Debates of Dec. 12th, 1994

Immigration Act

[Osvaldo Nunez, Bloc, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, under clause 18 of Bill C-44, customs officers may search international parcels to look for documents and pass on these documents to an immigration officer for examination.

Immigration officers may destroy documents when they have sufficient reason to believe that such a measure is necessary, if these documents were obtained or used irregularly and if such a measure is necessary to prevent irregular or fraudulent use. The officer may give the documents back to the legitimate owners, keep the documents until they are sent back or destroy them.

According to these amendments, refugee claimants trying to obtain identification papers from relatives or authorities abroad may have their documents seized or perhaps destroyed.

Furthermore, the official is not required to notify the owner that these documents have been seized. This situation is very disturbing. Mail is sacred and inviolable in almost all countries.

[The Speaker]

The member will have a little time left after Oral Question Period. It being 2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House will now proceed to Statements by Members, pursuant to Standing Order 31.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Gar Knutson, Liberal, Elgin—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, each Sunday at 5.30 p.m. a program called "Street Sense" is broadcast on CBC television. "Street Sense" is aimed at young consumers. It is hip and funny and its humour both informs and entertains its adolescent audience on environmental and economic issues.

Because this program is about consumers it is commercial free. It operates on a limited $1 million budget, obtained not

from the CBC but from companies, associations, foundations and government programs such as "Stay In School".

The awards that "Street Sense" have received are too numerous to list but are both national and international. "Street Sense" is where the future of public broadcasting must go. It is financially viable but in a format that is unavailable through commercial enterprise. Both enterprise and young consumers benefit.

Once again, that is "Street Sense" Sundays at 5.30 p.m. Bravo to the CBC.

Social Program Reform

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Axworthy reform, widely denounced by women's groups and by the Bloc Quebecois, is now raising deep concerns within the Liberal caucus itself.

The hon. member for Brant and chair of the national Liberal caucus fears that the cuts planned by her Minister of Human Resources Development will undermine the gains made by women's groups after long and hard social struggles.

The members of the Bloc Quebecois also believe that the reform of social programs, like the public service cuts being contemplated, must take into account the need to reverse years of discrimination against women.

The minister will have to be quite prudent in the days to come, not only because his reform is more and more widely discredited but also because his initiatives are now stirring up opposition among the Liberal troops themselves.

Violence Against Women

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, violence against women is a sordid reality and not a fantasy confined to the pages of a tabloid newspaper or a pornographic magazine.

The history of violence against women is like Pandora's box that when opened reveals the ugliest side of the human condition. We would expect by now that complacency would be shattered amidst the tales of horror and abuse that so many women have lived to tell. What of those who have died?

It was inexcusable for the justice minister who professes to champion women to artfully dodge my question of last Friday. We do not need the minister's platitudes nor his citing of statistics to tell us we have a problem of domestic violence in this country.

What specific plan does this government have to get at the root causes of violence against women? Until gender roles are eliminated, until the family no longer serves as that convenient arena for male violence, until wife beating is no longer a logical extension of male domination and until our justice system demonstrates its capacity for justice, we do not have a blueprint for change.

Intellectual and political anguish have become meaningless. Violence against women exists. We have endured enough.

The Environment

[Ron MacDonald, Liberal, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the necessity of continuing to educate Canadians, especially our youth, on environmental issues is crucial, not only for Canada's future but for the future of the entire planet. Together we must continue to think globally but act locally to address the many challenges we face in preserving the delicate balance of our environment.

At Cole Harbour High School in my riding of Dartmouth I recently had the privilege of unveiling along with the Minister of the Environment a new environmental information system established on the Internet by this government. It is called the Green Lane on the Information Highway and makes Canada's wealth of information on the environment available not only to Canadians but indeed to the entire world.

I ask this House to join with me in commending the Minister of the Environment and her department for taking the important step of establishing this green lane on the information highway. I look forward to the new ideas and creativity in dealing with environmental issues that will no doubt result from this global sharing of important environmental information.

Nova Scotia Highlanders

[Dianne Brushett, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, recently I had the distinct honour of attending a Regimental Dining In, hosted by the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Nova Scotia Highlanders, held at "E" company in the beautiful new Armouries in Pictou, Nova Scotia. It was an evening of exquisite dining in the formal military tradition with a Salute to the Haggis.

These battalions have been part of our Canadian fighting forces since their amalgamation in October of 1871. Their service to Queen and country extends from the South African War of 1899 to World Wars I and II and their battles read as a who's who of Canadian history.

I salute Lieutenant-Colonel Chisholm and the men of these two brave battalions of Nova Scotia Highlanders for keeping pride in their calling and faith in their nation. "Siol Na Fear Fearail".

World Human Rights Day

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, December 10, we celebrated World Human Rights Day and the 46th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the United Nations in 1948. The declaration establishes basic international standards for fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteeing the dignity and worth of every human being.

[Translation]

Several Canadians, including Professor John Humphrey of McGill, helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has had a tremendous influence on international law and the behaviour of states. In Canada in particular, our Charter of Rights and Freedoms confirms many of the basic principles set forth in the declaration.

The United Nations Year for Tolerance as well as the International Decade for Indigenous Peoples will also begin in 1995.

Human rights affect the daily lives of everyone. We can all take pride that our government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and freedoms of all people in Canada and around the world.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service

[François Langlois, Bloc, Bellechasse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in a report submitted to the Solicitor General in December 1993 the Security Intelligence Review Committee denounced the Canadian Security Intelligence Service for overstepping its mandate.

According to the committee, investigations by the ETT group within CSIS are not for threats to Canada's security as defined in the Act but rather the security of private companies. In so doing, CSIS is duplicating what Canadian police forces do.

Once again, parliamentarians are the last to be informed. It is only thanks to the Access to Information Act that we learned about the committee's serious allegations. The Solicitor General must promise to submit all the review committee's reports to the parliamentary subcommittee on national security and start right now by making public the report on the Grant Bristow affair.

Canadian National Railways

[Jim Gouk, Reform, Kootenay West—Revelstoke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, On December 9, I made a presentation before the Liberal task force on the Canadian National Railways system. It was a waste of my time.

It appears all too obvious that this task force is determined to make this the fourth Liberal government to bail CN out of its crippling financial debt load with the taxpayers' money. I watched in disgust as one witness was manipulated into saying what the task force wanted to hear. When CP Rail testified it turned into an inquisition.

The government should be neither subsidizing nor closing crown corporations. It should be privatizing them. Government involvement should be reduced to a regulatory role.

Major changes are needed for the survival of Canada's rail system. Free enterprise can do a far better job of determining the right steps to take than political or bureaucratic decision making ever can.

The decision to get out of the airport business is the right one. Why does the Liberal government not have the foresight to see that it is the right move for railways as well?

Thomas McKaig

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

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the outstanding volunteer efforts of Mr. Thomas McKaig of Bramalea-Gore-Malton.

Working with CESO, the Canadian volunteer advisers to business, Mr. Thomas McKaig travelled to Panama to conduct a pre-feasibility study for a non-profit association contemplating a world cargo distribution centre.

Mr. McKaig's study will serve as a springboard for feasibility studies to follow for this world class facility.

Greening Of The Hill

[Karen Kraft Sloan, Liberal, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this House to pay tribute to the Greening of the Hill office. Its extraordinary efforts have been recognized with the Canadian Environmental Achievement Award.

The Greening of the Hill office has proved that environmental initiatives can have economic benefits. The Greening of the Hill office has saved the Canadian taxpayer over $1 million. If we expect business and industry to move toward sustainability then

the Government of Canada must show leadership and put its federal House in order.

Once again, I applaud the efforts of the Greening of the Hill office and encourage it to continue its exceptional work.

Personal Income Tax

[Mark Assad, Liberal, Gatineau—La Lièvre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what would you say about a major simplification of our federal and provincial legislation on personal income tax? Instead of continuing to increase the number of deductions, credits and tax breaks, there would be only one universal basic exemption, which would be considerably larger. This exemption would only vary on the basis of the number of children or dependants, age, health and possibly charitable donations.

The result of this operation, taxable income, would be taxed at a considerably lower uniform rate, which would be the same for all taxpayers without exception. This is called a single tax. Its time has come.

Summit Of The Americas

[Maud Debien, Bloc, Laval East, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the Summit of the Americas held in Miami, the three trade partners currently in NAFTA invited Chile to join. Even though the negotiations will only start in May, preparatory work will begin as early as January. We in the official opposition welcome and applaud this initiative taken by the NAFTA partners.

Besides the above mentioned negotiations, the 34 countries at the Summit of the Americas agreed to begin negotiations on hemisphere-wide free trade with a target date of 2005, and NAFTA will eventually be part of this broader agreement.

Given such openness, we are convinced that Quebec, as one of the most fervent proponents of free trade on the American continent, will be warmly welcome by the trading nations when it becomes sovereign. But for now, on behalf of the official opposition, let me say Bienvenido al Chile.

The Cabinet

[Randy White, Reform, Fraser Valley West, BC]

Mr. Speaker, rumours abound that the Prime Minister is going to shuffle his cabinet.

I can understand why the heritage minister must change with the CBC problems and the CRTC scandal. I can understand why the health ministry needs a new transfusion because of poor policy and tainted blood. Even the fisheries portfolio needs a change because of east and west coast fisheries boondoggles. When is the change going to come in the immigration department? We have the Schelew affair, José Salinas Mendoza bilking Canadians in a system of injustice, IRB patronage appointments, policy indecisions and a department left in tatters.

Mr. Prime Minister, some friendly advice, change the coach when your immigration team is in last place.

Trade

[Audrey McLaughlin, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister entertained the Miami summit of the Americas last week by calling the three NAFTA countries the three amigos. It comes as no surprise to New Democrats that NAFTA should be compared to a farce made in the United States.

If the Prime Minister really thinks that the NAFTA and any future hemispheric trade agreements should be based on friendship, why does he not extend our friendship to those in genuine need of it?

The Prime Minister could have spoken out at the summit against the illegal American embargo against Cuba which continues to devastate Cuban society but he did not. He could urge the Mexican government to address the grave social inequities in Chiapas rather than threaten military reprisals against the dispossessed but he has not. He could put human rights, labour and environmental standards front and centre of Canadian trade policy but he has not.

Social, labour and environmental agreements must be integral to any trade agreement. It is time for Canada to take a leadership role and to ensure that trade is about improving the lives of people more than improving the profits for international capitalists.

Filipino Canadians

[Rey D. Pagtakhan, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the popular TV show "Frasier" recently carried a joke with the punch line "For an additional $5,000 you can get a brand-new wife from the Philippines".

This comment has enraged thousands of Filipino Canadians. The painful echo of this contemptuous remark will resonate loud and long, long after the canned laughter has faded away. By maligning an ethnic group, by exploiting women and by refusing to make amends, the NBC network has shown an utter lack of sensitivity.

There is no humour in racism. There is no humour in sexism. There is no humour in degrading any human being for profit. The comment offends common decency. It offends Canadians who do not suffer bigotry willingly, who cannot allow a laugh to be gained at the expense of an entire community, at the expense of an entire people.

Apologies are indeed in order.

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

[George Proud, Liberal, Hillsborough, PE]

Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has come under attack from members of the Reform Party as being nothing more than a boondoggle. Nothing could be further from the truth.

ACOA provides valuable support to small business communities in places like Prince Edward Island. If ACOA were not there the unemployment rate in the region would be much higher.

We are not opposed to changing the way the agency operates. Last week the minister responsible for ACOA announced a more co-operative approach in assisting small business. Grants are out and interprovincial teamwork is in.

If you believe this rhetoric, Mr. Speaker, you would think that all ACOA money was flushed down the toilet. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the member of Parliament for Hillsborough, I look forward to the new spirit of regional development in Atlantic Canada. The minister responsible for ACOA knows Atlantic Canada well and he knows that economic growth in Prince Edward Island will help all Canadians.

Transport

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberal government took office strange things have been happening in my riding of Saint John.

The new air traffic control tower that was built two years ago by the PC government was closed by this government and by the Department of Transport this year. The new VIA train station was built last year by the PC government. This government has closed the terminal and is terminating full VIA service on Thursday. As well the government has drastically cut back the hours of the Saint John weather office.

I guess I have a question for the Minister of Transport: Could the Minister of Transport please explain why his cuts have been focused on the largest industrial based city in the province of New Brunswick which has a nuclear power plant, the largest privately owned oil refinery there is in Canada, plus the frigate program and so on? Why has the minister not distributed cuts equally to Fredericton and Moncton, and not just Saint John?

Gun Control

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Robert Kierstead, the head coach of the Canadian Olympic pistol team has told my office that contrary to what the justice minister told this House, the .22 calibre handgun with a barrel length under 105 millimetres and the .32 calibre handgun are used in world cup competition. According to Mr. Kierstead, the banning of these handguns will end competitive shooting programs in Canada.

Mr. Kierstead said in a letter to the justice minister and I quote: "Either this is an oversight due to your unfamiliarity with firearms or it is a devious betrayal of Canada's legitimate high performance olympic shooting competitors".

The minister's justification for banning handguns with barrel lengths under 105 millimetres because they lack accuracy is refuted by the medals won by Canadian competitors as well as by the fact that Canadian police officers use these short barrelled handguns in the line of duty.

This clearly illustrates that adequate consultations did not take place and indicates a preconceived agenda on the part of the justice minister.

Taxation

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has warned the Minister of Finance against raising taxes since this would encourage even more Canadians to resort to the underground economy. The Auditor General said that he felt present tax revenues could be improved without raising taxes.

Does the Minister of Finance agree he could improve the government's tax revenues without raising taxes, as suggested by the Auditor General, if he would only concentrate on collecting taxes owed instead of inventing new taxes?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, we realize that every year we can improve further on the way we collect taxes. That is why the Minister of National Revenue has done what he did this year. I can assure you that the harvest, if I may put it that way, has definitely improved. That being said, I am sure that the hon. member-

[The Speaker]

Order, order. Let us not forget the Chair.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Of course, Mr. Speaker.

Perhaps I may also say to the hon. member that I am sure he has no objection to making our tax system much fairer than it is today.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Certainly, Mr. Speaker. May I remind the Minister of Finance that the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe has for some time reminded him of the need for injecting more fairness into the tax system? Unfortunately the Minister of Finance has always turned a deaf ear, so I am delighted to hear what he said just now.

My supplementary question for the Minister of Finance is this: Would he agree that a tax increase for all taxpayers, as recommended by his colleagues on the finance committee, would merely accelerate the growth of the underground economy, in addition to being a complete reversal of the commitments made by the Prime Minister during the last election campaign?