Patrick Gagnon

[Canadian Foreign Policy, March 15th, 1994]

Oh, Oh.

[Irving Whale, March 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Gagnon-Easter committee held two rounds of consultations on the Irving Whale , a barge which sank 24 years ago between Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands. These were the first public hearings into the wreck of the Irving Whale . I would like to sincerely congratulate the 24 witnesses who appeared before the Gagnon-Easter committee, the associations, scientists, municipalities and individuals whom we heard from and who made their position known to us.

I would also like to praise the professionalism and excellent co-operation I received from my colleague, Mr. Wayne Easter, the hon. member for Malpèque, Prince Edward Island. This democratic exercise allowed us to travel to our respective ridings and to listen to the public's concerns about this ecological time bomb.

I might also say that we accomplished more than the Minister of the Environment, now the Leader of the Opposition, ever did more than three years ago.

[Foreign Affairs, February 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I found out that our Minister of Foreign Affairs is going to Washington to meet with his counterpart in the Clinton administration and that the Leader of the Opposition is also travelling to that city. I realized why when I read an article in the November 29, 1993 issue of Maclean's magazine. The Leader of the Opposition is quoted in this article as saying:

"I think Americans are very independent". He goes on to say:

In economic terms, Americans believe in individualism, every man for himself. What I love about Americans is their sense of liberty.

When the Leader of the Opposition is in Washington will he be talking about sovereignty or the annexation of Quebec into the United States?

[The Budget, February 23rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, like all Canadians, applaud the budget tabled yesterday because it closes tax legislation loopholes by, among other things, reducing from 80 per cent to 50 per cent the deduction for meals and entertainment.

I have good news for you. The government's budget does away with certain deductions accorded corporations with capital of over $15 million. It also eliminates the $100,000 capital gains exemption only benefiting higher income Canadians, like those in the opposition.

This government will prevent Canadian-based companies from using foreign affiliates to avoid paying taxes. In addition, the House of Commons finance committee, at the opposition's request, will once again review the taxation of family trusts. It is good to see that this government listens to the people and honours its election promises of social justice and human dignity in Canada.

[Canada Scholarship, February 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to express in this House my most sincere congratulations to eight young students in Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine who received scholarships from the Canadian government to maintain their academic excellence in post-secondary science, engineering and mathematics.

These fields of learning are important to the economic future of the region and of Canada and I count greatly on the professional contribution of these scholarship students from Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands for our economic future. I offer my sincere congratulations to Frédéric Aspirot, Nadia Bouchard, Julie Cummings, Anik Henry, Pascal Poirier, Steve Renaud, Stéphane Thériault and Serge Vigneau.

With this Canada Scholarship worth up to $10,000 at the university level and $7,500 at the college level, these young people will be able to excel in their studies.

These scholarship recipients will help maintain Canada's scientific excellence and I am very proud of that.

[Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements And Federal Post-Secondary Education And Health Contributions Act, February 9th, 1994]

It is absolutely wrong, because some positive attempts were made by the federal government to get regional economies going again, for example with the Federal Office of Regional Development. Quebec has been talking about the one-stop concept for years, but I would like to hear the Bloc Quebecois tell us exactly why federalism was so bad for rural economic development.

I think that by talking about sovereignty and by making it an obsession in the eastern part of Quebec, we jeopardize the future of our young people and our remote regions. I do care for my region; I am first a Gaspésien, but I object to this claim that federalism is to be blamed for our high unemployment rate.

[Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements And Federal Post-Secondary Education And Health Contributions Act, February 9th, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I would also like to make a few comments on the speech made by the hon. member representing Matapédia-Matane, which is the riding next to mine.

The hon. member more or less wanted to make a case when he squarely put the blame on federalism for the hardships and problems encountered in remote regions.

However, I would ask him to take a look at policies implemented by recent provincial governments in Quebec, not only the Liberal one in office since 1985, but especially the Parti Québécois before that. I do not think that the federal government is necessarily the one to blame; the province is also responsible for the situation in rural areas.

In any case, more and more young people and business people return to the regions to get the local economy going again. I believe that to get regional and local economies going again, we must invest more in individuals, and not necessarily in states. Whether it is the state of Quebec or Canada, I think we should do more for small business people.

Over the years, especially under the Conservative government but also under the Parti Québécois before, not enough was done to help small businesses, for example with loans. It is mainly because of government agencies, or because of the lack of co-operation of financial institutions, that we were not able to improve the situation of small businesses and, consequently, the quality of life in rural Quebec. But it is wrong to say that the federal government is the only one to blame.

[National Infrastructure Program, February 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to stress an important measure undertaken to ensure economic recovery in Quebec. Last Monday, the Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development and the President of the Privy Council, along with their Quebec counterparts, signed a federal-provincial agreement on the National Infrastructure Program.

Pursuant to this agreement, our government will be able to renovate local infrastructures. This is a positive step towards jobs creation and economic recovery. Needless to say, it will help to promote economic development in Quebec and throughout Canada.

The projects to be undertaken under this agreement, worth almost $1.6 billion in Quebec only, will give new confidence to our business people, our workers and all Canadians.

Ever since it was elected, the Chrétien government has worked relentlessly to create the right economic climate in our country.

The agreement signed this week with the Quebec government is evidence of our commitment to a sustainable economic recovery. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, federalism does work.

[Cellular Telephones, February 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to mention one instance where federalism was good for Quebec.

The Federal Office of Regional Development has recently announced a partnership between Canada and Quebec which will allow Ericsson Communications of Montreal to launch an important research and development project in the field of cellular telephone communications.

That partnership between the federal and provincial governments and Ericsson will maintain 400 jobs and create 140 new ones. The expected investments could exceed $94 million and will open important markets for many small and medium sized businesses in Quebec.

Thanks to such investments, Ericsson will be a world leader in cellular phone technology. That project reaffirms, once again, Montreal's position as the true telecommunications centre in Canada.

In conclusion, let me stress the fact that this company has been able to pursue its expansion in Montreal and in Quebec thanks to the Canada-Quebec agreement on industrial development.

[Irving Whale, February 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to issue a progress report on a matter of vital importance for my riding as well as for Quebec and Eastern Canada. I am talking about the Irving Whale , the tanker which has been lying on the bottom of the Gulf of St. Lawrence for over 20 years.

Having said that, I wish to inform the residents of the Magdalen Islands that a final decision is forthcoming. The diligence of the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Transport as well as the efforts of my colleague from Malpèque have made it possible to accomplish this much in such a short period of time.

I want to reassure the people of the Magdalen Islands: the Irving Whale 's tanks were inspected and there are no leaks.

I wish to state here today that we are the ones who will see to it that the matter of the Irving Whale is settled, not the present leader of the opposition who never even looked into the matter when he was himself Minister of the Environment.