Debates of March 17th, 1995

Funding For Cdecs

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, given the critical role that these development corporations play in job creation, will the minister responsible for development in Quebec put an end right now to the uncertainty and reassure the CDECs that the federal government will sign the tripartite agreement already reached between the three parties, and end the uncertainty and sign the agreement?

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we indicated in our budget that we would review various programs to make them more productive.

We also indicated that we would apply federalism by the book, and spend our money in areas that fall squarely under the federal government's jurisdiction. Furthermore, we have created tens of thousands of jobs in Montreal and Quebec over the past year. We will continue to support policies which brought us such success in Quebec, and in the Montreal region in particular.

Cp Rail

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to use an urgent situation in my own riding to outline the impact of the CP Rail strike in many ridings both urban and rural across the country.

Kootenay West-Revelstoke has a pulp mill and a smelter both on the verge of complete shutdown because of the week old rail strike. This will take $2.6 million a week out of an area of less than 20,000 people. Not only is this financially devastating; it is totally unnecessary.

My question is for the Minister of Labour. How much economic pain and suffering has to be felt by innocent third parties, everyone from factory workers to prairie farmers, before the government takes its inevitable course of action?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that discussions are under way between the parties. I also understand the railway is operating.

The hon. member has quite properly raised a very serious situation. This is a message to the parties that they should get down to business and reach an agreement.

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

Mr. Speaker, 7,000 cargo containers are presently trapped at the port of Montreal at a cost of more that $2 million a day.

Once again business and individuals across the country are being hurt by this situation, some nearly to the point of bankruptcy. Ten days have now passed and the government has done nothing, although it only took them only one day in Vancouver.

Will the Minister of Labour who is an MP from Montreal take action to end this senseless pain and economic hardship?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Labour, on behalf of the government, is following the situation very closely.

The hon. member has quite properly raised a serious situation. It is an indication why the parties-I understand they have informal discussions under way-should turn them into full collective bargaining and reach an agreement themselves as quickly as possible, which is what they have done on every occasion since 1975.

Immigration And Refugee Board

[Maud Debien, Bloc, Laval East, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, but I guess someone else will answer it. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration recently appointed Mr. Jean-Guy Fleury as executive director of the Immigration and Refugee Board. In a release confirming that appointment, the minister failed to indicate that, at one time, Mr. Fleury worked for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

How does the minister explain the fact that no mention whatsoever was made of Mr. Fleury's managing responsibilities within CSIS when he was appointed to the Immigration and Refugee Board?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Secretary of State (Parliamentary Affairs) and Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Fleury is a career public servant. He has worked in the public service for many years and he continues to do so. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration appointed him to that very important position and I do not see why the hon. member objects to that appointment, given the mandate of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

[Maud Debien, Bloc, Laval East, QC]

Mr. Speaker, will the minister admit that, through this appointment, he is indirectly doing what his government refused to do directly and which he strongly denounced when he sat in the opposition, namely to link immigration to intelligence and national security issues?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Secretary of State (Parliamentary Affairs) and Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Fleury has been a public servant since 1965. He worked in several departments and only spent three years with CSIS.

I can understand that the hon. member sees a connection with security issues. However, Mr. Fleury's record in the public service clearly shows that he is a good public servant and that he will definitely continue to provide quality services.

Land Claim

[Dick Harris, Reform, Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Six Nations Indian band in Ontario recently filed a legal action against the province of Ontario and the federal government seeking compensation for land, money from land sales, revenue from mineral rights and compound interest on any money owed.

This claim, which relates to all transactions in the province since 1784, is estimated by one of the chiefs to be in the neighbourhood of $400 billion.

I hope we get one clear answer from the government today. Will the government or someone from the government confirm to the Canadian taxpayer if the federal government has in fact advanced any federal funds in support of this legal action?

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I will take the question under advisement. This is a very specific question where a proper answer is needed. We will get the details for the hon. member and give them to him as soon as they are available.

[Dick Harris, Reform, Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would hope in the future we will get a proper answer from the government regarding Indian affairs.

I anticipate we will hear no clear answer. I am surprised that given the magnitude of the lawsuit, being $400 billion, that someone has not been reached on that side of the House on this question.

Can the Reform Party and Canadian taxpayers be assured that a very clear and distinct answer will be given to this question?

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Public Service

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board.

After denouncing last week the government's failure to tackle waste in the public service, we must rise again today to denounce the unfairness of the cuts. At this time, 14 per cent of full time jobs in the public service are held by contract employees without job security. These employees are generally young graduates and the majority of them are women.

Does the President of the Treasury Board admit that most of the cuts will affect contract employees and that we are thus sacrificing a new generation of our most dynamic and youngest employees?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, in short, no. We are making the cuts according to the programs and services we have reviewed. They are going to be cut as part of our endeavours to get the deficit down and to cut government expenditures.

It is the positions that are associated with those programs and services that will be cut. Some of them will be long term positions, some will be contractual positions. We will be monitoring the entire situation to make sure that at the end of the day after the cuts are made, we will still have a public service that is able to provide the needs of Canadians in an efficient and effective manner.

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, women represent 62 per cent of those full time contract employees who will be affected by the cuts announced by the government. Does the President of the Treasury Board confirm that these downsizing measures will affect mainly women?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe so. We are going to monitor the situation very carefully.

I have said, that these are positions related to certain programs and services that are going to be cut as a result of budget reduction measures. Treasury Board will be monitoring them to try and ensure that we do not get into a disproportionate situation for any one particular group and that we do maintain a dedicated, professional public services that is able to provide the services Canadians need.

Trade

[Paul Zed, Liberal, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, a number of members from all parties and from all regions of Canada have come together to form a sugar caucus to address the issue of restrictions placed on Canadian sugar exports to the United States.

Revenue Canada today announced that it is investigating unfair trading practices of sugar exporters in the United States, Europe and Korea. I am sponsoring legislation to address the problems facing Canadian sugar workers and producers. All members are pleased that the minister has launched this action.

Can the minister explain to the House the basis for the investigation into the dumping and subsidization of sugar imports and the benefits which the sugar producers can expect to receive from this important action?

[Susan Whelan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to confirm that today the department initiated a dumping and subsidy investigation into imports of sugar from Korea, the European Union and the United States.

This investigation was initiated in response to allegations filed by the Canadian Sugar Institute that sugar imports are being dumped into Canada and that foreign refiners have been receiving government subsidies which allow them to sell at prices which are sometimes below the cost of production.

These alleged practices have reduced profit levels, forced Canadian refiners to reduce prices to unreasonable levels and to lay off workers. Therefore, the department will now investigate the allegations and should they be proven accurate, apply an extra duty which will take away the unfair advantage enjoyed by imports and once again provide a level playing field for Canadian refiners.

The Budget

[Herb Grubel, Reform, Capilano—Howe Sound, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every December accountants in Canada will have large, extra expenses because the new budget forces all professional income returns to be filed at the same time. Professionals will have to bear this extra cost forever, while the government will have only a one time increase in cash income. By no economic standard is this an efficient tax.

Has the minister estimated the efficiency of the new tax measure by comparing the present value of the higher accounting costs with the one-time gain in revenue?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, this is a measure that has received a great deal of support from those affected.

It has been pointed out to me that the Association of Certified General Accountants, the CGA, has supported the move. The members of this organization are obviously those most immediately affected.

[Herb Grubel, Reform, Capilano—Howe Sound, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this is not the message I receive from accountants in my riding.

The legislation affecting the accounting years of proprietary professional business leaves unaffected the freedom of incorporated business to choose their accounting year.

What justification does the minister have for discriminating against unincorporated businesses which will now have to spend thousands of dollars to incorporate if they want to retain flexibility in choosing their taxation year end?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, there is absolutely no discrimination arising from this measure.

We have said that individual Canadians who had the opportunity at one point to avail themselves of a deferral which was not available to other individual Canadians will no longer be able to do so.

We did this on the basis of tax fairness. That is the way it has been received and it is one of the reasons that I am so glad that an august body like the CGA has supported what we have done.

Money Laundering

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the solicitor general. The parliamentary secretary to the solicitor general stated in this House that an investigation was under way to explain the RCMP's lack of co-operation with the Swiss authorities, which resulted in Libertina Rizzuto and Luca Giammarella being set free for lack of evidence in a money laundering case.

Can the Solicitor General give us an update on the investigation announced by his parliamentary secretary, which should shed light on the reasons behind the RCMP's lack of co-operation with the Swiss authorities in the case involving Libertina Rizzuto and Luca Giammarella?