Debates of April 26th, 1994

Efamol Research Institute

[John Murphy, Liberal, Annapolis Valley—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness of some exciting research and development that is currently under way at the EFAMOL Research Institute in my riding of Annapolis Valley-Hants.

The institute is a world leader in the research of medical benefits derived from the oil of evening primrose plants. Research is focused on new treatments for cancer, AIDS, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and arthritis.

EFAMOL is the evening primrose oil used in over 95 per cent of all published medical trials. It is widely considered the best researched primrose oil on the market.

On Wednesday, May 4, EFAMOL Research Incorporated is hosting the grand opening of its new research and development laboratory. I would ask all members of the House to join me in extending my congratulations to the members of the EFAMOL Research Institute for their world class work in this field.

Binney And Smith (Canada)

[John O'Reilly, Liberal, Victoria—Haliburton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Binney and Smith (Canada) may not be a household name to most Canadians. However, on closer inspection I am certain we will see otherwise.

The company got its Canadian start in 1926 and moved to Lindsay, Ontario, in 1933 and was renamed Canada Crayon Company. It was early in 1934 that it produced Canada's first Crayola crayons and in 1958 it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Binney and Smith Inc. and is the only current manufacturer of crayons in Canada.

And manufacture it does. Last year 185 employees produced over 150 million crayons and 30 million markers. It is a model of success which every company in Canada should follow. In 1992 the entire product line was named Toy of the Year by the Canadian Toy Testing Council. In September last year it was one of five companies to receive the outstanding business achievement award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in recognition of outstanding achievement and business excellence.

We salute a great Canadian company, Binney and Smith (Canada) in Lindsay, Ontario.

Irving Whale

[Jean-Guy Chrétien, Bloc, Frontenac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Irving family is once again trying to duck its obligations toward Canadian taxpayers. In a clever diversion attempt, the company proposed that the costs of refloating the barge that ran aground be paid by the compensation fund financed by the oil industry.

This fund should not be used in that case, since it was set up after the accident. Ottawa has still not indicated who will foot the bill for the operation. Knowing the reputation of the Irving family as a stateless entity which avoids Canadian taxes by operating out of Bermuda, taxpayers are understandably concerned about the government's decision.

The government must ensure that it is those responsible for the situation who will pay for the operation. The Gagnon-Easter committee remained silent on this aspect.

South Africa

[Keith Martin, Reform, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the first multiracial elections in South Africa are beginning today.

These elections mark for the first time in that country the end of institutionalized racism. They are the culmination of years of hard work by many of its citizens.

It is both my hope and my prayer that these elections will be conducted in a fair and just manner and that the members of the new multiracial government will be able to work together for a peaceful and prosperous future for all.

Only by practising tolerance, understanding and moderation will the people of that beautiful country be able to bury its destructive past. South Africa has learned that equality of all people is fundamental to a peaceful society. Giving special status to some groups at the expense of others only engenders conflict and is highly divisive.

I hope we in Canada in dealing with our own constitutional problems will learn from abroad. I personally challenge Canadians of all regions and races to practise tolerance and understanding toward each other.

George Anderson

[Roger Simmons, Liberal, Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I want to salute the courage of a young man, a constituent of mine, Private George Anderson of Cape Ray, Newfoundland.

Members will realize that he was one of two Canadian peacekeepers seriously injured on Sunday in Croatia. In that incident he lost an eye and the lower parts of both his legs while doing his bit to help restore peace and stability in that part of the world.

Last evening I went to see his family: Ralph and Mary, his father and mother, and Angela and LeRoy, his sister and brother. His father told me he knew it was a dangerous place to be.

I want him and his family to know on our behalf that as he goes through this very difficult time in his life our thoughts and our prayers are with him.

Yarmouth High School

[Harry Verran, Liberal, South West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to welcome a class of grade 12 students from the high school in the town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, the largest town in the riding of South West Nova.

Mr. Ken Langille and his group are on a law society tour of the capital. These young people have raised funds for this trip by writing, publishing and selling a magazine outlining various criminal activities and cases.

Mr. Ken Langille is a well known teacher throughout the educational system in Nova Scotia for being an innovative teacher with regard to our legal system.

It is a pleasure on behalf of the government and the House to welcome them to Ottawa. I hope they find their trip to be educational and productive. I know all members of the House will join with me in wishing them success and a safe journey home.

Atlantic Fisheries Adjustment Program

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

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

In its Atlantic fisheries adjustment program, the government will oblige fishermen to sign a contract requiring them to take training courses, go back to school or do community work. Otherwise they cannot receive benefits from the program. The Minister of Human Resources Development even confirmed that his reform could extend such a contract to all social programs from coast to coast.

I ask the Prime Minister to tell us if, under his reform, he intends to require the unemployed and welfare recipients to take courses and to work in order to collect the benefits to which they are entitled and I ask him to tell us whether he admits that it would now be illegal to apply such a contract to everyone.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Since it is most unusual to have people who completely lost their livelihood, in co-operation with the provincial Government of Newfoundland, we have tried to set up a program that could help these people find something else to do with their lives.

Since we know that half the fishermen will not be able to go back to fishing, they need to adjust to the labour market; that is why we prepared such a comprehensive plan and we want those who cannot return to work in the fisheries to be able to work elsewhere and they will be trained in educational institutions in the provinces concerned.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

There seems to be a contradiction again between the Prime Minister and the minister responsible, since the Prime Minister is telling us that the fisheries program was designed to meet a very specific need and would therefore be limited to fishermen. However, the minister suggested that all social programs could be subject to this kind of requirement.

I therefore ask the Prime Minister if he can tell us whether the fierce opposition of several provinces to his program of social reform is due to their refusal to endorse the coercive approach favoured by his minister.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what my minister is trying to do now is to reach an agreement with the provinces. They asked for time to study in more detail the best ways to help people go back to work and that is our priority. We want people to return to work and have the dignity of doing a job and the satisfaction of supporting their family. That is why the Department of Human Resources Development is negotiating and discussing with the provinces now, because like them, we have programs and we prefer to find a solution that will suit the provinces and the federal government.

We want people to be able to retrain and to prepare themselves so that they can earn their living honourably.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, despite what the Prime Minister says, everyone knows that they are not negotiating very hard, since the provinces, or at least several of them, refused to attend the latest federal-provincial conference that the minister wanted to hold on this subject.

Second, the provinces are well aware that all the Prime Minister's answers indicate that, if they do not accept his point of view, he will impose it on them.

So I ask him if we are to understand that he is trying to break the poorest provinces by brandishing the threat of a substantial reduction in transfer payments.

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has it all wrong. It is unfortunate that he spends all his time in the House trying to foment difficulties where there are not difficulties.

The fact of the matter is we just met and talked last week with provincial ministers who are all still committed to working in collaboration to bring about serious reform in the country on programs that will help people get back to work.

There is only one person with one group in this entire country who wants to see the programs fail and it is the Leader of the Opposition.

Hibernia Project

[Roger Pomerleau, Bloc, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Hibernia project is already far from proving that it can be profitable. Because of the announced cost overruns, the production cost of a barrel of Hibernia oil would be considerably higher than international market prices. The extra money invested in this project by the government is totally unjustifiable. Defending Hibernia's profitability seems to be an act of faith we can no longer afford.

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources, of course. How can the minister invoke the profitability of the Hibernia money pit, when it seems certain that the cost of extracting oil from the Hibernia deposit will be higher than oil prices on the international markets?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, let me say first, in response to my hon. colleague's question, that we have contractual obligations. We are one of five owners of the Hibernia project. We are an 8.5 per cent equity owner. We must maintain and live up to our contractual obligations. Therefore we are going to be responsible for 8.5 per cent of any cost overruns.

In addition, let me say that the government and I continue to believe that Hibernia will be a profitable project in the coming 18 to 20 weeks.

[Roger Pomerleau, Bloc, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, are we to understand that, after investing $4 billion in the development of Hibernia, the government is now telling us that its hands are tied, that it cannot go back and that it must go ahead at any cost, by continuing to sink millions of dollars of taxpayers' money?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, let me clarify for my hon. friend that the federal government has not spent $4 billion on the Hibernia project. The total projected cost of the project, involving all equity owners, is $5.2 billion.

Therefore to suggest that the federal government has expended $4 billion is completely inaccurate and unfortunately a misrepresentation of the situation as it presently exists.

In addition, let me reiterate the point that we as a government believe and my projections and figures indicate that Hibernia has every prospect of being ultimately profitable and an important component in our long term energy security as a nation.

The Economy

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

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

Both the International Monetary Fund and Moody's Investors Service have again expressed concern about overspending by the Canadian government. It is not just the size of the deficit and the debt that worries the money markets. It is also their concern that the federal government seems to lack the ability or the tools to control overspending.

What plans, if any, does the government have to strengthen the capacities of the Treasury Board, of departmental managers, of Parliament itself to control federal overspending?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, to answer the question, it is something that we are working on all the time.

When we look at the budget, we indicated that we are working to reduce substantially the deficit and we are confident that the deficit in relation to GDP will be 3 per cent at the end of three years. We are doing it on a constant basis.

For example, the minister of immigration cancelled all citizenship judges, thus saving millions of dollars.

Still today I am waiting for the member's list on where to cut. Whenever we propose a cut he says it is not the right one, that it should be somewhere else. I received complaints from people in his province because we had to cut national defence, for

example. It is not that easy to do. We are doing our best. We have a plan that we were elected on and we will deliver the goods.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his answer. He may be a bit behind in his reading. We tabled in the House a list of $20 billion in spending cuts that could be made over the next three years. Those were our contributions to the solution to that problem.

My supplementary line of inquiry is that one positive signal that the Prime Minister could send to the money markets would be to openly encourage parliamentary committees to reduce rather than simply rubber stamp the spending estimates presented to them.

Could the Prime Minister assure members of the House that if they were to reduce the spending estimates presented to them in committee, the government would accept those reductions and not regard them as an expression of non-confidence in the government's budget?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at all the expenditures. If the committees want to make more recommendations we will be delighted to see them but there are some principles, some things we will not agree to cut.

We will not scrap medicare in Canada even if members ask us to do that.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

Good, some members opposite are applauding. Do members want us to scrap old age pensions?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

Okay. Do members want us to stop transferring money to-

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.