Debates of April 22nd, 1994

Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that he intends to raise the matter specifically with the president. We expect if that has not already been done, it will be done before the weekend.

[Jake Hoeppner, Reform, Lisgar—Marquette, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for that answer.

I would suggest that this durum wheat issue goes beyond North America. While the Americans complain about Canadian durum they subsidize their own durum by $35 to $52 per tonne for export to world markets. Meanwhile the Europeans have their own durum shortage and have put a $52 per tonne export tax on it to keep theirs at home.

I would suggest and I would urge the Deputy Prime Minister to insist that the Prime Minister call the President of the United States and be prepared to demand that the American export subsidies-

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I would request of my colleagues that the questions be just a little bit shorter. There was a question in there, if the Minister for International Trade would care to answer.

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I had a little difficulty hearing the end of the question, therefore I am not sure what the question is. I can simply say that in the case of durum wheat, we certainly had the considerations he raised in mind during our negotiations with the United States and they will be very much in our mind in any further discussions.

Purchase Of Properties In Oka

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Yesterday, those we now call the forsaken of Oka participated in a calm and peaceful demonstration to show how desperate and impatient they have become because of the federal government's failure to meet its commitment. These people own homes on highway 344, south of the Kanesatake territory; they have been waiting for an answer for nearly four years now.

Will the government now commit itself to settling that issue before the end of the present session in June by buying the properties of these forsaken residents of Oka, as it promised to do and as it has done for all those living north of highway 344?

[Jack Iyerak Anawak, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, no decision has been made with regard to the property south of highway 344, but the minister is willing to meet with these people and I am sure that will be forthcoming.

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how can we explain the slowness with which the government is dealing with the Oka situation, knowing how fast the federal government proceeded to buy the property of Mr. Bernard Roy, former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mulroney, located in the same area, south of highway 344, for $500,000. Do we have two kinds of justice in this country?

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

Mr. Speaker, I believe it would be more useful if this question were directed to Brian Mulroney, the former friend of the Leader of the Official Opposition.

Trade

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Vegreville, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade.

Canadian apple growers are looking to this government for action to protect them from wholesale dumping by the Americans, a blatant violation of the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, of NAFTA and of GATT. The government asked for proof and the growers provided that proof. Truly time is of the essence in this matter. It has to be dealt with quickly.

Will the minister assure Canadian apple growers that this government will immediately initiate action to stop this dumping?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite will be aware of the fact that the Canadian International Trade Tribunal has already inquired into the question raised by the hon. member. It is indeed open to the Canadian apple growers to petition foreign anti-dumping investigation if that is their wish.

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Vegreville, AB]

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

Will the Deputy Prime Minister explain why this government is so ineffective when it comes to protecting Canadian farmers against dumping by the Americans?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would argue the absolute contrary. In fact, this government has stood very fast in the face of rather ridiculous comments by people like Mickey Kantor and the senator from the United States who has the nerve to suggest he would turn cruise missiles on us, the very cruise missiles we were testing for them for a number of years.

We are very unhappy. We do not intend to cave in. We have not agreed to the American negotiations. The Prime Minister is going to be discussing it with the president and we intend to take future action.

2002 Olympic Games

[Antoine Dubé, Bloc, Lévis, QC]

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

We know that Corporation Québec 2002 needs help from the federal government to complete its presentation to the International Olympic Committee in order to be a candidate for hosting the Games. The corporation has been asking for a long time that a representative of the government be appointed in order to initiate trilateral negotiations on the $240 million financing guarantees that are required, and were given to Calgary in the past.

The deadlines have been moved forward by the IOC, and rather than urging organizers of Québec 2002 to be patient, like the Minister of Canadian Heritage is doing, could the Deputy Prime Minister tell us whether the government intends to give a speedy answer to Québec 2002?

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we are naturally enthusiastic about a united Canada hosting the Olympics in Quebec in the year 2002.

We have already committed $2.8 million to the bid and are currently exploring funding possibilities in conjunction with the organizers.

[Translation]

[Antoine Dubé, Bloc, Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is for the Deputy Prime Minister or the parliamentary secretary. The deadline for the bid is getting very close. Québec 2002 must have an answer from the federal government in the next few weeks, because the deadline is August 18.

Could she tell us whether an answer will be given and a negotiator appointed? Will the negotiations be modelled on what was done for Calgary?

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

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary has already indicated the willingness of the federal government to help Québec 2002. Clearly the Quebec site is fantastic. I have personally visited the proposed site. Everybody is waiting to find out whether Canada will be selected as host for the 2002 Olympic Games. Negotiations are going on and you will get an answer shortly.

Snow Crab Fishery

[Francis Leblanc, Liberal, Cape Breton Highlands—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

While his announcement earlier this week has brought welcomed relief and hope to many fishing communities in Atlantic Canada, the minister will know that a potentially explosive situation is brewing in the snow crab fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

With the groundfishery there all but decimated, gulf fishermen without snow crab licences have watched with growing envy and frustration as a small group of snow crab fishermen do extremely well from their access to this now valuable and plentiful resource.

How is the fisheries minister proposing to address this glaring inequity and avert a crisis in the snow crab fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence?

[Brian Tobin, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his question. Indeed, he has brought to the attention of the House one of the more difficult situations in Atlantic Canada. That is the incredible irony in the comparison between those who have plenty and those who have very little or nothing. It is causing great tensions in our communities. Frankly, in some communities in the province of Quebec in the last week fishermen are in conflict with each other. None of us want to see that in Atlantic Canada.

I have spoken to representatives of both the crab fleet and representatives of groundfishermen in the last 24 hours from Quebec, New Brunswick and elsewhere in the region. The fishermen have begun a dialogue across the gear sectors. The fishermen are suggesting they will attempt to reach a means of seeing a better sharing of the wealth of the resource in question.

I want to give them that chance to work among themselves and to hear what they recommend, I hope during this weekend, so that we can have a working solution in time for the beginning of the crab season next week.

Environmental Secretariat

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Comox—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of the Environment. The choice of Montreal for the environmental secretariat was supposedly based on the following criteria: transportation accessibility, support services, diplomatic services, cost of living, and environmental record.

An analysis of the consultant's report shows that Toronto has more flights to all three capitals than Montreal. Ottawa offers more diplomatic and government services. Montreal's cost of living is 10th on the list of 25 contenders and Montreal's environmental record is 20th on the list, a terrible record. Clearly-

[The Speaker]

Order. I invite the hon. member to put his question, please.

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Comox—Alberni, BC]

How can the minister justify the selection of Montreal for the environmental secretariat?

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

Mr. Speaker, today is Earth Day. Today is the day when every Canadian should be thinking about how we can improve our earth.

Instead, what I hear from members of the Reform Party is constant carping, criticism and carving up of the country. Its leader went to Montreal yesterday and I think he got a very strong message. If the leader of the Reform Party wants to begin

to understand what the country is all about, he had better not start thinking in small pieces; he had better start thinking big.

One of the things we did in making our decision about the centre was that we looked at all applicants. We looked at the criteria that we established and we made a decision based on our best political and environmental advice.

The reality is that any decision made by a government is a decision that involves politics. The difference between this party and that one is that we actually understand all parts of the country. In the case of the Reform Party, it is obvious that its understanding is very limited.

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Comox—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is sending mixed signals. One day she is saying that it is a political decision; the next, she is saying that it is based on this consultant's report.

Will the minister tell us what she means by a political decision?

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

Mr. Speaker, the budget for the suits of the leader of the Reform Party is also political.

The reality is that if one follows the criteria of the member and suggests that the centre should have gone to Toronto because it has the most number of flights, every single thing done by every ministry in the government should go to Toronto. Toronto has more direct flights to all parts of the United States and Mexico.

The reality is that sometimes we have to make tough decisions. I said that it was a difficult decision. I said that we tried to consider all the factors. My own community was bitter. Do members think it was easy for me to say no to the people of Hamilton?

The reality is that politics is about making difficult decisions and making them in the best interest of the country. That is what we have tried to do.

Human Rights

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister. A month ago, an adjudicator at the labour court in the Vancouver area handed down a ruling ordering Canada Post Corporation to guarantee the social benefits of the same-sex spouse of one of its employees. We heard that the Minister of Justice did not intend to appeal this ruling, which caused considerable consternation in the gay community and among all those with a concern for human rights.

I want to ask the Deputy Prime Minister what her government's plans are with respect to extending guarantees and recognition of the rights of same-sex spouses?