Debates of Nov. 29th, 1995

Labour Market Training

[Dale Johnston, Reform, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fact that training programs should be delivered by the provinces is neither revolutionary nor unreasonable. Along with these responsibilities, is the minister prepared to give the provinces the tax points to go along with these responsibilities?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, it is not within my mandate to give away tax points.

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Don't do it.

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I have just received advice from my colleague, the Minister of Transport, not to do it. Of course I am always more than interested in his point of view and opinion.

The reality is this. On Friday I invite the hon. member to be in the House and to be available. We will be detailing exactly how we would be proposing to fundamentally restructure the employment insurance system in this country to first make sure there is strong support of income for those who are unemployed and need that support, and even more important, to ensure that we are able to provide a series of benefits to enable people to go back to work.

That is the key issue: How do we get hundreds of thousands of Canadians back to work? That is the purpose of this government and that is the purpose of the reform we will present on Friday.

[Dale Johnston, Reform, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot imagine why the provinces would like to buy into a program like this when the minister is willing to give them the responsibility of the program without giving them proper tax points.

I would like to ask this minister if he knows the difference between downsizing and downloading.

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, what I do recognize is that when we talk about decentralizing there is a major difference between the position that has been constantly taken by members of the Reform Party and what I think many other Canadians are concerned about.

Canadians are telling us that we do not gain by transferring resources from one bureaucracy to another. We really should be transferring resources to people, to the private sector, to communities, to those who are best able to make decisions about how to get back to work.

The fundamental philosophy of the Liberal Party is to enhance the ability of individuals to make choices about their future. No more important choice can be made than to allow individuals to get back to work.

Young Offenders

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice.

Recently some of our provincial colleagues have been discussing the creation of boot camps, particularly for young offenders. There is much research on the use of boot camps as a correctional tool. Can the minister tell the House what this research reveals about boot camps, youth, and reoffending?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, this government is in favour of what works.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

If what is meant by boot camps are properly managed facilities, properly financed, structured, intended for and capable of giving young people a sense of social responsibility, what it means to be a member of a group, developing a sense of self-esteem with proper follow up, that works, and we would favour such an approach. If they are properly managed and if the investment is made, it has been shown to work.

Too many governments in this country and too many politicians would have us believe that the approach is toward a boot camp which is more out of Hollywood than anything else, where people are put in chains in the 1930s style to work in the hot sun. That may suit the purpose of a politician who wants to pander to a certain narrow element of the electorate, and there are such politicians. But this government is in favour of what works, and what works is a responsible approach to youth justice.

British Columbia

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Revenue, the senior minister for British Columbia.

British Columbians are outraged that first we were shut out of the cabinet committee on unity and now we are denied the same veto rights as Ontario and Quebec.

I ask the minister: Why was B.C. shut out of the cabinet committee on unity? When will the minister finally stand up for the people of British Columbia instead of showing total contempt for British Columbians by telling us that we have to wait for demographics until we have basic equality with Ontario and Quebec? When will he stand up for British Columbians?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that the representatives of the NDP at a time when we need to nation build are looking for differences.

I can assure the hon. member that the minister for British Columbia is working very hard to ensure that British Columbia's voice is heard strongly and loudly in cabinet. I can also assure him that the regional veto proposal put forth by the Prime Minister, which is far better than the current amending formula, places in the hands of British Columbians the power to shape the Constitution more directly in the future than they ever had in the past. The Prime Minister never closed the door to future recognition of B.C. in a specific way.

I can say that at least on this side of the House we do not have one member of Parliament calling for a region of British Columbia and another calling for a region of Alberta, something that we see in the Reform Party.

Presence In The Gallery

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, I wish to draw to your attention the presence in the gallery of members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate and Assembly of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament.

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 13 petitions.

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table the 104th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs concerning the federal electoral boundaries commissions reports tabled in the House and referred to the committee on Thursday, June 25, 1995.

While I am presenting the report, I want to thank members of the House who served on the subcommittees that did the work for the committee on procedure and House affairs at the hearing stage, ably chaired by the hon. members for Cumberland-Colchester, Leeds-Grenville, Dauphin-Swan River, and Pontiac-Gatineau-Labelle.

There were 81 objections filed and the subcommittees heard the members who wished to be heard in respect of those objections. I know that all hon. members who appeared before the subcommittees were very much appreciative of their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with section 22 of the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, the committee's documents required by the act will also be filed with you today for referral to the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 105th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the membership and associate membership of the Standing Committee on Finance.

If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 105th report later this day.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the second report of the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct.

The report recommends a change in the French name of the committee.

It recommends that the French name of the committee be changed to read as follows: "Comité mixte spécial sur un code de conduite".

If the House gives its consent, I also intend to move concurrence in the second report of the committee later this day.

Constitutional Amendments Act

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-110, an act respecting constitutional amendments.

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

Committees Of The House

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

Mr. Speaker, I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion to be put without debate or amendment.

I move:

That the following members be added to the list of associate members of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs: Stephen Harper and Ted White.

(Motion agreed to.)

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

Mr. Speaker, I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion to be put without debate or amendment.

I move, seconded by the chief government whip, that the 105th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs tabled in the House earlier today be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to.)

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

Mr. Speaker, I seek the unanimous consent of the House to put forward a motion for concurrence, which I believe will be accepted without debate or amendment.

I move that the second report of the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct presented to the House earlier this day be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to.)

On the Order: Government Business

Peacekeeping

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

Mr. Speaker, I believe you will find consent that Motion No. 22 under Government Business standing in the name of the Minister of National Defence be withdrawn from the Order Paper.

[The Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(Motion withdrawn)

Petitions

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I wish to present a petition that has been circulating all across Canada from coast to coast to coast. This particular petition has been signed by a number of Canadians from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

The petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that managing the family home and caring for preschool children is an honourable profession which has not been recognized for its value to our society. They also state that the Income Tax Act discriminates against families who make the choice to provide care in the home to preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill, or the aged.

The petitioners therefore pray and call upon Parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families who decide to provide care in the home for preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill, and the aged.