Barry Campbell

[Employment Equity, June 19th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian businesses understand that to remain competitive in a global economy and grow stronger at home they will have to use all of our human resources as productively as possible. Employment equity programs are tools designed to help Canadian businesses to do so, not hinder them.

It is heartening to hear many businesses and institutions have realized equitable participation by women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities and aboriginal people enhances the profitability of business.

Employment equity laws provide a minimum standard for employers. They do not constrain innovative leading edge employers who want to tap into existing and emerging markets. The Conference Board of Canada made it quite clear in its recent report that diversity is a bottom line business issue.

Employment equity is not a mystery. It is not a threat and it is not a drag on the economy. Just ask business leaders in Canada who understand Canadian customer demographics.

[Trade, June 9th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade.

Both the Prime Minister and the Minister for International Trade have spoken recently about the need to strengthen economic ties between North America and Europe.

Would the Minister for International Trade please bring the House up to date on the status of this initiative?

[Legal Recognition Of Same Sex Spouses, June 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to this motion which calls on the government to take the necessary measures for the legal recognition of same sex spouses.

I commend my colleague from Hochelaga-Maisonneuve for his initiative in bringing up this issue; it is timely and exceedingly important.

Before I discuss my views on the question I state clearly and unequivocally I reject the suggestion this debate is blasphemy or that those who would promote equality are part of some conspiracy to kidnap our children.

In due course the government will have to address this issue. The precious moments of private members' business at the end of each day provide an opportunity for us to express our personal views, and I am pleased to do so.

I have spoken in the House in support of the hate crimes provisions of Bill C-41 and in support of amending the Canadian Human Rights Act. I have encouraged my colleagues on all sides of the House to support these initiatives. I have supported them because these initiatives are the right and decent thing to do as Canadians.

Amending the Canadian Human Rights Act is a matter of fundamental justice and equality. The goal of the act is not to confer special rights on anyone but rather to ensure equal rights for everyone. The measures we have taken in Bill C-41, the proposed amendments of the human rights act when they are introduced, are totally consistent with the commitment we have as Liberals and as Canadians to attack hatred and discrimination and promote tolerance.

I am pleased that in its ruling last Thursday the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously agreed that sexual orientation should be read into section 15 of the charter, thus barring discrimination against gays and lesbians. It is an important step toward full equality for all members of Canadian society.

On the thornier issue, the more difficult issue of extending benefits to same sex couples living together, the court was split. It will soon be up to us as legislators to decide what actions we should take as we consider the question in the debate today and in the weeks ahead.

I want to make it clear that extending recognition to non-traditional relationships is not an attempt to undermine the family, but it is rather an effort to recognize today's realities and to end discrimination. Traditional families remain the majority and a fundamental building block of society. But we cannot ignore that there are different types of family units that exist today.

In response to a question put forward by the member for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve dealing with the Egan and Nesbit supreme court ruling and the extension of same sex benefits, the Minister of Justice expressed views before the Standing Committee on Human Rights and the Status of Disabled Persons to the following effect. When we talk about extending benefits we should be looking at relationships and dependency instead of exclusively sexual criteria to define those relationships. We should be thinking of a brother and sister living together, a son taking care of an elderly mother, a mother taking care of an adult daughter, and other types of relationships where adults depend on each other emotionally and financially. And there are many such cases in this complex society.

I think the Minister of Justice has put forward an interesting and innovative proposition, and I would be ready to support that position. However, I must stress that we have no immediate intention of introducing such legislation. We must engage in a full cost analysis and we must have a full debate in the House.

I want to add that the benefits we need to consider granting to partners in non-traditional relationships go beyond monetary ones. Even if the government has yet to put same sex relationships on an equal footing with more traditional ones, I firmly believe that measures should be taken to prevent incidents of discrimination in the workplace and we should be looking seriously at bereavement leave and family care leave to same sex partners.

Ironically, while we as elected officials are anxious to provide leadership on these issues, it is the courts and the private sector who are doing so, doing the right and courageous things by protecting the rights of all Canadians.

In its 1994 annual report the Canadian Human Rights Commission listed major private institutions offering such arrangements, firms such as BC-Tel, Hudson's Bay Company, Northern Telecom, Southam Publishing, Shell Canada, Levi Strauss, Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation, Dow Chemical, and the Toronto Dominion Bank. Canada Post entered into an agreement with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers that would provide same sex benefits for its 52,000 members.

I think the Human Rights Commissioner expressed it best when he said in reference to these corporations: "All of this should deliver a simple message. Institutions of this sort are not wild-eyed reformers. They are not interested in endorsing certain lifestyles or debating the meaning of the word spouse. They are changing their practices to bring them into line with the intent of the charter, provincial law and a growing body of jurisprudence". And I might add, to bring them into consistency with reality.

As I conclude and I look at the clock, it may be 1805 to some members of the House, but on this side of the House it is 1995. Discrimination, bigotry, ignorance persist. One of my goals as an elected member of Parliament is to work toward ending all forms of discrimination. In that effort, I invite the help of my colleagues on both sides of the House. This is not an Ozzie and Harriet world, however much we might wish it would be. I look forward to working with hon. members on both sides of the House on these important issues.

[Ontario Election, May 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, in the Ontario election Mike Harris and the Conservatives are claiming they can balance the province's budget while massively reducing revenues through a reckless 30 per cent, or is it now 35 per cent, income tax cut.

In 1993 Mike Harris said he could balance the books in three years. In 1994 he said in four years. Now he says it will take until 2001. That is six years and six budgets. Mike Harris cannot add.

The Tory plan contains billions of dollars of errors, omissions and exaggerations. There are billions not accounted for. Ontarians must know what Mike Harris is afraid to tell them, that he will gut the province's social programs to find the extra money. Mike Harris says: "Vote for me now and I will tell you later what I am going to do to social programs". That is being dishonest.

Lyn McLeod will balance the budget within her government's mandate. Liberals are prepared to be accountable to voters if they fail instead of putting tough decisions off into the future. Only the Ontario Liberals have a realistic plan to balance the province's budget without devastating social programs.

[Business Development Bank Of Canada Act, May 29th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support Bill C-91, the Business Development Bank of Canada Act. The legislation represents the next step in the evolution of an institution that has a long and honourable tradition of helping Canadian business respond to the changing demands of the economy.

Fifty-one years ago the industrial development bank was created to help wartime manufacturers convert their facilities for peacetime operations. These businesses needed special attention because it was virtually impossible for them to obtain term loans. At that time chartered banks were prohibited by the Bank Act for making loans against mortgage security.

The majority of IDB loans during its early years went to companies such as machine shops, sawmills, textile and garment factories, flour mills and auto parts manufacturers. In other words, the bank responded to the emerging industries of the day in a nation that was converting its wartime industrial capacity to new challenges.

As the nation's economy changed, so did the nature of the bank's customers. The business community began to respond to new opportunities of the post-war boom and the bank began to lend to wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and the hotel industry among others.

In the 1950s and 1960s the bank began to open branches in non-metropolitan areas of the country. This was a bold move at the time. The chartered banks followed the experiment with a great deal of interest. By the end of its second decade, the IDB had 22 branches across the country.

In 1971, the bank began to give businesses regular advice on how to run their operations efficiently. The bank became the only national organization to provide management services, such as consulting, training and planning, to small businesses.

In 1975, the Federal Business Development Bank was created as a crown corporation. Since then, businesses could no longer rely on government grants to execute their bank transactions. The new agency also decided to take up the challenge of providing risk capital to entrepreneurs. Today, the bank has offices in all provinces and territories. It employs 900 people who furnish financial as well as management services to Canadian small and medium size businesses.

Last year, the bank's share financing increased by 45 per cent, for a total of $80 million. As the years went by, the bank acquired an excellent reputation in the field of customer services. According to the most recent survey, 97 per cent of the bank's customers said that they would deal again with the bank and the same proportion of customers said that they would recommend the bank to other people.

It has become apparent that the FBDB must continue to evolve to meet the changing demands of the economy. This need to change has been widely discussed. In its report "Taking Care of Small Business", the Standing Committee on Industry recommended that the mandate of the FBDB be "refocused as a complementary lender to small and medium sized businesses and that it be authorized to use new financial instruments to fulfil its mandate".

The small business working committee emphasized that government sponsored programs should be refocused to fill financing gaps that are not now served adequately by the private sector. Among its recommendations are the following: "To enforce the FBDB's mandate to ensure that its activities are filling the financing gaps, and funding small businesses in all regions of the country including those associated with small and micro businesses requiring loans of less than $100,000, as well as addressing gaps in regional and sectoral lending and working capital requirements". The committee stated: "These objectives should be pursued on a full cost recovery basis".

The Federal Business Development Bank Act has not been amended since originally passed in 1974. It requires updating to reflect market developments such as the use of financial instruments that had not been invented in 1974. Moreover, the bank is now operating at near its statutory ceiling and financial ratios. To respond to forecasted business volume we need to act quickly to provide the legislated authority to increase the bank's equity. If the statutory lending cap is not changed soon, the bank could be forced to ration credit to businesses in the near future.

Under its proposed expanded mandate the Business Development Bank of Canada will be better positioned and equipped to address the specific needs of small business through innovative financing. It will operate where market forces fail to provide access to financing for promising business ventures.

Under its new mandate the bank will continue to be active in smaller loans and investments in its lending and venture capital programs. It will increase quasi-equity and working capital financings. It will also focus more on knowledge based firms without abandoning its traditional activities.

The Business Development Bank of Canada Act will provide the bank with the ability and resources to keep abreast of changing requirements at a time when the small business community in Canada needs the flexibility the bank can offer.

[Street Kids International, May 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I met recently with four high school students from my riding representing Street Kids International, an organization which raises awareness about human rights abuses perpetrated against the most defenceless segment of society, our children.

During our meeting, these young students pointed out Guatemala's, Brazil's and Colombia's flagrant violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. For a government to order that homeless children be killed because they are seen as harmful to society is totally unacceptable to Canadians.

As a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Canadian government must make every effort to ensure respect for the rights of children whatever their nationality and wherever they live. It is a matter of justice and human dignity.

[Canadian Jewish Congress, May 10th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, on May 14 and 15 the Canadian Jewish Congress will be holding its 24th triennial plenary assembly in Montreal.

One thousand delegates from communities across the country will be gathering to elect the new CJC president, vote on policy resolutions, and participate in workshops and sessions dealing with a wide variety of national and international issues. These issues include anti-Semitism and racism in Canada; domestic social policy issues; national unity; Israel and Jewish communities throughout the world; and a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps.

The theme of the meeting which will be held this weekend is "Going beyond history: Building a better future". The Canadian Jewish Congress, which works with many different communities, is an important non-governmental organization which fights for human rights, among other things. We hope that the CJC's discussions will be fruitful.

[Petitions, May 5th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the pleasure of presenting two petitions to the House, which call upon Parliament to act quickly to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to adopt all necessary measures to recognize full equality of same-sex relationships in federal law.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, May 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association to the Council of Europe committee on economic affairs and development session on the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, held in London, United Kingdom, from February 18 to February 21, 1995.

[Harbourfront Centre, April 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

There is concern in the greater Toronto area about the future of Harbourfront Centre, one of Canada's premier cultural, entertainment and recreational facilities.

Given the financial challenges facing the centre, would the minister provide an update on his recent discussions with representatives of the centre and on the status of the upcoming Today's Japan Festival?