Stéphane Dion

[The Budget, February 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, one of the key challenges facing industrialized nations is to have a modern health care system to meet the great challenges ahead in terms of population aging and new technologies.

All levels of government are putting their shoulders to the wheel for advanced research. Should the only modern government, be it federal or provincial, in the world not to make an additional effort in health research be the Government of Canada? Certainly not with this government in place.

[Social Union, February 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the framework to improve the social union for Canadians was signed on February 4, 1999 by the Prime Minister of Canada, all but one of the premiers and the territorial leaders after more than a year of negotiations which were superbly co-chaired by Saskatchewan's intergovernmental affairs minister, the hon. Berny Wiens, and our colleague, the Minister of Justice and chair of the cabinet committee on the social union.

I am pleased and honoured to pay tribute in the House to the immense service that the member for Edmonton West has rendered to our country.

This framework agreement has been very well received across the country, but there is still concern about the fact that the Premier of Quebec did not sign the agreement. There is a fear that Quebeckers may not reap the benefits of the agreement to the same extent as other Canadians. This is a legitimate concern which I would like to address here today.

Although the premier of my province did not sign this framework agreement, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Hon. Jean Chrétien, has promised to make sure his fellow Quebeckers benefit from it as much as possible. This is good news for Quebeckers and for other Canadians. I will demonstrate this by examining a number of the major elements of this agreement.

The agreement comprises seven parts. The first sets out a number of principles committing governments to promoting greater fairness, equality and respect for diversity throughout Canada. The Government of Canada is naturally committed, within the limits of its constitutional powers and jurisdictions, to ensuring that Quebeckers benefit from the promotion of these fundamental values as much as other Canadians.

The second part is about mobility. It commits governments to eliminating harmful or unreasonable barriers to the free movement of Canadians throughout Canada. The Government of Canada, as the only government elected by all Canadians, is determined that Canadians be considered Canadians everywhere in Canada. This is an essential element of Canadian citizenship. The objective is obviously not to have “one size fits all” public policies and government practices throughout the country. Rather, the objective is to give all Canadians equal access to our country's rich diversity.

The Government of Canada hopes that the Government of Quebec will participate in these negotiations on mobility in order for Quebeckers to benefit fully from them.

The third part commits governments to keeping Canadians better informed and to acting with greater transparency. Each government will work to enhance its accountability to its constituents, known as public accountability. But governments will not be accountable to one another.

The Government of Canada is committed to enhancing its accountability to Quebeckers as it will to other Canadians.

The fourth part of the agreement commits governments to working in partnership while respecting their constitutional powers and jurisdictions. They will share information so as to learn better from one another. They will consult one another on their respective priorities and opportunities for co-operation. They will give one another advance notice prior to implementation of a major change and will work to avoid duplication while clarifying their roles and responsibilities. They are committed to more effective co-operation with aboriginal peoples throughout Canada.

The Government of Canada is committed to working in partnership with the Government of Quebec as it will with all other governments in Canada.

The fifth part commits governments, specifically the federal government, to using the federal spending power more co-operatively so as to improve social programs for Canadians. This means that with respect to any new Canada-wide initiatives in health care, post-secondary education, social assistance and social services that are funded through intergovernmental transfers, whether block-funded or cost-shared, first, the Government of Canada will no longer decide on its own to launch new initiatives. It will have to consult each province and territory and will consider proceeding only if it obtains the approval of at least a majority of provinces on objectives and an accountability framework.

Second, the Government of Canada will no longer impose programs, but will let each province determine its own programming for attaining the agreed objectives.

Third, the Government of Canada will no longer require that the total transfer be devoted to a given objective. A provincial government that, because of its existing programming, does not require the total transfer to fulfill the objective, may use the balance for other purposes in the same or a related priority area.

With respect to federal spending initiatives through direct transfers to individuals or organizations for health care, post-secondary education, social assistance and social services, the Government of Canada will no longer be able to implement new initiatives without first giving three months' notice and offering to consult the other governments. Those governments will have the opportunity to identify potential duplication and to propose alternative approaches to achieve flexible and effective implementation.

These undertakings set down significant new constraints on the federal government. They go beyond the provisions on limiting the federal spending power contained in the Meech and Charlottetown agreements. Independent observers in Quebec recognize the significance of these provisions.

The Government of Canada is committed to respecting these new requirements for co-operation and consultation and to ensuring that all governments benefit from this process, including the Government of Quebec.

The sixth part of the framework agreement on the social union commits governments to respecting a new dispute avoidance and resolution mechanism. This mechanism provides for joint negotiations and the participation of third parties for fact-finding or mediation. Even the Premier of Quebec has acknowledged that this new mechanism is a sign of progress. It will be available to him, as it is to all governments.

The seventh and final part provides for a full review of the framework agreement on the social union by the end of the third year of the agreement. Once the agreement has been put through its paces, it will be possible to identify its strengths and weaknesses and make improvements to it. The Government of Quebec will be invited to participate in this review. Quebeckers and all other Canadians will thus have an opportunity to express their views.

So this is what the Government of Canada intends to do to ensure that Quebeckers reap the full benefits of this agreement. To this end, it will offer its full co-operation to the Government of Quebec at every opportunity. Quebeckers want their governments to work together.

It is understandable that the Government of Quebec may feel that the progress achieved through the agreement is not enough. But it is reasonable to expect the Government of Quebec to accept the progress offered to it, even if it believes it is not enough.

Quebeckers, like other Canadians, must have full access to the immense potential of their country and to all of the opportunities for mutual assistance provided to them through the Canadian social union, one of the best in the world, which we will make even better through this agreement.

[Social Union Agreement, February 9th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am not at all concerned about this type of issue, because I am very confident that, as the debate goes on, it will focus more and more on the content of the agreement.

Perhaps I should mention just one clause and ask the hon. member to reflect on it: “A provincial government which, because of its existing programming, does not require the total transfer to fulfill the agreed objectives would be able to reinvest any funds not required for those objectives in the same or a related priority area.”

[Social Union Agreement, February 9th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the chances of finding ourselves in a disagreement such as the one referred to by the hon. member and by the Quebec premier yesterday are greatly reduced, since the Government of Canada has pledged to comply with the framework agreement on social union, which will significantly increase our ability to work in partnership for the benefit of all Canadians.

[Agreement On Social Union, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I would recommend the member stop reading his second question without listening to the answer to the first, because this is becoming increasingly embarrassing for him.

I repeat: Let him put the question to the Quebec minister of intergovernmental affairs: Who did not want any clause recognizing Quebec in the agreement?

[Agreement On Social Union, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, let the hon. member and leader of the Bloc put the question to the Government of Quebec: Who did not want this clause in the agreement?

[Agreement On Social Union, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I would beg the leader of the Bloc Quebecois to ask that question of the premier, who I trust will openly disclose the discussions that went on around the clause concerning the unique character of Quebec society.

[Agreement On Social Union, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it would be awkward for me to respond without revealing secret discussions between the governments during these negotiations.

The leader of the Bloc Quebecois could ask the Premier of Quebec about this. He would get some answers that would surprise him greatly.

[Intergovernmental Transfers, February 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table today in the House, in both official languages, a government of Canada document entitled “Collaborative use of the spending power for intergovernmental transfers—the Race to the Top model”. This document sets out the principles which will guide the government in the future in its new approach to the spending power for intergovernmental transfers.

[Social Union, February 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the member has not read the agreement, of course, because it provides that, in the case of potential negative effects of interprovincial barriers, a reasonability test will be given. If the barrier is reasonable, there will be no reason to eliminate it.

I would add one thing on the federal spending power. The province benefiting most from that spending power is Quebec. First, it receives nearly half the amount of all equalization payments. Second, with the Canada social transfer, Quebeckers currently receive more support than other Canadians for their universities, hospitals and social programs, because the Government of Canada is there—