Debates of Nov. 10th, 1995

Intercultural Week

[Roger Pomerleau, Bloc, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the start in Quebec of intercultural week, this year organized around the theme of "Living together". This will afford us a new opportunity to forge solid links between Quebecers of all origins, and to encourage understanding, dialogue and rapprochement. This year, the emphasis of intercultural week will be on Quebecers' belonging to a common culture, and on making Quebec, its history and its culture better known, as well as the important contribution the cultural communities have made to its development.

Numerous community groups, schools, businesses, private and public organizations and agencies are involved in organizing hundreds of big and small events throughout Quebec. On behalf of the Bloc Quebecois, I would like to wish all of them an enriching intercultural week of exchanges and discoveries.

Leader Of The Bloc Quebecois

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, who said he had not concluded that so many hospitals would inevitably be closed and that the decision to close them had to be based on the assurance of better health care? Who said that proof of this had to be provided and that he had his own ideas, which he would express at some point? It was the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, offering advice to his provincial counterpart.

However, the Quebec health minister did not wait to find out the Bloc leader's personal opinion on the matter. He closed five hospitals in Montreal alone. The fine social democrat promises of the PQ and the BQ did not survive the referendum. People have just discovered that the PQ government and the separatists do not want to invest in hospitals. They prefer investing in referendums. Yes, separatists can indeed close hospitals.

The Late Hans Daigeler

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Ottawa-Carleton suffered a terrible loss with the death of Mr. Hans Daigeler who died at the age of 50.

I had the opportunity of meeting Hans on several occasions and found him to be a caring, compassionate man. During his seven years as MPP for Nepean he brought integrity and dedication to his role. Hans was well known in Queen's Park and within the Liberal caucus. He brought a refreshing honesty to politics, was never afraid to speak the truth and was an unabashed supporter of the city of Nepean and its people.

On behalf of my colleague, the federal member for Nepean, who is stricken with grief this morning, and on behalf of the national capital region, may I offer my condolences to Hans' family, friends, relatives and neighbours. He will be missed.

Human Rights

[Philippe Paré, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebecers and Canadians continue to believe profoundly in promoting democratic values and in protecting fundamental rights. We all deplore the violation of these rights by the Nigerian military junta,

and were shocked by last week's announcement of the impending execution of nine dissidents.

The official opposition calls on the Government of Canada to put pressure on the Nigerian authorities to stop all violation of fundamental rights. Canada must take the lead and use the occasion of the meeting of the Commonwealth countries to raise this matter and promote respect for human rights, as it did in the 1980s in the case of South Africa.

Dangerous Offenders

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Ontario's highest court ordered the release of Robert Owen Ross Currie. Mr. Currie had been jailed indefinitely as a dangerous offender. Mr. Currie has a long history of sexual assault. He was convicted of rape, possession of a dangerous weapon and two counts of indecent assault. The court declared Mr. Currie's indefinite sentence a form of unjust punishment.

Canadians have lost faith. They have lost faith in the justice system because it is releasing dangerous offenders into society. Canadians are frightened. They are frightened because the bleeding heart mentality that prevails within our courts and our parole systems are turning dangerous sexual offenders free to prey on more innocent people.

For the first time in Canadian history, a dangerous offender status was revoked. The courts have just fallen over the edge of a slippery slope. Who will be next, Clifford Olson or Paul Bernardo? And what is the Minister of Justice doing about it?

Tribute To Sergeant Arthur Boucher

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, all across Canada, we will be celebrating Remembrance Day. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to sergeant Arthur Boucher, who lived in the village of Magog until his death.

Heroism, courage, dedication, honour, such are the words which come to mind when thinking of sergeant Arthur Boucher. His sacrifice must not have been in vain.

Similarly, the referendum which took place in Quebec 10 days ago will not be in vain. We can draw three main lessons from it, as stated by the MLA for Brome-Missisquoi who said: "that, first, we can never take our country for granted; second, patriotism must be practised and taught daily; third, Quebecers want the federal system to change, and fast".

Together, we can do it.

Education

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, York North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 10th anniversary of International Year of the Youth.

We are in the midst of dramatic change. Statistics show us that 45 per cent of all new jobs created between 1990 and the year 2000 will require more than 16 years of training and education. Never before have education and training played such a vital role in the future of our youth.

In order to face this challenge head on, the government introduced the youth employment and learning strategy. This strategy is the cumulative result of many years of consultation, policy development and town hall meetings with Canadians from coast to coast to cast.

Key elements of this strategy include youth service Canada and youth internship program. Youth service Canada gives young people an opportunity to develop skills and confidence while serving their community. The youth internship program provides a combination of on the job and in class training.

To date these programs have given over 30,000 young Canadians a head start on their career path. This Liberal government recognizes that our youth is a very important resource and as such should be treated as a top priority. That is why this year during a time of fiscal restraint, the overall budget for youth employment services was increased by-

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Fraser Valley West.

Government Policies

[Randy White, Reform, Fraser Valley West, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it has been two years since Canada elected a majority government. Let us take a reality check and see how well it has done.

The government has borrowed over $80 billion by overspending and has increased the debt to $560 billion. Crime has expanded, is unchecked and even encouraged by useless federal legislation. Liberal friends and party hacks have been given federal jobs and Senate positions for life. Liberals gorge themselves on the MP

pension plan gravy train. Immigration and Refugee Boards dominate the ministry. Ministers are not held accountable.

Sick yet? Most of us are. Add on an ethics counsellor whose job is a joke, inept ministers and prisoners who run the prisons. That is enough to make me sick.

I ask you: Are we well served by this government? No. No. No.

[The Speaker]

We are going to put that member down as a doubtful admirer.

Committee Chaired By Agriculture Minister

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

Mr. Speaker, since it was unable to deliver the changes it promised Quebecers during the referendum campaign, the government has resorted to an old federal standby: creating committees.

Ottawa has made a big thing of the phoney committee chaired by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, but kept quiet about another committee which will be chaired by the minister of agriculture. Discreet though it may be, this shadow committee is supposed to prompt the federal government on basic directions for change in Canada.

My question is directed to the Acting Prime Minister. By establishing two committees, one supposedly to respond to Quebecers' desire for change and one to discuss the division of powers, does the government intend to keep sending two messages on the constitution, one to Quebec and one to the rest of Canada, as it has done for more than two years?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is high time the official opposition realized we are in the business of governing Canada and that when problems arise with respect to unity and economic issues, we will appoint groups of ministers to make a thorough analysis of the options for dealing with these problems.

This should come as no surprise. It is what any good government would do, and that being the case, I am not surprised the official opposition fails to understand what we are doing.

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

Mr. Speaker, at least there is more of an inclination to be frank this morning. We are told there are problems with unity. There was no problem for the past two years. The constitution was not an issue. We had some flamboyant speeches in this House, which was not the case before. The economy used to be fine, but this morning it is a real problem. They are aware of that.

When we realize that the shadow committee of the minister of agriculture will consider the division of powers and that, unlike the other committee, the most influential ministers from Quebec will sit on this committee, will the Prime Minister finally admit that the phoney committee of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, which is supposed to respond to Quebecers' desire for change, is just a lot of window dressing?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, your typical example of a phoney committee is the regional commissions that were set up in Quebec by the Parti Quebecois, with the co-operation of the Bloc Quebecois. They were phoney committees that never accomplished a thing.

In this case, it is entirely normal and appropriate that we should examine and try to solve the problems that exist in Canada today. At least we are trying to provide good government. In fact, all the players in Quebec, including Mario Dumont and the Conseil du patronat du Québec, have told the Quebec government it is time to deal with the real problems: jobs, unemployment and investment. That is what we are doing through the committee chaired by the minister of agriculture.

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

Mr. Speaker, actually, I want to thank the minister because the more he talks, the more he strengthens the sovereignist cause in Quebec.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister, although he was halfway around the world, managed to set the record straight. We know the phoney committee chaired by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs will accomplish very little since, as the Prime Minister said, they do not intend to tinker with the constitution to satisfy Quebec.

That being said, and since we cannot expect to deal with Canada's problems without dealing with Quebec, does the Acting Prime Minister not realize that the shadow committee of the minister of agriculture is also doomed to fail?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is a good example of a phoney question, one that has no substance and does not make sense.

First of all, in the Outaouais, in the five Outaouais ridings, the No side received 72.6 per cent of the votes, more than in any region in Quebec. This was more than in 1980.

So obviously, the hon. member for Laurier-Sainte-Marie does not know what he is talking about when he indicates the influence we can have on what Quebecers have decided, which is to stay in Canada.

Furthermore, if the hon. member for Laurier-Sainte-Marie thinks economic issues are not important enough to warrant consideration, he is abdicating the basic responsibility of the official opposition, which is to protect the interests of Canadians and Quebecers at a time when the majority of Canadians and Quebecers want to see a solution to these economic problems.

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

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

While travelling in New Zealand yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that his government's main concern is to deal with what he calls "the real problems of Canadians". Yet, federal ministers are unable to name a single major legislative measure taken by their government, simply because there has not been any. Instead of taking action, they are creating yet another committee.

Here is my question. While Canadians are faced with a growing poverty problem as the federal government keeps postponing reforms that will supposedly put the unemployed back to work, how can the government claim that setting up another ministerial committee will meet the real economic needs of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, jobs and growth have always been central to this government's agenda.

It is very important to note that in the first two years of our administration, from the fall of 1993 until the fall of 1995, economic circumstances have been created in Canada whereby 500,000 new jobs have been created for Canadians. At the same time, the unemployment rate in the country has dropped below 10 per cent, the lowest level in a long time.

That is good progress in the first two years of our administration. It is still not enough progress from our point of view. We want to work very hard to accelerate job growth and to reduce unemployment. All members of the government, in cabinet and in caucus, will be sparing absolutely no effort to achieve that larger objective.

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the minister is saying is that while they were creating jobs in the rest of Canada, Quebec was becoming the poorest province in Canada with its unemployed workers and its people living below the poverty line.

Can the Acting Prime Minister tell us-

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

It is because of the Parti Quebecois.

[Fernand Robichaud, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Stop talking about separation.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. member for Joliette.

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I realize it is not important for the party in power to listen to the question because their answers never make sense.

Can the Acting Prime Minister tell us what concrete and substantial legislative measures his government has taken since the referendum to tackle what he calls the real problems of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman knows that the intervening period from the date of the referendum to now has only been a matter of a few days. The member should take into account the record of performance prior to the referendum date. It includes a broad range of initiatives, probably longer than you would allow me to answer during the course of question period, Mr. Speaker.

I can think of such things as the Canada infrastructure works program which has been an enormous success from coast to coast to coast. There are the internship programs for Canadian youth, the Canadian Youth Service Corps. There is also the successful battle against the deficit. Not only have we met but we have exceeded every single one of our deficit targets which builds confidence in the Canadian economy. There is also a large list of measures for small business where 85 per cent of Canadian new jobs come from.

The Economy

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it has been a heck of a week. We have had the official disloyal opposition acting-