Debates of June 13th, 1994

Peacekeepers In Former Yugoslavia

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

Mr. Speaker, it would be premature to take any such decision because, as the hon. member implied in his question, there is still time for discussions to be under way and we hope to have a positive outcome.

[Jean-Marc Jacob, Bloc, Charlesbourg, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my supplemental is for members of the government. Instead of worrying, as it did last January, the civilian population which has survived until now largely because of the presence and assistance of Canadian peacekeepers, as the Prime Minister himself remarked during his visit and as I myself have noted, why does the government not reassure civilians by maintaining its presence in the area and its participation in peace efforts, thereby guarding against any further escalation in the violence and killings?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government has not announced any change in the present position of the Canadian peacekeepers. I appreciate very much the hon. member's support for the peacekeeping forces of a strong and united Canada. We appreciate that very much.

Taxation

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development. For millions of parents the preferred method of caring for their preschool children is to care for them at home. The Income Tax Act only allows tax breaks for parents who send their children to daycare, but not for those who forgo income in order to take care of their kids at home.

Will the government adjust its tax policies to give equal treatment to the majority of families who prefer to care for their children in their own homes?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is a matter which can be properly and very effectively addressed during the course of the major review we have under way on a wide range of social programs. I advise the hon. member to submit his views in a brief for consideration.

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my brief was duly submitted about two weeks ago. I hope the minister gets a chance to read it.

An Angus Reid and CTV poll released today suggested that most parents would rather care for their preschool children in their own homes. This confirms much of what my colleagues have been saying all along. The current federal tax rules make it more expensive for parents to care for their children at home than to send them to daycare. All parents should have the freedom to choose what form of care is best for their children.

When will the government stop penalizing millions of parents who choose to care for their preschool children at home?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is expressing a strong concern about the strength and value of the Canadian family. I am sure he also recognizes there is a wide variety and diversity of family activities.

Many families are involved in the workplace these days. It has become a very major change and a very positive change in our society. It also creates certain pressures and certain kinds of responsibilities which can best be handled if good child care is available. We want to make sure there is a balance between the interests of looking after children, whether the parents decide to stay at home or whether they are in the workplace. In keeping with the broad philosophy of our party we want to make sure there is a balance of views and not simply one-sided views.

Status Of Women

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

My question is for the Secretary of State for the Status of Women. In answer to a question raised last Monday about grants to women's groups in Canada and Quebec, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development said that delays in granting the subsidy to the Quebec women's federation were due to their evaluation reports being late.

A representative of the federation said this morning that all women's groups in Canada are still waiting for their grants.

Can the Secretary of State for the Status of Women tell us when the $9 million in grants will be paid to the organizations that look after the interests of women in Canada and Quebec?

[Sheila Finestone, Liberal, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women)]

Thank you for the question, Madam. According to my information, the money has been allocated. It is nearly $10 million. If there is any delay in this regard, I consider your question very important and I will look into it with the minister responsible.

[The Speaker]

I would always like hon. members to remember me both in their questions and in their answers. I am still here.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask a supplementary question. How can the Secretary of State for the Status of Women claim to be helping groups when many of them have to lay off their employees because of the government's negligence on this issue?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member would be very pleased to know that at a time of very tight fiscal restraints, where in the past budget certain requirements were made to cut budgets across the board, we made the very deliberate and important decision not to cut the funding for women's programs but to have it stay the same.

I can further inform the hon. member that last week in the time I had available, when I was not preparing my responses to the questions from her hon. colleagues, I was very busy signing off all the allocations for women's groups within the province of Quebec and throughout Canada. I am sure they will all have their funding in proper time. We so informed the representatives of the national action committee this morning that those signatures were already in place.

The Family

[Art Hanger, Reform, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on May 13 the Prime Minister made a statement in support of the International Year of the Family. In this speech he affirmed that his government supports a phrase which has been used in some of the literature of the United Nations. It refers to the family as the smallest democracy at the heart of society.

Could the Acting Prime Minister explain what he interprets this definition of the family as a small democracy to mean?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not for me to interpret the words of the Prime Minister. They very much speak for themselves and frankly, they sound pretty good to me.

[Art Hanger, Reform, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, they were not the words of the Prime Minister. He only recited the words of the UN in referring to the family.

There are alternative ways of interpreting this term that are much more alarming. It is important to know whether or not the Acting Prime Minister agrees that parents should be able to direct the behaviour of their children, prescribe teaching and reasonable discipline, and impart their own values to the children without interference from the state.

Will the Acting Prime Minister confirm that the state has no place in the nurseries of the nation?

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

Mr. Speaker, this requires discussion and debate that we do not have the time for in Question Period.

What about the role of the state in making sure our children have enough food, clothing and education? What about the role of the state in making sure that children in nurseries are not in abusive situations? This matter cannot be sloughed aside the way my hon. friend is attempting to do.

Mil Davie

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Orléans, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the minister politically responsible for Quebec, the Minister of Transport, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, the minister responsible for Quebec's economic development and the Minister of Finance.

Quebec has already done more than its share to rationalize Canadian shipyards and MIL Davie has also done its duty by submitting a new business plan. Yet its order book remains empty and the federal government is still slow to make clear its intentions regarding the contract to build a new ferry for the Magdalen Islands. The government is always talking about putting Canadians back to work. We have here a concrete project that is ready to start.

My question is this: When will the government finally make a decision regarding the construction of a new ferry for the Magdalen Islands, thus giving a little renewed hope to the Quebec City region and the MIL Davie workers?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows full well, we now have a business plan for MIL Davie that has not yet been approved by the unions. A real business plan that will be the basis for MIL Davie's future must first be approved by the shareholders and the unions before we can say what MIL Davie's future will be like.

However, it must be noted that, with respect to the ferry issue, which my colleague, the Minister of Transport, has addressed on several occasions, we first have to decide whether or not a new ferry is really needed. After that decision is made, we will be in a position to answer the other questions.

[The Speaker]

Dear colleagues, although some questions may be addressed to one, two or five ministers, it is not always necessary to name them all; perhaps you could name just one.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Orléans, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I must tell you that William Shakespeare was not on the list of ministers I addressed my questions to.

Can the minister tell us where his government stands on the multifunctional smart ship project that could contribute to MIL Davie's long-term recovery and maintain thousands of jobs in the Quebec City region?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, again, the smart ship was proposed but there are other interests involved and the Minister of Defence has still not decided whether it is needed.

I am a little confused by the Bloc Quebecois's attitude. Let me explain, Mr. Speaker. According to the Bloc member for Richelieu, contracts should be awarded on the basis of free competition and therefore on capitalism's basic principle of the right to make offers.

I am not sure if the Bloc supports the position of the hon. member for Richelieu or if they are asking the government to award non-competitive contracts to MIL Davie. What is their position?

Festival Franco-Ontarien

[Eugène Bellemare, Liberal, Carleton—Gloucester, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The 19th edition of the Festival franco-ontarien will take place from June 21 to 26. This festival attracts 600,000 visitors to the National Capital Region and generates $12 million in local economic benefits.

With the opening of this festival only eight days away, can the heritage minister tell this House the amount of the federal contribution to the Festival franco-ontarien ?

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, that a grant of $300,000 will be awarded over two years, that is, 1994-95 and 1995-96. Of this, $180,000 will go to the Festival's basic activities and $120,000 will be to help make the Festival financially self-sufficient.

I would remind my colleagues that the Festival franco-ontarien will open on June 21, which more or less coincides with the end of this session. It therefore offers an excellent opportunity to celebrate the success of this session of Parliament.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Paul Forseth, Reform, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

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

In British Columbia the RCMP represents the largest portion of police protection. Bill C-17 froze pay and movement within the increment pay grid for two years. Last year the RCMP worked over 600,000 hours of unpaid voluntary overtime equalling $20 million. Fifteen hundred officers met to say quite angrily that this overtime is over if the freeze continues.

Would the Solicitor General please tell this House how he proposes to make up the 600,000 hours while still protecting the community at the highest possible level?

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

Mr. Speaker, the commissioner and I are aware of the concerns of the members of the RCMP. We are sensitive to them and we are working to find solutions. In the meantime the commissioner designate Mr. Murray has said that members of the RCMP are quite responsible and will carry out their duties in due course. I think we continue to have confidence in the professionalism of the RCMP in British Columbia and throughout Canada.