Debates of April 19th, 1994

Youth Unemployment

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is exactly what the Minister of Human Resources Development is doing at this time. He is talking with the provincial governments about it and he is exploring a lot of these ideas. Some provinces think we are moving too fast.

The hon. leader of the Reform Party would move without talking to the provinces.

We want to make some changes. We would like to have a better system. We know that it would be preferable not to do it unilaterally so we are having discussions at this time. There was supposed to be a meeting yesterday. The provinces were not ready. We have postponed the meeting in order to give them more time.

We think it is the right thing to do. All the premiers are asking us to consult with them and it is something the hon. leader's own father used to ask of the federal government; that before moving we should consult with the provinces. We are consulting with them. We will see what they have to say and will advise the House.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I think we are living in the past. The government's lack of new and bold ideas is not only evident in this field but in agriculture, the approach to the fishery and most seriously in the defence of federalism itself.

So far the government's only response to the threat of Quebec sovereignty is to promise a few more handouts like the headquarters of the Commission for Environmental Co-operation being put in Montreal. This is a tired, old-fashioned approach to winning support from Quebec voters by promising to pave roads and build buildings.

I ask again, does the government have some bold new ideas for Quebecers and all Canadians, in particular with respect to the revitalization of federalism?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think that the hon. member knows the policy of this government.

The best way to convince the people of Quebec to remain in Canada is to have a good administration in Ottawa and have members of Parliament who show tolerance and not play on the prejudices of people.

Foreign Affairs

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The situation in Bosnia has seriously deteriorated. The UN has lost all control

and authority in the Moslem enclave of Gorazde, which has fallen to the Bosnian Serbs. Ignoring UN ultimatums and systematically violating ceasefire agreements, the Bosnian Serb army relentlessly pursues its attack on Gorazde despite that city's designation as a safe area by the UN.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs bring us up to date on the situation currently prevailing in Gorazde and confirm that the Bosnian Serbs' sustained attack has put an end to the peace process?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, at lunch time, the Minister of Defence and I spoke with the Vice-President of Bosnia, Mr. Ganic. We reviewed the situation and we certainly deplore the escalation that seems to have taken place around some safe areas or enclaves where the Moslem population is at the mercy of Serbian troops' artillery. We cannot, of course, remain insensitive to this situation. There will be discussions with the representatives of allied countries to find as quickly as possible a solution to this situation that seems to be getting worse.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the UN asked NATO to stand ready to launch air strikes.

Can the minister indicate if Canada is actively participating in the development of a strategy for the Western countries and the UN, in order to respond to the intractability of the Bosnian Serbs who chose to further their cause with weapons instead of negotiations?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, certainly, Canadian representatives at NATO and the UN consulted one another and are participating in meetings to develop a common strategy. A first meeting at the level of NATO ambassadors was held yesterday and another one will take place tomorrow to decide on a common position in response to the UN Secretary General's written request.

We continue to think that negotiations are still the safest way to achieve lasting peace in the former Yugoslavia. We will not solve the problem by aggravating the military conflict. On the other hand, we are aware that we cannot remain indifferent to a handful of Serb fighters who ignore the ceasefires negotiated on all sides. We think that considerable efforts have been made by both the Croats and the Moslems, and it is now time for the Bosnian Serbs to come to the table and agree with the other parties on a peaceful solution to this conflict that has lasted for too long.

Fisheries

[John Cummins, Reform, Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

I listened closely to the $1.9 billion fisheries announcement this morning. Could the Prime Minister tell the House why there was no economic diversification component to create real long term jobs in Atlantic Canada anywhere in the announcement?

[David Dingwall, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question on an important subject but he is wrong.

Part of the package announced by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Minister of Human Resources Development has a component dealing with regional disparities and how we might be able to facilitate the private sector, particularly small and medium sized business, to take advantage of economic opportunities in that region.

[John Cummins, Reform, Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a careful reading of the package failed to reveal the items to which the minister is referring. In our view the package failed to address the critical issue of economic diversification in Atlantic Canada. Does the Prime Minister not realize that his actions speak louder than words?

The absence of the Minister of Industry at the announcement only creates the impression that the government considers Atlantic Canada, particularly Newfoundland, a region without economic hope. Why was the Minister of Industry not present at this announcement?

[David Dingwall, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member makes reference to the fact that the Minister of Industry was not in attendance. The hon. member should also say that the Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency was not in attendance either.

I want to assure the hon. member that in view of the commitments the Prime Minister has made and we made during the election campaign, each and every member of this cabinet, each and every member of this caucus, and each and every member of this party are firmly committed to assisting those who are in need, whether they be in the Atlantic region, in Quebec, western Canada or Ontario, to try to provide some economic assistance where possible.

Action Plan For Young People

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the youth program announced by the Minister of Human Resources Development a few days ago duplicates a number of programs that already exist in Quebec, including Jeunes volontaires ,

Jeunes

promoteurs, and Chantiers Jeunesse , plus all the training related to education.

In fact, the federal strategy will merely add to the overlap and duplication which already cost $300 million annually in the case of Quebec alone.

My question is directed to the Prime Minister. Does he realize that by doing this, he is not only failing to deliver on his promise to eliminate duplication but actually adding to it, and that a substantial share of the funds that should go to youth will be used to support the federal bureaucracy that will be needed to administer the program?

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is at least as keen as any other government-and the Official Opposition-to eliminate duplication and overlap.

In the youth sector we have had federal programs that helped young people and will continue to do so. I said earlier that we have made every effort to avoid any duplication of programs that already exist in Quebec, especially the Jeunes volontaires , when setting up programs in that province.

It is also true that the youth unemployment problem is so serious that both governments must try to find appropriate solutions. They keep repeating that program overlap costs money. Of course it does, but probably not to that extent. Studies indicate that the costs of overlap is quite different from the figures that were mentioned. Of course, overlap can be reduced more readily in some areas than in others-

[The Speaker]

I am sorry to interrupt, but the hon. member for Roberval has the floor.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we have seen that the government, despite its concern for eliminating overlap, goes ahead and puts in a six-part program on top of what we already have in Quebec. I wonder where the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is at.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

You had better listen, over there, since this is your business, and you voted for these policies, without considering the consequences. If $10,000 is to be spent on each of these young people, did the minister consider how much money should-

[The Speaker]

Questions and answers are something we all care about. I would therefore ask hon. members on both sides of the House to keep their voices down, when they ask questions as well as when they give answers.

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I will simply repeat that the party currently in office is as intent as any other party on reducing overlap.

As far as our youth program is concerned, we have carried out extensive consultations and it is clear that our program meets the current needs of young people. And we do not intend to give up our right to help Canadians in need. In the case in point, there are Canadians in need who are not getting help from any provincial program. This is an area of shared jurisdiction and we have programs to implement in that area.

Wheat Exports

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to interrupt the theatre that is going on here to actually ask a question of the Minister for International Trade.

First, I would like to take a little different tact and congratulate the Minister for International Trade on the successful signing of the GATT in Morocco. While in Morocco the minister said that he would not yield to pressure from the United States on the question of Canadian wheat exports.

Is the minister willing to hold his ground until the world trade organization is up and running and let it decide that our wheat exports are not unfairly subsidized?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his kind comments.

The situation with regard to wheat is that we have engaged in continuing discussions with the United States for some months, culminating in some meetings in Marrakech where we had hoped to resolve the issue. However the United States and Canadian positions remain far apart.

It is open to Canada and to the United States to continue those negotiations or discussions if the United States chooses to pursue them. The United States has indicated that it had hoped to resolve the issue by Friday. We will have to see whether the decision of the United States by Friday is to proceed with discussions or to take some other action.

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is for the same minister.

Many concerned Canadian wheat farmers feel they are doing a good job, are being competitive and have adjusted to the new reality of free trade. Would the minister allay the fears of wheat farmers by saying that their interests will not be traded off to

protect supply management in order to cut a deal with the United States in this area?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, most emphatically, yes.

Despite persistent United States efforts to link agricultural problems, there are agricultural differences between our two countries. We reject any such linkage. We shall deal with each issue on its merits. Certainly in the case of wheat we very much share the point of view just outlined by the member opposite.

Unemployment Insurance Reform

[René Canuel, Bloc, Matapédia—Matane, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development in Quebec.

Yesterday, officials from Opération Dignité 2, an organization which promotes regional economic development, appealed to the government for help. They are asking the government to postpone the UI reform for one year, as it will severely affect regions with a high proportion of seasonal workers, in Quebec as well as in other provinces.

Given the disastrous impact of this reform on the economy of predominantly rural regions, will the minister pledge to delay for one year the UI cuts announced in the budget, and actually do it?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is precisely because we are very much aware of the enormous problem which unemployment represents everywhere in Canada, and certainly in rural areas, that we want to proceed with a reform of the unemployment insurance program. We want to really lower UI contributions so that small businesses can hire new workers, protect the poor, including single-parent families, and have the money to educate and train the workers of the future.

We made those decisions because we are keenly aware of the unemployment problem in Quebec and in rural Canada.