House of Commons Hansard #190 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-43.
Michel Dupuy LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of a Seagram's file in my department. The issues are related to Investment Canada, not to Heritage Canada. Therefore, there is no reason our colleague should be so concerned.
Val Meredith Reform Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Industry keeps saying nothing is being done on the Seagram's file. We hear the heritage minister denying there is even a Seagram's file.
If that is the case, why is Investment Canada seeking a legal opinion of the Seagram's acquisition?
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, the Investment Canada Act creates a regime under which certain transactions are reviewable. The first requirement is that the acquiring corporation be non-Canadian.
Therefore, we do not know until we determine in this particular case whether Seagram is Canadian or non-Canadian and whether there is a reviewable transaction under the Investment Canada Act.
What I said was not that nothing was being done on this file but that nothing has been done because her colleague accused the government of wrongdoing on this file. Nothing has been done. The issue is open and under consideration by the acting president of Investment Canada. We will be obtaining information from the file in Investment Canada that will deal with it because the transaction is located in Investment Canada.
However, until all of the facts have been obtained we cannot say there is a reviewable transaction. Therefore, the issues of net benefit to Canada are not yet under discussion.
Dianne Brushett Liberal Cumberland—Colchester, NS
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Revenue.
Recently I brought to the minister's attention the fact that there may be loopholes in the regulations governing the goods and services tax as it applies to the sale of new and used automobiles.
Can the minister inform the House if he is investigating this matter to assure consumers that GST paid to automobile dealers is passed on to national revenue?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question and for the continued interest she shows in tax fairness.
There are specific provisions in the GST legislation which do provide for a notional input tax credit. This credit in turn allows registered car dealers to compete at the same level as private sellers who are not GST registrants.
The department monitors and investigates any indication or reports of any abuse of the notional input tax credit and I can assure the hon. member that we have, as a result of her
representations, stepped up our own activities to ensure the notional input tax credit provisions do not result in any tax advantage for any particular individual or group of car dealers.
Maud Debien Bloc Laval East, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the acting Prime Minister. Now on to another scandal, because it is also a scandal for women.
All Canadians and Quebecers are going to look a little silly this week-end. The Minister of Immigration's stubbornness will prevent Ms. Hafsa Zinaï Koudil, a filmmaker of Algerian origin, from participating in the Montreal festival "Vues d'Afrique", which will feature her movie "Le Démon au féminin" decrying the violent way religious fundamentalists in Algeria treat women.
How can the acting Prime Minister justify the Minister of Immigration's obstinate refusal to grant a visitor's visa to filmmaker Koudil?
Mary Clancy LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, officials must follow the law when making any decision to accept or refuse a request for visa. This is something the hon. member knows well.
I have been asked by the minister to encourage both the member and the person in question to reapply, to submit any new information. Departmental officials are bound to uphold the laws and protect the interests of Canada. The member knows this well and we await a new application if there are new facts.
Jim Abbott Reform Kootenay East, BC
Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, he has denied having a meeting with the Bronfmans prior to the announcement of the Seagram's deal. Did he have a meeting in Los Angeles? If so, what was involved in that meeting? Did it involve Investment Canada?
Michel Dupuy LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, no meeting took place and therefore the response to the second part of the question is no.
John Solomon NDP Regina—Lumsden, SK
Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Industry. Over the past few days gas stations across Canada have increased their prices by as much as 10 cents a litre without justification.
This is the sixth price increase in the last 11 months, representing more than a 25 per cent increase to consumers and a 40 per cent increase to oil companies' revenues after record profits last year. These increases will cost Canadians over $3 billion each year and will hurt business, agriculture and consumers, basically our entire economy.
Failing a voluntary rollback by the oil companies of these unfair increases, will the government act to protect consumers by rolling back these costly increases until a price review can be conducted to see if these price increases are justifiable?
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question and I recognize the continuing work he has put into this matter of raising the attention of the Canadian public to the level of gas prices in Canada. He has worked very hard.
As he knows from the answer I gave to our colleague from Carleton-Gloucester, I share his concern about the apparently inexplicable increase in prices that Canadians have experienced and from coast to coast are complaining about.
As to his suggestion of regulation of prices, this is not something I favour. I do not believe that to regulate prices, either to roll them back or to tell companies what they should charge for the goods or services they provide, is the best way for consumers ultimately to enjoy lower prices.
The real solution is real and sustained competition.
Gasoline PricesOral Question Period
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)
This concludes question period today.
Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Kingston and the Islands Ontario
Liberal
Peter Milliken LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table in both official languages the government's response to 18 petitions.
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table the formal response of the government to the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Industry, "Rebuilding Trust", pursuant to Standing Order 109.
Members Of Parliament Retiring Allowances ActRoutine Proceedings
Windsor West Ontario
Liberal
Herb Gray Liberalfor the President of the Treasury Board
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-85, an act to amend the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act and to provide for the continuation of a certain provision.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-86, an act to amend the Canadian Dairy Commission Act.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Peter Milliken LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:
That, notwithstanding any standing order, on Monday, May 8, 1995 the sitting of the House shall commence at two o'clock p.m.
(Motion agreed to.)
Warren Allmand Liberal Notre-Dame-De-Grâce, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by over 500 citizens from the region of Montreal who ask that Bill C-58, an act to amend the RCMP act and the Public Service Staff Relations Act, be withdrawn.
They say the bill is undemocratic, will isolate the members of the RCMP by depriving them of the status of public service employees and will in consequence violate their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Jack Frazer Reform Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 it is my duty and honour to rise in the House to present a petition duly certified by the clerk of petitions on behalf of 25 individuals.
The petitioners request that Parliament at the earliest possible time initiate a wide ranging public inquiry replacing many being convened piecemeal into the Canadian Armed Forces, including reserves, which will investigate, report and make recommendations on all matters affecting its operations, tasking, resources, effectiveness, morale and welfare.
George S. Rideout Liberal Moncton, NB
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present pursuant to Standing Order 36. The first deals with assisted suicide.
The petitioners urge we make no changes to the Criminal Code which would affect that area.
George S. Rideout LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Natural Resources
The second petition, Mr. Speaker, deals with the request of citizens of Moncton that changes be made to the charter of rights and freedoms to enable residents to be notified when repeat sex offenders are released into the community.
Jim Abbott Reform Kootenay East, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have five petitions to present today. The first one, signed by 35 people, is that the petitioners pray and request that Parliament not amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or charter of rights and freedoms in any way that would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships.
Jim Abbott Reform Kootenay East, BC
The second one is signed by 25 petitioners, requesting that Parliament not change the law respecting assisted suicide.
Jim Abbott Reform Kootenay East, BC
The third petition is signed by 25 petitioners with respect to extending protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.
Jim Abbott Reform Kootenay East, BC
The fourth petition has four pages and has to do with the petitioners calling upon Parliament to enact legislation against serious personal injury crimes being committed by high risk offenders by permitting the use of post-sentence detention orders-specifically, passing my colleague's private member's bill, C-240.