House of Commons Hansard #262 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was rights.

Topics

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, what a regrettable performance by someone wanting to renege on his commitments and not able to find a way to get out of those he cannot keep.

The Prime Minister of Canada was one of those who loved us so madly three days before the referendum that he promised recognition of a special status for Quebec. He promised us a right of veto, as well as decentralized powers. That is what he promised us just before the referendum, when he loved us.

Will the Prime Minister be frank enough to admit that he then heeded his mentor Pierre Trudeau's admonition of several weeks ago, and that his about-face is the result of the word from Trudeau?

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I told Quebecers there would be no constitutional change without the consent of the government of Quebec.

Yesterday the man who wishes to head the Government of Quebec said that this was impossible, that he was a sovereignist, that he did not want any changes to the Constitution. I was not the one who said this, it was the Leader of the Opposition himself. As I have said, I will not make any changes against his wishes; let no one blame me for heeding the wishes of the Government of Quebec.

Second, as for the distinct society, we have affirmed this and will have other occasions to affirm it, and I hope that the hon. member for Roberval will get up in this House and state that he is in favour of a distinct society if that is what is wanted. I can hardly wait for that day to come.

Then we shall see what really happens. During the referendum campaign, they said that in their hearts they were opposed to a distinct society because they are sovereignists, and still unfortunately separatists.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, are the words of the Prime Minister, who is getting caught up in an increasingly tangled web, not an admission of his powerlessness, his inability to fulfil his commitments toward Quebec made within three days of the referendum, when he was in love with Quebec?

Is this not an admission of powerlessness? Does the Prime Minister realize that mere cosmetic changes will never satisfy Quebec, and that he is incapable of an in depth solution to the problem?

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, my speech is recorded and is clear. I said that the party I represent was in favour of a distinct society and that we were going to affirm it. We will have the opportunity to affirm it, even if the Bloc Quebecois does not want us to.

Second, I have said and I have committed to it, that we would not make any constitutional change without the consent of the Government of Quebec or the people of Quebec, and we are going to keep our word. Nothing can be clearer than that, and I repeat it today in this House.

As for better administration and shared responsibilities, we are working on this at the present time and I trust that we will have the co-operation of the new Government of Quebec, unlike the current one, which has never wanted to discuss it seriously with the minister responsible for federal-provincial relations.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Reform

Preston Manning Reform Calgary Southwest, AB

Mr. Speaker, all of us are familiar with the principle that those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are bound to repeat them.

In the Quebec referendum campaign the biggest mistake the Prime Minister made was to grossly underestimate the demand for change in his home province. It was only in the last week of that campaign that he mentioned change at all, and when he did so it was so vague as to have no positive consequence on the campaign.

Will the Prime Minister repeat that mistake again by putting change on the back burner or will he present Canadians with a substantial plan for showing the way this federation ought to operate?

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the third party always refers to the fact that we do not need any constitutional change. He said that in the House not long ago. He says that he does not want to weaken the federal government but whenever he makes a speech he asks us, for example, to dismantle medicare.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

They are changing their minds because the people of Alberta at this moment are telling the provincial government that they do not want to see medicare destroyed.

We are working to make sure there is less duplication and a better sharing of responsibilities between the provincial governments and the federal government. We are working on that.

However, if the goal is to destroy the central government in Ottawa so that we will have a community of communities, this Prime Minister is not for that.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Preston Manning Reform Calgary Southwest, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister speaks of destroying the country and dismantling federalism. I remind him he is the one who allowed the country to get within .6 of 1 per cent-

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

Order. The hon. member for Calgary Southwest.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Preston Manning Reform Calgary Southwest, AB

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about mistakes. The worst mistake the federalists can make in preparing for the next and final contest with the separatists would be to use yesterday's tactics. Yesterday's tactics are for yesterday's federalists, not the new federalists of the 21st century.

That means it would be a profound mistake to go back to the contents and tactics of the Meech Lake or Charlottetown accords, with their talk of special status, distinct societies or vetoes for Quebec.

Will the Prime Minister assure the House and all Canadians that he will not be marching backwards into the future, that he will not go back to Meech or Charlottetown for solutions to the current struggle between federalists and separatists?

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, here again we see the leader of the third party in bed with the separatist party in the House of Commons.

When we were fighting in Quebec the leader of the third party was in the House shooting at us, contrary to what the leader of the Conservative Party was doing; in the campaign, working for Canada. The leader of the Reform Party was always on his feet trying to ensure he might some day become the prime minister of the rest of the country, because he will never be the prime minister of the whole country, Canada.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Reform

Preston Manning Reform Calgary Southwest, AB

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious the Prime Minister will not listen to me. Maybe he will listen to someone from Quebec.

One of the most telling letters I received during the referendum was from a soft sovereignist who said he would probably vote yes, but who added this explanation: "The matter at hand is not really the separation of Canada and Quebec, but the separation of Quebec from the present form of federal government. You as a Reformer said you want decentralization, which necessitates serious change to the present form of federal government, but negotiations in good faith with the Liberals will not accomplish this".

This Quebecer does not want to separate from Canada but from an overcentralized federal government. He is one of the 80 per cent of Quebecers who want a realignment of federal-provincial powers.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Order.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

I know the hon. member for Calgary Southwest will now put his question.

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Preston Manning Reform Calgary Southwest, AB

What is the Prime Minister's response to this demand for change from a Quebecer who really wants to stay in Canada?

The ConstitutionOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the person is a soft sovereignist. Perhaps the leader of the third party, who hopes some day to be the leader of the opposition, although he might not succeed if he does not become better than he is, should stop quoting from separatists or quasi-separatists and start to really work with us to make sure Canada is a good country with values and a social system that binds all Canadians together.

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationOral Question Period

November 22nd, 1995 / 2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister. After hinting that he would not respect the democratic results of the referendum, the Prime Minister said he wanted to prevent another referendum from being held in Quebec and then went on to criticize the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which, according to him, did not show sufficient support for national unity during the last referendum campaign.

Does this mean that the Prime Minister not only wants to prevent Quebecers from voting again on their future at the appropriate time but also wants to control the news coverage they get through the CBC?

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, certainly not. I made certain comments. I said that some people complained about the way the CBC behaved during the referendum campaign. Someone also said that the CBC was jeopardizing its reputation and should be lumped in with all the other lackeys and puppets of the government.

Even the Leader of the Opposition criticized the CBC during the referendum campaign. I gave one opinion, and there were people who were not satisfied with the CBC's performance, including the Leader of the Opposition.

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Suzanne Tremblay Bloc Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to set the record straight. The Leader of the Opposition criticized the CBC when the network refused to broadcast the Yes committee's message, not because of its news coverage.

Is the Prime Minister saying that he intends to put back into the Broadcasting Act the obligation to promote national unity and thus force the CBC to be its master's voice instead of an independent news broadcaster?

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I think that what we want is objective news coverage. As I said at the time, I am hardly in a position to complain, because since I want a good night's sleep, I do not listen to the CBC before I go to bed. That is why I am healthy. I get a good night's sleep.

However, we want our news coverage to be objective. But the funny thing is that when the opposition criticizes the CBC, there is no problem. But when the government party does, it is not fair. What I had to say, I said publicly. I have never spoken to the president of the CBC since he was appointed. I let him get on with his job. However, I will not refrain from expressing my opinion as party leader, like the Leader of the Opposition did during the referendum campaign.

TaxationOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

John Williams Reform St. Albert, AB

Mr. Speaker, the auditor general has pointed out that the new E-file method of filing tax returns has serious flaws and is therefore open to substantial abuse, while the Minister of National Revenue says the system just needs a little fine tuning.

Canadians will quickly lose confidence in a system that penalizes honest taxpayers by letting others off the hook while this minister wants to squeeze every taxpayer until it hurts.

What commitment do we have today that the minister will fix the problems raised by the auditor general?

TaxationOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Victoria B.C.

Liberal

David Anderson LiberalMinister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, we are happy at Revenue Canada to have the comments of the auditor general. However, the hon. member has exaggerated and used figures which are simply not accurate.

The auditor general said: "Although our analysis is insufficient to draw firm conclusions about cause and effect-more years of data are required to determine if this movement is temporary or permanent in nature".

Electronic filing provides substantial improvements in service to Canadians, to the taxpayer and to the government in terms of reduced costs. It improves the opportunity for effective surveillance to prevent fraud by people who might cheat the system. It also dramatically increases the speed with which cheques get out to the public.

It is a new system introduced in 1990. It is a system on which there are not full information years on which we can base substantial comparisons, but every indication is that the system is working absolutely as well as the previous paper system, except for the advantages I outlined.