Debates of March 30th, 2000
House of Commons Hansard #75 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was information.
Topics
- “Results For Canadians: A Management Framework For The Government Of Canada”
- Estimates, Part Iii
- Government Response To Petitions
- Petitions
- Questions Passed As Orders For Returns
- Questions On The Order Paper
- Points Of Order
- Personal Information Protection And Electronic Documents Act
- Division No. 1258
- Building Dufferin Together
- Taxation
- Multimedia Industry
- Fuel Taxes
- Down's Syndrome Research Foundation
- Highway 97
- Knights Of Columbus
- Celanese
- Air Transportation
- The Senate
- Bombardier
- Fisheries
- Human Resources Development
- Dr. James Langstaff
- Immigration
- Gun Registry
- Human Resources Development
- Health
- Justice
- Human Resources Development
- Export Development Corporation
- Gasoline Pricing
- Health
- Celanese
- Employment Insurance
- Health
- Environment
- Health
- Environment
- Business Of The House
- Personal Information Protection And Electronic Documents Act
- Ways And Means
- Personal Information Protection And Electronic Documents Act
- Income Tax Act
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Brant
Ontario
Liberal
Jane Stewart Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, let me say again, the administrative—
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Bloc
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. Minister of Human Resources Development.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
Jane Stewart Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member again that one of its partners was the Government of Quebec.
Ms. Harel said “This project meets Quebec's job creation priorities and was initially discussed by our two organizations. I understand that you will be paying this amount over three years”.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
An hon. member
It is a scheme.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. Let us hear the minister's answer.
Human Resources Development
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
Jane Stewart Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, my only point being that along with other partners we believe this was a good investment. We have confirmed that again by doing an administrative review of the files, by determining that the appropriate invoices supporting the investment are clear, and by supporting those people in the ridings that those companies exist in for a period of time so that the companies can become stabilized and grow and develop.
Export Development Corporation
Oral Question Period
March 30th, 2000 / 2:35 p.m.
Reform
Deepak Obhrai Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, if you are a debt plagued American company and your own government turns off the money supply, where do you go to secure a desperately needed line of credit? The Export Development Corporation. Canada will help.
EDC officials confirmed this morning that the sky is the limit for Amtrak loans. Why does the government continue to write Amtrak blank cheques with taxpayer money? Why?
Export Development Corporation
Oral Question Period
2:35 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, let me be clear on this particular file. The government does not write blank cheques, as the opposition is alleging.
The EDC is an arm's length corporation. The government is helping Canadian exporters to export around the world. In this particular case the EDC has had Amtrak as its client, EDC has said, since 1985. It buys good Canadian products, creating jobs in Canada in transportation.
Export Development Corporation
Oral Question Period
2:40 p.m.
Reform
Deepak Obhrai Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, arm's length, my foot. The EDC signs cheques faster than the HRDC minister after she has had her fifth cup of coffee. If $1 billion for Amtrak were not enough, how about an additional $145 million for good measure? There is plenty more where that comes from and your privacy is guaranteed.
The government continues to write blank cheques for Amtrak. Why?
Export Development Corporation
Oral Question Period
2:40 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, the EDC has existed for 56 years. It has helped Canadians export more than $300 billion of goods and services around the world. There is no blank cheque there.
Everything EDC is doing in its corporate account is at the commercial interest rate and EDC has made money, $118 million last year. The EDC is well run and well managed and it helps Canadian exporters.
Export Development Corporation
Oral Question Period
2:40 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Export Development Corporation
Oral Question Period
2:40 p.m.
The Speaker
I have appealed to members two or three times in this Oral Question Period. If hon. members do not wish to take part in Oral Question Period, please just wait in the lobbies until we are finished. This yelling cannot go on. It cannot.
Gasoline Pricing
Oral Question Period
2:40 p.m.
Bloc
Pierre Brien Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, we realize that the higher gasoline price provides the federal government with more tax revenue, when it is already collecting over $5 billion annually, not counting the income tax paid by the major oil companies.
My question is for the Minister of Finance. Can he who is using the provinces as the excuse for his inaction tell us what concrete action he plans to take in order to help consumers?