Maria Minna

[Criminal Code, October 4th, 1996]

While he was talking about a particular case, several members alluded to communities at large. Does the hon. member truly believe that refugees and immigrants in this country are all, or in the majority, criminals?

[Criminal Code, October 4th, 1996]

He alluded to that and that is not acceptable to me. I you have-

[Criminal Code, October 4th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say to the hon. member that just because he took the liberty of exaggerating, moving information around, picking all over the place and slandering communities does not make it the truth.

For the hon. member to have taken the liberty to slander whole immigrant and refugee communities to say they are all into this and they all do this is totally irresponsible.

[Petitions, October 4th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a petition from Canadians who encourage the government to ensure that Canada remains united and indivisible in the future.

[Radioactive Waste Importation Act, October 3rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, jobs are and continue to be the Government of Canada's highest priority.

Since the government took power it has worked very hard to create the climate necessary for job creation and economic growth. A number of measures have been taken to stimulate employment growth in Canada, including the $6 billion infrastructure program, a national tourism promotion program and the reform of the Small Business Loans Act to improve access to capital for small businesses.

In the speech from the throne and the 1996 budget, the government re-emphasized its commitment to increasing job opportunities for Canadians. For example, it doubled its contribution to student summer job creation this year and it launched Technology Partnerships Canada, a $250 million fund to support technology development and job creation in the aerospace, environmental and biotechnology sectors.

The government also launched the expansion of the Community Access and SchoolNet programs to improve access to the information highway.

The results so far show that the job strategy of the government is working. Since October 1993 over 639,000 additional new jobs have been created across the country, and these jobs are mainly full time jobs. In the meantime, the unemployment rate declined by almost two full percentage points from 11.1 per cent in October of 1993 to 9.4 per cent in August of 1996.

Since the government came into office, helping young Canadians make the transition into the workforce has been our particular priority. Three hundred and fifty million dollars was allocated to youth employment initiatives over a three-year period, sixty million of which was allocated to summer employment programs this past summer creating more than 60,000 summer jobs for young Canadians.

In addition, the findings and recommendations of last spring's ministerial task force on youth and of the recent youth conference will help in the development of a new youth strategy. The strategy is expected to be announced later this fall.

The government has a job creation record to be proud of. It will continue in its effort to help Canadians find and keep jobs, working in collaboration with provinces and the private sector.

[Canada Labour Code, October 2nd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I must admit the question of the member for Bourassa is a bit puzzling. He knows full well we are examining all aspects of the citizenship issue. This includes citizenship for children born in Canada.

Furthermore, the hon. member knows this because he is on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, as he has just stated, and the committee recommended that children born in Canada should be Canadian citizens only if one or both of their parents is a permanent resident or Canadian citizen.

I am particularly surprised that the hon. member is showing such concern over recommendation number 12 of the standing committee report, especially since there was no dissenting opinion on this particular recommendation from the Bloc Quebecois member of the committee when the report was submitted.

It should be of no surprise to anyone, in particular a member of that committee, that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration takes the standing committee's advice and opinions very seriously.

The government, however, has made no final decisions regarding proposed amendments to current citizenship legislation. We are still in the process of reconciling issues brought forward from the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and by the Canadian public. It is important that a consensus be reached on a number of issues.

Let me assure all members of the House that when decisions are taken on these important issues they will be informed.

Next year is the 50th anniversary of our citizenship. This will be a welcomed opportunity for everyone in this House and for Canadians across the country to celebrate the common bonds which unite us all. I know we are all eagerly anticipating this very special milestone in the life of our country.

[Criminal Code, September 25th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I must admit I find the persistence of the member for Bourassa in pursuing this question a little puzzling. He knows full well that this matter is currently before the courts and that it would be inappropriate for the minister to comment at this time.

The hon. member of the opposition has suggested that the minister should actively intervene and remove this individual from the Immigration and Refugee Board. As he well knows, the IRB is a quasi-judicial tribunal which operates at arm's length from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. It is important to maintain this arm's length relationship if we want to preserve both the impartiality and the perception of impartiality of IRB decisions.

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration does not casually meddle in IRB affairs, particularly affairs concerning human resources. This is an area over which the board's chairperson,Ms. Mawani, has complete authority.

I would like to remind the hon. member that one of the fundamental principles of Canadian law is that someone is innocent until proven guilty.

At this point, this is all the minister can and is prepared to do in this case.

[Criminal Code, September 25th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Rosedale for raising this important issue in the House. I too have been involved with this issue for some time now and have been very interested in it. I had some discussions in my own riding and across the city of Toronto on the issue.

While financial issues around the CPP are certainly of concern to all Canadians, our ultimate objective is of course to ensure the well-being of individuals in their retirement years.

We know how important the Canada pension plan is for women. Women on average live longer than men, earn only 70 per cent of a man's dollar and have less access than men do to private or employer sponsored pension plans. As a result, their retirement income is limited.

Particular features of the CPP such as the child rearing, drop out and survivor benefits provide recognition of the essential and invaluable but unpaid work contributions that women make to our society.

Women's full economic contribution must be recognized. Women are now the main breadwinners in 25 per cent of families and their income is increasingly important to all families. In addition to this paid work however, women continue to perform the majority of unpaid child care, elder care and household work; work that no society can do without.

As the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women stated in her original response, the government is aware that women and men have very different patterns of employment and earnings. For that reason Status of Women Canada with the Caledon Institute held a round table to specifically look at the gender implications of CPP reform. This round table was held as a part of the consultation process led by the hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre and the findings were conveyed to federal, provincial and territorial finance ministers who are responsible for the Canada pension plan.

This is part of the government's policy of undertaking gender based analysis as set out in the federal plan for gender equality. Our commitment to gender equality means equally valuing similarities and differences between women and men and the varying roles which they play.

The minister is very committed to ensuring that gender analysis is done and that it is considered and taken into account when the final results on the CPP are announced. I hope this helps the hon. member and I look forward to discussing the issue with him.

[Immigration, May 31st, 1996]

If you do not want to listen to the answer, you do not have to.

[Immigration, May 31st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is not unusual for major ports of entry like Montreal to receive a large number of refugees. Much the same occurs in Toronto and Vancouver. It fluctuates among the ports of entry in this country. Immigrants come to all the large centres of the country. Once they are here there is freedom of movement in the country. We do not order people to stay where they have landed. They are allowed to move across the country.

Refugee policy is set by discussions with the provinces, with NGOs and with communities. It is not set in isolation. We have one of the best systems in the world in terms of refugee acceptance.