House of Commons Hansard #69 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was offenders.

Topics

BiovacOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member should wait until the end of question period to ask that question.

BiovacOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Laurentides, QC

Mr. Speaker, how can the Minister justify the use of such a procedure with respect to a supplier to the Government when his responsibility to award government contracts is absolutely incompatible with such behaviour?

BiovacOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Cape Breton—East Richmond Nova Scotia

Liberal

David Dingwall LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has once again made another factual mistake with regard to the contract between BioVac and Connaught Laboratories.

If the hon. member has evidence that BioVac or Connaught has done anything incorrectly or inappropriately, she should bring it to the attention of the House. If that is the case, we will examine it. I have no information before me to suggest that.

The member knows that the contract that was let was fair, equitable for the participants and all the stakeholders. Yes, I can understand the hon. member's desire to have 100 cents on every dollar. She has to realize there is much more to her concerns than just having the contract go to one company.

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

John Williams Reform St. Albert, AB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

Many Canadians will remember that the Liberals protested when the Tory government kept poll results secret and many Canadians will remember the Liberal election promise of open government. Unfortunately the government does not seem to remember any of these things.

My question for the minister is this. Can he outline what specific criteria other ministers must follow when contracting polls in secret? What specific criteria will determine whether poll results are to be kept secret or is that information secret as well?

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Cape Breton—East Richmond Nova Scotia

Liberal

David Dingwall LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

The hon. member has asked several questions but let it be said that the guidelines are very clear. We are the first cabinet ever to put guidelines in place in order to try to address this situation.

I want to quote for the hon. member Frank Graves, the chairman of the industry and government liaison committee of the Canadian Association of Market Research Organizations when he said: "On behalf of the Canadian Association of Market Research Organizations, I would like to express our approval of the general direction and principles stressed in the new policy.

We strongly support any moves to a more transparent and competitive process which will stress best overall value as the key to the selection of suppliers".

In essence that is the purpose of the guidelines, to have a competitive process, to make sure that it is open and transparent and that there is accountability. That is what the guidelines do.

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

John Williams Reform St. Albert, AB

Mr. Speaker, I also asked whether the results of the polls would be kept secret. According to the guidelines, they are to be kept secret at the discretion of the minister. Perhaps the next government will also find an empty book when it goes looking for the rules. There do not seem to be any.

My question for the minister is this. If the government is elected by the people and uses money that belongs to the people to ask questions of the people, why is he going to keep the results secret from the people?

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Cape Breton—East Richmond Nova Scotia

Liberal

David Dingwall LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member obviously has not read the guidelines.

The guidelines say quite clearly-

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

David Dingwall Liberal Cape Breton—East Richmond, NS

I want to thank hon. members for their support.

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

PollsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

David Dingwall Liberal Cape Breton—East Richmond, NS

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that the guidelines say very clearly that the bulk of polling information will be made available to the public. The hon. member should understand, and I know it is difficult, that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled repeatedly that there are certain confidences that cabinet can and must preserve to protect the public interest, to protect Canada's interests.

If the hon. member is suggesting that there can never, ever be a situation where a poll should not be released to the Canadian people, that it could never, ever offend the best interests of the public, he is living in a fairy tale world.

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

The Ontario Legislature yesterday passed, almost unanimously, a resolution calling on the federal government to negotiate with the provinces concerning its reform of social programs. In addition, the Premier of Ontario, who is concerned about the budgetary impact of reform on his province, said that many of the programs targeted by the federal initiative come, for the most part, under exclusive or shared provincial jurisdiction.

In view of the major objections raised by Quebec and now Ontario concerning the centralizing objectives of the government's reform proposals, when will the Minister of Human Resources Development finally sit down with the provinces and negotiate directly with them? When will the meeting slated for April 18 finally take place?

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Winnipeg South Centre Manitoba

Liberal

Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, the commitment to full discussion and consultation with the provinces was our idea, not that of the provinces.

When we first announced this initiative in January we said that we wanted to do it in full partnership with provincial jurisdictions as well as with a wide range of Canadians and all the stakeholders and interest groups. I am certainly pleased that the Ontario legislature endorsed the principle of sitting down to have a fair and open discussion.

As an example of that, about two weeks ago I met with the Ontario ministers of education and community services to have a close, direct discussion concerning the very important initiatives we want to take.

I am very pleased that the Government of Ontario, along with all other provincial governments, are prepared to co-operate with us in undertaking a major forum. I just wish the Bloc Quebecois would be as co-operative.

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC

The question asked was: When will the meeting slated for April 18 be held with all of the provinces to initiate a process?

Can the Minister, under these circumstances, and because the meeting did not take place and a new date has not been announced, confirm that his action plan, originally slated to be ready at the end of April, will be tabled before Parliament recesses as scheduled on June 14?

Social ProgramsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Winnipeg South Centre Manitoba

Liberal

Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to ensure that before there is a full meeting of all the ministers involved that we are able to agree on agendas and work on a number of the initiatives.

We are trying to put in place developments that would lead toward a proper child care policy. We have to examine a number of strategic initiatives that would be part of our $800 million program.

As a consequence I have asked the deputy minister of my department to be in touch with his counterparts across the country and to sit down and arrange those agendas. That meeting will be taking place at the end of the month, I believe the date is May 30, at which time all the deputy ministers of all the provinces will come together so that we can work out the kind of agenda and program that will be required for federal-provincial discussions and consultations.

I want to report to the hon. member and to the House that we are carrying forward this process in a very deliberate, very careful and very consultative fashion. I know that will make her very happy.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Lethbridge Alberta

Reform

Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.

Since the federal budget in February things have changed. Real and nominal short and long term interest rates have risen. This and next year's growth projections are down. Unemployment has remained dismally high and, in short, every economic indicator has turned rather sour.

Yesterday we learned the true reason for this. According to a recently released study, Canada places below Poland, Ethiopia, Brazil, New Zealand, and even war-torn Rwanda-

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

Would the hon. member please put his question.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Lethbridge Alberta

Reform

Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge

My question is for the Minister of Finance. Now that we have classed ourselves among the third world nations of indebtedness, will the finance minister admit that the debt problem of Canada is the number one economic problem we face.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development -Quebec

Mr. Speaker, the member seems to have a set of statistics which may well have been written by Lewis Carroll but they certainly have very little relationship to reality.

In the last three months we have created 115,000 jobs, the help wanted index is up by 2 per cent in both April and March, an increase of .7 per cent in the leading indicator, consumer and business confidence is up more than 13 per cent in the first quarter, housing starts are up 5.9 per cent in April, retail sales are up .9 per cent.

The International Monetary Fund has said that next year in terms of employment, productivity, growth and confidence Canada is going to be either first or second of all the G-7 nations and I will take the IMF.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

I thought for a minute there we were going to get into quotations again.

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Lethbridge Alberta

Reform

Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance certainly can be optimistic but Canadians are very concerned about the deficit and the debt and I am sure the minister is as well.

The minister has acknowledged that the number one item at the finance ministers' meeting in June is to be a national strategy on deficit reduction. Is the minister willing to do that with the intention of emerging from that meeting to set national targets for deficit reduction?

The EconomyOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development -Quebec

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in the House-I believe to a question from the same member last week-I am certainly prepared to suggest to my provincial counterparts that the deficit and debt reduction be an important item for discussion at the forthcoming finance ministers' conference.

However, I would like to remind the hon. member opposite that when we made the deficit projections for the year just ended we set out a target of $44 to $46 billion, a very unfortunate and very high target. That was based on a continuation in January, February and March of the unfortunate figures that the nation suffered in terms of employment and growth in the months of October, November and December of the previous year.

I am delighted to say that as a result of the very large scale job growth which is much higher than we projected that the deficit will come at the lower end of that scale. In fact it may well come in lower.

What that demonstrates is that while cutting government spending is certainly a very important objective of the government and is an essential part of deficit reduction, what it also demonstrates is that getting Canadians back to work is the most important thing we can do.

Sales TaxOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Finance.

Yesterday, after reiterating his intention of harmonizing the various sales taxes, the Minister confirmed that he wanted to put in place a single tax, and I quote: "We want to introduce a sales tax- because that is what the business community, consumers and provincial governments want". In addition, the Minister of Finance refused to promise that he will not encroach upon provincial jurisdiction where tax matters are concerned.

Regardless of the alternative to the GST, is it in the Minister of Finance's plans to have his proposed single tax combining all provincial and federal taxes administered and collected by the federal government?

Sales TaxOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that consumers as well as the business community in all of the provinces really want a harmonized tax to reduce administration charges and make life much simpler for consumers. That is what we want and what I believe the vast majority of provincial governments want as well. Of course, how we go about harmonizing the tax is certainly open to discussion and we are quite amenable to that.

Sales TaxOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has stated that provincial governments want a single tax. Can he confirm whether negotiations are under way with provincial governments to combine provincial sales taxes and the GST into a single national sales tax?