Debates of Oct. 24th, 1994

Ultramar Canada

[Ron MacDonald, Liberal, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry.

Ultramar Canada has begun the decommissioning of its eastern passage refinery in Nova Scotia even though its request to do so, which was filed with the Bureau of Competition Policy, is in legal limbo and even though it is refusing to negotiate seriously with a potential purchaser who could keep the plant open and maintain competition as well as nearly 150 jobs.

Since it is clear by the time the bureau may get to rule that this plant may be nothing but a pile of scrap metal, is there anything the minister can do to expedite this situation and if not, why not?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, first let me say that I share the member's concern for the employees and their families at this Ultramar facility, concerns that he and his colleagues from the Halifax area have raised repeatedly with me over the last few months.

As he is aware, the undertakings to the director of investigation and research by Ultramar are a contractual matter to be dealt with by the director. Under the Competition Act the director is an independent law enforcement officer and I cannot interfere with that role.

The legal action initiated by the Attorney General of Nova Scotia against the director and Ultramar has had the unfortunate effect of preventing the director from carrying out his responsibilities to deal with the issues of material adverse change and the sale process relating to the refinery.

Given that the matter is before the courts and despite my real concern for the employees involved, it is inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.

Communications Security Establishment

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister. On October 20, the Deputy Prime Minister said in this House,

and I quote: "The activities of the CSE are in no way directed to Canadians, including people involved in politics".

Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that the personal information collected by the CSE is covered by a non-disclosure exemption pursuant to Order in Council?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how could the Deputy Prime Minister be so positive and rule out any possibility of spying on Canadian citizens, when the exemption granted the CSE regarding non-disclosure of personal information covers the entire category "general public", in other words, everyone in Canada?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, what I said Friday about the CSE is true. They are covered by the Criminal Code. They are subject to all Canadian laws, including the legislation to which the hon. member referred. Otherwise, if they were not covered, how could they be exempted?

Canadian Radio-Television And Telecommunications Commission

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The president of the CRTC has said that if private carriers do not voluntarily choose to carry French CBC Newsworld then action will be taken to impose it.

This decision is another example of misguided government intervention. Why will the minister not let the free market determine what Canadians want to see on television?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, there has been no Canadian government intervention at all. There has been a commitment by the president of the CBC and comments made by the president of the CRTC. That is all.

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this action is nothing more than a $32.7 million dollar tax grab to add to the already burgeoning $1.1 billion CBC subsidy. The federal government is making all Canadians pay for a system they may not even use. How can the minister justify this?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I think our colleague is very confused. A while ago the CBC applied to provide a certain service on specialized channels. The CRTC has granted that application. This is in keeping with the law. The CRTC is an arm's length agency and the Canadian government, including the minister, is not interfering in the process. There is no grab there.

I can understand that our colleague would have difficulty accepting all of this, because as she said in Hansard at page 6986: ``I agree with nothing''.

Legal Assistance Agreement

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today Canada and India signed a treaty on legal assistance between the two countries on criminal matters.

My question for the Solicitor General is in the form of concern on the part of some Canadians. They are concerned whether the treaty will in any way impinge on their basic rights and in any way subject them to more harassment.

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the mutual legal assistance agreement signed today between Canada and India is not intended to infringe basic rights or create harassment of anyone. It is designed to intensify co-operation between law enforcement authorities in Canada and in India. It is similar to agreements we already have with a number of other countries.

Social Program Reform

[Chris Axworthy, NDP, Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Deputy Prime Minister. It is about a contradiction in the social security green paper. There is much rhetoric in the paper and from the government generally about the importance of education, skills upgrading and training, with which we all agree.

Could she indicate how her government's policy is designed to double or triple tuition fees and put student loans through the roof? How can that policy support the notion of Canadians becoming more educated, better trained and having their skills upgraded?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the question because I believe him when he says that he is interested in embarking on a real public exercise. I know he will join me in congratulating the Minister of Human Resources Development, who got a real vote of confidence from the people of Canada with the survey on the weekend that showed an overwhelming number of Canadians support real change.

The minister is proposing a real change from the current system whereby we would be putting dollars directly into the hands of students. We do not want to see the post-secondary system starved. At the present moment if we continue on the downward course of cash transfers, that is exactly what is going to happen.

The minister has proposed a very ingenious way of delivering dollars directly into the hands of students so they can go to the post-secondary institution of their choice.

Communications Security Establishment

[Jean H. Leroux, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims that no illegal spying is going on. But we do not know who is running the CSE, to whom it is accountable, what kind of a budget it gets or the nature of the agreements it enters into with foreign intelligence agencies.

Can the Deputy Prime Minister give the people of Quebec the assurance that the upcoming referendum debate will not be conducted under the aura of espionnage, as was the case previously?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister himself stated over the weekend that he wants to fight the referendum battle on the real issues, the issue of jobs, of economic growth, of hope for Quebecers within Canada. As for myself, I cannot wait for the separatists to have the courage to call the referendum instead of making up stories about the CSE.

Small Businesses

[Werner Schmidt, Reform, Okanagan Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry.

After six months of co-operation and hard work by all members of the standing committee including all parties in the House, the report was tabled last week. Many of the recommendations will be of great benefit to small businesses across Canada.

Will the minister commit to the House when he will implement the recommendations in the report?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, first I thank the hon. member and his colleagues in the Reform Party as well as in the Bloc Quebecois for their work together with members of the government on producing a report which is virtually unanimous in all of its recommendations. It makes a real contribution.

I agree with many of the recommendations in the report. I hope to be able to act on some of them very quickly. We will of course respond to the report in the normal course within the timeframes required. Some will require more study; some will require discussion with the Minister of Finance. But some, as I said, I hope to implement very soon.

Presence In The Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of the hon. Shankarrao Bhaorao Chavan, Minister of Home Affairs, India.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Milliken, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 60 petitions.

United Nations Day

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, today, October 24, is United Nations Day. Forty-nine years ago, on October 24, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations came into effect.

This anniversary is cause for special celebrations as it marks the beginning of the 50th year of operation of this organization.

I wish to thank all the Canadian men and women who have contributed over the past 49 years to building this great international organization. I am particularly grateful to those who promoted its growth over the years, as events unfolded, ensuring that it remain an organization concerned with meeting the major challenges of modern-day and with working relentlessly to promote international peace and security.

Allow me to take this opportunity to emphasize the outstanding contribution of the men and women who risk their lives to defend the principles the UN stands for. I am thinking in particular of the 2,745 or so members of our Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police serving under the UN flag in more than nine peacekeeping operations around the world.

I also thank the United Nations Association in Canada which through its efforts has made the work of the United Nations organization known to the Canadian general public.

During this year of celebrations which begins today the association would be doubly involved on the Canadian scene. On one hand, it will continue its daily work and, on the other hand, via the Canadian committee for the United Nations 50th anniversary, will co-ordinate the activities that will take place throughout the year in commemoration of this important event.

The field of activity covered by the United Nations is the cornerstone of Canadian foreign policy. The challenges facing the UN in matters of peacekeeping, international security, the promotion of democracy and the struggle for equality and human rights are all considered vitally important in Canadian eyes as well.

More than ever the community of nations and states needs a strong, credible, international institution equipped with the proper tools to face the challenge that awaits it at the dawn of the 21st century.

In closing, I ask all members of the House to support this declaration since it reaffirms Canada's commitment to the values that presided nearly half a century ago over the creation of the United Nations organization, a multilateral institution which today more than ever is a necessary part of internationalism and its ideals.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all Bloc Quebecois members, I am pleased to announce that today, October 24, is United Nations Day and marks the 50th anniversary of this international organization.

In a speech he gave in Montreal in May 1992, United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali reminded us that "to relate to the universal, one must first be true to oneself. That is why sound internationalization of modern life must be based on a solid sense of identity. Excessive or misunderstood internationalization could destroy cultures and melt them into a standard culture, from which the world has nothing to gain".

This quote is particularly significant today, when the UN will undergo-soon, we hope-an extensive reform. It faces many challenges in the months and years to come.

One of these challenges is the emergence of many new international players the UN will have to deal with. The radical changes in the international geopolitical context have led to a large increase in the number of players. Because of this, the new problems facing the international community have become even more complex and varied.

There is, however, something good in this as it reflects the reality, the will of the people.

We are pleased to note that the UN is concerned about a standard culture replacing national identities at a time when the Canadian government shamelessly claims that there is only one culture in Canada, a so-called Canadian culture. It is partly to fight this standardization process that the first action of a Quebec having achieved sovereignty following a fully legitimate process under international law will be to integrate into the complex web of multilateral relations by applying to join the UN.

In closing, I wish to express our sincere thanks to the United Nations Association in Canada and to all Quebecers and Canadians who helped shape the UN and make it so respectable in our eyes.

[Bob Mills, Reform, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the UN and on United Nations Day, as Reform foreign affairs critic I would like to express my support for the values and goals set forth by the original UN charter: collective security, freedom, justice, and human development.

With each passing decade the universality of these values has become more widely accepted and the UN has played a strong part in this evolution. As we all know, Canada has played a pivotal role in the strengthening and development of the United Nations. Through our innovation in the field of peacekeeping, our dedication to the principle of co-operative multilateralism and our unfailing dedication to world peace and human development, Canadians have provided a fine example for the world community to follow.

I especially thank all those Canadians who have had a direct hand in making the United Nations a success. We thank our peacekeepers, past and present, our UN relief workers and all other dedicated Canadians who have worked to promote the principles and the goals of the UN.

A great deal of work remains, however, and the United Nations must certainly reform in order to modernize and prepare for the 21st century. This is work that must progress quickly. Canada should play a leadership role in making sure that greater efficiency, responsiveness, accountability and transparency are achieved in coming years.

The United Nations can be made better. As members of the House we should rededicate ourselves to making it happen. On its 50th anniversary and United Nations Day let us all stand up for the principles we cherish and for which the United Nations has been fighting for 50 years: international peace and security, human rights and justice, and contributing toward the social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)]

The member for Burnaby-Kingsway is rising in his place. A request came from the member for unanimous consent to be able to reply to the topic we are presently covering. Is there unanimous consent?