Immigration Act  Many years ago I became a landed immigrant in the United States in order to be able to work there while my husband was attending university. I can recall that the American immigration authorities made it abundantly clear to us that if either of us committed a criminal act or became a charge on the state in any way we would be immediately deported". What does that say for Canada? What does that say for Bill C-44?

Immigration Act  That is true, but it is not a small minority when we count all the victims that lie in the wake of some of these creeps it is allowing in. Let us make one thing very clear and concise on this whole issue. It really does not matter what all of the rules are from the day a person comes into the country until he or she leaves the country. What really matters is whether they can leave the country on demand from Canada.

Canadian Foreign Policy  In closing, I would like to touch on a number of concepts that have been incorporated in the governmental strategy before us. First, the government proposes the Team Canada concept. In clear terms, this means an Ottawa-based centralized approach to international trade. It may suit certain provinces, as is apparently the case of Ontario, who signed with the federal government a coordination agreement that could not be imposed upon any other province, especially not Quebec.

Immigration Act  During those discussions the Canadian approach to the issue that remained outstanding was to seek a solution which would, at the very least, preserve existing levels of trade in sugar and sugar containing products. The minister made his concerns very clear when in December he said we regret that the U.S. has rejected this approach and implemented draconian measures. The minister of agriculture clearly expressed our government's disappointment with the U.S. and continued to seek a delay in the implementation of the U.S. measures against Canadian exports.

Immigration Act  Madam Speaker, this government has consulted extensively with Canadians in an unprecedented number of ways on whether and how Canada's social safety net should be improved. These consultations as well as a number of independent polls show a clear consensus across all regions on the need for reform. Canadians want change and they want it now. In one poll 96 per cent of Canadians believe that some change must be made to social programs.

Immigration Act  I carefully examined the results of the poll the minister used to support his statement, and I was very surprised when I found that the poll's originator, the Angus Reid group, reached conclusions that were sometimes the exact opposite of what the minister said. Before I give you some examples, I would like to make it clear that in the interests of authenticity, I will quote the results of the poll as written. This way, people can hardly accuse me of the kind of behaviour I did not appreciate in the minister.

Immigration Act  Further, the legislation will give immigration officers the authority to seize identity documents from international mail if it is clear they are meant to be used to circumvent immigration requirements. The legislation will also ensure that persons with summary convictions whether obtained inside Canada or abroad will be inadmissible.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, the third petition is a little more complicated. I will not go through the whole petition itself. The petitioners claim it is clear that in the languages of Parliament and Canada there is evidence that the unborn human foetus from fertilization onward has recognition as an individual and also is included in "everyone"; whereas the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to the Parliament and Government of Canada and article VII guarantees to everyone the right to life and security of the person and article XV(1) states that every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law.

Petitions  Therefore we request that Parliament oppose any attempt to alter our ability to provide for secure retirement by way of taxation of assets or income of RRSPs and pension plans". The message is clear, Madam Speaker. Do not touch our RRSPs or our pension plans.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, one thing is don't ever be the Swedish finance minister. We have made it very clear that in the next budget we intend to deal with the deficit primarily by cutting government spending. We have said that. The Prime Minister has said that on countless occasions. I can confirm it to the member opposite.

Taxation  We know that Canadians do not want to see themselves burdened with further taxes. That has been made very clear. The Prime Minister stated it. He also knows that until I bring down the budget, I am not really going to respond to individual questions. I understand that the Reform Party is desperately trying to get ahead of the movement that is so far ahead of it.

The Economy  He is dealing with the lives of real people, not just balance sheets. Will the Prime Minister send a clear signal to Canadians and tell them that their tax burden will not be increased by his government in its upcoming budget?

The Economy  I am confident that when the budget is tabled, the Liberal Party will, as always, find a middle ground and will not make indiscriminate cuts, nor go to the other extreme of refusing to control government spending. We gave a clear idea of where we stand in the last budget and we will do it again in the upcoming one.

Post-Secondary Education  Speaker, I remind the Minister of Human Resources Development that the motion was unanimously approved; in other words, it was also supported by the Quebec Liberal Party. Are we to understand that, by refusing to provide a clear answer, the federal government persists in wanting to eliminate cash transfer payments and instead allocate part of these funds to the Canada Student Loans Program, without any regard for the exclusive jurisdiction of the provinces over education?

Social Program Reform  But it is the best record we have seen in one heck of a long time. The Minister of Human Resources Development made it very clear when he embarked on the program of social security reform that we intended to bring it into the nineties, that we intended to make social security reform a very important part of the job creation capacity of the country and a very important part of the overall program of the government.