Debates of Dec. 13th, 1995

Canada Pension Plan

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians ought to know what the Reform Party's plan will do. Over 800,000 disabled Canadians would have lower benefits; 600 widows would have lower benefits; and 1.8 million pensioners would have lower benefits than now. That is not the Liberal way.

Radio Canada International

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the people of Canada are entitled to clear answers to clear questions. Yesterday at 3:20 p.m., RDI announced the closing of Radio Canada International. It was in all of this morning's papers. Can the minister tell us, since he is so up to date about the CBC, is it open or closed?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, Radio Canada International is open until the end of March, that much is certain. What remains to be decided is the financial future of the CBC in its entirety, and that future will be determined by the next federal budget.

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is for the Prime Minister. Yesterday, all of the staff of Radio Canada International got their pink slips. Everybody knows what a pink slip means: no job after March 31.

My question to the Prime Minister is therefore as follows: once again, the Minister of Canadian Heritage is shirking his responsibilities. Does the Prime Minister not consider that, this time, enough is enough?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am satisfied with the minister's reply. We will be receiving the report on CBC's mandate on January 15.

The corporation itself decided to let Radio Canada International go. I am very pleased to hear that the Bloc Quebecois wants us to preserve national institutions such as the CBC, and I shall take careful note of this.

Pearson International Airport

[Jim Gouk, Reform, Kootenay West—Revelstoke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Senate has completed its inquiry into the Pearson airport contract and there were no surprises.

The truth be damned. It was siege mentality all the way. The Tories defended writing the contract and the Liberals defended cancelling it. A glossy bound report bigger than my riding's telephone book settles nothing. It just wastes millions more taxpayer dollars.

My question is for the Minister of Transport. Will he admit that this process did nothing to bring out the truth and in fairness to all parties, will he agree to the full judicial inquiry I asked for over a year ago?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians from coast to coast to coast have made up their minds on the Pearson deal. It appears that the only people who are not convinced that the Pearson deal had to be cancelled in the best interests of Canadian taxpayers and in the best interests of Canadian travellers are the Conservative members of the other place and the hon. member who raised the question.

[Jim Gouk, Reform, Kootenay West—Revelstoke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister keeps saying that the Pearson deal was not in the public interest and it was not good value for the Canadian public. One cannot help but wonder if the minister has financial studies to prove this or if he is just talking through an empty hair follicle.

Will the minister agree to prove his claims by tabling a cost benefit analysis of cancelling the contract, if one exists? Failing that, will he admit that the latter alternative was true?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should read his friends' majority report which was produced by the other side. These are the people with whom he has consorted on a regular basis. I hope not too much of it has rubbed off on him.

We understand one thing: the minority report puts out a lot of facts of which the Canadian people were already aware.

To take up the challenge of the hon. member with respect to the deal at Pearson, next week we will sign the deal in Toronto for the transfer of Pearson International Airport to a local Canadian airport authority. I guarantee him that not only will the facility which those people are going to build be far superior to what was proposed by my hon. member's friends in the rip-off that he supports, but also the bottom line return to the taxpayers of Canada will be substantially better than what was suggested in the original deal.

Tobacco Industry

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

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

In the fight against smoking, we discover that, in the master plan tabled on Monday, the government intends to strictly regulate tobacco industry sponsorship of sporting and cultural events.

Will the Minister of Health confirm her remarks at the press conference to the effect that her objective in the plan of action is to ensure that events as the Festival Just for Laughs , the Jazz Festival and the Montreal Fireworks Festival , will no longer get a cent from tobacco companies?

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we hope they will continue to sponsor all of these good works. It is absolutely not our intention to ask tobacco companies to stop supporting these events. It is, however, very definitely our intention to ensure that they do not use these events to advertise, since, after all, 40,000 Canadians die every year from smoking.

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Since the minister has just announced she will come down hard on funding for major cultural events, what does the Minister of Canadian Heritage intend to do to ensure the survival and financial well-being of these events?

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we said no such thing.

I am very surprised, however, to see the health critic defending the tobacco companies so vigorously. Now I have seen everything.

It is time you got a new health critic.

Laser Weapon Systems

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

A new weapon will soon surface on the battlefield: the antipersonnel laser. These portable lasers have a scanning capability thanks to an invisible light beam with a range of several kilometres; they can irreversibly damage people's retinas and even cause blindness.

What is the Government of Canada's position on the use of laser weapon systems?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform this House that Canada has never produced or even used these laser weapons. Canada and other countries addressed this issue as part of the UN discussions on the use of conventional arms in order to provide clarification and ban the use of laser weapons. I can assure this House that Canada supports the measures being taken to prevent the use of these weapons.

Rights Of Grandparents

[Daphne Jennings, Reform, Mission—Coquitlam, BC]

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

In light of the fact that the justice committee did not ratify Bill C-232 on December 7 and thereby did not support grandparents' right to ask the court for continuous access to their grandchildren, would the Prime Minister explain what he intends to do to support and strengthen families in Canada?

[Russell MacLellan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, it is the principle of the government to foster family life and to preserve family values. It is for that reason the justice committee decided it was not the responsibility of the federal government to support the private members' bill she brought forward. Not that there were not a lot of good ideas in what she was trying to do, but it is primarily a provincial responsibility.

[Daphne Jennings, Reform, Mission—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I must disagree, although I thank the parliamentary secretary for his answer.

I would really like an answer from the Prime Minister. Does he realize that a child's right of access to his or her family has been recognized in the convention of the child of the United Nations in 1989 and accepted by Canada in 1991? Legislation similar to this is in place now in Great Britain, the United States and Quebec.

What will the Prime Minister tell Canadian grandchildren who face yet another Christmas without their grandparents?

[Russell MacLellan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the government is well aware of the role of the United Nations in child care and the government's support of that role.

It is also well aware of the important need for child care. That is why the Minister of Human Resources Development brought in a multi-million dollar child care program today.

In the interest of fostering relationships with the grandparents and their grandchildren, the Minister of Justice has undertaken to look at the subject matter the hon. member brought forward to see if something can be done which would meet some of the objectives she has mentioned in the House and before committee.

Satellite Dishes

[Réjean Lefebvre, Bloc, Champlain, QC]

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

Thousands of consumers in Quebec and Canada are angry because their expensive satellite dishes that receive TV signals have now become obsolete as a result of inadequate regulations and technological changes.

Since the minister helplessly watched the development of an unregulated market without informing consumers of the risks involved in buying these satellite dishes, what steps will he take today to address this problem?

[Dennis Mills, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has not sat by in this area. The Information Highway Advisory Council has been working on a whole host of recommendations put before the House approximately a month ago. Over the next six to eight weeks many of those recommendations we will be acting on. I am sure members opposite will be more than satisfied.

[Réjean Lefebvre, Bloc, Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since every company awaiting the CRTC's decision on the granting of licenses will have its own technology requiring a large investment by each consumer, what steps will the minister take to protect consumers in case one of these companies goes out of business?

[Dennis Mills, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, most members would agree that as a government we have probably been considered to be most sensitive toward the small business community. One thing absolutely imperative is that we do not make decisions that will not take its concerns into account.

I do not believe a six to eight week delay in order to get the proper answers is unreasonable.

Indian Affairs

[John Duncan, Reform, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on November 8 the Minister of Industry, with previous notice, in response to my question stated that no funds had been advanced to the Ontario Métis and Aboriginal Association since 1991.

I have since determined that since 1991 some $270,000 has been advanced to the association. This is over and above the $111,000 advanced to Henry Wetelainen, Sr. Would the minister like to take this opportunity to clear up the information he provided the House on November 8 and set the record straight?

[Dennis Mills, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of the specifics on this file but I will take his question under advisement and we will report back to the House in due course.