Debates of April 21st, 1994

Métis Society

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

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in the House the other day, we expect by the end of the present month to receive a formal audit in final form with respect to the Métis society. I expect that we will by that time have information with respect to all such matters.

I do not intend to comment in advance of receiving the formal and final audit. As I said the other day, I deplore the fact that bits and pieces of information seem to be leaking into the media and

are being referred to and quoted which I think is terribly unfair. As far as the Department of Justice is concerned we are investigating to ensure that that has not happened as a result of anyone who is working under our authority.

I will be able to respond to the hon. member's questions when I have the audit and I will be pleased to do it at that time.

[John Duncan, Reform, North Island—Powell River, BC]

I have a supplementary question, Mr. Speaker.

Is the minister stonewalling because of the involvement or association of Marc LeClair, chief administrative officer of the Métis National Council, adviser to the Métis Society of Saskatchewan, a participant in the drafting of the Liberal red book and a member of the extraordinary Liberal aboriginal caucus?

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

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that we are working to a time deadline that was established long ago in accordance with administrative procedures. This is not a matter of stonewalling. I am simply not in the position to respond to questions about a report that has not yet been delivered to me in final form.

I can tell the hon. member that once I have the report and it is in final form I will be pleased to respond to any questions he has about it.

Iraq

[Carolyn Parrish, Liberal, Mississauga West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rose in the House yesterday to describe the ecological and humanitarian disasters being perpetrated against Shia Muslims.

My question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Will our government consider requesting UN peace observers to visit the southern Iraq marshes to report on the following: Measures being taken to stop the free flow of water to the marshes and effectively destroying their ecostructure; a blockade around the marshes which restricts the movement of food, people and medical care; the systematic torture and murder of women, children and the elderly.

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly share the view expressed by the hon. member about the terrible situation imposed on the people living in Iraq and the persistent violation of human rights by the authorities there.

The representative of Canada at the United Nations, particularly at the Human Rights Commission, has proposed resolutions to send monitors, particularly to that region of Iraq, to assist these people who are abused by the authorities. Unfortunately, in order to achieve a remedy we need the co-operation of the authorities who have systematically refused UN missions or UN observers being sent there.

We will pursue this matter and hope that through perseverance the Iraqi authorities will accept the UN monitors.

Labour Relations

[Bernard St-Laurent, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 400 employees of Q.N.S. & L., in Sept-îles, have now been in lockout for two months. The federal legislation does not prevent the employer, a mining company, to hire scabs. Since nothing keeps the company from carrying on its operations, it refuses to negotiate with the employees, who want to negotiate and to go back to work.

Does the Prime Minister agree that the lack of federal anti-scab legislation is responsible for the deterioration of the negotiations between Q.N.S. & L. and the steelworkers union?

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. I will take it under advisement and report to him as soon as possible.

[Bernard St-Laurent, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would still like to ask a supplementary since I did not get a full answer. Will the government and the Prime Minister pledge to see what can be done to help these workers, given the fact that no anti-scab legislation exists?

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, I will take the question under advisement and report to the hon. member as soon as possible.

Federal Grants

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, according to page 23 of the red book of the election campaign:

An area where substantial savings can be realized is in grants to businesses. Over 700 federal and provincial programs currently deliver such grants, an overgrowth of bureaucracy that cannot possibly be justified.

My question is for the Minister of Industry or the parliamentary secretary. What is the Liberal government doing and what has it done to eliminate that overgrowth of bureaucracy?

[Dennis Mills, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question because it gives us an opportunity to basically review the position that the Minister of Finance put forward in the budget.

The hon. member should realize we have already begun the review within the Department of Industry and with the private sector. We will reduce and eliminate the paper burden. This is a very important exercise and the private sector has welcomed it. It is well under way. The committee will be reporting to the Minister of Finance by the end of June.

At the same time I remind the hon. member we are continuing to investigate ways in which we can access capital for small and medium sized businesses. The Prime Minister has said repeatedly that we believe the greatest hope for putting Canadians back to work rests with the 900,000 entrepreneurs in Canada who are trying very hard to get this country going again.

The hon. member mentioned tourism and that is another area we are working on.

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately we are not talking about loans here.

Budgetary expenditures show the government is planning to spend $3.3 billion in grants to businesses in 1994-95 and a further $3.1 billion in 1995-96. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has recommended there be no grants to businesses.

When the red book promised substantial savings can be realized in grants to businesses and when the CFIB itself does not want these grants, why is this government planning to spend billions of dollars this way in the next two years?

[Dennis Mills, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member looks in the estimates book for the Department of Industry he will see there have been tremendous cutbacks in the department.

He will also notice from an analysis of the industry estimates we are very carefully targeting the taxpayers' money relating to industry. We are targeting it to the proven winners in our community that we think have the best chance of putting Canadians back to work in industries that are very important to keep us globally competitive.

Trade

[Audrey McLaughlin, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade. On January 1 the government signed the NAFTA promising an end to trade wars with the United States.

Barely four months since the signing of that agreement we have not just a scuffle but a full-fledged attack on our Canadian wheat farmers, Minutemen missiles and all. NAFTA seems to offer about as much protection as an umbrella would against an American missile. Do not look up.

NAFTA has failed the Canadian wheat farmer and the barley farmer. What specific assurances has the minister given to these farmers that their interests will be taken into consideration? What specifically can he tell us today?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I could give the hon. member a very long answer to that question.

Let me say very briefly that the wheat dispute with the United States is not under NAFTA. The Americans are pursuing what they believe to be their remedies under the GATT and not under NAFTA.

I would point out with regard to our stance in the Canada-U.S. discussions on wheat, we have taken positions that respect and guard the interests of Canadian grain farmers.

Points Of Order

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, during question period the Prime Minister said that Reformers have said to the unemployed, and I quote: "Do nothing. Let them starve". That is not true. I am asking the Prime Minister-

[The Speaker]

The hon. member and all of us from time to time have used the points of order for debate. I think we are probably getting into a little bit of debate.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, you have often said in this House yourself about imputing motives. As far as I am concerned that is imputing motives.

[The Speaker]

Order. We have dealt with the point order. I believe it is a point of debate and I trust that most hon. members will agree.

Business Of The House

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, could the Government House leader please tell us what is on the agenda for the next few days?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, after I present the statement of business for the

coming week, I intend to ask the unanimous consent of the House to enable a special debate to take place this evening on the situation in Bosnia.

In that connection, I want to thank the Reform Party House leader for making a suggestion about having such a debate and suggesting a theme to be taken into account in the motion on which the debate will be based. It was a force of coincidence his request came at a time when we were giving thought to the same matter. I want to thank the Reform Party House leader for his constructive point in this regard.

This afternoon we will consider report stage and third reading of Bill C-6 regarding oil and gas. On Friday, Bill C-4 respecting the NAFTA side deals will be considered at the report and third reading stages. On Monday, the House will have before it second reading of Bill C-16 regarding certain land claims.

The business on Tuesday shall be Bill C-22 respecting Pearson airport which is at the second reading stage. After completing this bill we will call second reading of Bill C-21 regarding railway lands and Bill C-12 to update the Canada Business Corporations Act. This business will likely take us into Wednesday.

There are two bills the Minister of the Environment will be introducing on Monday that the House may wish to deal with next week as well. Finally, Thursday, April 28 shall be an opposition day.

As I said just before my statement, there have been consultations and I believe there will be consent for the following motion:

That, notwithstanding any standing order, at 6 p.m. this day, the House shall consider a motion by the Minister of Foreign Affairs as follows:

That this House, taking note of the tragic events which have taken place in and around Gorazde, and NATO's agreement in February to a UN request for the use of air support to protect a safe area around Sarajevo, consider the request contained in the UN Secretary-General's April 18 letter to the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to extend arrangements similar to those in place to protect Sarajevo to the five other UN safe areas in Bosnia.

That, during debate on the said motion, the first four members to speak shall speak for not more than 15 minutes and any subsequent members shall speak for not more than 10 minutes; and

That, when no members rise to speak, but in any case not later than 10 p.m. the Speaker shall adjourn the House.

I would appreciate it, Mr. Speaker, if you would ask if there is consent for the motion I have read. If so, I would be prepared to put the motion and seek the unanimous consent of the House that this motion be adopted so that a debate on this matter of great interest and concern to members will begin at six o'clock this evening.

[The Speaker]

Is there consent for this motion to be put?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker]

Is there agreement that the motion be debated tonight at six o'clock under the terms prescribed in the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.