John Solomon

[Petitions, February 8th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I rise to present a petition on behalf of residents in my riding of Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre as well as in the communities of Fort Qu'Appelle, Punnichy, Kamsack and Balcarres. These residents of Canada are asking the House of Commons to address the issue of child poverty. One in five Canadian children live in poverty.

On November 24, 1989, the House of Commons unanimously resolved to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000 as a result of a motion presented by the NDP leader at that time, Ed Broadbent.

The petitioners ask parliament to address the issue of child poverty as quickly as the Liberal government attempted to address the issue of helping out millionaire hockey players. They ask parliament to use the upcoming federal budget to introduce a multi-year plan to improve the well-being of Canada's children rather than the Liberal government continuing to support multimillionaires with tax breaks.

[Hockey, December 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, a very serious issue is weighing heavily on the minds of the Liberals. Committees have been instructed to study it. Consultants have been hired to develop solutions. Ministers and backbenchers are pitching ideas at every chance, all to save an industry that was once at the core of our Canadian identity but is now dominated by Americans and Europeans.

What issue is that? Is it agriculture or the farm crisis? No. It is professional hockey and the campaign to cut even further the taxes for millionaire hockey players and team owners. For shame.

Thousands of farmers cannot afford to farm any more, but the Liberal budget gave Canadian NHL players an average of $16,000 in tax cuts this year alone. By providing entertainment expense write-offs to buyers of corporate box seats and season tickets, we already subsidize pro-hockey teams heavily from the federal treasury.

The country has other priorities, like desperate farmers, medicare, the homeless, the unemployed and amateur sport. Why will the Liberals not stop being lackadaisical and start acting on these very important issues?

[Nisga'A Final Agreement Act, December 6th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, just over a month ago I raised a question in the House about the competition problems in the gasoline industry. I raised it in the context of Statistics Canada saying that energy prices and gasoline prices were “the major driver of inflation” in Canada. The inflation rate had just hit 2.6% at that time. This is significant because the Bank of Canada has an inflation target of between 1% and 3% and when inflation threatens to go higher than 3%, the bank raises the ceiling on its overnight rate and all the banks follow suit and before we know it, interest rates everywhere are going up.

The Bank of Canada mainly looks at increases in the so-called core inflation rate which is the CPI for everything but food and energy. Nevertheless the reason analysts were starting to be concerned last month is because once energy prices go up for a period of time, they start to affect the cost of other goods and services in our economy. Then the core inflation rate goes up, the bank gets worried, it hikes interest rates and we all end up paying higher prices and mortgage rates as well as the higher gas prices and energy costs.

If anything goes up, such as gasoline, another thing goes up is that oil company profits go up. The same week I asked my question, oil refining companies like Suncor and Imperial were posting record profits and the crude price had not even jumped as high as it got a month later.

I asked by question very deliberately about competition problems in the gasoline industry, an issue clearly within the jurisdiction of the federal government and the Minister of Industry.

The minister chose not to hear the question that way for his own reasons. The fact remains that he has done nothing about monopoly pricing in the gasoline retailing industry and now high gas prices are threatening to hike inflation and interest rates which will affect the entire economy.

The minister has done nothing, but others have tried to do something. For example, I led a group of six individuals who asked the Competition Bureau to investigate why prices had gone up after competition was reduced in gasoline retailing in my province of Saskatchewan. I received the bureau's report just last week. It said “sure there is less competition now”. It said “sure that can lead to higher prices”. The bureau just did not see that the prices have gone up.

But they did go up. Everyone in Saskatchewan knows they went up. I put out a press release in September 1998, over a year ago, after my office was swamped with phone calls about a four cent a litre gas price increase at the pumps. However, this four cent price hike did not show up in the Competition Bureau's database of prices that it showed me when it tabled its report. So it had to find that there were no competition problems. I am not convinced nor are my constituents.

If Canadians believe there are no problems in gas pricing and that gas prices are lower in Saskatchewan than in seven other jurisdictions, then they can vote Liberal, as I am sure they will, as they did in the Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar byelection where 15% voted Liberal, an amazing increase from the last election.

In any event, the next CPI numbers are due out on December 17. Gas prices remain high and the Minister of Industry remains uninterested in doing anything about them. He is more anxious about hockey than he is in protecting consumers from gas prices. So what else can be done?

Clearly, it is time for a different approach. I am convinced more than ever that we need an energy price review commission to hold oil companies accountable to justify their price increases in this country and to take a more active role in bringing the oil companies to account.

That is why I am moving now to update and table my private member's bill calling for an energy price review commission, which I hope can accomplish those very objectives in the near future.

In the meantime, I wonder if the parliamentary secretary will actually speak to the question I posed last month or whether he will repeat the industry's mantra that there is no problem, it is all in our imagination, just relax and trust the oil companies, and if Canadians believe gas prices are lower than they have ever been, they should vote Liberal, don't worry, be happy.

What is the answer from the parliamentary secretary?

[Petitions, December 6th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of many of my constituents as well as people from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Zehner, Saskatchewan, Lake Lenore, Moose Jaw, Sintaluta, Saskatoon, Green Lake, La Loche, Prince Albert, Kelowna, Yorkton and other parts of the country. These people are very concerned. They are asking the House of Commons on behalf of children of separation and divorce that no parent should ever lose legal custody of their child or children, or by legal process be denied equal time shared parenting to maintain a meaningful relationship with their child or children unless found by due process to be unfit under the laws of Canada.

The petitioners also believe that no parent should be allowed to obstruct the child's relationship with the other parent or with other close family members, unless that other parent or family member has been found by due process to be unfit under the laws of Canada.

Finally, they believe that adversarial procedures should be avoided in favour of more co-operative approaches to divorce, such as mediation and education on co-parenting.

They are asking the House of Commons to pass legislation incorporating these rights of children and principles of equity between and among parents.

[Municipal Grants Act, November 30th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, members of the NDP present this evening vote yes to this motion.

[Canadian Tourism Commission Act, November 29th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, on November 3 last I asked the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to admit that there was a real farm income crisis in western Canada and to announce some real farm aid. All he could talk about was that the Liberal government had done a great job and that farmers should not be worried.

Farmers are very worried. There are four major reasons the farm income crisis is in its current position. The first one is a 60% reduction in farm subsidies or supports for farm products.

In 1995 I attended the Council of Europe where members of parliament from all European countries gather together on a regular basis to discuss issues of importance. I attended a meeting of the agriculture committee of the Council of Europe and asked what they would do with their agriculture subsidies.

At that time European subsidies for farmers were about triple what Canadian subsidies were before the Liberals eliminated the transportation benefit for western grain farmers in 1995. We were told by the Liberal government at that time that the transportation subsidies had to be eliminated because of the World Trade Organization.

We were told by the Liberal government that the subsidy was being eliminated because of WTO regulations. I asked members of that committee what they would do because the European subsidies were greater than ours. They kind of laughed and said that I was gravely mistaken if I believed for one moment that they would eliminate agriculture subsidies because of the U.S.A. As well, they had five years under the WTO to address the issue of agricultural products and transportation subsidies. I was told that I was gravely mistaken if I thought that after five years they would sacrifice their farmers.

Here we are almost five years later and western grain farmers, particularly in Saskatchewan, have sacrificed $340 million a year in lost subsidies, which is a loss of about $1.5 billion in terms of income. As well we have seen increases in costs for transportation subsidies rise. In some cases they are triple of what they were at that time. This is one of the major reasons farmers are in trouble.

The second reason is that there was a 60% drop in commodity prices as a result of European and American farmers continuing to receive massive subsidies from their governments. This is really costing our farmers a lot of grief and a lot of money.

The third reason there is a major tragedy in the farm income of western grain farmers is the fact that input costs have risen unfettered. The Liberal government refuses to watch how the prices of fertilizers, fuel, and all kinds of chemical costs and pesticides increase. Farmers have to pay those increased prices. The taxes that are levied, the GST and other federal taxes, are crippling these farmers. Farmers need a tax break from the Liberal government, which they have not received in many years.

The fourth and major reason why farmers are in this huge income crisis is the Liberal government itself. It has lost touch. I guess the best example of that is the byelection in Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar that was held on November 15.

The Liberals who were touting one of their heavy duty candidates for election failed to address the issues of farm communities in the Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar district. As a result they went from a lead in the polls prior to the election call to finishing a dismal third and almost losing their deposit. They got 15.4% of the vote. That is all they got because they have lost touch with western grain farmers.

This is why we now need emergency assistance for our farmers who are very much up against it. Right now we are looking at about 40% of our farmers not being able to farm next spring and summer if an emergency aid program is not provided as soon as possible.

[Canadian Tourism Commission Act, November 29th, 1999]

The national agricultural policy.

[Points Of Order, November 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, during question period today, I raised an issue with the Minister of Industry with respect to gas pricing and the Competition Act. The parliamentary secretary who responded made reference to the absence of a member during committee this morning.

I was at two committees this morning. That was not one of the three, but I did attend two. I am wondering if it is in order to comment on the presence or absence of a member in committee.

[Gasoline Prices, November 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is the government that is supposed to be responsible for protecting consumers but it has not done one thing to stop price gouging at the pumps. It is sitting back and letting big oil companies bully the country into accepting these outrageous prices and the inflation and interest hikes that will come with them.

Why will the government not support my suggestion of an energy price review commission? Why will it not stand up for consumers instead of big oil companies?

[Gasoline Prices, November 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, last month I warned the industry minister that rising gas prices would hike inflation, increase interest rates and throw the economy into a tailspin. He laughed it off then but now no one is laughing.

Not only do we hear reports of $30 per barrel crude oil and 80 cent per litre gasoline by Christmas, but today we have an admission that the Competition Act is defective.

I ask the minister again, is he prepared to act on the competition problems in the gasoline retailing industry, or is he proud, as the Minister of Finance says, to see gas prices at record levels?