Debates of May 5th, 2000
House of Commons Hansard #91 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was parks.
Topics
- Canada National Parks Act
- Correctional Service Canada
- National Composting Week
- National Defence
- Regional Development
- Greater Napanee
- French Language Education In Manitoba
- Riverwalk 1999
- Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
- Taxation
- Drinking Water
- Battle Of The Altlantic
- The Prime Minister
- The Netherlands
- Parliament Of Canada
- Emergency Preparedness Week
- Minister Of Canadian Heritage
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Summer Student Employment Program
- Human Resources Development
- Employment Insurance
- Health
- Industry
- The Economy
- Transfer Payments
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Grain Transportation
- Genetically Modified Organisms
- Organized Crime
- Justice
- Cinar
- Forestry
- Justice
- Immigration And Refugee Board
- Newspaper Industry
- Health
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- Foreign Affairs
- Rcmp Investigations
- Airline Industry
- Disaster Assistance
- Transport
- International Trade
- The Environment
- Liberal Party
- Health
- Presence In Gallery
- Privilege
- Points Of Order
- Government Response To Petitions
- Petitions
- Questions On The Order Paper
- Canada National Parks Act
- Labelling Of Genetically Modified Foods
- Cape Breton Development Corporation Divestiture Authorization And Dissolution Act
- Labelling Of Genetically Modified Foods
Industry
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Reform
Charlie Penson Peace River, AB
Mr. Speaker, SpaceBridge Networks Corporation, a high tech firm created by industry giants Newbridge and COM DEV International, received a $2 million grant from Industry Canada.
However, a SpaceBridge executive admitted in the Globe and Mail that the real purpose of the government's TPC grant was not so much to fund R and D, but to allow the company to start up without diluting its shareholder equity.
Why does the minister think that taxpayer money should be used as a substitute for the normal practice of raising venture capital in the private sector?
Industry
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Ottawa South
Ontario
Liberal
John Manley Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member on putting his first question to me as industry critic.
I would like to point out to him that the technology partnerships program does not give grants, so the premise of his question is totally wrong.
The Economy
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Reform
Ken Epp Elk Island, AB
Mr. Speaker, the government seems to have endless money to spend on mismanaged grants at HRDC, mindless dead rabbit art displays, and endless politically motivated boondoggles.
One of the people in my riding told me that they would much rather have an MRI machine in the hospital than a fountain in the Prime Minister's riding.
When will the government correct its priorities, provide adequate funding for health care, get the debt and interest payments down, and give some real tax relief?
The Economy
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Ottawa South
Ontario
Liberal
John Manley Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will know that support for tourism infrastructure is one of the things that the Harris government proposed to do in its budget this past week, making hundreds of millions of dollars available to support locally supported projects such as the fountain in Shawinigan.
If the Alliance party has a problem with that, it may want to contact Mr. Long quickly and let him know that Mr. Harris is on the wrong track.
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Bloc
Odina Desrochers Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, Tom Kent is a former deputy minister under the government of Lester B. Pearson. His actions are said to have marked Canadian social policies, particularly health policies.
Yesterday, Mr. Kent said before a Senate committee that the main threat to our health system was the federal government itself.
Does the Minister of Health agree with Mr. Kent that this government violated the commitment made by the federal government in the sixties by making drastic cuts to transfer payments, since 1995?
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
LaSalle—Émard
Québec
Liberal
Paul Martin Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member must know that in each of the last four budgets we have increased transfers to the provinces.
In last year's budget, we increased those payments by $11.5 billion, over a four year period. This year, we increased them again. The increase for the past two years is over 25%.
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Liberal
Paul Martin LaSalle—Émard, QC
Moreover, we invested money in research and development, in transition funds and in the whole information sector. We are in the process of achieving—
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
The Speaker
I would ask hon. members to please keep their voices down, because we want to listen to the minister's reply. He has some time left if he wishes to add something. Otherwise, I will hear the hon. member for Lotbinière.
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:30 a.m.
Bloc
Odina Desrochers Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government is constantly trying to include tax points in the contribution for health to create a smokescreen.
Will the minister finally agree with Mr. Kent that this is a “stupid” argument that it does not make “any sense”?
Transfer Payments
Oral Question Period
11:35 a.m.
LaSalle—Émard
Québec
Liberal
Paul Martin Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, it is the hon. member who is not making any sense. Again, the transfer of tax points by the Canadian government was at the request of the provinces.
Mr. Miller, who was Ontario's treasurer, asked that the full transfer be in the form of tax points, because he was well aware that these points would increase in value much more than cash transfers.
We went 50-50, because we wanted to accommodate the provinces. But we were well aware that it also takes money to maintain the Canadian government's position and we will continue to maintain that position.
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
May 5th, 2000 / 11:35 a.m.
Reform
John Williams St. Albert, AB
Mr. Speaker, with every page we turn it is waste, it is mismanagement and it is incompetence everywhere. According to the auditor general's recent report, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is spending up to $65,000 per special needs student and does not even know if the money is being spent on the students.
Why is the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development so incompetent and so poorly managed that it does not care about ripping off the taxpayer and especially does not seem to care about educating the students under its responsibility?
Aboriginal Affairs
Oral Question Period
11:35 a.m.
Provencher
Manitoba
Liberal
David Iftody Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada takes the education of Indian children very seriously. The questions raised by the hon. member are quite inappropriate. The facts speak for themselves.
The truth is that under this administration over the last seven years more first nations people have gone to university than was the case prior to that and we have every intention of keeping that up.
Grain Transportation
Oral Question Period
11:35 a.m.
Reform
Lee Morrison Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, it is tough to be at the bottom of the food chain. Just ask a rabbit or a western farmer.
The recently announced increase in grain freight rates will add $1.45 a tonne to farmers' surging costs. The CTA is not at fault. It just crunches the numbers mandated by parliament. The government is to blame for not acting on the recommendations of two very costly reports.
Will the Minister of Transport get his act together before August 1 and implement the revenue cap recommended in the Kroeger report?