House of Commons Hansard #121 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was ports.
John Cummins Reform Delta, BC
Mr. Speaker, I was quoting the minister. He said: "The biggest-conservation problem on the Fraser River is the Sto:Lo". Will the minister admit that he is afraid that a real judicial inquiry will simply point the finger at his own incompetence?
Salmon FisheryOral Question Period
Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
Brian Tobin LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, if anybody has been playing games that seek to generalize about an entire group of people, an irresponsible attitude about an entire group of people in the fishing industry, it is the Reform Party that does it with respect to Canada's First Nations, that does it with respect to Canada's immigrants, that does it with respect to Canada's poor, that does it with respect to anybody who does not have a right wing, narrow minded, bigoted attitude about people in the country.
Brian Tobin Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Speaker, let me say something. What I have said in the province of British Columbia, what I have said to everybody I have-
Brian Tobin Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Excuse me, you have asked a question. Now take the answer.
Salmon FisheryOral Question Period
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)
Order. First I remind everyone to direct their interventions through the Chair. Second, in order that we might get as many questions and answers on the record as possible today, both should be succinct and brief.
Brian Tobin Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Speaker, what I said to every one of the groups I met in British Columbia-and I met with aboriginal leaders, the leadership from the commercial sector and people from the sport and recreational sector-is that all groups without exception, if the truth is to be heard in this place, must accept obligation for conservation, enforcement and compliance whether they came to this nation first or came to this nation last.
If the member is not trying to cull selectively from meetings, I said that whenever there is a problem in whichever group there is a problem, be it commercial, sport, recreational or aboriginal, we will stand, call the problem a problem and bring about the necessary enforcement measures.
Antoine Dubé Bloc Lévis, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Hibernia consortium recently awarded an untendered contract to Saint John's Shipbuilding in New Brunswick. This $35-million contract represents several hundred jobs. This decision is outrageous since the MIL Davie shipyard in Quebec had already bid
on this contract, unlike Saint John's Shipbuilding which never did.
My question is for the minister responsible for regional development in Quebec. How can the minister explain that he did not step in to keep the Hibernia board of directors from awarding without tender a $35-million contract to Saint John's Shipbuilding, without a bid from this company, when MIL Davie had already submitted a bid?
George S. Rideout LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows this matter has been under review by the agency responsible for offshore gas and oil in Newfoundland. The whole subject matter will be studied and a report will be given. We do not want to prejudge what that agency is going to do.
[Translation]
Antoine Dubé Bloc Lévis, QC
Mr. Speaker, since the minister responsible for regional development does not answer, I will put my question to the Deputy Prime Minister.
Does the Deputy Prime Minister not admit that awarding this contract without taking MIL Davie's bid into account is unfair to the Quebec shipyard, which is struggling to survive with all the energy it has left and which is better qualified to fill this order?
George S. Rideout LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, as I just said, it is being reviewed. The whole matter will be considered by the agency. I think it would be ill advised for the government to get involved in it at this particular time. When all is done, fairness will have won out.
Keith Martin Reform Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.
Extrajudicial executions, incarceration without trial and torture are widespread in China. Given the Prime Minister is going to raise China's human rights record with its government, will the Deputy Prime Minister give us her assurances that soon after his return the Prime Minister will report to the House on the outcome of these private information meetings?
Sheila Copps LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, obviously in two weeks the Prime Minister will be back in the House and the member is free to pose any question on any subject he wants.
Keith Martin Reform Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, that was not much of an answer but that is not uncommon.
Canada was very actively involved in sanctions against Serbia, South Africa and Haiti. I would like to know what the government is prepared to do to ensure that China will reverse its dismal human rights record. What action is the government going to take?
Sheila Copps LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I think the Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific answered that very question most appropriately yesterday.
Jean H. Leroux Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. Last spring, the Official Opposition asked the minister about two ships belonging to the Canadian government that were flying the flag of the Bahamas. At the time, the minister indicated that he would check on the reasons of such a practice and provide a valid explanation.
Can the Minister of Transport tell us if he checked the facts and corrected the situation?
Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we were indeed informed of that situation and we examined the facts concerning the ferries, which are the ships at issue. It is true that these ships fly a foreign flag and, at times, some crew members are foreigners.
We asked management at Marine Atlantic Inc. to check all the implications of a transfer, so that these ships can fly the Canadian flag. There are several issues involved, including the rather high costs of such a conversion, but we are looking at the situation.
Jean H. Leroux Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, this government takes so long to solve problems. The issue was raised five months ago.
What sort of example is the Minister of Transport setting for shipowners by operating Canadian government ships under the Bahamian flag?
Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I understand the member's frustration. We are trying to do the best we can. We have been here for a year now. I am sure everybody recognizes that we are trying to do as much as we can in a year.
May I say with respect to many of these issues that they went on for years and years under the previous administration. It was not able to deal with them through eight or nine years. We are going to try to get it done as quickly as we can.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister of agriculture. On October 31 the U.S. department of agriculture announced the 1994-95 allocation for subsidized exports under its export enhancement program for barley and malting barley at 2.6 million tonnes.
The targeting of South Korea with a 50,000 tonne barley export is a direct affront and challenge to a market opened up by Canadian exporters. This trade action violates the intent of our agreement with the United States and creates further market distortion.
Considering the minister has described the American EEP as "the worst trade distorting policy on the face of the earth", could he now indicate to the House what specific action Canada will be taking to respond to this new and damaging application of U.S. trade policy?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's aggravation about this particular situation can be exceeded only by my own.
The federal government is very disappointed by the U.S. government's continued use of the export enhancement program, which is a major market destabilizing export subsidy. Not only are we concerned by the recent U.S. announcement allowing for the subsidization of 2.6 million tonnes for barley and malting barley, Canada finds particularly distressing the 50,000 tonne allocation of U.S. barley to South Korea.
Canada is in the process of considering the form and the content of the appropriate protest to be lodged with the United States about this allocation. The Minister of International Trade and I will be pursuing that issue at the very earliest opportunity.
As the hon. member pointed out this is especially aggravating because it was Canada that worked very hard to achieve the opening in the Korean market. It is disturbing, to say the least, to see the United States attempting to undermine that through the use of export subsidies. We will make the Canadian position abundantly clear.
Ian McClelland Reform Edmonton Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister will know that the government must enjoy the moral authority to govern if it hopes to implement the very difficult but necessary decisions ahead. Part of that moral authority is derived from the certain knowledge of citizens, that we are all equal before the law and before Parliament.
Would the Deputy Prime Minister tell the House how private privileged meetings among the Prime Minister, ministers of the crown, and those willing to pay $1,000 to join the Liberal Laurier Club will help to build trust and confidence between the governed and the government?
Sheila Copps LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the member should be aware of the fact that the Laurier Club is a public club. If he cares to walk down to 200 Laurier Street he can get a copy of the membership list. The club has been in effect for almost a decade and the contribution of every single member of the Laurier Club is a matter of public record.
Laurier ClubOral Question Period
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)
I would remind colleagues that questions should refer to the administrative responsibilities of government. We are walking a fine line here. I know we have been sensitive to some of the issues that have been raised over the last number of days. I would ask members to keep that in mind.