He said and I quote: "I should say that la Sûreté du Québec is wondering why a national defence beacon went off in that area when it obviously appears there is no plane missing. That is a question that is under investigation by la Sûreté du Québec."

My question is for the minister of defence: why did he state in this House that the matter was under investigation by the Sûreté du Québec when on CBC news at noon an official spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec formally denied that such was the case?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Don Valley East Ontario

Liberal

David Collenette LiberalMinister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, to confirm the answer I gave yesterday, a search and rescue helicopter landed near Oka-Kanesatake in response to a distress call from an emergency beacon.

A small group assembled near the helicopter and one individual approached the crew to inform them that the helicopter was being shot at. Those comments were informative and not threatening.

After that, our forces, having determined that there did not appear to be a plane downed in the area, decided to leave. They did not want to provoke any further incidents given the sensitivity of the region.

With respect to la Sûreté du Québec the information I had when I came into the House yesterday was that la Sûreté du Québec as well as my own officials were investigating this matter. Since the hon. member has spoken, I certainly will go back and find out the state of the investigation if there is one being done by la Sûreté du Québec. Certainly my officials are looking into the matter.

If I have further information, I will bring it to the attention of the House.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is to the Prime Minister. I would like him to tell us why his government, himself included, is trying to conceal the seriousness of what happened in Kanesatake.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

We are not trying to conceal anything, Mr. Speaker. A call was received and, as usual in such a situation, the Canadian forces sent a helicopter to see whether or not a plane had crashed in this part of the Canadian territory. They found no sign of an accident and returned to their base. They performed their duty and nothing more.

It was their duty to be there. If some were unhappy about seeing a Canadian forces helicopter on the reserve, they must realize that the whole of the Canadian territory comes under the jurisdiction of the Canadian forces, whether it be Oka or somewhere else in Canada.

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Charlie Penson Reform Peace River, AB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade. It concerns the upcoming bilateral trade negotiations with the United States.

There appears to be a major disagreement as to which set of trade rules, GATT or NAFTA, will take precedence. The minister has assured Canadians that his legal advisers are confident that GATT rules will supersede those of NAFTA.

Can the minister produce for this House and especially for thousands of Canadian agriculture producers a copy of this legal opinion?

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Etobicoke North Ontario

Liberal

Roy MacLaren LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to send the hon. member that opinion.

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Charlie Penson Reform Peace River, AB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the minister for that co-operation.

My supplemental question is that it is unlikely this situation will be resolved in court but rather through a political negotiation. Can the minister give his assurance that Canadian durum wheat producers will not be abandoned in these negotiations?

TradeOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Etobicoke North Ontario

Liberal

Roy MacLaren LiberalMinister for International Trade

Our intention, Mr. Speaker, throughout our discussions with the United States which have been conducted in part by my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture, has been to protect the interests of Canadian grain farmers.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Marc Jacob Bloc Charlesbourg, QC

Mr. Speaker, some people from Kanesatake said they threatened a Canadian army helicopter and scared off the soldiers, thus aborting a rescue mission, and the Prime Minister says nothing happened.

Could the Prime Minister tell me whether he thinks it is normal that the Canadian army is unable to carry out rescue missions safely, no matter where they happen to be on Canadian soil?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I said that when there is a distress call anywhere in Canada and the army has to respond with a rescue operation, it is doing its duty. That is exactly what the army did yesterday. It was doing its duty, as it always does, under all circumstances and in all parts of Canada, including all Indian reserves in this country.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Marc Jacob Bloc Charlesbourg, QC

Mr. Speaker, as my supplementary, aside from the fact there was no trace of bullets on the helicopter, does the Prime Minister not feel that shooting at an army helicopter to the extent that members of the military felt their lives were in danger constitutes a serious incident that infringes on Canada's sovereignty on its own territory?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, there can be no infringement of Canada's sovereignty when Canadians are on Canadian soil. There is no evidence whatsoev-

er that shots were fired. The army did its duty. I say it did the right thing. It had the right to go there and if another distress call is received under similar circumstances, it will go back. No one will be able to stop the army from doing its job, as prescribed under Canadian law.

EthicsOral Question Period

January 25th, 1994 / 2:30 p.m.

Reform

Sharon Hayes Reform Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

As the Prime Minister has acknowledged, Canadians are demanding that integrity be restored to governments. In the Speech from the Throne the government took a step in that direction by promising to appoint an ethics counsellor.

In light of the issue raised in this place yesterday regarding an hon. member, does the Prime Minister agree that it is even more urgent that an ethics counsellor be appointed?

EthicsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, it is part of the government program. One will be appointed when the legislation is passed, if legislation is needed to achieve that goal.

EthicsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Sharon Hayes Reform Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

Will the Prime Minister please share with the House the steps he is taking to ensure that that ethics counsellor will be free to act on his or her own judgment and authority, independent of political manipulation?

EthicsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

When somebody is sworn in to do his job in this government, he does his job. That is it.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gaston Leroux Bloc Richmond—Wolfe, QC

Mr. Speaker, as regards the Kanesatake incident, the Prime Minister says all those involved did what they had to do and the minister of defence says they left without following up on the situation. The nature of the distress signal that caused the incidents of last Friday at Kanesatake remains a mystery.

My question is for the minister of defence. Can he tell the House if he received any further information on the nature and origin of that signal?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Don Valley East Ontario

Liberal

David Collenette LiberalMinister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I believe I answered that question a little earlier. We are looking into the matter to find out with this DND frequency why there was this signal at the reserve at the time. As soon as I have information, I will make it available.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gaston Leroux Bloc Richmond—Wolfe, QC

Mr. Speaker, my second question is this: was the minister informed of the fact that the signal could have come from a large building located on Kanesatake territory?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Don Valley East Ontario

Liberal

David Collenette LiberalMinister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. gentleman and his colleagues are trying to inflame what appears to have been a routine operation. We want to find out why that particular signal went off in that particular area, but other than that I do not think we should read too much more into it.

Information HighwayOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Harold Culbert Liberal Carleton—Charlotte, NB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for industry, science and technology.

Is it his department's intention to work with the provinces to develop a Canadian information highway? Premier McKenna is committed to developing in New Brunswick an electronic information highway. I believe there is a similar need for a Canadian information highway for all of Canada.

Information HighwayOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Ottawa South Ontario

Liberal

John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry

I would like to thank the hon. member for the question. He will know that the Speech from the Throne contained a reference to developing a Canadian strategy for an information highway. We think this is a very important initiative, to begin to provide a mechanism for the exchange of information of a technical and scientific as well as consumer-based interest across the country in a speedy way.

There is interest at the government level and in the provinces. I have spoken with Premier McKenna about it. He has taken initiatives in the past week to appoint a minister of state responsible for this. There has also been a great deal of interest and initiative taken in the private sector.

Just yesterday they announced a project for the implementation of an information highway in the Chicoutimi region.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Myron Thompson Reform Wild Rose, AB

My question is for the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.

The Auditor General reports the minister and his wife flew to Boston and New Orleans aboard a government-owned Challenger. The Auditor General says the cost of this trip was

$172,920 versus $5,356 had the minister and his wife travelled by commercial airline.

My question to the minister is this: is it departmental policy that the minister use taxpayer-owned aircraft at vast expense when commercial flights are available?