Debates of May 31st, 1994

Igloolik Isuma Productions

[Jack Iyerak Anawak, Liberal, Nunatsiaq, NT]

Mr. Speaker, in 1990 Zacharias Kunuk, Paul Qulitak and Norman Cohn founded Igloolik Isuma Productions, Canada's first Inuit owned independent video production company.

Only four years old, the company won this year's Bell Canada award for outstanding achievement in video art. It won this award for its Nunavut series, 13 programs depicting Inuit life in Igloolik in 1945.

The actors are local people, real people doing real things in real life. The series shows Inuit history and culture as told and lived by Inuit, and therein lies its power.

I was in Igloolik last summer for part of the filming and spent some time talking to Zacharias. He is a young man of extraordinary vision and talent. His professionalism and dedication are something to be admired.

I congratulate Igloolik Isuma on its tremendous achievement and wish it continued success.

Ethanol

[Rex Crawford, Liberal, Kent, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Liberal delegates at the Ottawa convention earlier this month who approved all resolutions boosting ethanol production. It is great to see grassroot Liberals showing this leadership, but it should come as no surprise.

In 1991 the leader of the opposition and now our Prime Minister called on the Conservative government to introduce legislation supporting ethanol.

The historic ethanol plant announced for southern Ontario, the eighth largest in North America, will add $2.7 billion to Ontario's economy over 12 years. Even the city of Sarnia bid on the plant.

The U.S. is already planning 49 new ethanol plants.

Tens of thousands of area residents have signed petitions and written letters to our Prime Minister urging federal involvement in the Ontario plant.

Grassroot Canadians and Liberal delegates alike know we have a government for the people, not for the bureaucrats. The people are for ethanol.

Multiple Sclerosis

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

Mr. Speaker, today is the last day of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month.

An estimated 50,000 Canadians suffer from MS. It is the most common disease of the central nervous system affecting young adults in their prime. Twice as many women as men suffer from MS. It is usually progressive and leads to numbness, loss of balance, tremors and even paralysis.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada was founded in 1948 to help those affected by the disease. Today it has a Canada-wide membership of approximately 26,000. The society promotes and supports MS research and services for people with MS as well as their families. This is accomplished through charitable donations to the society and fund raising events such as the Carnation Campaign which took place this past month.

I wish to congratulate the volunteers and staff of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada for a successful month and to encourage all Canadians to lend support to Multiple Sclerosis Month and to the Carnation Campaign.

Tribute To Aqepa

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

Mr. Speaker, as part of National Access Awareness Week, today we wish to draw the attention of the House to the twenty-fifth anniversary of AQEPA, the Association du Québec pour enfants avec problèmes auditifs.

Founded in 1969 by André and Louise Rochette, the association now has more than 1,000 members. I also would like to draw the attention of the House to the exceptional work done within this organization by Denis Lazure, ex-minister of the Parti québécois, who also sponsored the bill to create the Office des personnes handicapées.

Over the years, AQEPA has managed to regroup parents of hearing-impaired children, to teach them and the other parties concerned, to promote the integration of children in the school environment, to raise funds and to increase public awareness.

We can be proud of these initiatives which our society needs very badly, and we believe it is important to encourage organizations that are dedicated to improving the quality of life of the disabled.

National Access Awareness Week

[Ian McClelland, Reform, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday marked the beginning of the seventh annual National Access Awareness Week. This week is important in raising awareness and making Canadians more sensitive to disability issues. This year's theme is "Choices and Challenges".

In celebration of National Access Awareness Week it is imperative that we provide individuals with disabilities equality of opportunity. This means governments must rethink the way we provide benefits to the disabled. Presently persons with disabilities find themselves in a catch-22 position. Many want to work and yet once they find employment we remove the support that allowed them to get a job in the first place.

If we want to ensure that persons with disabilities are net contributors to our society we must remove the barriers that impede their abilities.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Marlene Cowling, Liberal, Dauphin—Swan River, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Wheat Board is western Canada's single desk selling agency for the export sale of wheat and barley.

The Canadian Wheat Board has served the interests of western Canadian farmers superbly over the years and continues to do so.

In addition, it provides an unparalleled level of customer service to all the millers and bakers and noodle makers around the world who are the ultimate consumers of our product.

The Canadian Wheat Board is one of the great Canadian success stories in international trade.

World No Tobacco Day

[Rey D. Pagtakhan, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are proud their government announced its largest ever anti-smoking drive on the eve of World No Tobacco Day.

If current trends are not reversed smoking will claim the lives of 10 million citizens of the world each year within three decades. In Canada alone 38,000 citizens die each year from smoking related illnesses, the equivalent of a third of most MPs ridings' population.

The challenge to the world is to create a smoke free society. Harmonization of cigarette prices by means of taxation should be part of an international anti-smoking strategy.

Canada has long been a world leader in this area of public health policy. Effective public policy begins with the will of individual citizens.

For non-smokers this day is an opportunity to reaffirm their will not to smoke. For smokers this day is an opportunity for a new beginning to free themselves from the prison of addiction.

Employment

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in October past Canadians elected this government with a mandate to create employment. Infrastructure announcements are now flowing steadily. This is helping create employment, a promise we made to Canadians.

I would like to thank the minister for his hard work in ensuring the success of this program.

There are, however, other indicators that we are on the road to recovery. A recent survey by an employment agency indicates that unemployed individuals have a better opportunity of finding employment this summer than they have had in the past four years. This agency also states that one-quarter of Canadian companies plan on increasing staff in the next three months.

I am very encouraged that this will not only help in large urban centres but will have a significant influence on employment in smaller cities such as Peterborough.

This is encouraging news for many Canadians who have been waiting desperately to rejoin the workforce and contribute their work skills to this great nation.

Language Rights

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Richelieu, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct what was said by the Deputy Prime Minister, who stated in the House yesterday that the Bloc Quebecois had voted

against equal rights for the francophone and anglophone communities of New Brunswick. As usual, the Deputy Prime Minister distorts reality instead of answering questions.

Here are the facts: on December 11, 1992, the Bloc Quebecois asked the unanimous consent of the House for a motion acknowledging those rights to be voted on in a dignified manner, not rushed through to avoid making waves. We suggested having the vote the same day and publicly reaffirmed our support, but we did not obtain the requisite unanimous consent.

On February 1, 1993, when there was an official vote on this motion, the eight members of the Bloc who were present all voted for the motion.

Mr. Speaker, the truth must be told.

[English]

Bill C-7

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, physicians and other scientists in Canada are very concerned about the government's proposed legislation, Bill C-7.

Criminal law must be very clear and concise because of the serious penalties for breaking the law. However, this legislation is vague and broad. Through provisions for as yet unnamed substances to be added to the schedule of controlled drugs, health professionals dealing with innovative active chemical ingredients may be liable to serious legal penalties which are not clarified in the act.

Furthermore, by intertwining criminal law with regulatory law, regulatory inspectors effectively acquire criminal search and seizure powers.

Physicians and other scientists support attempts to better control the non-medical use of drugs. I call on the government to put forward serious amendments to Bill C-7. We must ensure that physicians are not hamstrung by bad legislation in their attempts to provide quality health care to Canadians.

Partnership Walk

[Marlene Catterall, Liberal, Ottawa West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, May 29 I had the privilege of attending, along with my colleague from Ottawa South who was the guest of honour, an event that was truly a tribute to our country's commitment to creating opportunities for people in the developing world.

Sixty thousand Canadians in 10 cities across this country participated in the 10th anniversary of Partnership Walk as sponsors and walkers in a tremendous show of support for all the people of our global village. Partnership Walk is an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation to create an understanding about development and show the world that Canadians do indeed care about improving the lives of those in developing countries.

This year's project was especially interesting, being about women in development. Women for as little as $5 or $10 loans are starting businesses and raising themselves and their children out of poverty.

My congratulations to all the volunteers who helped make this year's Partnership Walk happen.

World No Tobacco Day

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today is World No Tobacco Day.

This annual event is sponsored by the World Health Organization to focus attention on the devastating consequences of tobacco use. Smoking is responsible for some three million deaths each year around the world, 40,000 deaths in Canada alone.

This year's theme is "The Media and Tobacco: Getting the Message Across". The Canadian media has been responsible for alerting and educating the public to the health hazards of tobacco.

I congratulate it and urge it to continue its role as advocate. I would like to urge those Canadians who smoke to think about stopping.

Health Canada in partnership with the National Clearinghouse on Tobacco and Health has compiled an inventory of smoking cessation programs. I would be prepared to provide a copy of this resource to anyone who feels they need assistance in quitting or the groups active in this field.

Today is the day to say no to tobacco.

Salmon Fishery

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I regret to say it now appears that a war between Canada and the United States over Pacific coast salmon stocks is inevitable unless immediate action is taken.

Negotiations have been made impossible. While Canada has a clear position regarding the renewal of the Pacific salmon treaty, the United States seems to have an Alaska position, a Washington State position, an Oregon position, a California position, a commercial fishery position, a native fishery position, a sports fishery position. In other words, Americans simply do not have their act together.

While negotiators blame each other for the impasse and the federal and provincial ministers hurl threats at their American counterparts, the reality is the Pacific coast salmon stocks are now at risk.

Planned retaliation by both Canadian and United States fishing fleets means disastrous overfishing of the salmon stocks and the possible repeat of what has happened with the east coast fishery.

We cannot sit back and watch this fishery disaster unfold. It is time our Prime Minister called on the President of the United States to intervene in this crisis if a full scale salmon war is to be averted.

Family Trusts

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, a Canadian Press dispatch reports that a lobby group representing the interests of wealthy Canadian families, the Canadian Association for Family Enterprise, apparently persuaded the former government last year to extend family trusts, a form of tax shelter.

My question is for the Minister of Finance. Having left family trusts untouched in his budget, can the minister tell us if he too caved in to the pressure from these same lobbyists, after having strongly condemned himself the Conservatives' decision in 1993 to extend this form of abuse which allows wealthy families to shelter hundreds of millions of dollars from taxes each year?

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

Mr. Speaker, we stated very clearly in our budget that the issue of family trusts was one of considerable concern to us and, in order for information to be made truly public, it was our intention-and it still is-to refer the matter to the finance committee, which is what we intend to do.

Regarding this lobby group which put pressure on the government, I must admit that I know nothing about it because it did not put any pressure on us. Their target was the previous government, at a time when the Leader of the Opposition was a member of Cabinet.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, just a technical reminder, but I resigned from the Conservative cabinet in May 1990 and this decision was made in 1993.

I get the feeling that many Canadian and Quebec taxpayers are fed up with the evasive answers of the minister, who seems content to refer the matter to a committee. While the committees sit, the wealthy line their pockets and the poor pay!

Can the Minister of Finance confirm if the figures published today by Canadian Press and showing that his decision to maintain these trusts allows a wealthy Canadian family to save an average of $10 million each year are indeed correct, and how can he allow them to continue enjoying this kind of perk when, at the same time, he is imposing heavy burdens on the unemployed and on the disadvantaged?

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

Mr. Speaker, when we took office, having opposed the previous government and the way it was treating family trusts, we found that the information we were being provided was inadequate.

As a result of that and because we really wanted this to be a public debate we referred it to the finance committee in order that Canadians have an opportunity to have that debate.

I would also remind the Leader of the Opposition that in 1987 he was a member of the previous cabinet. In 1987 the previous government was going to do something about it and that is when it began to react to lobbyists, when he was a member of that cabinet.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, for the sake of this discussion, it should be pointed out that we have the Liberals to thank for this marvellous tax shelter which they introduced in 1972 for a period of 21 years. It was slated to expire in 1993 and it was the Conservatives who extended it. What the wealthy families wanted was time, and they got plenty of it thanks to the Minister of Finance who came to their defence.

How can the Minister of Finance expect to be a credible defender of family trusts when on April 19, 1993, he rose in this House to vote against the Conservatives' decision to extend the perks enjoyed by wealthy families? What possible reason can the minister give for his complete about-face which will deprive the government of hundreds of millions of dollars each year in tax revenues?

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

Mr. Speaker, the best way to stop abuse is by being open. Why is the Leader of the Opposition afraid of a public debate before the finance committee on which his party will be represented? We are not afraid of a debate. We are not afraid of providing the Canadian public with information and I can only wonder why the Leader of the Opposition continues to say that we are dodging this issue. What about his record as a minister in the Mulroney government when it caved in to pressure from lobbyists?

Government Finances

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a study published yesterday by the C.D. Howe Institute concludes after a thorough analysis that the Liberals' budget strategy is inadequate for reaching their goal of lowering the federal deficit to 3 per cent of GDP.

My question is for the Minister of Finance. How does the Minister of Finance react to this study, which totally calls into question his budgetary and fiscal objectives and again singles out his inability to properly control the government's finances?

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

Mr. Speaker, like the hon. member, I have not had time to read the report which just came out this morning. I have read summaries.

It says that it is dangerous to let the deficit and debt go out of control and we agree. That is why our goal is to reduce it to 3 per cent of the gross domestic product in three years. It says that public-sector salaries must be controlled and we agree. That is why, under the leadership of the Minister responsible for Public Service Renewal, we are really examining all government spending. Although I have not read the report, I must say that we fully agree with the conclusions on the effects of the debt and the deficit.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the institute's report indeed says that the measures in the finance minister's budget are all totally inadequate and totally ineffective for reducing the deficit.

I ask the Minister of Finance if, instead of taking a wait-and-see attitude to the disastrous situation of the Canadian government's finances, he does not agree that he must urgently eliminate duplication and inefficiency and immediately eliminate outrageous tax evasions such as family trusts. It is not social programs that should be attacked in the cowardly way you are attacking them.

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

Mr. Speaker, one reason we referred the whole issue of family trusts to the finance committee is that the Bloc Quebecois's finance critic suggested it. Unfortunately, we followed his advice.

I would say something else. It is quite interesting that the Bloc Quebecois which claims to have some degree of compassion-it has not demonstrated it so far-cites the C.D. Howe report which came out this morning but has not cited the report that came out on the tremendous causes of the relationship between unemployment and the deficit that came out last week, the study by Diane Bellemare.

Why is it that the Bloc Quebecois is prepared to talk about deficit but refuses to talk about unemployment?

Province Of Quebec

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

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

[An hon. member]

Oh, new tie, new haircut, new suit.