Debates of Feb. 24th, 1995

Cultural Sovereignty

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I will take the question under advisement.

The hon. member will receive a reply as soon as possible.

Gun Control

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the buck stops with the justice minister. Last week when asked how a national gun registry would reduce crime he could not or would not answer. Instead he listed off a group of bureaucrats and organizations which he claims support his measures.

Is it not his responsibility to explain how a national gun registry will improve public safety and reduce violent crime? Does the buck not stop with him?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is entirely appropriate that I should have been in the midst of answering a question about violence against women immediately before having been asked about the registration of firearms.

The hon. member need only refer to the speeches I have made in the House as recently as last week on the subject to see the direct and demonstrable link between the registration of firearms and the reduction of violence, particularly violence against women.

Tourism

[Derek Wells, Liberal, South Shore, NS]

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

I have active tourism committees in my riding of South Shore in Nova Scotia. They would like an update on the progress of the Canadian Tourism Commission and how the commission will help them in their job of promoting tourism.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for this very important question.

As members will know, this is one area within this government where we have not only held our budget but have increased

our budget because we believe that tourism marketing is one area through which we can put a lot of Canadians back to work in very short order.

To facilitate that the Prime Minister announced in early January the Canadian tourism commission. The Minister of Industry announced all the appointed members February 1 and that commission is now receiving proposals from the private sector from tourism operators.

It will consider those private sector marketing plans along with those funds. They in turn will be matched with the tourism commission's funds. Hopefully through that kind of joint venture and leveraged attempt we can-

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Nanaimo-Cowichan, one question.

Education

[Bob Ringma, Reform, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, each year the federal government gives provincial education departments millions of dollars to subsidize French classes.

Much of this money is used by school boards as a source of general revenue rather than French language education. For example, a recent report by the Carleton Board of Education states the income from these grants supports the system as a whole and is not specifically directed to the immersion program.

Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage or his secretary of state explain why his government is permitting money intended for French immersion to be used for general administration costs by school boards from coast to coast?

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I will have to take the question under advisement.

Child Care

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Human Resources Development.

In its red book, the Liberal government promised to create 150,000 new child care spaces as soon as economic growth exceeded 3 per cent, at a rate of 50,000 spaces annually, a commitment that was reiterated by the Minister of Human Resources Development in his reform proposals. Last February, the Minister of Finance provided for a $120 million envelope for 1995-96 and another $240 million for 1996-97 to finance these new child care spaces.

Since there is every indication that this year, economic growth will exceed 3 per cent, is the government still prepared to act on its commitment, while of course respecting current provincial responsibility for child care?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have already started discussions with the provinces.

My deputy met with his counterparts in January. We hope to have a follow-up meeting in the spring. We have also started direct negotiations with representatives of the First Nations peoples to provide 6,000 spaces for them.

It is simply a matter of having to work in co-operation with both our aboriginal peoples and provincial jurisdictions.

Health

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I am pleased to table in both official languages an interim report entitled "Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada" prepared by Mr. Justice Horace Krever.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[The Deputy Speaker]

Pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the House in both official languages the report of the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Conference of Commonwealth Speakers, presiding officers, held from January 5 to 7, 1995 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Last Wednesday, I said in the House that the Board of Internal Economy had approved the purchase of ten kits on Bill C-68 for each member of Parliament. In fact, the quantity approved by the board was five copies per member of Parliament.

Committees Of The House

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of the very hard working members from all parties of the finance committee, I have the honour to present to this House its 12th report.

This is about family trusts.

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, some of my colleagues on the finance committee who attended the committee's sittings wish to thank all the groups and experts who came to testify before the committee. Since today, they are away on business in their constituencies, I will express our party's dissenting opinion.

After several attempts to reach a consensus, the Bloc Quebecois had to reject the majority report tabled by the finance committee.

The official opposition is not against the principle of family trusts as such. However, the Bloc Quebecois cannot endorse the conclusions of the committee that favour maintaining Bill C-92, which allows wealthy Canadian families to use family trusts as a tax shelter. According to the experts who testified before the committee, the tax revenues forgone as a result of Bill C-92 would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Bloc Quebecois was also surprised at the complete reversal of the position taken by the Liberal Party of Canada which, when it was in the opposition, vigorously condemned Bill C-92. Today, by tabling this report, the Liberals put their seal of approval on the deferral of capital gains tax for the next twenty or thirty years and have thus refused to abolish the tax privileges of the wealthy.

In concluding, I would like to say that, for these reasons, the Bloc Quebecois demands, in its dissenting opinion, that the family trust system be amended so as to tax the capital gains of these family trusts.

Explosives Act

[Allan Rock, Liberal, For the Minister of Natural Resources]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-71, an act to amend the Explosives Act.

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

Criminal Code

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-72, an act to amend the Criminal Code (self-induced intoxication).

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

Adm Agri-Industries Ltd. Operations Act

[Clifford Lincoln, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-310, an act to provide resumption of operations of Archer Daniel Midland Ltd.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide a few details on this bill.

There is a labour dispute between ADM Agri-Industries Ltd. and the Ogilvie Mills Ltd employees union affecting some 150 production employees. The parties are negotiating a new collective agreement to replace the one which expired on January 31, 1992.

A conciliator and then a mediator were appointed to help the parties resolve their differences. Unfortunately, little progress has been made up to now. The union declared a legal general strike on June 6, 1994. The strike begun eight months ago is continuing. The employer has continued its activities with the help of replacement workers.

I am therefore proposing a bill to provide for the appointment of an arbitrator to resolve this dispute, and, within 30 days, or longer, with the approval of the minister, the arbitrator should determine the issues on which the parties agreed, make an arbitration award on unresolved issues and prepare a memorandum of understanding for a return to work.

The bill contains provisions to require the parties to accept the memorandum of agreement for the return to work and the resumption of operations. It also contains sanctions in the form of fines, in the event the act is contravened. The act would come into force the day after royal assent.

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

United States Sugar Import Restrictions Retaliation Act

[Paul Zed, Liberal, Fundy Royal, NB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-311, an act to require the Minister for International Trade to retaliate against import restrictions introduced by the United States of America on Canadian refined sugar and sugar containing products.

Mr. Speaker, the name of this act is known as the United States Sugar Import Restrictions Retaliation Act.

In 1994 Canada and the United States and over 100 countries signed a new GATT agreement aimed at reducing trade barriers and increasing market access over time. However, in the face of this global trade liberalization the United States preserved its own protectionist, high priced sugar program and took the opportunity to further reduce Canada's access for sugar and sugar containing products.

On January 1, 1995 Canada's exports of refined sugar and sugar containing products were forcibly reduced to a trickle. The sugar industry estimates that this will result in a $90 million loss in export trade accompanied by substantial job losses in Canada's refining and food processing industries.

Imports from the United States are unrestricted and continue to rise as Canadian tariffs on U.S. sugar and sugar containing products decline under NAFTA.

This is one way free trade and will result in millions of dollars of lost revenue, countless job losses and the reallocation of plants producing sugar containing products to the United States.

In conclusion, our Prime Minister yesterday quoted that the Americans are our best friends whether we like it or not. Let us resolve this issue quickly as friends.

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

Adm Agri-Industries Ltd. Operations Act

[Nick Discepola, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-312, an act to provide for the resumption of operations at ADM Agri-Industries Ltd.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to table a bill regarding the resumption of operations of the company ADM Agri-Industries Ltd. As was already said, the employees of this company have been negotiating their collective agreement since it expired on January 31, 1992. The employees have been on strike now for eight months.

Despite the efforts of conciliators and mediators to put an end to this strike, it has dragged on and the employer has kept operations running by hiring outside help. Therefore, I am tabling this bill, which provides for a mediator-arbitrator to settle the conflict and which provides that employees will go back to work under the terms of a memorandum of agreement, drafted by the mediator-arbitrator.

The bill contains provisions obliging the two parties to respect the memorandum of agreement and to try to settle the current conflict. It also contains sanctions in the form of fines, if the legislation is not respected.

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

[Raymond Lavigne, Liberal, Verdun—Saint-Paul, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-313, an act to provide for the resumption and continuance of the operations at ADM Agri-Industries Ltd.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to introduce a bill providing for the resumption and continuance of operations at ADM Agri-Industries Ltd., commonly referred to as Ogilvie Mills.

As you know, 150 employees have been on strike for eight months. This bill would require the two parties to negotiate and go back to work. One of the two parties would have to determine working conditions under this plan. As you know, many people with dependent children are now on strike, despite having to earn a living. This bill should solve these problems.

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

Petitions

[Jean-Paul Marchand, Bloc, Québec-Est, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table in this House a petition signed by some 40 people, in addition to another petition containing about 15,500 signatures, which I sent directly to the office of the minister responsible for social housing this morning.

These petitions are signed by social housing tenants from all parts of Quebec. They were given to me by the Quebec federation of low-rent housing tenants and by the citizens' committee of Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. These petitions include the signatures of 500 residents of Saint-Hyacinthe that were sent to met by my colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot.

The petitioners wish to draw the attention of Parliament to their current precarious situation and their inability to afford the 20 per cent rent increase contemplated by the government. This increase will affect 110,000 Quebec households who live in social housing units and earn an average annual income of $10,000. That translates into an annual rent increase of $500 per household, which is totally unacceptable.

The petitioners urge Parliament to renounce any measures to save money that would impoverish tenants.

I totally and wholeheartedly support this petition and urge the government to take appropriate action.

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise before the House once again to present petition number 15 in the course of action undertaken on behalf of constituents who wish to halt the early release from prison of Robert Paul Thompson.

April 11 is the date set for the parole hearing. My colleague from Surrey-White Rock-South Langley shall be in attendance with me at this hearing.

The petitioners I represent are concerned about making our streets safer for our citizens. They are opposed to the current practice of early release of violent offenders prior to serving the full extent of their sentences.

The petitioners pray that our streets shall be made safer for law-abiding citizens and the families of the victims of convicted murderers.

[Val Meredith, Reform, Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to present three petitions to the House.

The first petition is signed by 150 of my constituents who are praying and requesting that Parliament reduce government spending rather than increase taxes.

The second petition is signed by 55 members of my constituency. The petitioners are praying and requesting that Parliament reduce government spending instead of increasing taxes and implement a taxpayer protection act to limit federal government spending.

[Val Meredith, Reform, Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is signed by members of my constituency who are praying and requesting that Parliament oppose any amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that provide for the inclusion of the phrase sexual orientation.