Debates of April 15th, 1994

Environmental Secretariat

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Madawaska-Victoria.

Education

[Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais, Liberal, Madawaska—Victoria, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I promise that my question will be short and to the point. For a while now, Bloc members have been having fun, scaring francophones outside Quebec by saying that our government is cutting funds for francophones. In view of the importance of education for francophones outside Quebec, could the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell us if the education budget for francophone communities will be cut?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, there will be no cut in education support for francophones outside Quebec. For fiscal years 1993-94 to 1998-99, we will commit $112 million in new funds. The budget cuts announced last February 22 do not apply to these contributions.

Canadian Museum Of Nature

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. In answer to questions from the Official Opposition during committee hearings, the Director of the Canadian Museum of Nature acknowledged that the museum suffered from serious mismanagement. Disturbing facts, especially concerning the awarding and managing of contracts for consultants and the hiring of museum executives, were confirmed in the committee.

In view of the seriousness of these disturbing examples of mismanagement, is the minister ready to place the museum under administrative supervision and allow the committee to proceed with an in-depth review of the museum's management?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I am myself extremely concerned about situations like this one. The person who is most suited to carry out such a review is the Auditor General of Canada, who will do just that.

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

Mr. Speaker, can the minister confirm that the museum director is not waiting for the Auditor General and has already hired a firm to conduct an investigation?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we can have both. It is quite natural for the managers of an institution such as the museum to be concerned about the quality of their own management. They carry on their affairs at arm's length, and I respect this relationship between the institution and the minister responsible for its operations.

Gun Control

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice said that for the next few weeks the Minister of Justice and the department will be studying very closely the possibility of making changes to gun control laws. We know that in the 1993 Auditor General's report it was said that we must have evaluation of the existing laws before we even know if they are currently being effective.

When is this evaluation going to take place, for surely it must before we proceed with any changes to the existing laws?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the effectiveness of the laws at present are being evaluated on a continuing basis and we will continue that effort.

I want to make it clear however, in terms of what the parliamentary secretary may have said, as I have said earlier this week I am studying a broad range of options to bring forward to caucus and to cabinet for consideration, and that process is under way.

As to the effectiveness of the present laws, we simply have to look at the evidence all around us, the increasing availability of guns for people with criminal intent, to know that we have a long way to go before being as effective as many of us want to be on this subject.

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Justice really feel there is any point in spending $60 million on the Auditor General's department which said that an evaluation should take place and then possibly, as he has done here, come to the House and say it is fine to do the evaluation within the Department of Justice?

Should these evaluations not be made public, should they not be made transparent so that the people of Canada know whether the laws are presently working?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has made a point that is very fair but I think we are talking about two different things.

First, the Auditor General was speaking about evaluating the effect of the laws that were put on the books in recent years. That is an ongoing process. All of that will be made public. We will be determining the effect of Bill C-17 and its implementation. That is one thing and it is fully public.

The second thing, and I think evaluation is not a good word for the second subject, is this government, Bill C-17 now being behind us, is looking at other steps we might take for more effective gun control.

On that subject, what the parliamentary secretary said is that I and my colleagues in justice are putting together a list of options for further steps that can be taken. We are going to go to caucus and cabinet with that list. We are going to select a strategy we think is in the public interest and then bring it forward as proposals to this House.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues will have heard a few seconds ago something new we have instituted. I have ordered that the cannon be fired on Fridays at 12 noon.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Kim Doo-Hee, Minister of Justice, Republic of Korea.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Points Of Order

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

Mr. Speaker, I know all members join with the Prime Minister and the government in welcoming the arrival of the new Clerk of the Privy Council. It is the first time a woman has held the most senior position in the bureaucracy in the Government of Canada.

I rise on a point of order because as she is a public servant she cannot defend herself. Clearly in the press reports this morning there are claims that the Clerk of the Privy Council in some way misrepresented her educational and academic credentials.

The company that published the academic credentials was the Financial Post company, a private corporation. I took the opportunity of reviewing three other so-called résumés in this particular document-

[The Speaker]

With all respect to the hon. member, perhaps she could find another avenue than a point of order to raise this. I invite her to terminate in the next few seconds.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Hamilton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with respect, I asked to rise on a point of order because only the Government of Canada can act to defend the credentials of the Clerk of the Privy Council if they are challenged. I wanted to point out for the benefit of all members that in the alleged document that claims to be the accurate credentials of every member, I took the opportunity of reviewing the credentials of myself, the member for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell and the member for Cochrane-Superior.

[The Speaker]

With all respect to the hon. member, there must be another avenue for her to bring forward this information to the House. I would invite her to seek these channels perhaps at the next sitting of the House or even a little later today.

I would like to put an end that point of order now. We will continue with the business of the House. Is there other business?

Immigration And Refugee Board

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 1993 Report of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Statutes Of Canada

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I am pleased to table, in both official languages, proposals to correct anomalies, inconsistencies and errors in the Statutes of Canada, to deal with other matters of a non-controversial and uncomplicated nature in those statutes and to repeal certain provisions of those statutes that have expired, lapsed or have otherwise ceased to have effect.

Order In Council Appointments

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

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of Order in Council appointments made by the government.

Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1), these are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of which is attached.

Government Response To Petitions

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

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

Committees Of The House

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

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present the 16th Report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, on committee membership. With the House's consent, I intend to propose that the 16th Report be concurred in later today.

[Peter Milliken, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented to the House earlier this day be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to.)