Debates of Feb. 10th, 1994

1994 World Senior Fastball Championships

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Ann Milne and the Summerside 94-The World Unites dance troupe, Fay Ramsay and Summerside's town cryer, Gary Nelson, to Ottawa.

Ann, a world champion Scottish dancer, and her troupe are performing at Winterlude, Canada's largest winter festival. They are acting as promoters and ambassadors for the 1994 World Senior Fastball Championships to be held in Summerside August 12 to August 21.

Summerside has successfully hosted many world and national championships in baseball, hockey and softball. I join with the promotional group in encouraging the rest of Canada to visit Prince Edward Island in 1994 and take in the world class championship fastball games.

In the meantime, I encourage members to go out and see the Summerside 94-The World Unites dance troupe at Cartier Park and also view the Summerside snow sculpture depicting the 1994 fastball championship.

Winter Olympic Games

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, the 17th Winter Olympic Games will open in Lillehammer. For two weeks Canadians and Quebecers will be glued to their television set to watch our athletes perform.

Everybody will live on Olympic time and many of us will become night owls to see our athletes compete. Right now, we wish to tell them this: "Every one of you has already won". Your courage, your determination and your talent command our respect and our admiration.

I hope that each and every one of you will be lucky enough to step onto the podium. I say "lucky" because that is what it takes to win gold, silver or bronze given the high level reached by athletes in the world today.

To all Quebec athletes, I wish victory and a Lys d'or , which symbolizes a job well done and an objective met.

Criminal Justice System

[Cliff Breitkreuz, Reform, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the land are outraged that their hard earned tax dollars are being used to pay restitution to a convicted criminal who fell while playing a racquet sport in prison.

As reported in yesterday's Globe and Mail , one Allan Roe Coulter is serving a nine-year sentence at Matsqui prison in British Columbia after being convicted of armed robbery. Recently a judge awarded the convict $18,750 of taxpayers' money for slipping on the floor while playing racquetball in 1988.

This is just another sample of the sorry state of our criminal justice system. Canada's overburdened taxpayers already pay well over $50,000 a year to keep a prisoner in jail for 12 months.

On behalf of concerned Canadians everywhere, I ask the government to begin the great task of fixing the system.

Serial Killer Cards

[Walt Lastewka, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state my concerns and those of my constituents over the importation and sale of serial killer cards in Canada.

For many years trading cards have been a fun and entertaining pastime for our children. However, the introduction of serial killer cards has turned a children's hobby into the glorification of violent criminals.

Serial killer cards are offensive and harmful and to many parents a great source of concern. We have a right to protect ourselves and our children from this obscene material. The rights of law abiding Canadian citizens must come before the rights of those who bring this material into our neighbourhoods.

In his address in reply to the speech from the throne the Minister of Justice indicated he would take steps to modernize our laws to reflect current values.

The constituents in my riding of St. Catharines feel these cards are obscene. I ask the minister to review the current definition of obscenity and make appropriate amendments to ensure that the definition reflects our society's values.

Tribute To Senator Marcel Prud'Homme

[Eleni Bakopanos, Liberal, Saint-Denis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to a man who has devoted 30 years of his life to his country, to his constituents and to French Canadians throughout Canada. Senator Marcel Prud'homme was elected for the first time in 1964 in the riding of Saint-Denis, where his family has lived for many generations. He has won the friendship, respect and devotion of every man and woman in my riding. He has fought for the rights and freedoms of the most disadvantaged people in the world.

He has helped bring together the French Canadian majority and the various cultural communities and new Canadians. If the people of Saint-Denis live in peace and harmony today, it is thanks to him. Needless to say, I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of such a distinguished man, especially since he was the first person to encourage me to pursue a career in politics.

I invite all my colleagues to join me in congratulating the hon. senator Marcel Prud'homme on his thirtieth year in Parliament.

I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Senator Marcel Prud'homme many more years of service to the Quebec and Canadian people.

Tribute To Louis Laberge And Fernand Daoust

[Osvaldo Nunez, Bloc, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for 19 years I worked with the FTQ, where I was privileged to work with two great Quebecers who dedicated their lives to defending the cause of the workers. They will shortly be leaving their respective posts.

This House must give special tribute to Louis Laberge who has been the president of the FTQ for 25 years and who was the founding president of an institution unique in Canada, the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec. The House must also give tribute to Fernand Daoust who has been secretary-general of the largest Quebec labour confederation for more than 20 years, and its president for the last three years. Saturday, he will become president of the Fonds de solidarité.

These two great advocates of social justice and champions of Quebec's cause have had a great impact on the evolution of Quebec through their constant dedication and involvement, and deserve our admiration and gratitude.

Okanagan Centre Constituency Association

[Werner Schmidt, Reform, Okanagan Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a great deal of attention is being given to a quotation by Adolf Hitler that was included in a newsletter produced by the Reform Party Okanagan Centre Constituency Association.

I was not aware of, nor do I condone the inclusion of the quotation in the newsletter. The president of the constituency association has already publicly apologized.

Insofar as I am able, this will not happen again.

Parry Sound-Muskoka Economic Development

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to speak about regional economic development.

In Parry Sound-Muskoka I am committed to ensuring the federal government actively help stimulate growth in the 43 local communities in my riding. I believe if we work together with small business owners, community leaders, elected officials, tourism operators and our industrial contacts we can set objectives and establish goals to begin the process of expanding the local economy.

In this respect I am planning two economic development forums in my riding. On Wednesday, March 2 from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. the business community in Muskoka will come together at the Bracebridge Centennial Centre. The second forum will be held for east Parry Sound region on Saturday, March 5 from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. at the Almaguin Highlands Secondary School gymnasium.

These forums will be a catalyst for economic development in Parry Sound-Muskoka. They represent our government's commitment to the growth of the small business sector and they represent our commitment to new job creation in my riding.

Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the United States extended formal recognition to the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia and declared its intent to establish full diplomatic relations.

On behalf of the Greek community, particularly in my riding of Pierrefonds-Dollard, I urge our Minister of Foreign Affairs to uphold, unlike the Americans, all United Nations resolutions, including those on borders.

I am convinced such a policy would be conducive to greater stability in an area where it is badly needed.

1994 Winter Olympic Games

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, York North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Saturday marks the beginning of 16 days of exciting Olympic competition in Lillehammer, Norway. All Canadians will be watching with pride as our athletes compete for gold.

The residents of York North are especially proud of Elvis Stojko, the Canadian men's figure skating champion who lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario. The accomplishments of this young athlete are impressive and include a silver medal from the 1993 world championships and four silver medals from national championships.

I offer my congratulations and best wishes to Elvis Stojko and the entire Canadian Olympic team. I know these young Canadians will compete in the true spirit of the Olympics as we support them in their pursuit of excellence.

Okanagan Centre Constituency Association

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, this year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Last month many Canadians watched the new film about the Dieppe raid.

Next year we will celebrate 50 years since the end of the Second World War and the defeat of Adolf Hitler at the hands of whose armies tens of thousands of Canadians died in a successful effort to rid the planet of this anti-Semitic madman.

Why then do some who work for the Reform Party of Canada stay up nights pouring over the collected works of Adolf Hitler looking for quotable-

[The Speaker]

Earlier in the statement period we had a statement by a member repudiating anything like that. I would prefer to let the situation stand.

Taxation

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, according to the daily newspaper La Presse , the Minister of Finance told the Conseil du patronat du Québec about the government's budgetary about-face in favour of a tax increase. This means the minister has given up on the need to reduce government spending.

Are we to understand that, instead of showing it had the guts to reduce government spending and plug tax loopholes for the wealthy, the government has decided to reduce the deficit at the expense of the middle class already infuriated by successive tax increases in recent years?

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

Mr. Speaker, I told the Conseil du patronat yesterday that we intended to review and abolish a number of tax loop-

holes. That was our position yesterday, that is our position today, and it will be our position in the upcoming budget.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the minister and the Prime Minister have made it clear that this year they will not make the spending cuts required to broaden the tax base, which means a net tax increase for everyone.

Could the Prime Minister tell the House whether, considering the anemic state of our economic recovery, he can still claim his government is acting responsibly by increasing the tax burden on consumers and reducing their purchasing power?

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

Mr. Speaker, there are some very obvious inconsistencies in the position taken by the Leader of the Opposition. Does he or does he not support abolishing some of these tax loopholes, as his finance critic has said repeatedly?

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is too bad a normally serious man like the Minister of Finance should want to confuse the issue. There is a basic difference between eliminating unfair and inappropriate tax shelters and broadening the tax base to hit the middle-class. He of all people should know that!

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Does the Prime Minister realize that getting government spending under control would increase the confidence of consumers, investors and the financial community? Why is he postponing public spending cuts for another year, in other words, putting off indefinitely a measure that is badly needed?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is to be commended because after three months, he has finally understood our position.

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

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

There are increasingly clear signs that the government will increase the tax burden of the middle class in its forthcoming budget. Experts already set the value of the underground economy at about 15 per cent of gross domestic product.

Does the Minister of Finance not agree that any further increase in the tax burden of the middle class will only lead more people to the underground economy?

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

I repeat, Mr. Speaker, our position is very clear. First, we know full well that at one point we will have to lower taxes, especially for the middle class.

Second, we do not intend to really increase the tax burden that, unfortunately, Canadians already carry, but we will be widening the tax base. Right now, I do not understand the position of the Bloc Quebecois: Should we close the loopholes? Yes or no?

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Finance not believe that the middle class deserves a break and that he should prove to our citizens that high income earners will be paying their fair share, by eliminating tax shelters like family trusts?

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

Mr. Speaker, since this is I think the fifth time in a row this afternoon that I have had the question I will answer in English.

Let me be very clear. There are built into the Income Tax Act a number of inequities. It is our clear intention in order to confirm the support of the Canadian people for the system of taxation that we have in this country to eliminate those inequities. We intend to do that and we intend to do that in this budget.

Cigarette Smuggling

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Prime Minister concerning the problems that threaten the success of the government's action plan on smuggling.

First, how does the federal government propose to get the co-operation of the eight provincial governments which currently oppose the tax reduction aspects of the program?