Debates of June 22nd, 1994

Goods And Services Tax

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the honeymoon for this government is over. It is time it be held accountable. The finance minister in opposition said he would abolish the GST. Today he stands up and defends the GST which he calls a replacement tax.

Will the finance minister depart from his usual double talk, like he just did which quite frankly is insulting to the Canadian taxpayer and admit that he, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for International Trade will have to break their promise to abolish and kill a GST type tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, if anybody wants an example of double talk, it is the minority report of the Reform Party on the GST.

They said: "We don't have to bring in an alternative because we are going to eliminate the deficit within three years", and then given time after time in this House, including a prebudget debate, they have refused as we have asked for them to lay their plans on the table. The time has come for them to put up.

Rehabilitation Programs

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Brant, ON]

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

Recently the Minister of Justice tabled amendments to the Young Offenders Act and a sentencing reform bill that clearly indicated that this government will support increased community based crime prevention and rehabilitation strategies.

I am concerned however about earlier decisions to change federal funding to our local partners, like the St. Leonard's Society, that may jeopardize their ability to help us meet this goal.

Would the Solicitor General please review these funding strategies and assure this House that our local partners will be able to maintain and enhance their community based custodial and non-custodial criminal rehabilitation programs?

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

Mr. Speaker, like the hon. member I believe that organizations such as the St. Leonard's Society in places like Brantford and Windsor and many other parts of the country do very good work.

I want to assure the hon. member that Correctional Services Canada will be working with voluntary agencies across the country over the next number of months to review and refine funding structures as well as standards of service delivery. I would be happy to have her suggestions as to how this review can be carried out in the best interests of these organizations and the communities they serve.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Jean Landry, Bloc, Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party of Canada teamed up with the previous government on the late Charlottetown Accord. The Liberal government, for its part, has still not said whether it intends to reimburse Quebec for the $26 million taxpayers paid twice for this referendum. That is probably the new type of harmonization this government carries out on the backs of the provinces.

Does the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs not admit that, before getting into a new, hypothetical referendum scenario to put Quebec in its place again, the federal government should pay off its debts before anything else?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to reaffirm that the federal government takes its responsibilities by trying to reconcile its views with those of the provinces every time it is required.

The Canadian debt problem must be solved in co-operation with the provinces, and we will continue our efforts to solve this problem with the kind of co-operation shown in the past.

Gasoline Prices

[John Solomon, NDP, Regina—Lumsden, SK]

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

Recently the people of Saskatchewan and other Canadians saw a dramatic and unexplained increase in the price of gasoline. Gasoline prices have gone up despite no tax increases, despite no increases in inflation, despite no increase in the price of crude year over year, and despite the fact that major oil companies announced substantial increases in profits.

Given the above, has your government referred my requests for an investigation into gasoline pricing-

[The Speaker]

Order. The hon. member would please put his question to the Chair.

[John Solomon, NDP, Regina—Lumsden, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question through you to the Deputy Prime Minister, has the Government of Canada referred my request for an investigation into gasoline pricing to the bureau of competition policy? If so, when will it be reporting back to Canadians on this matter? Will you consider setting up an energy price review commission to review all gas price increases in all regions of Canada to protect Canadian consumers-

[The Speaker]

Order. The hon. Minister of Natural Resources.

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, let me say in response to the hon. member's first question that I have not referred that question to the bureau of competition. That is a question I will ask the Minister of Industry to take under advisement.

Let me say in response to the second question of the hon. member that the answer is simply no.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Milliken, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 19 petitions.

Canadian Advisory Council On The Status Of Women

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

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Secretary of State (Status of Women), I am happy to table two bilingual copies of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women's annual report for 1992-93.

Committees Of The House

[Warren Allmand, Liberal, Notre-Dame-De-Grâce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), your committee agreed to recommend that, with reference to the provisions of the Privacy Act governing use of personal information, the continuing disclosure to members of Parliament of the names and addresses of new citizens for the sole purpose of forwarding a one time congratulatory letter with the optional enclosure of information relating to the constituency, constitutes both a purpose in the public interest and a benefit to the individual new citizen, as envisaged by section 8(2)( m ) of the Privacy Act and should be recognized as such by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

[Vic Althouse, NDP, Mackenzie, SK]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order I seek leave to introduce a private member's bill.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)]

In response to the hon. member for Mackenzie, his motions are on the Notice Paper. To proceed we would require unanimous consent. Is the member for Mackenzie making that request?

[Vic Althouse, NDP, Mackenzie, SK]

Yes, Your Honour. I hear rumours we may not be here tomorrow. It has only been filed long enough for presentation tomorrow.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)]

Members have heard the terms of the request. Is there unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Canadian Potato Marketing Act

[Vic Althouse, NDP, Mackenzie, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-266, an act respecting the orderly marketing of potatoes.

Mr. Speaker, this bill would have the effect of creating an agency to present a single desk selling organization for the marketing of Canadian produced potatoes. It proposes a marketing commission for Canadian potatoes in order to permit producers to market through a single desk selling agency for the pricing, marketing and grading of potatoes.

This process has been ongoing in Canada for more than 20 years. It has reached near fruition several times but has always been successfully blocked by the potato trade. I believe this process would avoid that. In fact it would permit producers to use single desk marketing.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)

Committees Of The House

[Fred Mifflin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I believe you will find unanimous consent that the following motion be adopted without debate. I move:

That notwithstanding its order of reference of Wednesday, February 23, 1994, the Special Joint Committee on Canada's Defence Policy be empowered to present its final report no later than October 31, 1994, to coincide with the date given the Special Joint Committee on Canada's Foreign Policy for its final report, and that a message be sent to the Senate to acquaint their honours therein.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)]

Does the hon. parliamentary secretary have unanimous consent to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)]

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(Motion agreed to.)