Debates of May 5th, 1994

Canadian Museum Of Nature

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Despite the fact that we tried everything possible and imaginable to bring the minister to shed some light on the management of the Canadian Museum of Nature, he still refuses to hold a public inquiry. Yet, some troubling points remain and since the minister wants to know the facts, does he not think that the internal inquiry report should be made public and will he put pressure on the museum's board to make it release the conclusions of the report?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, this is an internal report commissioned by the management of the museum which has an arms-length relationship with the government. This does not mean that I do not care about what goes on there, and I will see how we could provide more information to our colleagues opposite.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, should I remind this House that the present director of financial services, who started at the beginning of 1994, was previously employed by the company hired by the board to prepare a report on the museum. Does the minister not think that this is a rather strange coincidence? Why does he not suspend immediately and without pay the director of the Canadian Museum of Nature until we know the conclusions of the inquiry presently conducted by the Auditor General's Office?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the doubts raised by the hon. member regarding the management of this museum and its inquiry are precisely the reason why I will be relying on the job being done by the Auditor General's Office.

National Parole Board

[Val Meredith, Reform, Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC]

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

In 1972 Valmond Lebouthillier received a life sentence for second degree murder. During 19 years of incarceration he had a history of violence and unco-operative behaviour but he was still given full parole in September 1991. In June 1992 he exposed himself to women, but a suspension warrant was cancelled. Two months later he stabbed and sexually assaulted a woman.

Despite a number of internal inquiries critical of the board's decision, one of the board members involved in this decision

was given a job at the parole board's Ottawa headquarters evaluating the work of other board members.

Will the minister acknowledge to this House that problems with the National Parole Board go beyond just one or two isolated incidents and that the entire parole system must be re-examined?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has indicated a number of concerns that arose before this government took office.

We are committed to working to improve and strengthen the parole and correction system. I have already said that I, on behalf of the government, intend to bring down legislation before too long to achieve this purpose. I look forward to the support and encouragement of the hon. member to achieve these objectives.

[Val Meredith, Reform, Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged by the words, but this government has frequently congratulated itself for having the courage to cancel multi-billion dollar helicopter deals and Pearson airport deals to save taxpayers money.

Why does the Prime Minister find it so difficult to cancel some $100,000 governor in council appointments that may save taxpayers' lives?

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

Mr. Speaker, this Parliament has created the National Parole Board as an independent semi-judicial body, akin to a court.

I think it is a very serious matter and has to be proceeded with due care and attention if one is considering revoking an appointment. I do not think the hon. member would want to create a set up where there is political interference or the possibility of accusations of political interference in the decisions of the parole board.

As a result, I take the hon. member's point very seriously. We are looking into the concerns underlying her question. Certainly we will not shrink back from taking action that is justified by a serious consideration of all the facts.

Trade

[David Iftody, Liberal, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister of agriculture.

The Americans are falsely accusing Canadian wheat farmers of dumping their product into U.S. markets and the U.S. has mounted trade sanction attacks against us.

Can the minister advise this House where Canada stands? Will the minister defend the legitimate rights of our Canadian grain producers?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the short answer to the hon. member's question is an unequivocal yes.

As I have said on many occasions, we will not roll over and play dead. Canada will defend this country's vital interests, including those of Canadian grain producers. I have made that point on a number of occasions, as has the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister for International Trade, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

We want a negotiated settlement with the United States. We are prepared to negotiate fairly and in good faith for as long as it takes to get such an agreement. In the meantime we have made it absolutely clear that unilateral trade action by the United States against Canada will be met with vigorous and determined response by Canada.

Customs Tariffs

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after the question asked by my hon. colleague, this one will probably be a little tougher.

In announcing its intention to raise its tariffs on Canadian durum wheat and barley, the United States apparently wants to import less Canadian grain and, in turn, to challenge under the NAFTA provisions the maintenance of the GATT-defined tariffs that Canada intends to impose on products subject to quotas such as poultry, eggs and milk, where Quebec accounts for over 40 per cent of Canadian production.

My question is for the Minister for International Trade. Can the minister state in this House that the government does not intend to cave in to American pressure on tariffs and that it will not strike any kind of bargain with the various agricultural sectors in order to facilitate negotiations with the U.S. on exports of durum wheat and barley?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we are not linking products in our discussions with the United States. We are not linking questions pertaining to the tariffication of dairy and poultry quotas with those of grain. We are not linking the rights of Canadian grain farmers to other issues. We are dealing with both issues quite separately.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, can the minister tell this House which provisions will prevail in trade disputes between Canada and the U.S., that is whether or not

GATT will take precedence over NAFTA, and could he table in this House the legal opinions on which his answers are based?

[Roy MacLaren, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that Canada's position has been clearly conveyed to the United States on numerous occasions. That is that our belief, our conviction and our best legal advice without question is that the GATT rules take precedence over the NAFTA.

National Defence

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of National Defence.

On two previous occasions, January 26 and February 15, I have asked the minister about the excessively high rates his department pays for the household moves of military personnel. I have never received a satisfactory answer.

I am well aware that the minister has managed to get a 10 per cent reduction in the last tender due to adverse publicity, but this has only scratched the surface of waste and mismanagement.

I ask the minister again today, what is he doing to bring more open and fair competition to defence department household moves?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think it depends on one's perspective. There are a number of moving companies in Canada, a couple of hundred I think, that are involved in the whole movement of household effects for national defence. We have to move a lot of employees around the country.

We are assured at the moment that we are getting the best deal and we are always trying to seek improvements. I know there are some members in the House, and the hon. member is one of them, who believes that we are not getting the best deal, but I have yet to see the proof. If he has the proof, I will certainly study it.

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that seems to be a little bit more smoke and mirrors. The Prime Minister has stood in this House and repeatedly asked for ways to save money. It has been suggested that in this department there could be a $25 million saving.

The Ottawa Citizen and the member for Waterloo have both called for an inquiry into the wasteful way in which household moves are conducted. Will the minister come clean with taxpayers and order such an inquiry?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are not going to order an inquiry. We are looking into every aspect of spending in the department, as my colleagues are in their departments. If we think we can get a better deal for the taxpayers, we are not wedded to one particular solution.

Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for federal-provincial relations.

Next week, the Quebec Minister of Education will meet with the minister responsible for federal-provincial relations in an effort to convince Ottawa to preserve the military vocation of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean.

Can the minister tell us how the federal government intends to respond to the Quebec government's request to preserve the military vocation of the college in Saint-Jean, an essential condition for maintaining university level courses at this campus?

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I have already had the opportunity this week to discuss the future of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean with Minister Chagnon. Obviously we are going to proceed with the measures announced in the budget and reduce the number of military colleges to one. However, negotiations are continuing and I think they could prove to be productive and satisfactory to both parties.

Young Offenders

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the justice minister.

Today, if Scott Farion from Edmonton were alive, he would be celebrating his 18th birthday. Instead, his life was cut short when he became Edmonton's first murder victim of 1994. So today his parents are grieving their loss rather than enjoying his birthday.

The tragedy of this case is that Scott's murder could have been prevented. Scott's alleged killer is a 16-year old repeat offender who was out on probation for another crime at the time of the murder.

What can the minister tell Scott's parents today to assure them that this government plans to get tough with young offenders?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that case may still be before the courts. Therefore I do not want to comment on the facts of the case apart from expressing my sorrow at the description of the tragedy that has been given by the hon. member.

The hon. member knows, and I have told the House, that I will be bringing forward legislation in June to change the Young Offenders Act to reflect longer maximum sentences for serious violent crimes among other things. I have made that clear.

Let me go on to say that in the face of such tragedies, it is important in my respectful view to bear in mind that the simple change of a statute or enacting another law is not going to change much unless at the same time we come to grips with the conditions that lead to this kind of offence.

This government is committed not only to the kind of effective legislation we need, and the member will see it soon, but also to an attack on the underlying causes of crime. That is what we intend to do.

Government Infrastructure

[Brenda Chamberlain, Liberal, Guelph—Wellington, ON]

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

It is widely accepted that a sound electronic infrastructure will greatly improve the efficiency of government. How is public works and government services taking advantage of tomorrow's technology to increase efficiency, improve services and reduce costs for the Canadian taxpayer today?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, this department, government services and public works, now provides 70 per cent of the telecommunications services for the government.

It is profiting from the new electronic infrastructure programs that are available. Let me give examples very quickly. We have a program, the Electronic Mail Network, which connects 120,000 public servants across the country. It saves Canadians $55 million per year. We have introduced an automated public service compensation system that saves Canadian taxpayers $44 million a year.

Information Highway

[Simon de Jong, NDP, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

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

There is a growing concern that the information highway will be controlled by a few monopoly companies. I would like to ask the minister has the government defined what is in the public interest as it concerns the information highway? How should that public interest be implemented, protected and enforced?