John Cannis

[Witness Protection Act, May 26th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on Bill C-206, an act to provide for the relocation and protection of witnesses.

The hon. member for Scarborough West, the sponsor of the bill, deserves credit for bringing before the House an issue that occupies the attention not just of Canadian law enforcement agencies but of law enforcement agencies around the world.

In the past 10 years the need for witness protection has grown dramatically in direct proportion to the increased violence displayed by individual criminals and organized crime. For this reason alone the hon. member's bill is timely and well deserved.

In previous debate on Bill C-206 mention was made several times of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police source witness protection program. For obvious and very good reasons the RCMP is cautious about revealing information concerning the program. As this is the main witness protection program in Canada we need to know something of its scope and effectiveness if we are to better understand all the issues raised by this private members' bill.

To this end I am happy to have the opportunity today to provide the House with a general overview of the RCMP source witness protection program.

First let me set out the context. Historically witness protection programs are most closely associated with the investigation of organized crime. The term organized crime covers a broad range of criminal activity including large scale drug trafficking, murder, serious assault, money laundering and extortion and robbery. As often as not these crimes go hand in hand with the use of fear and intimidation to ensure the silence of potential witnesses and informants.

However witness protection today has a broader application. A disturbing trend in recent years has been the use of fear and intimidation by lone criminals. These people are willing to go to any lengths to avoid convictions or to extract retribution from witnesses. As a result there are a growing number of people who need protection as a result of their roles in cases that have nothing to do with organized crime.

To deal with this growing need for witness and informant protection and in response to the increased enforcement priority placed on fighting major national and international drug trafficking organizations, the RCMP source witness protection program was started in 1984.

There were also several other factors underlined in the launch of the program. These included an increasing need to use confidential information rather than undercover RCMP officers to infiltrate sophisticated criminal organizations; the growing incidence of violent crime in Canada; clear evidence of extremist and terrorist activities in Canada and, most important of all, disclosure jurisprudence flowing from the charter of rights. All of these factors contributed to the growth of the RCMP's witness protection program.

Although originally intended for the use of the RCMP alone the program now provides protective services to provincial and municipal police forces right across Canada.

While many of these police forces rely entirely on the RCMP for witness protection program services some of the larger police departments have formed their own witness protection units. These larger police services only come to the RCMP for assistance in cases where federal help is needed to facilitate a change of identity for a witness or an informant.

Most people entering the RCMP source witness protection program in the mid-1980s were associated with major drug trafficking activities. However, as I mentioned a moment ago, this has changed of late. Today a growing proportion of the people entering the program have been involved in Criminal Code offences such as murder and serious assault.

Obviously not every witness qualifies for witness protection despite thousands of serious assaults that take place in Canada each year, but the RCMP and other police forces must exercise care and good judgment when deciding who is eligible for witness protection and who is not.

These common sense safeguards ensure that the numbers of witnesses and informants do not outstrip the human and financial resources allocated to support the various witness protection programs.

In the last 10 years the witness protection programs of the RCMP and other police departments have become highly effective enforcement tools against criminals who previously were able to use threats and violence against the witnesses to their crimes to avoid prosecution and conviction.

The success of the witness protection program of the RCMP and other police departments speaks for itself. Of the large number of witnesses and informants and their families who have been relocated over a 10 year period none have come to any harm.

The RCMP carries out an average of 50 witness relocation programs per year. Of this approximately 10 cases are in support of other police departments. The direct cost of maintaining the RCMP's witness protection program averages $1.1 million per year. When those expenses are added to the human resource costs to support the program its total annual cost exceeds $3 million.

Based on current trends, the cost of the program will probably increase as more people are given protection. The costs are relatively low when measured against the impact that witnesses and informants have on individual criminals and organized crimes.

There is no more devastating evidence than the firsthand testimony of a trusted accomplice exposing the inner workings of a criminal organization or that of a witness who has seen a serious crime take place and can identify the perpetrators.

Whether a witness or informant, these individuals are invaluable assets of the police and judicial system. In many cases their testimony cannot be replaced by any other investigative means.

This is especially true in drug enforcement. Here the availability of the RCMP's witness protection program has prompted informants and witnesses to come forward and assist the police and testify in court against major national and international drug traffickers despite the proven ability of these organizations to exact violent retribution.

These witnesses have provided crucial firsthand information to further investigations which otherwise would have been obtained at a considerable cost in police resources, human and otherwise.

[Serial Killer Cards, May 11th, 1994]

The recent draft amendments proposed to the Criminal Code and the Customs Tariff Act by the Minister of Justice as they pertain to the importation and sale of serial killer cards are further evidence of this government's effort to listen, consult and act on behalf of the Canadian people.

The importation and sale of serial killer cards allows for profit at the expense and misery of the victims and their families. This must be stopped.

Our government is committed to making our communities and neighbourhoods safer and this is yet another step in that direction. The importation of serial killer cards is a disservice to our communities, communities that should be free of violence and intimidation.

The residents of Scarborough Centre commend the Minister of Justice for his prompt attention and urge all members to support this government's initiative to ban the sale of serial killer cards and board games.

[Rouge River Valley, April 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I had the opportunity along with my family to participate in a reforestation project in the Rouge River Valley system.

The 10,000 Trees for the Rouge River Valley program has been operating for five years and has steadily increased its profile within the community. This year over 1,200 Scarborough residents planted 8,000 trees. Over the past five years this program has planted close to 60,000 trees on about 80 acres of land.

The Rouge Valley is a unique and valuable environmental resource and I urge the Minister of the Environment and The Minister of Canadian Heritage to continue their support and

negotiations with the provincial government and to move quickly to protect this region.

[Canadian Foreign Policy, March 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I also enjoyed the presentation of the member for Red Deer.

One thing that made me very happy was his indication that Canada should identify its role by being what we are. We are good money managers and I thank him for that recognition.

He also made reference to Mr. Zhirinovsky. About a month back I read an article in one of the papers about how Mr. Zhirinovsky was carving out his own version of Europe, chopping borders here and there. Today as we are dealing with a global economy we need to bring rest within our trading partners and throughout.

How do we deal with those issues when we have comments such as those where at the utterance of one word we could create stability or instability? How do we address those types of outbursts from people such as Zhirinovsky?

How do we force new players in this world which is unfolding before us almost daily? How do we recognize newly formed countries? Do we set preconditions? Do we ask them to come to the table and before handing out any blank cheques say that we should resolve those differences before recognizing them? How would we address those types of comments?

[The Budget, March 10th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for his presentation. I was very impressed with what he focused on. There is no question he outlined our deficit problem but it is very simple. He emphasized economic renewal. If we through the programs he outlined enhance economic renewal there is no question we are going to be addressing that problem.

I was impressed by how he used the approach that we have now moved from a passive to an active system. That is a prelude to attacking this deficit problem. More so I was impressed with the used computer concept, to refurbish them for use by schools.

I would like to introduce this program in my riding. We are accomplishing two things. First, we are educating people on how to train and upgrade themselves by repairing the computers. Second, we are passing this on to other institutions which use the refurbished computers thus allowing people to elevate themselves to a higher level.

There is no question that automation is where it is at today and where society is heading in the future. Therefore, the passive to the active system has very much impressed me. I thank him for sharing that.

[Borrowing Authority Act, 1994-95, March 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am puzzled. They indicated we have not cut enough. Last week one member from the Reform Party bombarded this side stating that we did not do enough. The critic for defence got up and congratulated the government on how it cut so deeply but that it did too much. I am really confused.

I have a simple philosophy: we must invest a dollar to make a dollar. The government has not increased taxes and this is the good news I bring to Scarborough Centre. We have taken from other sources to invest in our economy. We know there have been no tax increases. It is spelled out in the budget. We have taken resources from other areas to invest in programs.

For example, the infrastructure program is one that all the municipalities have embraced warmly. We know that the jobs are coming but it just does not happen in 100 days. This program is a two-tier program as well. Therefore a phase of it will unfold as each day goes by.

[Borrowing Authority Act, 1994-95, March 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the excellent question.

As a small businessman I must say that one of the stumbling blocks any small or medium sized business has today and has had for quite some time is access to capital, access to the right doors.

In our discussions over the past several months, in meeting with the various representatives from the financial institutions, the government is not just talk and no action. We have brought these people down. We have specifically expressed the concerns we have heard from the extensive consultations that have taken place in our ridings.

I spoke with Mr. George Gigis not too long ago. He sent me a letter indicating how he wants to expand but he needs the help of a financial institution. The government has taken a proactive approach to not just asking these institutions to co-operate. We have said to these institutions, no more talking. We want results. They are opening up the process. Male and female, they will have equal opportunities to access to capital so they can invest in modernizing and retooling and hiring staff. In this way they can expand their business, increase trade as trade pacts throughout the world are expanding and we can have our fair share.

I am confident that these institutions are now starting to turn around. We have seen the signs. They have said directly and indirectly they are prepared to co-operate. They are prepared to lower their demands on loans and so far I am quite pleased that we are on track to help the small and medium sized businesses and with the payroll deductions as well to help them expand.

[Borrowing Authority Act, 1994-95, March 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on your appointment as Deputy Speaker of the House. The understanding and welcome I have received from you and your staff has made my introduction to the House a pleasant transition, and for this I am truly grateful.

It is with honour and a great deal of humility that I make my maiden speech on such an important issue as the budget, an economic plan for Canada laid before us by the Minister of Finance, a plan that is the culmination of extensive consultations and input from all sectors. That is the main reason I stand to express my support for the budget.

I thank the residents of Scarborough Centre for entrusting me with their vote. I pledge to do my best to represent them and be their voice in Ottawa. They can be assured that the overwhelming mandate of October 25 will not be taken for granted.

One does not arrive here simply by being a candidate. It requires a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. Please let me use this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all the volunteers who believed in me and worked tirelessly on my behalf during the campaign. They believed in our agenda. They believed in our party. They believed in our program as outlined in the now famous red book "Creating Opportunity". They believed that with its implementation our country would be put back on the road to recovery.

I also acknowledge my predecessor, Pauline Browes, who served Scarborough Centre well during the 33rd and 34th Parliaments.

The United Nations has designated 1994 as the Year of the Family and it is with great pride that I acknowledge my family and thank my wife Mary, my daughter Irene, my sons Paul and Daniel and the rest of my family for the encouragement and the tremendous support they have given me and continue to give.

I would like to pay special tribute to my parents who instilled in me family values, the values of citizenship and hard work and who always urged me to strive for my dreams. My father arrived on these friendly shores as a young man with an innocence and a desire to work hard and diligently to make a good life for his family. I will always remember the story of what he asked for

when looking for work, not how much the job paid but if there was work.

Like many other ridings, Scarborough Centre encompasses people from many different backgrounds and is reflective of the reality of Canada, a reality that has brought people from all around the world and retained the best of their culture and heritage. Added to the Canadian experience, it strengthens and enriches us as a nation and makes us all proud to say that we are Canadian.

The city of Scarborough derived its name from the diary of the wife of Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. It was settled by Europeans in the late 1700s. In fact, one of the first homesteads in Scarborough is located in Scarborough Centre and a local collegiate is named for those first settlers, David and Mary Thomson.

Prior to that, the First Nations often settled in Scarborough and there are recorded village settlements dating back to the year 1000 AD. On the edge of my riding is a native burial site uncovered in August 1956 during the building of a housing subdivision. That site has been dated to 1250 AD. The motto of Scarborough is: "The city of the future", and that is what this debate is all about, the future.

This bill has been a source of considerable discussion in Scarborough Centre. My constituents have great hopes for this government and believe that we are the best vehicle if Canada is ever to rediscover that which has made this country great.

A government budget is not just a report on the financial status of a country. It defines the path to achieve change.

The riding of Scarborough Centre has been hard hit during the recession. There are empty store fronts and unoccupied plazas throughout my riding. The people of Scarborough Centre have suffered and are suffering and this budget gives them what we all so desperately need. It shows them the path toward renewal.

To assist job creation the government is prepared to roll back unemployment insurance premiums. Payroll deductions have long been the most punitive burden that small businesses could experience. It removes incentive for job creation and economic growth. The proposed rollback will save businesses $300 million.

I campaigned on family values, on reducing crime and on deficit reduction, but the emphasis was on job creation as a result of economic stimulation. I am very happy because there seems to be a climate of co-operation and understanding in the House, a feeling of wanting to do things right.

We put forward a recovery plan to the people of Canada which they overwhelmingly endorsed. The people know that we intend to keep our promises and commitments to them, but they also know that it will not happen overnight. "Stick to the plan", they have said to me, "show us leadership". I say, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the residents of Scarborough and to the rest of Canada that we have shown leadership and we have kept our promises. We shall make decisions for the benefit of all Canadians.

We cancelled the helicopter deal. We cancelled the Pearson airport deal. We launched the national infrastructure program. We reduced the size of cabinet and cut PMO and ministerial staff. We began the process to replace the most regressive tax this country has ever seen. The GST has hampered economic growth, job creation and is far too complex for small businesses to endure. These are but a few examples.

The government will not put off for tomorrow what it can do today. We have charted a course to prepare our youth, the future of our country. We have charted a course to rebuild and modernize this nation so that we can be competitive and ready for the 21st century. Let us not be shortsighted. Japan, Germany, the U.S. and Ireland are all preparing and investing heavily in infrastructure programs and development.

Let us not repeat the shortsightedness the North American auto industry showed in the past. I have spent the past 20 years of my professional life in the employment industry and I have seen firsthand the devastation of our labour force. I have seen companies turn a cold shoulder to loyal and dedicated employees for the sake of a better bottom line. This cannot continue.

The government has a responsibility toward the improvement of the country and its people. Our country needs us now more than ever before. We need to tell the world that we are one united country. We are dealing with a global economy that changes every day, where trade occurs at the press of a button, where stability swings to instability at the utterance of a single phrase. During these turbulent times we must put Canada's interests first. We must show commitment and co-operation.

I stated earlier that the world is watching us very closely and that we must not allow other countries to determine our national agenda. There is a tradition in our family that family differences are resolved and stay within the family.

In conclusion, allow me to emphasize that the task at hand is to rebuild our country. We must make it once again a beacon of hope to its people and to the world. No one should undermine its stability. If anything we must show the world that we are and intend to be one united country.

[The Budget, February 24th, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I followed the debate with great interest all morning. If I were confused this morning, I am even more confused now.

Earlier we heard two presentations from the Reform Party. One was saying how we did nothing and there were not enough cuts. The critic for the defence ministry indicated that we cut too much. Now I am hearing something else again. I do not know what it is.

Did we cut enough? Did we not cut enough? We want to entice businesses to hire. The $300 million rollback on the UI will entice companies to hire.

[The Budget, February 23rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member and her compassionate approach. She brought back memories of the short lived Prime Minister and what price she had to pay in the most recent process.

Never before have inclusion and consultation taken place with respect to putting the budget together. There is no question the minister has gone from coast to coast to coast. He opened up the process. He listened to the people. Based on what they told us he delivered with respect to the RRSPs and capital gains.

The member spoke about manipulation and humiliation. I do not see any manipulation in going out to the people and asking them what we can give them and for their input so that we can put a package together that will be good for all in Canada.

There were no tax increases. Does the hon. member not think that putting $300 million back into small businesses as a result of the reduction in the UIC will enhance their opportunities to hire people?