Art Eggleton

[Government Expenditures, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, on

March 8 of this year the Prime Minister announced a review of the operation of the administrative flight services.

I am pleased to announce today that the government has finished its review on how we operate the Challenger air service. As a result, we are completely revamping the delivery of this service to save Canada's taxpayers more than $24 million a year.

We are replacing the more costly service that the previous government ran with a more scaled down version. As the Prime Minister promised, on March 8 we looked at options that were in keeping with the government's objectives of frugality and integrity.

We have delivered on our promise. The costs of the new service will be nearly 60 per cent less than under the previous government, dropping from $41.4 million to $17 million a year.

I want to make it clear that a flight service for the royal family, the Governor General, the Prime Minister, ministers of this cabinet and foreign dignitaries is essential in a country as vast as Canada.

The severe time restraints under which these people work makes this service absolutely necessary.

Each of our major trading partners provides a similar service to its head of state and ministers.

Now that we are confident we can deliver the service cost effectively, I expect that ministers will make use of the fleet for their official duties when the schedules of commercial air services cannot meet their needs.

Variable costs for flying now are expected to decline from about $4,600 an hour to $2,200 an hour. The cost per flying hour, if you add in capital costs, is estimated to decrease from about $17,000 to $6,800. This is only one example of the kind of specific measures which I will be implementing and this government will be implementing with a view to reducing expenditures of the federal government.

We have cut back the number of Challenger planes from six to four. We have cut the flight crews from eleven to six. We have re-engineered maintenance arrangements and we have lowered training costs without sacrificing any safety.

From now on the Department of National Defence will continue to provide the Challenger aircraft and crews, but Transport Canada will provide service and maintenance, with the private sector providing many of the other support services, the baggage handling, the meals and the lounge services.

We involved the Auditor General in the review, addressing concerns he raised in his 1993 report. In a recent exchange of correspondence with the Prime Minister, the Auditor General has generally expressed support for the renewal of the service.

The government's decision to revamp the administrative flight service puts the Challenger service on a sound footing. It is a reliable, cost effective secure transportation service for the government and fits in well with the government's commitment to operate as cost effectively as it can.

[Pay Equity, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, of course. We intend to try to get this matter settled and intend to be an equity employer. The previous government put money into pay equity and that is a very high priority intention of this government.

[Pay Equity, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, Treasury Board is in exploratory discussions with the employee representatives, the unions.

We have held three or four meetings with the Professional Institute. We have held at least one or two meetings with the Public Service Alliance. We are continuing to explore working toward a solution to this matter. We are a pay equity employer. We want to resolve this matter as quickly as we can so that we can curtail this very long tribunal process that the previous government put in place.

We want to treat our employees with fairness and equity.

[National Public Service Week, June 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I think our employees fully understand the fiscal realities governments in Canada find themselves in.

The need to bring down the deficit and for better control of the debt is what we promised to do in our red book and what we promised to do as a result of the budget and bringing the deficit down to 3 per cent of GDP. This has become a necessary part of that kind of control, and I think it is understood by our employees.

I also think they understand the other part which is to help create and maintain jobs. That is certainly what we wanted to do in the case of the public service.

Having said that, National Public Service Week gives us the opportunity to recognize the valuable contribution our employees are making through the provision of services to the people of the country. The member for Ottawa West initiated it through Parliament some two years ago so that we could recognize the dedication and commitment of our public servants

and at the same time tell Canadians about the valuable services they are providing in a more cost effective fashion.

[Supply, June 8th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the form of this bill is the same as has been in past and previous years.

(Bill deemed read the first time.)

(Bill deemed read the second time, deemed considered in committee, deemed reported, deemed read the third time and passed.)

[Supply, June 8th, 1994]

moved that Bill C-39, an act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the Public Service of Canada for the financial year ending March 31, 1995 be read the first time.

[Supply, June 8th, 1994]

moved:

That the supplementary estimates (A) for the fiscal period ending March 31, 1995 be concurred in.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

[Supply, June 8th, 1994]

moved:

That the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1995, except any vote disposed of earlier today and less the amounts voted in interim supply be concurred in.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

[Supply, June 8th, 1994]

moved:

That Vote 10, in the amount of $729,747,000 under the heading Industry-Industry and Science Development Program-Grants and Contributions, in the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1995 be concurred in.

(The House divided on Vote 10, which was agreed to on the following division:)

[Supply, June 8th, 1994]

moved:

That Vote 30, in the amount of $330,938,000 under the heading Transport-Payments to Via Rail Canada Inc., in the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1995 (less the amount voted in interim supply), be concurred in.