Debates of April 22nd, 1994

Human Rights

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

Mr. Speaker, I believe the Minister of Justice said he was not prepared to proceed with an appeal in each case. In fact, he gave instructions that in some cases where an appeal had been made, the appeals should not be pursued.

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

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect for the Deputy Prime Minister, if this had been a question on an examination, she would have failed her exam.

May I remind the Deputy Prime Minister that the Minister of Justice promised to proceed with a thorough review of the Canadian Human Rights Act and that on several occasions during the election campaign, her government repeatedly made a commitment to recognize sexual orientation as grounds for discrimination. When will this government stop its double talk and ask the Minister of Justice to go ahead and introduce legislation that will guarantee an end to discrimination and recognize the rights of same-sex spouses?

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the hon. member asked me some questions about a court ruling, and I made it clear that the Minister of Justice had already given instructions not to pursue these appeals. I think the message is pretty clear.

Moreover, the Minister of Justice has stated that the government is working on meeting its commitment in the red book to prohibit discrimination because of sexual orientation, whatever it may be. The government promised in the red book that it would proceed with a review of our human rights legislation. The government is working on this, and there will be a policy very shortly as far as the Justice Department is concerned.

Correctional Service Canada

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General.

A short while ago Correctional Service Canada announced the appointment of a kikawinaw or a matron for the healing lodge on the Nekaneet band reserve in my riding. This is a very expensive senior position but that institution will not be operational for at least another year.

Does the minister approve of this sort of management within his department?

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

Mr. Speaker, the staff in my view has to be hired and ready to work with local and native groups.

There is no way in my view the institution could operate efficiently if the people who are going to be the staff come there after the doors are open. It is just common sense.

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I wish the hon. minister had been my employer when I was in the working world.

This is going to be a relatively open institution but, as I understand, it will house serious offenders now incarcerated in other institutions.

What reassurances could the Solicitor General offer for the security of farmers and ranchers who are understandably concerned about the matter and who will be living next door to the place?

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

Mr. Speaker, the point the hon. member has raised is being taken into account in the planning of the institution.

There will be the proper facilities and staff to deal with the fact that some people in it will be of maximum security nature. Certainly the approach we are taking makes more sense than that of the hon. member who would have the prisoners go into the institution before the staff is even hired.

Infrastructure Program

[Shaughnessy Cohen, Liberal, Windsor—St. Clair, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board.

The government is working hard to create thousands of jobs throughout the country. The crown jewel of those initiatives is the Canada infrastructure program.

Could the minister tell the House the status of the many infrastructure project applications that have been received?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for giving me the opportunity to bring some good news to members of the House.

The program is up and operating in record breaking time. It is now at a point where we have approved 200 projects worth $300 million. To date 5,000 jobs are to be created by those projects, which puts us well on the path toward the 90,000 jobs we have projected will be created by the program.

There are people now being employed in engineering and design work. There are tenders being called. There are construction workers who will soon be getting out and getting shovels into the ground so we can get Canadians back to work.

Regional Development

[Maurice Bernier, Bloc, Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, now that government advertising is over, we will go back to regular programming.

According to a federal study, Ottawa is about to spend $4.8 million on an industry interpretation centre project in Shawinigan. The study in question, which was commissioned by the Federal Office of Regional Development in Trois-Rivières, concludes that it is a mistake and a bad joke.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Does she admit that this project cannot be self-financing and that her government is about to repeat the same mistake it made with the Humour Museum in Montreal, which closed its doors less than 12 months after opening?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about a project that was supported not only by the long-standing local authorities and the former government but also by the Bloc member for Trois-Rivières, Mr. Yves Rocheleau.

It must be said that, although there is some dissension within the Bloc Quebecois, the project is supported by all the local authorities. There is also a study which raised some very valid questions, and the government intends to answer these questions. This study is only one of many. It must be said that when local communities have the desire and the capacity to support a project, I think it is worthwhile for both the Canadian and the Quebec governments to follow suit.

[Maurice Bernier, Bloc, Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is a serious man; now, the study we are talking about, which was commissioned by his office, his officials, concludes that this project has no chance of being viable and that the figures submitted are inflated in several respects.

Instead of wasting $4.8 million in public funds to honour an election promise made by the Prime Minister, does the Minister of Finance admit that what the people of Shawinigan and the St. Maurice region need is industrial projects that create real jobs instead of a white elephant without any kind of guarantee it will be self-supporting?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Legault, Grysole and

Associates study undoubtedly concluded that the project needed certain changes. That is the purpose of the study and we intend to make these changes.

If you want to talk about jobs, I would ask you to listen to the President of the Treasury Board, who just told us that we invested $300 million in a project that will create 90,000 jobs in Canada.

Day Care

[Philip Mayfield, Reform, Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development or for whomever the government chooses to answer.

The red ink book advocates an extensive increase in the number of child care spaces available. The government funding for this service will be paid by individual taxpayers whether or not they use it. Government funded day care increases the tax burden on Canadians and will further discriminate against families who choose to be single income households.

Does the government recognize that such a proposal will force more parents to send their children to day care even if they would prefer to stay home with them?

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the member's colleague was asking the government what we could do to get people working.

Obviously one of the things we could do to get people working is to ensure that they have proper support for their children when in fact they are out in the paid workforce. I happen to believe that women who work at home are working every bit as hard so I specify the paid workforce.

However, for the member to suggest the government pull out of child care funding, it would take the case of the Canadian economy back decades. At the moment child care spaces across the country are set up by provincial governments with the financial assistance of the federal government directly to those families, primarily single income mother led families who without the assistance would not be able to go out into the paid labour force.

The member suggests that for some people it is not necessary. The same thing holds true for health care. Would he like to abolish national health care or education?

[Philip Mayfield, Reform, Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister misses the point. I do not advocate withdrawing funds or inhibiting people from going to work.

A voucher system would allow parents to stay home with their children or to send them to the most suitable day care. It would also direct public assistance to those who really need it.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister and the government consider the introduction of a child care voucher system rather than universal day care?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am a parent and there is no government that tells me where I have to send my child for child care. We do live in a free country.

At the moment what this government has said is that when it comes to employment outside the home obviously child care is an important component of any initiative to help people get out to work. Our government intends to meet its commitments in the red book.

I only wish that the member had a better understanding of how hard it is for those women trying to juggle work outside the home and work at home. I only wish that he and his party would give them more support.

Trade

[John Solomon, NDP, Regina—Lumsden, SK]

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

Yesterday I met with a number of U.S. congressmen to discuss U.S.-Canada trade issues, including the durum wheat question. My conclusion is that this being an election year in the United States with many U.S. legislators up for re-election, they have become strong protectionists to the point of ignoring certain trade agreements like NAFTA and GATT.

Can we have his government's assurance that it is going to protect Canadian farmers' interests and not cave in to these American protectionists' posturing at this point?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the member can certainly have that assurance. I believe it is reflected in the stance we have taken in the negotiations, in the discussions during the past months. We will continue to protect in every respect the interests of Canadian grain farmers. We have done so in the past and we will continue to do so in any future discussions.

[The Speaker]

I am sure all members heard the cannon. There is a point of order from the minister of fisheries.

Points Of Order

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

Mr. Speaker, during question period I referred to Hibernia's having created 5,300 direct jobs. That information was wrong and I want to stand to correct the record. The number is actually 6,282.

Government Response To Petitions

[Fernand Robichaud, Liberal, Secretary of State (Parliamentary Affairs)]

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

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, today is Earth Day in Canada, a day that we have set aside to join with people around the world in making our own personal contribution to the well-being of our environment.

Since Earth Day was first celebrated in Canada on April 22 four years ago, the grassroots support for this event has grown so rapidly it now involves nearly one in three Canadians in some form of environmental activity. There is much energy, enthusiasm and support for greening our way of life.

More than ever before Canadians are aware of our natural environment and we are doing something to make sure that what we now enjoy can be passed on to our children and to their children. By planting a tree, composting kitchen waste, reusing shopping bags, recycling cans, returning bottles and demanding less packaging from producers, Canadians are showing that we want governments to sit up and take notice.

In fact, recent surveys have shown that 60 per cent of Canadians support more spending for environmental protection. Industry too is quickly coming to realize that green planning and green operations mean green savings and green bucks.

Almost every sector of our economy now realizes that consumer demand means that by producing a product in an environmentally friendly manner you can have the critical competitive edge.

Business and industry, for their part, are asking the government to put its house in order. They need our co-operation as well as clear, specific directions to achieve our environmental objectives.

I am proud to announce to this House and to all Canadians that our government is answering the call. Canadians can stand up and say that their federal government is the first green government in our country.

Three former federal environment ministers currently sit in this House, along with a former provincial environment minister. Two of these people are leaders of their respective parties.

We are also fortunate to have the highly qualified Chairman of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development and finally, my parliamentary secretary who is absolutely indispensable to me.

Canadians can also feel secure that there is environmental leadership within their government. We are proud to have a Prime Minister who understands that environment is an integral part of job creation and growth and who made sustainable development an underlying theme of our red book.

Our Prime Minister appointed our former Speaker, the one who initiated the greening of the Hill program, to be our ambassador for the environment to the world. We have a Prime Minister who created more national parks than any other minister in the history of Canada. We have a Prime Minister who announced clearly on his first international trip that Canada's water is not for sale.

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs understands that we must work globally to attack environmental degradation and make sure that the global environment facility, the GEF, and the Montreal protocol receive Canada's fair contribution.

Our minister responsible for infrastructure made water and sewer upgrades, environmentally friendly projects, an important part of our national infrastructure program.

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans moved quickly to fulfil promises made about Kemano and has also recognized that eco-tourism can play an important role in the revitalization of our economy.

The Minister of Human Resources Development and the secretary of state for youth have announced a plan to involve youth in environmental training programs to help us get environmental industries on the cutting edge of the world community.

My colleague, the Minister for Natural Resources, has been actively promoting sustainable development in her natural resource sector. She has also been working very hard on energy

efficiencies, an integral component of any future use of energy when we realize that we are the most energy consuming country in the world. Her department's model forest program provides a model for sustainable forest management.

She has also recently tabled the first report to Parliament on the Energy Efficiency Act which outlines the environmental and economic benefits available to energy users to improve energy efficiency.

We have a Minister of Finance who acts in a progressive manner on environmental issues. Last February, he announced a major new initiative in support of sustainable development.

In the budget, it was announced that a task force involving government, industry and representatives of environmental groups would be established to identify barriers to sound environmental management.

This task force will also focus on a wide range of economic instruments which rely on market forces and demonstrate potential for rapid implementation either as an alternative to or to complement environmental regulations.

Speaking of this task force, I am delighted to announce today that following consultations will all interested parties, the Minister of Finance and I will be releasing shortly the names of the task force members and the nature of the task force's mandate.

I am very pleased on behalf of the Minister of Finance and myself to announce that we are moving ahead rapidly with our commitment to analyse how tax policy and how economic instruments can be used to help build a strong environmental record.

Very shortly we will be announcing the membership and the terms of reference of a committee. It will be examining the whole issue of not only economic instruments as they can help government policy but also a review of taxes and subsidies to make sure that they are environmentally friendly and do not work against a clean environment.

I could go on and mention the environmental contributions of every single member of this cabinet, for example the Minister for Industry and his secretary of state who are working very hard on environmental industries, but the point is clear. This government, this cabinet and this Prime Minister are committed to the environmentally sound management of our nation's business.

As Minister of the Environment, I am proud of my department's achievements. In the six months since taking office, we have built strong foundations to meet our commitments. I said that we would pass legislation providing for a round table on the economy and the environment. This will give existence in law to a vital organization and also fulfil a commitment made in the red book.

The throne speech spoke of the government's intentions and I also announced that we would pass an environmental assessment act this spring, as was requested by the Leader of the Opposition. As promised in the red book, we will also strengthen regulations, thereby fulfilling a second commitment.

In co-operation with my colleague, the Minister of Industry, and his Secretary of State, we are in the process of developing a government strategy for environmental industries and we sponsored consultations earlier this winter, in order to generate the required public support. We are currently looking at the comments received and the strategy will be announced very soon. This is the third commitment fulfilled.

Last Monday, I had the pleasure and the honour of announcing phase II of the Great Lakes action plan, as well as the implementation of the plan for the St. Lawrence, Vision 2000. These two plans are major steps to clean up the largest freshwater expanse in the world.

These initiatives, combined with the statutory five-year review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act which will soon be undertaken by the standing committee of the House, will enable us to fulfil another promise made in the red book regarding pollution prevention. We should soon get the answer of the parliamentary committee on our commitment regarding the Auditor General, and we also expect results very quickly. This is the fourth commitment fulfilled.

An oil tanker sank some time ago. We worked with the four provinces concerned, in co-operation with the Minister of Transport, and we found a solution which will soon be implemented. This is another commitment fulfilled.

Earlier this spring, I gave the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development the very important mandate of looking at the concept of an auditor general for the environment. The committee made its recommendations, thus allowing us to fulfil another commitment made in the red book.

Our government is keeping its promises and we hope with the help of the Parliament of Canada to continue to do so.

On Earth Day I wish to give my friends and colleagues in this House and all Canadians my personal pledge that we want to work with the provinces, the municipalities, workers, environmental groups, businesses and, most important, we want to work with the children of Canada to ensure the protection and promotion of our natural environment.

As Minister of the Environment for Canada I am proud of what we have accomplished. I would be prouder still if I could stand today and tell this House that we have no need for Earth Day, that we do not need a special day to think about the environment because every day is Earth Day in Canada.

This House has heard many speeches from many eloquent individuals but I would like to leave members with the motto which I think should be the standard bearer for Earth Day, for this House, for our country and for the world. It is an ancient Haida saying which we all know and which we should take to heart: We do not inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

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

Mr. Speaker, now that the Minister of the Environment has praised the government's actions with respect to the environment, the Official Opposition would rather talk, on this Earth Day, about the real problems, that is problems in our ecosystem and challenges that must be met so that we can live in a sound environment.

The minister would rather dwell on her government's accomplishments since the election. So, allow me to put in perspective some of those accomplishments that must leave more than one Quebecer and Canadian totally confused.

Regarding the legislation, the minister has made several statements in the House and in the media. However, we still have not had the pleasure of seeing one single bill come out of her department. The minister seems to misunderstand the legislative process leading to the meeting of an electoral commitment. It is not enough to announce that regulations relating to the Environmental Assessment Act will be produced and that a bill on the round table on the economy and the environment will be presented for people to consider that the Liberal Party has kept its promises. If the government thinks that its commitments have been met simply because they were announced, we may end up once again facing needless verbiage and pious hope.

After announcing with great pomp that there will be consultations on governmental strategy with environmental industries, it seems, as was the case in Montreal, according to some observers, that in fact these consultations were only an excuse for a social gathering of officials. It would appear that the environmental industry was not really associated with the process. Yet, the Official Opposition had given its support to this initiative, hoping it would be an opportunity to promote research and development in environmental industries. So, there is still much to be done before the minister can proudly announce that her commitment has been met.

Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to have talks with the minister. I know she is in a good mood today and it is always with great pleasure that I have talks with her. So I will continue to do so.

As for the St. Lawrence Action Plan-

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Hamilton East, ON]

But not always in good faith.