada by the underground railroad, have recognized August 1 as Emancipation Day.

I have introduced a bill that would formally recognize August 1 as Emancipation Day in tribute to those who struggled against slavery and continue the ongoing international struggle for human rights.

I welcome the support of my colleagues for the non-partisan initiative.

Mike Mintenko

[Dick Proctor, NDP, Palliser, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Mike Mintenko, a product of the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Flying Fins, has become the first Canadian male swimmer in eight years to win an overall World Cup crown for Canada. The 24-year-old Mintenko won a gold medal in the 50 metre butterfly in Sweden last week.

Canada's minister responsible for amateur sport will be interested in knowing that Mintenko reached this pinnacle of success with scant financial help from this federal government.

Instead, his father and other family members and friends sold calendars and advertising space in those calendars to ensure Michael could continue to train, develop and improve.

It is Mike, his family members, friends and small businesses in the friendly city of Moose Jaw who deserve all the credit for this enormous accomplishment.

And I trust the government will begin with next week's budget to fund our elite athletes in a manner more befitting the pride and joy that the rest of us derive from their worldclass accomplishments.

Transitional Jobs Fund

[Jim Jones, Progressive Conservative, Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources Development has indicated that since the TJF inception, the transitional jobs fund has created 30,000 sustainable jobs. If the minister does not have a report available for the House to verify her claim, my colleagues and I have no choice but to assume that she has misrepresented the success of this program.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Manicouagan.

Member For Broadview—Greenwood

[Ghislain Fournier, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it would seem that, for a few minutes, the hon. member for Broadview—Greenwood saw the light, thanks to the clarity bill.

As a good democrat, but contrary to the Liberal party line and to what the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and the Prime Minister said, the hon. member recognized that the federal government would have the obligation to negotiate, following a referendum won with 50% plus one of the vote.

The hon. member for Broadview—Greenwood gave this clear answer regarding the 50% plus one rule “Personally, I would say that, if the question were clear, we would begin the negotiation process”.

But the hon. member was called to order by his superiors and he changed his mind. What does the hon. member really think? We are totally confused.

Perhaps we should ask him to testify before the committee, but his government is preventing him from doing so with the numerous gag orders that the Liberal majority—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Hull—Aylmer.

Keskinada Loppet

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to the exceptional performance of a number of athletes at last weekend's 22nd Keskinada Loppet, an international event for which the venue was Gatineau Park and Dow's Lake.

Congratulations to Marie-Odile Raymond from Aylmer, who placed second in the women's 48 kilometre freestyle and third in the 800 metre sprint race, which will become a full Olympic medal sport for the first time in the 2002 Winter Games at Salt Lake City.

Other athletes from the Hull—Aylmer region went all out: Christian Picard, Sébastien Lacourse, Éric Rouleau, Richard Weber, and I could go on and on, because there were 2,500 participants in these cross-country events.

I congratulate all these athletes on their magnificent performance.

And these congratulations would not be complete without mentioning the exceptional contribution made by president Louise Poirier, general manager Henrico Valente, and the approximately 600 volunteers.

Well done.

Human Resources Development

[The Speaker]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is always nice to be missed. The Prime Minister is clearly unaware of the impressions and the questions he is generating among taxpayers because of the HRD billion dollar bungle.

While he huddles with his damage control experts, I have been out meeting thousands of taxpayers. They are angry and believe that the Prime Minister is obstructing every attempt to get at the truth behind the billion dollar bungle at human resources development.

Their question is: When will the Prime Minister stop denying, stonewalling and defending the indefensible, and start treating taxpayers with the respect they demand?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it must be payday today.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.