Debates of April 13th, 1994

Freestyle Skiing

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

Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity today to offer my sincere congratulations to young David Belhumeur, a resident of Pierrefonds in my riding, who just won the World Cup freestyle skiing in the combined.

Quebec is well represented in this category, when we consider the achievements and reputation of Brassard, Langlois and Laroche.

After winning this important event, David now belongs to the new generation of Olympic champions.

I urge this young athlete to keep up the good work. He has a very promising future ahead of him.

On behalf of all residents of Pierrefonds-Dollard, I wish him good luck and every success in his next events.

Defence Industries

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in an important statement in the Quebec National Assembly, Gérald Tremblay, Minister of Industry and Trade, asked the federal government to meet its commitment to support conversion of defence industries.

The federal Minister of Industry was reassuring about the future of Oerlikon in Saint-Jean and referred to an apparently well-filled order book.

However, it is not clear whether the company will be able to maintain its operations in Quebec. If the Minister of Industry were to act in a manner consistent with the commitments of his own party to defence conversion, he would examine the company's plan for diversifying toward environmental technologies, which would guarantee its long-term survival.

Yesterday, the Quebec Minister of Industry and Trade said he was prepared to consider such a proposal, provided the federal government agreed to participate. What is the minister waiting for?

Environmental Secretariat

[Hugh Hanrahan, Reform, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House to express my concern regarding the appointment of the environmental secretariat to Montreal. How can a government that claims to be fair, honest and open on the one hand turn around and admit openly that a major government decision was made through partisan politics of the past?

I would like to state in this House that the city of Edmonton would have been an excellent host for the environmental secretariat. The city of Edmonton met the original requirements and therefore should have been a front runner, yet it was not.

The west wants in. We want the federal government to stop pandering to the wants of one region over another and start treating all provinces as equals.

I call on the government to reconsider the decision to establish the environmental secretariat in Montreal.

Refugees

[Pat O'Brien, Liberal, London—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, social upheavals in countries across the continent have resulted in over 19 million refugees throughout the world. As arms struggles continued, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spent approximately $1.1 billion in 1993 caring for the world's refugees.

Canada has developed an international reputation as a caring and compassionate country and we are committed to protecting people who have been forced to flee their homes and their countries.

I commend the efforts of the constituents of London-Middlesex who worked to make the community aware of the issues and concerns affecting our refugee neighbours and friends. I encourage all Canadians to work to ease the settlement of true refugees in our country.

Government Intervention

[Paul Steckle, Liberal, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this past Monday on a U.S. news show, "Day One", it was reported that the Santa Monica Freeway destroyed by the massive California earthquake was set to reopen more than three months ahead of schedule.

U.S. and state officials call it a miracle because some experts predicted that it would take upwards of nine months to complete the repairs.

This early completion was no miracle but the result of common sense. Indeed, it was the eliminating of government red tape and paperwork that allowed the contractor to complete the work in record time. The elimination of government interference saved millions of dollars in transportation costs.

We as parliamentarians can learn a valuable lesson from this situation and work together to lower and eliminate needless government red tape and paperwork which have strangled Canadian businesses.

As we have said many times before, Canadian businesses can and will create the jobs if given the right environment. What better way to create jobs than to eliminate needless bureaucratic intervention?

Crime Prevention

[John Murphy, Liberal, Annapolis Valley—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as we have seen in recent weeks there is a growing concern that our safe and peaceful communities are being threatened by crime.

To properly address this issue, I believe that we must examine the root causes of crime. Poverty, child abuse, underfunded social services and low levels of education are all issues on which we as a government must focus our attention.

Many of us have groups in our ridings which work toward crime prevention through public education. We must offer our support to these organizations and their efforts to prevent crime in our communities.

The Minister of Justice has stated that we will create a national crime prevention council as part of our integrated strategy for crime prevention.

I urge all members of this House to support this action. Only by addressing the underlying causes can we effectively deal with crime in our communities.

Native Languages

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in his 1993 annual report, the Commissioner of Official Languages commented on the dire state of aboriginal languages in Canada. Statistics indicate that less than one third of aboriginal peoples can speak an aboriginal language well enough to carry on a conversation and that only one quarter have sound language skills.

While I deplore this situation, I wish to remind this House that it is in Quebec that aboriginal peoples have the best chance of retaining their language due in large measure to the support of the Quebec Department of Education and the open-mindedness of Quebecers. Studies carried out in 1991 show that 47 per cent of Quebec's aboriginal people speak a native language, compared, for example, to 21 per cent in Ontario. When compare to the rest of Canada, aboriginal people in Quebec are better off in most areas, for example, housing, income and health. These statistics are worth noting.

Halifax West High School

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

Mr. Speaker, last week I had the ultimate privilege of seeing into the future. I attended a model parliament and read the speech from the throne at Halifax West High School.

Andrew Cook was elected prime minister with a majority government and it represented the concerns and aspirations of young people today. Its speeches emphasized the need to reform the economy, the criminal justice system and the parliamentary system.

Mr. Cook and his government represented the Reform Party of Canada in Halifax West.

Apparently in some parts of the maritimes the youth of today and the voters of tomorrow are no longer happy with the old style of politics. The old solutions do not work any more and the young people of this country are more aware of that fact than anyone.

Sikh Nation Anniversary

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

Mr. Speaker, Sikhs around the world are today celebrating the 295th anniversary of the birthday of the Sikh nation, the Sikh faith, the Khalsa. April 13 also marks the first day of the Sikh new year.

Over a quarter of a million Sikhs live as peaceful and full participants in Canadian society. In spite of numerous difficulties encountered by the first Sikh immigrants at the turn of the century, today they are a full and active component of the Canadian mosaic.

As the first turbaned Sikh member of the Canadian Parliament I am sure all members would like to join with me in congratulating the Sikh community on this auspicious occasion and hope that we all continue to work together to promote harmony and

good will in order to keep Canada an exemplary country in which tolerance and compassion abound.

National Infrastructure

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in shorthand this government's mandate is job creation. In longhand the mandate is to modernize, streamline and stimulate the national economy and deal with the deficit and the debt by generating jobs.

The national infrastructure program is a good illustration of this. It is thought of as a job creation program and will create thousands of jobs but it will also improve the efficiency of our economy by modernizing and improving our national infrastructure.

In addition, it is an attempt to stimulate the economy directly by encouraging responsible and productive spending all across the country.

That is why it is so important that the decisions on the thousands of construction projects are being made by local municipalities like Asphodel, Belmont-Methuen, Douro, Dummer, Ennismore, Havelock, Lakefield, North and South Monaghan, Norwood, Otonabee and Smith, all in Peterborough county.

Names like these have not been heard in this House for many years. This government is reaching out to the grassroots of our economy because it knows that is where the economy can be stimulated most effectively and where most jobs can be created.

Young Offenders

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I extend my congratulations to the Ottawa Police Department and Chief Brian Ford for a job well done.

Three offenders were arrested just hours after the recent drive-by shooting in the capital of Canada. Community leaders, business representatives and local police expressed their views at the public safety forum held in my riding last week.

Some of the recommendations were to increase from five to ten years the maximum sentence for a young offender convicted of first degree murder; to create the category of dangerous youth offender, allowing young offenders to be tried in adult court; to increase access to rehabilitation programs for young offenders; to ban all handguns with the exception of police, military, licensed collectors and sport gun club members; to ban the sale of ammunition to minors; to establish a permit system for the purchase of ammunition.

I know that most of these recommendations will be dealt with by our government and my community supports them.

Mil Davie Shipyard

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Orléans, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the daily newspaper La Presse , the president of the MIL Davie shipyard says that he needs two contracts from the federal government to complete the military to civilian conversion of the company. These two contracts are to build a ferry for the Magdalen Islands and to build a multi-purpose ``smart ship''.

Analysts say that the world market for merchant ships will grow strongly for ten years starting in late 1995.

MIL Davie is in the midst of restructuring and has made major productivity gains since 1991. These gains will be even larger once its conversion plan is implemented.

Through its lack of vision and indecision on all employment-related issues, the government is endangering the survival of a potentially profitable shipyard which generates thousands of jobs in the Quebec City region.

Gun Control

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday of this week the Minister of Justice told reporters he was going to bring in further restrictions of handgun ownership in response to the tragic events in Ottawa and Toronto.

He will recall that the Auditor General this year stated that Canada's present gun control program is controversial and complex, and an evaluation is essential. The Auditor General is saying there is no clear indication that existing gun control legislation is working.

Yesterday the Minister of Justice stated we should not be making knee-jerk reactions and yet he is demanding tougher legislation without evaluation, an obvious knee-jerk reaction.

When will he start to come down hard on criminals, the cause of concern, and not law-abiding gun owners? Does he have any idea of the level of concern he raises with his present statements?

Environmental Technology Centres

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

Mr. Speaker, a consultation report entitled "Environmental Industry Strategy for Canada" was released by the Minister of the Environment and indicates that a network of three national environmental technology advancements centres will be created in western Canada, Ontario and Quebec. These centres will form the cornerstone of the federal government's environmental industry strategy. The report indicates the process by which employment opportunities for Canadians would be maximized.

I bring to the attention of the Minister of the Environment that Saint John, New Brunswick, is the industrial centre of Atlantic Canada. I would ask her to consider Saint John as a place for one of these centres to help us to maximize our environmental problems and to work them out.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to urge the provincial government to grant funding for hemodialysis equipment for citizens in York Simcoe.

Presently a number of residents of this area have to travel to downtown Toronto to undergo treatment, often with life-threatening consequences. This is not only time consuming but often extremely difficult for patients who are physically incapable of making these trips. There are many people who would benefit by access to this equipment in the region.

I implore the provincial government to allocate funding for this equipment. It is essential that equal access for this treatment should be provided across Ontario.

The provincial government should not tie its purse strings at the expense of these patients' health. These people should not have to suffer more than they already are.

Rail Transportation

[John Richardson, Liberal, Perth—Wellington—Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to speak to the House.

As we have heard in the past few days there is great concern about the railroads in Canada, particularly CP, CN and VIA, again seeking to curb costs by making ad hoc restructuring to operations and thereby upsetting many Canadians.

I call upon this government through the Minister of Transport to undertake a long overdue review of the rail transportation system and bring to this House a new rail transportation strategy for Canada to meet the needs of Canada in the 21st century.

Disaster Relief

[Vic Althouse, NDP, Mackenzie, SK]

Mr. Speaker, people remember last summer's flooding in the U.S. midwest and the damage done to crops and communities there. The U.S. federal government responded generously and so did ours, sending PFRA technicians and engineers to assist with the the dykes and dams.

Our own flooded and snow covered crops in northeastern Saskatchewan and northwestern Manitoba, however, have so far been ignored. There were no large centres to be flooded, only acres and acres of flat black soil which were later covered with snow and subsequently trampled by wildlife, making most of it unrecoverable.

Not only has last year's crop been lost but conditions are such that probably this year's will not be seeded on those lands either.

Since such circumstances are not addressed under existing programs, I have asked the federal minister of agriculture to initiative third line of defence actions which are to be triggered when existing programs fail. Why has he not acted? Why are these farmers and communities being left to fend for themselves?

I know the red book ignored farm policy but surely the government cannot ignore this.

Infrastructure Program

[Ian McClelland, Reform, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, all across the country communities are determining their uses for their portion of the national infrastructure money.

Remember, this money, every cent, is borrowed from future generations of Canadians, future generations that will have no say in the way their money is spent today. Their standard of living will be reduced because they will be paying the bills our generation incurred.

Therefore it is vitally important that infrastructure money is spent exclusively on infrastructure such as roads and sewers. This is the use intended by the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. Not one cent should be spent on private enterprise, including hockey arenas.

Manpower Training

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs discounted the possibility of an agreement with Quebec on the transfer of federal responsibility for manpower training prior to any social program reform.

We now know that Ottawa is considering a simple temporary agreement limited to the joint leasing of buildings. This kind of intransigence prompted the Premier of Quebec, Mr. Johnson, inspired no doubt by healthy fear of the eve of the election, to ask the following question: "Who is in charge in Ottawa? The political powers or the bureaucracy?"

Why does the Prime Minister refuse to conclude the agreement that Quebec has been urging its federalist ally to sign? And, following Mr. Johnson's lead, I would also like to ask him this: Who is in charge in Ottawa? The Prime Minister or his bureaucrats?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, my government has entered into negotiations on this matter with all of the provinces, including Quebec. We are making progress. We have undertaken a complete overhaul of federal social programs and we are trying to eliminate as much duplication as possible. The answer given yesterday by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs was correct. We are trying as best we can to work out an agreement. If the hon. member would take a moment to think about it, there is no question that the real power lies on this side of the House, not on his side.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

That is right, Mr. Speaker, the perverse power to say no to Quebec, to deny it jurisdiction over pressing matters-

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

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

The Prime Minister is fully aware that the unemployed are the ones who are paying the price for the arm-wrestling match and endless discussions between Quebec and Ottawa.

I wonder if he shares the opinion of his federalist ally, the Leader of the Quebec government, Mr. Johnson, who says that Quebec is in the best position to deal with such matters. If the Prime Minister does agree with this statement, why then is he putting off transferring to Quebec responsibility for a sensitive area such as job creation?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all these programs contains an element of equalization. Under the Canadian federal system, money can be transferred from those who are employed to those who are not. And unfortunately, Quebec has more unemployed people than the rest of Canada. The situation is worse still in Atlantic Canada where the unemployment rate tops that in Quebec. These programs were introduced to allow us to take money from the more prosperous regions in Canada and redirect it to areas which are not as well off. And it is in this spirit that we want to resolve the problem. We believe that all of Canada can work together. There is nothing twisted about wanting to ensure that the least fortunate in Canada receive money from the rest of the country. Our system is based on generosity and we are not about to dismantle it on a whim.

We are currently undertaking an in-depth review of the system and we will listen to the views of all parties in this House in order to devise a system that will satisfy all Canadians. To resolve only part of the problem would be like taking a step backward, rather than forward. We have at heart the interests not only of Quebecers, but of the less fortunate provinces as well. We want to ensure that social justice prevails throughout Canada.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has just described Quebec's deepest aspirations as a whim. This is one issue on which all players in Quebec, be they economists, politicians, employers, employees or trade unionists, firmly agree. It is shameful to dismiss in this manner an issue which has brought together all players in Quebec, both in the public and private sectors.

My question for the Prime Minister, since his proposal-one which has not yet been formally made but which has been announced by his minister-has already been rejected by the head of the Quebec government and since it would maintain the current mess and the single window system for all federal and provincial programs, a system which confounds everyone, is this: Will he now admit that he must review this stillborn proposal to bring it in line with Quebec's aspirations?