Debates of Sept. 20th, 1994

Poland

[Jesse Flis, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week President Lech Walesa of the Republic of Poland paid his first state visit to Canada. Poland is emerging as the fastest growing economy in central Europe, proving that Canada's small but significant investment in technical assistance will eventually pay dividends to both countries in the long run.

President Walesa has a bold new vision to promote greater trade between our two countries and he invites Canadians to strongly consider Poland for private investment.

While travelling through Poland this summer, I had the opportunity to witness the tremendous progress the people of Poland have achieved both economically and in terms of their efforts to turn the tide of environmental degradation after decades of improper management.

On behalf of the Government of Canada I wish to congratulate the people of Poland for their success and pay a warm hearted thanks to their president for his visit.

Today we have another distinguished visitor in the gallery, Mr. Speaker, and I know you will introduce him at the appropriate time.

Burma

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today to focus attention on Burma.

July 20 marked the fifth year of house arrest for Aung San Suu Kyi. Ms. Suu Kyi was elected by the Burmese people as leader of the opposition in 1989.

Despite suggestions that it is willing to open discussions, the current military regime in Burma has made no attempt to meet with Ms. Suu Kyi.

On April 12 of this year a motion was passed by this House to urge the Secretary General of the United Nations to appeal for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of civilian rule in Burma. A petition was also signed by 234 members of this House urging the same actions be taken.

I urge all of my colleagues here today to remain vocal on the subject of Burma and to continue to apply pressure on the Burmese regime to free Ms. Suu Kyi and restore the democratically elected opposition to government.

Operation Go Home

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, St. Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to recognize the efforts of a national organization called Operation Go Home.

It is largely a volunteer organization which strives to return runaway youth in crisis to their families or to connect them with the appropriate existing agencies that can best help them. It has offices now in operation in Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Its success is noteworthy. In 1993 it assisted 1,429 young people in crisis. Between 35 and 40 per cent of the youth were directed to a caring environment.

There are over 100,000 children living on the streets of Canada on any given day. Sadly the number continues to rise.

I want to draw your attention, Mr. Speaker, to this organization that has been working for some 20 years to return children, to see that they are returned either to their homes or to support agencies.

Violence Against Women

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the findings of Statistic Canada's latest survey on violence against women cannot leave anyone indifferent.

More than one out of four Canadian women who are married or living common-law say that they have been assaulted by their spouse. At one time or another in their married life, they were physically or sexually assaulted and few of them reported these assaults to the police. Even fewer of them sought professional help to allay their suffering and the trauma resulting from these assaults.

To stop wife abuse, the federal government must introduce legislation to end violence against women.

Lacrosse

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

Mr. Speaker, on September 4 the New Westminster Salmonbellies junior A lacrosse team captured the Minto Cup, making it Canada's number one lacrosse team. The Salmonbellies battled the Brantford Excelsiors for seven hard-fought games before being crowned Canada's best.

What makes this victory especially sweet is that the national championship has not been won by a New Westminster team

since 1960. The last time a western team won dates back to 1988 when a team from Esquimalt, British Columbia won the crown.

In the past it has been Ontario teams that have dominated junior A lacrosse. All of those from New Westminster know that the cup belongs in New Westminister, a city which holds dear to its heart the heritage of Canada's original sport as well as the home of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

My congratulations go out to the entire Salmonbellies team, in particular co-coaches Steve van Os and Stan Stewardson, as well as the team's five graduating players, Kevin Stewardson, Glen Bzowy, Steve Higgs, Chris Charlton and Curtis Palidwor, the series most valuable player.

Great going, Salmonbellies.

Dystonia

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of the House the existence of a condition which is more prevalent than Huntington's, ALS or muscular dystrophy.

This condition is dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle spasms and twisting, resulting in abnormal body postures. Only 5 per cent of the estimated 250,000 sufferers of dystonia in North America have been diagnosed and sadly one third of those afflicted are children.

The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, a national organization which provides funding for a research and patient support, is committed to raising public awareness of dystonia. As with many medical conditions the lack of public and medical awareness of dystonia contributes to the sense of isolation and alienation that many sufferers of dystonia experience.

I encourage my colleagues in the House as well as all Canadians to support the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation in its efforts to raise public awareness of this painful disorder.

Referendum On Quebec Sovereignty

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Jacques Parizeau, leader of the Parti Quebecois, repeatedly promised during the election campaign that if he was elected, there would be a referendum on the sovereignty of Quebec within eight or ten months following the election.

This is a firm commitment. There was never any question of postponing the referendum, and it is much better that way, since Quebecers want to settle the referendum issue once and for all. However, despite Mr. Parizeau's clear commitment, one wonders, in the light of a recent statement by the Leader of the Official Opposition, who speaks for the Government of Quebec?

Is it the Leader of the Official Opposition, who in his recent statement on the referendum explained that what counts is winning, never mind when the election is held, or is it Mr. Parizeau, Quebec's newly-elected Premier?

Low-Level Flights

[Len Taylor, NDP, The Battlefords—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Goose Bay, Labrador, Innu protesters delayed the start of public hearings into low-level military flight training over their traditional hunting grounds. The Innu claim that the flights disrupt wildlife in the area, which is their major source of food, and contaminate the environment.

These public hearings are being held to evaluate a flawed Department of National Defence environmental impact statement that, according to scientists, contains more than 130 deficiencies, including the proposal to create one giant training zone and the use of thin aluminum strips that make animals sick when they eat them. The Innu have called into question the timing of the hearings, and the fairness and independence of the assessment panel conducting the review.

Therefore I call on the government to immediately suspend the hearings until the concerns of the Innu are addressed, and to consider the advisability of ending all low-level flight training over the territory of the Innu. The Innu people never ceded their land to Canada for military purposes. They have lived off this land in peace for 9,000 years and they deserve fair and humane treatment.

[The Speaker]

My colleagues, in the statements that we hear from day to day, many times we use language which could be interpreted as provocative.

I would encourage all hon. members to please be judicious in their choice of words especially, if I might bring it to your attention, when talking about the other place.

I would leave that with you. It is something that I would like you very much to take to heart.

We will now start Oral Question Period. The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Haiti

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we were all relieved to hear that the U.S. army would intervene in Haiti without bloodshed. However, the main objective of the mission has yet to be achieved, and I am referring to the return of President Aristide, and there are still some major concerns, especially after the Haitian police brutally attacked a demonstration by supporters of President Aristide in the streets of Port-au-Prince last night.

My question is directed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Has the minister been given assurances by the U.S. authorities that the return of President Aristide is imminent?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it will be a pleasure to answer the hon. member's question, and I want to make it quite clear that the purpose of this UN initiative is to bring President Aristide back to his country so that he can take up his duties as president. I believe that what has taken place during the last few hours is an indication that the process to return President Aristide to his country is well under way and is irreversible.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I beg to differ with the minister's optimistic statement, since the events of the past few hours seem to contradict what he just said, and I am referring to the fact that President Aristide has just dismissed the agreement concluded between a puppet president and the U.S. military.

Is the Canadian government still satisfied with the agreement concluded on Sunday between Washington and the military junta, now that president in exile Jean-Bertrand Aristide has publicly dissociated himself from this agreement?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, there is an important point I would like to make. President Aristide mentioned that as far as he was concerned, the Governors Island Agreement was the agreement he had signed and the agreement he intended to abide by. I can say that the Canadian government entirely agrees with his interpretation of the facts.

Furthermore, we must realize that at this very moment, the country is no longer totally under the control of a Haitian military junta and is gradually coming under the control of a multinational force, which has a mandate, under UN Resolution 940, to take control and ensure that President Aristide returns to his country as soon as possible.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, of course we share the same expectations as the minister, but today's events do give us some cause for concern, especially the fact that the military junta is still there and will be, at least until October 15. We can only hope that all this will be over with by October 15, but for the time being, the junta is there, side by side with the U.S. peacemaking force.

I want to ask the minister if he could tell us whether Canada intends to send Canadian police officers to Port-au-Prince without the consent of President Aristide and without waiting for his consent, while there is still some uncertainty about his own return and the role of the military junta.

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition mentioned a date, October 15, which is a very definite deadline for the Haitian military. Whatever they do and whatever happens, they will have to submit to the firm determination of the Americans and all those who supported and approved UN Resolution 940. Consequently, I am quite confident that President Aristide will be able to return to his country.

The hon. member had a question about police officers. I have been in touch with President Aristide on a regular basis, and we will continue our dialogue. Any steps to be taken by the Government of Canada will respect the wishes of President Aristide.

Public Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, the latest analyses of the Canadian financial situation are far from painting the rosy picture the Minister of Finance and his Prime Minister painted just a while ago. This year, the deficit will reach $40 billion, while the debt will approach $550 billion, jeopardizing both economic recovery and improved business competitiveness.

Does the Minister of Finance not agree that, in view of the sorry state of public finance in Canada, it is urgent, indeed extremely urgent, for the government to reduce drastically its operating expenditures instead of blindly relying on economic conditions and opportunistically reaping the meagre benefits as it has done recently?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that government expenditures must be examined. We said that we were going to do so item by item. For that very purpose, the Prime Minister asked that a committee be set up under the Minister responsible for Public Service Renewal to take a serious look at government spending. This review is under way.

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

Instead of turning a blind eye as he has done so far, Mr. Speaker, will the minister finally commit today, before this House, to tabling an emergency action plan-because this is truly an emergency-to reduce operating expenditures in the federal administration by dealing as a matter of priority with tax leakage benefitting friends of the system and with the shameless squandering resulting from overlapping?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member and his colleagues had the opportunity to voice their opinions last year, during the pre-budget debate. Throughout the spring, and the summer as well, they had the opportunity to make suggestions.

When I appear before the finance committee with the promised update, the hon. member will again have the opportunity to make constructive suggestions. As a matter of fact, I think that the committee will be considering the family trust issue tomorrow. I trust that the hon. member will take that opportunity to make constructive comments.

The opposition has had the opportunity on many occasions to give us constructive suggestions as to what it would do and has refused to do so.

Once again we are going to give members the opportunity to do so and we will see if they are prepared to put up.

Taxation

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that his first responsibility is to ensure the unity of this country. Surely that means refraining from actions that undermine people's confidence in the federal government. I have one particular action in mind.

Canadians are now among the most highly taxed people in the world. If the federal government wants to make federalism more attractive to all Canadians, it simply must refrain from increasing the burden of federal taxation.

I ask the Prime Minister to pledge today, for the sake of Canadian unity, to refrain from increasing the burden of federal taxation during the term of his mandate. Would he make such a pledge today?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will have a budget in the month of February. We had a budget some months ago and there were no tax increases. We do not plan to have any tax increases. We want to give very good administration to the country and the Minister of Finance looks at all aspects of all problems all the time.

Speaking about how long I will be Prime Minister, to promise that I will never increase taxes in the many, many years I will be Prime Minister makes it difficult for me to give a very categorical answer.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would not worry about being around many, many years. My question is just asking for the term of the government's administration.

Let me be more specific. The economies of Alberta and British Columbia are growing faster than the Canadian economy as a whole and the provincial government in Alberta is making a more strenuous effort to restrain its spending than any other provincial government. There is now growing concern in the west that the only reward for economic growth or spending restraint at the provincial level is going to be to attract a federal tax raid similar to the one that occurred in the 1980s.

Will the Prime Minister today assure western Canadians that his government will not try to solve the federal fiscal mess by launching a tax raid on their region?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think that the leader of the Reform Party will be more successful with this trial balloon that he is trying to scare people with than with the so-called carbon tax that he invented, something we were not even talking about. Having nothing else to do, not being able to criticize anything we are doing, he is trying to invent problems.

Do not worry, we have enough problems like that. We do not want you to feel that you help the credibility and the confidence of this nation when you invent canards like this one.

[The Speaker]

I know that although people who are responding to questions do not always look at me they are referring to me when they say "you". I am sure they are.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is not only westerners who will be unsatisfied by the Prime Minister's answer. There are other Canadians who are uneasy with respect to the federal government's tax intentions.

Mismanagement by successive governments of the Canada Pension Plan and OAS have undermined many Canadians' confidence in the government's ability to provide pension income. In response, millions of Canadians have endeavoured to provide for their own retirement through private RRSPs. Now these Canadians fear that their only reward for making this provision will be to attract a tax raid by the federal government on their RRSP contributions.

Yesterday the finance minister was unwilling to allay fears in this regard. Will the Prime Minister state categorically that his government is not planning to launch a federal tax raid on RRSP contributions?