House of Commons Hansard #274 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was jobs.

Topics

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Liberal

Marlene Catterall Liberal Ottawa West, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Minister of Human Resources Development was in the midst of debate. The member opposite rose. She did not rise on a point of order. She should not have been allowed to interrupt the minister. If she was allowed to interrupt, she should have very clearly put her point of order immediately and the Chair should have ruled whether it was a point of order.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to allow the debate to continue without interruption.

[Translation]

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am amazed to see a female colleague stand up to support a minister who is telling women to go back to their kitchens.

If this minister thinks he is Churchill, as he suggested a moment ago, let me tell you that he is so ridiculous that he is turning this House into a real circus, or rather a chicken coop.

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker

I did not understand exactly the last point the hon. member for Mercier raised. I will have to check the blues. If indeed the comment was out of order, it will be dealt with later in the House.

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Bloc

Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC

I must raise a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Madam. I and every member of this House clearly heard the minister say something like: "If she cannot take the heat, she should not be in the kitchen".

Mr. Speaker, I formally request that he take this back. It is highly insulting and unacceptable. All women should feel insulted by this. And if it takes a point of order to get my hon. colleague, who is a woman herself, and our male colleagues to support me in asking that the minister withdraw his statement, so be it.

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker

It is nearly time for oral questions. Does the minister have anything to add before we look into this matter?

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Liberal

Lloyd Axworthy Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to resume the debate. I remind the hon. member that if she were prepared to read history more often she would realize-

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker

As I said earlier, we will check the blues. If a comment was out of order, we will deal with it later. For the time being, let us hear statements by members.

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Bloc

Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères, QC

He should apologize.

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Liberal

Lloyd Axworthy Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

I am telling you the truth.

SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

The Speaker

Welcome to the House of Commons. Dear colleagues, debate will resume after oral question period. It being 11 o'clock, the House will now proceed to statements by members.

Employment InsuranceStatements By Members

10:55 a.m.

Liberal

Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE

Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to say that as part of the democratic process I will be conducting a public town hall meeting tomorrow with respect to the employment insurance proposals.

This is a very important process for me and every member of Parliament to undertake. We as elected representatives must listen to our electorate and the concerns about legislation that will affect their lives directly and indirectly.

I recognize there is some concern over the intensity of work rule. We as a government must show that we are willing to listen to new options and amend legislation accordingly.

Public meetings also give us the opportunity to gauge what we are doing right. For example, the introduction of insurance benefit clawbacks for high income earners has been initially accepted and supported by various groups.

I invite all my colleagues to hold hearings to get the input of their electorate. I look forward to reporting back to the House on the results of the public meeting on this important issue.

Amateur HockeyStatements By Members

10:55 a.m.

Bloc

Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Terrebonne, QC

Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, an unacceptable situation has arisen in Quebec's amateur hockey. The Canadian Hockey Association is pressuring the Quebec Ice Hockey Federation to join its insurance program. The association even tried to force Quebec teams to pay an unjustified surcharge to participate in interprovincial and international tournaments.

In spite of pleas made to the government, asking it to help find a solution to the problem, Quebec hockey groups had to go to the

provincial superior court and get an injunction order prohibiting, until December 12, the Canadian Hockey Association from harassing Quebec teams. I ask the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who is responsible for amateur sport, to contact CHA officials, so that they come to their senses and stop harassing Quebec hockey officials.

National UnityStatements By Members

10:55 a.m.

Reform

Grant Hill Reform Macleod, AB

Mr. Speaker, Canada is at a crossroads. We face a profound crisis in the unity of our nation.

I vigorously seek for all politicians to return to the people's agenda instead of the political agenda. The political agenda in Ottawa seeks central power; the people's agenda services closer to home; the political agenda, decisions made by cabinet insiders; the people, decisions made by free votes that express their will; political, big expensive regulatory bureaucracies; people, the minimum intrusion that is possible; political, government will look after our needs; people, leave the tools in our hands and we will do just fine.

The crossroads for Canada looms before us. I am optimistic and enthusiastic. The people always prevail.

Ontario Federation Of AgricultureStatements By Members

10:55 a.m.

Liberal

Ovid Jackson Liberal Bruce—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate Tony Morris on being acclaimed president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

Tony has assumed a great responsibility. The OFA is the voice of Ontario farmers. Supported by over 41,000 individual members and 29 affiliated organizations, the OFA presents farm family concerns to governments and to the general public. The OFA has a long history of advocating the interest of the Ontario farm community. Though constituted in its present form since 1970, the OFA can trace its roots back to the Ontario Chamber of Agriculture established in the 1930s.

Agriculture is big business in Bruce-Grey and a major job creator and contributor to this great country of Canada. Given its importance, I look forward to working with Tony to secure the interests of Ontario farmers and rural communities in general.

Again I congratulate Tony Morris.

BanksStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

NDP

Len Taylor NDP The Battlefords—Meadow Lake, SK

Mr. Speaker, the news is out. Canadian banks have rung up more than $5 billion in profits for the fiscal year 1995. Last year, when the same banks recorded $4.2 billion in profits, the Minister of Finance imposed a one-time temporary tax that was expected to return $100 million to the people of Canada.

Canadian farmers, small business owners, workers, students, pensioners and the unemployed have all been asked to pay more with less return during 1995. The banks can be asked to do no less. Five billion dollars in profits taken from ordinary Canadians during difficult economic times must be treated accordingly.

I call on the Minister of Finance to do as he did last year and impose an excess profits tax on the banks. The additional revenue gained in this way should be applied to job creation programs so that all Canadians, not just the banks, can share in whatever economic growth is taking place in Canada.

Gun ControlStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Beth Phinney Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON

Mr. Speaker, as all members are aware, this week the crime bill received royal assent. On average one woman is killed every six days in Canada, often with a firearm at home by someone she knows. The weapon of choice in most cases is a legally owned firearm and 80 per cent of the time the firearm is a rifle or a shotgun.

A study released this week estimated the economic cost of violence against women in Canada at $4.2 billion per year. The recent passage of new gun control legislation is an important step in dealing with the problem of violence against women.

Mrs. de Villiers, the president of CAVEAT, has requested that I thank the Minister of Justice and the government for passing the gun control legislation despite the often hysterical and ill informed opposition.

The new gun control legislation will help to reduce the scourge of violence against women. However it is only a first step. More needs to be done. The government has been providing valuable leadership but all parts of society must co-operate to eliminate violence.

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Warren Allmand Liberal Notre-Dame-De-Grâce, QC

Mr. Speaker, on December 6 the House remembered the 14 women who were murdered with an automatic rifle at l'École polytechnique six years ago.

While Parliament has taken an important step by strictly controlling all firearms, the struggle against spousal violence is far from over. Last week four women were murdered in Montreal, one of them a young mother with the Montreal police. During the summer in one week three women were killed by men in Calgary.

According to Statistics Canada, nearly one out of four wives has been assaulted at some time in her life by her spouse. This must stop. What is needed is a wide range of measures directed at both the symptoms and the causes.

All governments should copy the excellent program announced by Quebec yesterday. Let us continue to apply the same political will that we used for gun control.

Quebec CultureStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Bloc

Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral Bloc Laval Centre, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister clearly told Quebecers that there is no such thing as a Quebec culture. Federalists, like sovereignists, now know that his motion to recognize Quebec's distinct nature is just a smoke screen.

Roch Demers, an avowed federalist, saw the contradiction in all this. Yesterday, he said: "If that reality, namely Quebec's culture, is not recognized, then Quebecers are right to contemplate separating from the rest of the country".

In spite of yesterday's attempt by the Prime Minister to correct his statement, Quebecers now know that there will be no true and substantial recognition of Quebec's distinctiveness.

All this reeks of bad faith, improvisation and expediency.

World Pipe Band ChampionshipsStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Reform

Paul Forseth Reform New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

Mr. Speaker, every August in Glasgow, Scotland, the World Pipe Band Championships are held. This year Burnaby's Simon Fraser University finished first in the elite competition.

I ask all members of the House to join with me in congratulating each of the band members for outstanding achievement and first class representation of Canada.

The pipers are Pipe Major Terry Lee, Pipe Sergeant Jack Lee, Andrew Bonar, Dani Brin, Richard Brown, Alan Campbell, Colin Clansey, Dave Hicks, David Hilder, Shaunna Hilder, Anthony Kerr, Robert MacLeod, Tamara MacLeod, Robert MacNeil, Bruce McIntosh, Bonnie McKain, Lachlan McWilliams, Derek Milloy, Pat Napper and Bruce Woodley.

The drummers are Lead Drummer J. Reid Maxwell, Blair Brown, Keith Clark, Callum Hannah, Karen Hinchey, Kathy MacPherson, Scott MacNeil, John Nichol, Colin Nicol, Roland Reid, Christine Rickson and Dan Weeks.

These are true world champions.

Japanese BulletinStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Patrick Gagnon Liberal Bonaventure—Îles-De-La-Madeleine, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to call attention today to the 50th anniversary of the Japanese Bulletin , a Canadian community newspaper which is published in Japanese, French and English. May I take this occasion to congratulate those responsible for their services to the Montreal Japanese community.

The existence of such a paper demonstrates the importance of learning and the rich contribution made by foreign languages to Canada on both the economic and the cultural levels.

For half a century journal volunteers have worked to bring their community closer together, to help immigrants adapt to Canadian society and to assist their members in addressing the social needs of Japanese Canadians in the Montreal area.

Japanese Canadian readers of the Bulletin are diverse, comprising third and fourth generation Canadians and obviously recent immigrants.

Again, my congratulations to those who are behind the Japanese Bulletin and my best wishes to this most interesting publication for a long life.

Stubble JumpersStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Gordon Kirkby Liberal Prince Albert—Churchill River, SK

Mr. Speaker, November 1995 saw an enthusiastic group of actors take to the stage in Prince Albert. Produced by Saskatchewan's newest musical production company, Destiny Productions, delighted Prince Albert audiences enjoyed the world premier of "Stubble Jumpers", a Broadway quality production.

"Stubble Jumpers", a great story about Saskatchewan boys heading off to fight for Canada in the second world war, is destined to become one of Canada's greatest musicals.

The book, music and lyrics were written by Prince Albertan, Reverend Roy Benson. Another Prince Albertan, musician Rich Miller, assumed the role of arranging and musical director. The rest of the creative team consisted of artistic director Darryl Lindenbach, choreographer Gillian Horn and Carole Courtney as vocal coach.

At a time when Canadian unity is being questioned, let us pay tribute to the men and women who fought and sacrificed on behalf of a united Canada.

"Stubble Jumpers" is a great new musical. Broadway has come to Prince Albert and Prince Albert will end up on Broadway.

Highway 416Statements By Members

December 8th, 1995 / 11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

Mr. Speaker, this morning the funding arrangements for completing highway 416 were made public at a press conference in North Gower.

The remaining 60-kilometre link to highway 401 is due to be completed before the end of the century. This important link will contribute greatly to our regional economy, as well as make for a safer and more pleasant drive than on the existing road, as my colleague here will attest.

I am very happy to see that the federal and Ontario provincial governments have come to an agreement on this project and that the political wrangling that had surrounded it is now a thing of the past.

The construction of this final section of the highway will create approximately 2,200 jobs and will contribute to our economic growth.

Job creation and economic growth are some of the goals the government set for itself during the last election campaign. This proves that in co-operation with other governments we are living up to our promises.

Prime Minister's ProposalsStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Bloc

André Caron Bloc Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned from a SOM survey that Quebecers are not swallowing the constitutional crumbs the Prime Minister is throwing them. Whether it is his feeble definition of distinct society, his veto right, which is not one at all, and his promise to make federal interference in areas of provincial jurisdiction more discreet, to Quebecers, it is nothing but the typical federal smoke and mirrors.

Yes, two thirds of Quebecers are dissatisfied with the Prime Minister's proposals. The federal propositions are being rejected by Quebecers, regardless of their region. Quebecers are nobody's fools.

This survey was carried out before the government's announcement that the number of regions to which the Prime Minister wants to give a bogus constitutional veto would be raised from four to five. This latest improvisation confirms the people of Quebec's judgment of the Prime Minister's proposals.

National UnityStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Reform

Allan Kerpan Reform Moose Jaw—Lake Centre, SK

Mr. Speaker, during the 1993 election campaign the Prime Minister said: "I have the people and I have the plan". The unity debate and the Prime Minister's handling of it clearly show that he has no plan. Everything from constitutional vetoes to distinct society status has been a stumbling, fumbling exercise in futility.

The Prime Minister is telling Quebecers that his version of distinct society will make them unique and special, while at the same time he is telling the rest of Canada not to worry, that it does not really mean much. His performance reminds me of the movie "Batman Forever", with the Prime Minister playing the part of the infamous Two Face.

We must stop thinking of our country as two of this or two of that and start focusing on the truly distinct concept of equality for all Canadians.

After listening to the Prime Minister's plans to offer a constitutional veto to Quebec, then to four regions of Canada, and today to Quebec, three regions of Canada and British Columbia, he is beginning to sound more and more like The Riddler.