Marcel Massé

[Crown Liability And Proceedings Act, February 4th, 1994]

moved that Bill C-4, an act to amend the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Privilege, January 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday last during Question Period, as reported at page 300 of Hansard , in response to a question from the hon. member for Wild Rose I stated:

-I was asked to give a conference at Harvard University-on very short notice.

What I should have said was that the events surrounding the planning of trips were unfolding rapidly and made it necessary to adjust my travel arrangements very quickly.

It was never my intention to mislead the House and I regret any inaccuracy in my previous answer.

[Intergovernmental Affairs, January 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I will certainly check the records to see whether the previous Prime Minister gave his agreement, but I am confident that there was no formal agreement.

We are still reviewing the request from the Government of Quebec. There are a number of legal precedents to consider, in particular a case indicating that when the Quebec government decided to hold its own referendum within the province, it also had to assume all related responsibilities. This issue is still under study and we will be able to give a more detailed answer soon.

[Intergovernmental Affairs, January 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, if I understand correctly the background to this question, I do not believe that the previous government made a formal commitment to reimburse these costs.

[Auditor General's Report, January 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, all I can promise is that in the future I will use taxpayers' money in order to be as efficient as possible in exactly the way it was demonstrated by that trip.

[Auditor General's Report, January 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I was asked to give a conference at Harvard University on public service renewal on very short notice. I had events that were already prepared on Monday morning in my county. The only way to get there for 4.30 in the afternoon to give the speech was, in fact, to take the plane. I had to come back in the evening because there was a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

I think in the circumstances, Mr. Speaker, the expenditure was fully justified.

[Public Service Of Canada, January 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be able to say that we have already moved on the question of reorganization.

We have changed some of the decisions that were reached by the previous government in order to improve relationships with the public service and in order to improve the quality of life of public servants. We are continuing to do that.

In particular, the abolition of chiefs of staff, the decrease in our ministerial offices and the argument of the Prime Minister that no ministers can succeed without having a proper relationship with their civil servants have all improved the relationship and are helping us at present to give better government.

[Manpower Programs, January 19th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I feel that we are already with it because we intend to cut government spending by much more than $250 million by reducing overlap.

[Manpower Programs, January 19th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, our government is in full agreement with eliminating overlap and duplication so as to reduce the cost of government. We said that in the throne speech and we obtained an agreement to that effect at the first ministers' conference.

As for an agreement on occupational training, my colleague, the Minister of Human Resources Development, has already discussed this with his colleague who is now Quebec's finance minister but who then was responsible for the manpower agreement, and he is continuing with the discussions.