Debates of March 20th, 1995

National Defence

[Jack Frazer, Reform, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, with the conclusion of the final court martial on the Somalia issue, I presume that the Minister of National Defence will shortly be announcing the composition of the board of inquiry to consider the issues before the deployment, during the deployment and after.

My concern is with the minister's decision to hold the inquiry under the National Defence Act. The perception will be that the Department of National Defence is investigating the Department of National Defence. Would the minister reconsider and hold the inquiry under the Inquiries Act?

[Fred Mifflin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for this important question. The minister will be back in the House tomorrow and will address that question himself.

[Jack Frazer, Reform, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my concern with the minister's decision to use the National Defence Act is that first of all, there are 306 sections in it which will require that some legal advice be given which might be taken as directing by the military. The second one is that not all the members who have appropriate testimony are subject to the National Defence Act. It would be much better if the minister were to consider using the Inquiries Act.

[Fred Mifflin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that was the question and my answer is still the same. The Minister of National Defence will return and address that question tomorrow or later this week.

Small Business

[Dianne Brushett, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

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

A recent report of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business shows that banks have a double standard when lending money to businesswomen. It suggests higher loan refusal, higher interest rates and less financing available to women entrepreneurs.

Will the minister investigate this apparent discrimination when in fact women entrepreneurs have a higher success rate than do men?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, as the questioner points out, it is a very important fact that women entrepreneurs do have a very high success rate. Their efforts are contributing significantly to the creation of jobs in Canada. Their success in small business is an important component of the overall development of jobs within the country.

The question also reflects the suggestion in the CFIB study that perhaps women have a more difficult time obtaining financing than do men. I know members of the Reform Party do not agree with that as they have already spoken on it. Those facts are open for review.

However job creation by entrepreneurs of either gender is going to happen best when the banks come to the table and answer the needs of small business. The government is going to be working very hard with the banks and the industry committee to see to it that we establish benchmarks that are usable and useful in measuring the success of the banks in responding to these needs.

Zeroplus Inc.

[Jean Charest, Progressive Conservative, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry and concerns a project of which he is aware in the Eastern Townships. The project, called ZEROPLUS Inc., is a very important project since it could create 150 jobs in the industrial sector.

The promoters of the project are still waiting for an answer from the federal government, the provincial government having already made a commitment in this regard. Since there are short term elements involved in this project, time is of the essence and if the government does not give its answer soon, the whole project could be in jeopardy.

Can the minister give us a progress report on this matter?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for giving me advance notice of his question.

As he certainly knows and as was announced in last month's budget, this program on environmental technologies is being reviewed by the departments involved and we will not, at this time, make new commitments with regard to this program.

Finance

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. It concerns the fact that we have heard a lot last week and this week surrounding the back to work legislation about the national interest.

Given the fact that we now glorify an international economic order in which notions of national interest are seen to be romantic, why do we bring the full force of law to bear on workers who are seen to be not acting in the national interest, or so the argument goes, when we do not take any legislative action either nationally or internationally with respect to currency traders, money changers, multinational corporations or others that act against the national interest?

Given the sort of moral anarchy that reigns in the world today, will the Minister of Finance and the Canadian government, with respect to the G-7 summit, be taking some leadership in bringing in a new Bretton Woods agreement for the 21st century?

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

Mr. Speaker, just as the government has consistently put the national interest first in its dealings and in its legislation within the country, so has the Prime Minister in his public statements in terms of the international financial community.

The world ought to be quite happy that Canada will be the host of the G-7 meeting and that the Prime Minister will be there because he will very clearly put on the agenda the necessity of making sure the world deals with its finances in a safe and reasonable manner.

Air Navigation System

[Laurent Lavigne, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

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

It was announced in the budget that the air navigation system, or ANS, would be privatized this year. The minister went as far as to say that negotiations are well under way with a non profit group made up of representatives of the air transport industry, and that an agreement could be announced shortly.

Can the minister confirm that stringent requirements will be set so that the new operators of ANS will provide quality French-language service throughout Quebec, Acadia, and in all regions with a significant number of French-speaking Canadians?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have already examined the issue raised by my hon. colleague. In all negotiations, we want to make sure that the requirements he described are met and that services in French will be available where they are needed, particularly in Quebec and in French-speaking regions of Canada.

[Laurent Lavigne, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the minister.

Can the minister give us guarantees to the effect that the present regional operations of ANS will be maintained, and more particularly area control centres?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, one of the main reasons for proceeding to the commercialization of the air navigation system in Canada is to provide the users of the service, the airlines, the pilots and so forth, along with the deliverers of the service, the air traffic controllers, the radio operators and so forth, input into the decisions required to make the air navigation system in Canada effective and affordable.

To the extent that both those who use the service and those who deliver the service will want to act in the best interest of everyone involved in the process, I am sure all those decisions will be made in the very best interest of everyone concerned.

Agriculture

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Vegreville, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has waffled long enough on to whom the Crow benefit should be paid. Farmers need clarification from the agriculture minister now.

I ask the minister this very simple question: Is the final Crow payment intended to benefit the landowner or the actual producer?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman will know, the freight rate in western Canada has in one form or another been subsidized or kept at an artificially low rate for the better part of 100 years. When that occurs for that long period of

time the value of the freight rate becomes capitalized into the value of the farm land.

For example, when the capital gains tax valuation day came around in 1971 the value of the farm land was higher than it otherwise would have been because the produce off that farm land had been subsidized for a long period of time by means of the predecessors to the WGTA. The value of the farm land was higher because of the subsidy.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Regina—Wascana, SK]

You asked the question; wait for the answer. When the subsidy is removed and the freight rate goes up, obviously there will be an impact upon farm land and it is that impact toward which the payment is directed.

[Leon Benoit, Reform, Vegreville, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Human Resources Development, the Minister of Transport and now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and from our different ministers we have had four different answers.

I would like an answer, please. Will this payment absolutely, for sure, be made to the landowner or as some of the other ministers have said possibly to the renters or lessors?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the budget documents and all the answers offered by various ministers of the government have indicated the payment being directed toward the landowner.

A number of farm organizations in western Canada have asked for the opportunity to provide advice to the government with respect to the administrative arrangements surrounding that payment so that we could ensure as far as is humanly possible that the benefit from the payment is spread as broadly as possible and as fairly as possible in good common sense.

Despite the representations of the Reform Party, I intend to listen as closely as I can to the advice from farm organizations and take their representations into account.

Student Employment

[Georgette Sheridan, Liberal, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

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

Spring has sprung and with it the job search for Canadian university and high school students has begun. Summer employment provides work experience along with funds needed to continue their education.

What assurance can the minister give Canadian students that the government puts a high priority on their summer employment needs?

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

Mr. Speaker, on Friday we announced a new summer youth employment program that will provide employment for close to 45,000 students this summer across Canada.

I would like to mention a few very important features. One is that we will be providing a wage subsidy to businesses and organizations that are prepared to provide career development for students so that the summer work actually adds to their vocational development.

Second, there will be major business loans for students who want to start their own businesses. There will be an extension of the youth service corps for summer programs for young people in which we will have full partnership of the Canadian Federation of Mayors and Municipalities, educational groups, Indian bands and aboriginal groups.

It demonstrates that we are working in partnership across the country to help our young people.

Environment

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last year the environment minister stated that a project, namely Sunshine Development, which had environmental assessments, was fully reviewed by Parks Canada and designated as environmentally sound, would be subject to more review because of her government's reliance on special interests.

If the minister is so concerned about the environment, why is her department sitting idle while clear-cutting of old growth is taking place on lands in which the federal government has an interest?

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all the preface to the hon. member's question is absolutely false.

In fact the panel that was struck specifically relating to the ski hill in question was called by the minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

That is a good answer for nothing.