Debates of Nov. 21st, 1995

National Medicare Day

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a recent poll in the Medical Post says that 58 per cent of consumers and 76 per cent of physicians expect Canada's system of health care to get worse in the next 10 years. To express the

public's concern the Canadian health care coalition has declared today, November 21, National Medicare Day.

In support I must question the mixed up priorities of a government that maintains grants to businesses and industry, grants to special interest groups, grants for multiculturalism and official bilingualism and the latest list of waste and mismanagement in today's report of the auditor general but cuts grants to the provinces for medicare.

Recently the North Okanagan Labour Council brought the public's concern about medicare to the attention of the city of Vernon, the city of Kelowna, the district of Lake Country and the north and central Okanagan regional districts.

I salute all these groups for expressing their strong support for Canada's system of publicly funded health care.

Banking

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville—Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I commend Canada's major banks for their corporate citizenship in establishing a banking industry ombudsman. This will strengthen procedures for handling complaints from small business when the operation begins on April 1, 1996. Certainly the framework is welcome news to the small business community that has often voiced its frustration in dealing with lending institutions.

In addition they have announced the appointment of their own internal ombudsman. I know that Mr. Al Horton who resides in my riding has accepted the challenge involved in becoming the first ombudsman for the Bank of Montreal.

Canadians should know that expenses to operate the system will be borne by the banks and not by the taxpayers. The new framework will benefit the small business community, a sector that is vital to the Canadian economy and to job creation in Canada.

Icelandair

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, November 10, I was pleased to join provincial counterparts, Iceland Ambassador Einar Benediktsson and Icelandair representatives in welcoming Icelandair to Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia.

Icelandair is a 60-year old privately run airline. It is no mere beginner. It carries 1.2 million passengers every year. Icelandair will begin scheduled service to Halifax on May 14 next year. It will go from Halifax International Airport to some 20 destinations in Europe through Reykajavik. We in Halifax West and in Nova Scotia look forward to the tremendous potential this brings for tourism in Nova Scotia.

Icelandair recently held a Reykjavik to Halifax flight for Scandanavian tour operators, an important first step for this exciting tourism opportunity. Icelandair knows what more and more companies are coming to realize, that metropolitan Halifax and the province of Nova Scotia are good places to do business.

Brain Tumour Foundation

[Beryl Gaffney, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, brain tumour month is in October of each year. It has come and gone, but the challenge to assist those afflicted remains with us.

Over 10,000 Canadians are diagnosed each year with a brain tumour. A cause or cure has yet to be found for this devastating disease. The key to successful treatment of a tumour is early diagnosis which is only possible if people become aware of the signs and symptoms of the tumour. Researchers are constantly opening new doors to the possible causes.

The mission statement of the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is to fund brain tumour research, provide patient and family support services and educate the public. The foundation needs our support.

Strikebreakers

[Bernard St-Laurent, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after voting in favour of an antiscab bill brought forward by the Bloc Quebecois in 1990, the Liberal Party is about to make an about-turn by refusing today to support the bill that I introduced in this House in order to prohibit the use of scabs during labour disputes.

Again, the federal government is giving in to Ontario and ignoring Quebec's legitimate demands. Need I remind members that the Ontario government has just abolished its antiscab legislation which protected workers in that province?

What the Liberal Party is about to do is totally outrageous. We hope that, when Liberal members rise in the House to defeat the bill this afternoon, they will realize that they are breaking promises they made to workers in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Jake Hoeppner, Reform, Lisgar—Marquette, MB]

Mr. Speaker, prairie farmers and western Canadians were shocked and

outraged to hear of the ludicrous benefits lavished on Canadian Wheat Board commissioners. For the last 15 years, wheat board commissioners have set their own perks and privileges that included eight weeks of vacation per year and severance packages of up to $290,000.

At last we have seen the reason for closed doors and secrecy at the wheat board. Since they are not accountable to anyone they have been able to fill their pockets at will. Shame on the Liberal government for not fully correcting an injustice by removing these benefits retroactively.

This is a damning reminder of the gold plated MP pension plan all over again, farm bankruptcies and fat cat wheat board commissioners. It is a prime example of the Liberal red book promise of equality.

Atlantic Canada

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, once again the Reform Party has insulted the intelligence of the people of Prince Edward Island and the rest of Atlantic Canada. The statement yesterday by the member for Vegreville oozed with contempt not only for local politicians but for the people themselves.

This patronizing, condescending attitude comes from a party whose solution for the problems of Atlantic Canada is simply to move people out. It comes from a party which opposes any form of regional development funding for Atlantic Canada. It comes from a party which espouses the belief that the only Canadians who deserve full health care are those who can afford it. It comes from a party which would replace the development of self-reliance in strong communities by an individually oriented survival of the fittest type society.

Perhaps most significant of all, it comes from a party that received less than 1 per cent of the popular vote in P.E.I. in the last federal election and will receive less in the next federal election.

Leader Of The Bloc Quebecois

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, the Bloc Quebecois members were the first to learn, directly from their leader, that he had decided to run for office as successor to Jacques Parizeau as leader of the Parti Quebecois. In our hearts, sadness was followed by pride and confidence that this extraordinary man will help the Quebec people achieve their legitimate ambitions with respect to their destiny.

We are all aware of the great qualities of this man and we know he will muster the creativity and the energies of all the people, in order to meet the many challenges that we, Quebecers, will have to face.

We are proud of the work we did with him. His decision sets a milestone in our common struggle for Quebec because our leader and the Bloc Quebecois are engaged in the same struggle, the struggle of the Quebec people.

Atlantic Canada

[Bonnie Hickey, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, lately Reform Party members have been spending a lot of time talking about Atlantic Canada. They have made a couple of trips east and now claim to be instant experts on our region.

For example, these Reform experts believe that the Atlantic fishery is dead, even though it was worth over $1 billion last year; that we should have been softer on foreign overfishing; and that the federal government should get out of Hibernia, despite the fact that it creates thousands of jobs and means millions of dollars to the Newfoundland economy.

As a Newfoundlander born and raised, who lives and pays taxes in St. John's East, I would like to tell the third party what we do not want. We do not want the Reform slash and burn agenda, which includes massive cuts to UI, health, and regional development. We do not want the Reform plan for a flat tax, which would guarantee that poor people are taxed at the same rate as the rich.

It is clear that Reform's ignorance is far greater than its knowledge of Atlantic Canada.

Railway Transportation

[Paul Mercier, Bloc, Blainville—Deux-Montagnes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the minister responsible for regional development in Quebec.

Yesterday, it was announced that CP Rail's head office in Montreal will be closed and relocated to Calgary, leading to the loss of 710 jobs in Montreal. CP Rail justifies its decision by saying that an increasingly large portion of its activity is centred on the western provinces. Ottawa's policies have always supported western railway development at great cost, while encouraging rail cutbacks in the east.

Does the minister acknowledge that CP Rail's move to the west is the result of the discriminatory policies that have always been practiced by the federal government with respect to rail transportation?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it is always regrettable when there are layoffs in any sector. I know how difficult job losses are for any community. However, this was a decision made by a private corporation whose board of directors had to take into account their competitive situation not only in Canada but in North America.

This decision made by CP affects a number of people across the country, including a 28 per cent change in Toronto, a 20 per cent change in Vancouver, and also a change in Montreal.

On the broader question of what is this government doing to ensure that we have a competitive, affordable transportation system in this country, the member will know, because he is a member of the Standing Committee on Transport, that we are determined to ensure that we have a competitive, affordable railroad industry so that our shippers and our customers can be well served and we can continue to create jobs in the export market.

[Paul Mercier, Bloc, Blainville—Deux-Montagnes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, be that as it may, given the extremely negative impact of the federal government's discriminatory policies on Montreal, what does the minister responsible for regional development plan to do to compensate for the loss of 710 jobs as a result of the CP Rail move to Calgary?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it should be noted that the eastern headquarters of CP's operations will continue in Montreal. Over 2,500 good quality jobs for CP will remain in Montreal.

[Paul Mercier, Bloc, Blainville—Deux-Montagnes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Montreal has the highest number of poor families in Canada, and one of the highest rates of unemployment.

What hope do Montrealers have left, in the wake of the problems created wholly by the federal government which lead to unemployment, job loss and poverty in this major Quebec centre?

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

Mr. Speaker, if one looks at the assistance to small and medium business provided by this government, if one looks at the federal policy on the pharmaceutical industry, if one looks at the assistance to the aeronautical industry located in Montreal, it is very clear that the federal government has the well-being of Montrealers at heart.

Now the time has come to address the economic agenda and drop the political agenda of the Bloc and the PQ.

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

Mr. Speaker, after thousands of jobs were lost as a result of a decision by CN to streamline its operations, a decision that severely affected Montreal, this city now faces a decision by CP Rail to move its headquarters.

Since the federal government is responsible for a shift in railway operations towards Western Canada and it has done nothing to contain the negative impact of downsizing by CN and the CP headquarters move, what excuse does the minister responsible for regional development have for failing to deal with the major economic problems that have affected Montreal in the past two years?

[Joe Fontana, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy the member has just mentioned CN, because this government has privatized CN, the largest share issue in Canadian history, and it has gone extremely well. Over $2.2 billion will come back to this government and this country by virtue of CN's privatization.

Second, it should be noted that Bill C-101 builds on creating opportunities for the creation of short line railroads in Quebec and throughout the country, creating jobs, creating businesses. That is what the government is committed to doing, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, the inference is that a member from Ontario is looking after regional development in Quebec.

This government claims to take care of the real problems of Canadians. Well, the minister responsible for regional development identified Montreal's real problems back in June 1992. He then referred to innovative policies for defence conversion and a general upgrading of the industrial infrastructure.

Since he has done nothing to stop unemployment in Montreal and has in fact done the exact opposite, why does he not implement a program for the economic renewal of Montreal, as he suggested in 1992?

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

Mr. Speaker, in the past year 66,000 new jobs were created in Quebec. These new jobs were created thanks to this government's policies.

The hon. member referred to the national infrastructures program. This program has helped to create hundreds and thousands of jobs in Quebec. The Bank of Canada's monetary policy has helped

to bring interest rates down. The Canadian government's tax policy has helped to reduce the deficit-meanwhile, the Quebec government did nothing-which has given Quebecers something to look forward to. I am very proud of our record.

National Unity

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has decided to depart this chamber for Quebec City. He is going to prepare for one last attempt to take Quebec out of the federation.

The task in this chamber is to prepare the case for federalism and to do so with a clarity and a vision that was completely missing from the last referendum campaign. In the dying days of that campaign, the Prime Minister belatedly promised to fundamentally change the way the federal government operates. He promised quick action.

Is the Prime Minister ready to act? What action does the Prime Minister propose to fundamentally change the way federalism operates so as to strengthen the case for federalism like it has never been strengthened before?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we said there were to be some changes and we will proceed with some changes.

For example, we started more than a year ago signing agreements with nine provincial governments to eliminate the duplication that is mentioned on this side of the House and the other side of the House. We hope we will be able to do the same thing with the new government in Quebec so there will be less duplication.

We will look at what can be done in terms of making the federation work better, but I do not believe that dismantling the federal government will solve the problem. We need a strong federal government that has an active presence in all parts of Canada and in Quebec. That would solve the problem. It is not by dismantling Canada to make a community of ten communities that we will succeed, as is the proposition of the leader of the third party.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, no one has argued in favour of dismantling the federation. This is typical of so much debate in the Chamber. No one debates anyone's real position. The position is moved off to the extreme and they debate the extreme, not the real position.

The fact of the matter is that 60 per cent of Canadians outside Quebec and 80 per cent of people in Quebec want some change in the alignment of powers between the federal and provincial governments. They want control over natural resources, social services, language and culture to be in the hands of the government closest to them, and that is not the federal government.

When is the government going to do something practical and concrete in response to this desire for change and a realignment of the powers between the federal and provincial governments? This is not dismantling; it is realignment.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there is value to having a federal government. For example, on this side of the House we are strongly in favour of a medicare system that is equal for all citizens in every part of Canada. It is not only the desire of the people of Alberta, B.C., and Ontario; the people of Quebec want free medicare through which all Canadian citizens and all citizens of Quebec can be admitted to the hospital not because they have money but because they are citizens.

When the leader of the third party talks about dismantling the five conditions of medicare, he is on the way to dismantling the country.

When we were fighting to keep Canada together, it was not very useful for the leader of the third party to talk about the Constitution. That was the time to talk about national unity and jobs for all Canadians.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the weakness of the Prime Minister's answer profoundly disappoints.

We were looking for action and all we got from the government was a committee. We were looking for statesmanship at a time of national crisis and all we got was political cheap shots. We are looking for strength and all we get is tired old answers and weakness.

The Prime Minister makes a profound mistake by interpreting the demand for decentralization in Quebec or anywhere else as the dismantling of federal programs.

When is the federal government going to propose some major change in the alignment between the powers of the federal and provincial governments?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are working every day to make the federation more efficient. But I am not working from the basis that we have to destroy the federal government to be successful. We believe there should be a resolution that is a two-way street, not a one-way street of devolution.

It has always been my position that there are some things the federal government should do for the good of all Canadians. That is exactly what we are trying to do.

The leader of the third party is always talking in terms of weakening the central government. If we do that, at the end of the road we will not have Canada any more. We are fighting to keep Canada united.