Debates of April 4th, 1995

Burundi

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister recognize that, beyond the nice assurances and comments on reconciliation, it is urgent to take concrete action, which includes the rapid setting up of a monitoring group in Burundi, as requested by the Burundi ambassador to Canada?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I just said to the hon. member that, even though the Burundi ambassador may have made such a request, Burundi government officials did not.

I just got back from a meeting of ministers of the Francophonie, where the Burundi situation was discussed and where we heard from a representative of the government of Burundi. What that government official asked for, and what we will do, is this: first, send a ministerial mission to attempt a reconciliation; second, send a group of experts to help local authorities solve their problems; third, provide humanitarian assistance, asCanada is always prepared to offer, to non-governmental orga-

nizations helping the civilian population affected by the conflict.

War Criminals

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in January of this year the government announced that war criminals living in Canada would be deported rather than prosecuted for their crimes against humanity.

This is a shift in policy from 1987 when the Liberal Party endorsed a made in Canada solution to Nazi war criminals.

My question is for the Minister of Justice. Why has the government given up on the idea of prosecuting Nazi war criminals in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, by far the preferred way of approaching such cases is to initiate criminal prosecutions.

However, a couple of things have happened since 1987. First, the provisions in the Criminal Code that were added at about that time to provide for such prosecutions have been tested in court proceedings and interpreted by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Second, the nature, quality and availability of the evidence in such prosecutions has diminished in the years since 1987. When we came to office we came with a determination to do something about the moral imperative of removing such people from our midst.

We looked at the possibility of criminal prosecution and determined that in view of the interpretation placed on the provisions of the code by the Supreme Court of Canada in Finta and in view of the state of the evidence in these cases, the best approach for achieving the moral imperative in a practical way was to institute civil proceedings by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. That is the step we have taken.

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have been here for 18 months and in all areas of crime we would like to see some justice. I am still waiting. We have not seen justice yet.

Earlier this year the Minister of Justice said: "War crimes investigators have evidence that 12 suspects are living in Canada". However, the government is only pursuing four cases in order to test the legal waters.

The longer the minister waits, the more unreliable the evidence is going to be. Why is the minister not pursuing all 12 cases immediately?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quite right. These cases must be undertaken as soon as possible. We are starting with four cases. We have identified eight others as appropriate for proceeding in this same way. We have eight counsel under the lead of a senior justice counsel dealing with the four cases that are already before the courts. As soon as we possibly can we will initiate the others.

We started with four cases that we believe in some important respects will clear the way by creating legal precedents that will make it simpler to proceed in the other cases.

I fully agree with the hon. member and we will commence the balance of the cases at the earliest possible date.

Trade

[Alex Shepherd, Liberal, Durham, ON]

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

In order to create jobs and stimulate small and medium sized businesses in a new, innovative economy, we need new approaches to equity capital.

What is the government doing to create a new environment for encouraging Canadians to invest in their own country and its technological excellence?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Durham for his continuing interest in the issue of capital formation with respect to small and medium sized businesses, especially in the new economy areas which he knows require both investment in technology as well as in skills development.

It is a key issue. In keeping with the approach that the government announced in the orange book of assistance to business, our objective is to create a framework in which business will succeed. We are looking to the private sector for the kinds of linkages and sources of funds that are important. In addition we have a tax system in place that encourages innovation and investment in R and D.

The R and D tax credit, the creation of the Canada community investment plan as well as Industry Canada are pursuance of our macroeconomic agenda. It will ensure that we understand the needs of small business and that we make the appropriate linkages and partnerships that are available. They are the keys to solving these problems.

Hepatitis C

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

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

Yesterday, the Minister of Health said with respect to hepatitis C, and I quote: "I can tell you that the hon. member recognizes that there are many jurisdictions involved in this issue. We are eagerly awaiting Justice Krever's recommendations on contacting individuals infected with hepatitis C".

How can the minister justify the decision not to trace hepatitis C carriers before 1990 by the fact that there were several jurisdictions involved, when the decision made arbitrarily at the time to stop traceback was made by the Red Cross alone?

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that Health Canada is responsible for monitoring the safety of blood products. It is true several jurisdictions are involved, especially the provinces, which have a responsibility with respect to traceback.

I must say that a number of provinces have started to get involved in hepatitis C traceback, including British Columbia and a number of hospitals in other provinces.

Expo 2005

[Diane Ablonczy, Reform, Calgary North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, two Canadian cities are competing for the right to bid on hosting Expo 2005. They are anxiously waiting for the heritage minister to announce which city will win that right. The minister said he would announce his decision by the end of March. We are still waiting.

A lot of citizens have worked hard on these bids. Will the minister end the suspense here and now? Is it Calgary or Ottawa?

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, consideration of this issue is making good progress. It has now reached ministerial level where it is being discussed.

We are quite conscious of the great anxiety of the bidding groups. They shall be informed of the results of the ministerial consideration as soon as possible.

The Budget

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance who I think will agree that his budget has taken us down an unprecedented course.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[An hon. member]

There will never be a Liberal elected in Saskatchewan again.

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

There was no significant change in monetary policy in the budget. There was tinkering with the tax system only in terms of reform. The main thrust has been through massive cuts to social programs, actually all government programs.

Presuming that this is to lead to economic prosperity and job creation, will the minister tell us what country and what government he used as a model to demonstrate that this approach actually works and is successful?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the hon. member for having begun his question so well.

We engaged in an analysis of Canada's economic needs, the circumstances within which we found ourselves and the government's overwhelming commitment to see job creation made the priority focus of the country. I think that is the reason why the budget has been so well received. It is as a result of this budget that the economic recovery will continue and Canadians will begin to do in the context of the rest of the world what we as Liberals have always felt they could do, and that is to take on anybody.

Agriculture

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Lincoln, ON]

Mr. Speaker, farmers and companies in the agri-food sector in my constituency of Lincoln recognize the change taking place in the Canadian agricultural sector, in particular the need to expand our export markets.

Canadian farmers are looking to this government to ensure international agricultural trade reaches the $20-billion level by the year 2000.

Will the minister of agriculture explain what tangible results Canadian farmers and the agri-food sector expect from his recent visit to Chile, Argentina and Brazil?

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I returned from a 10-day trade mission in South America, visiting the countries referred to in the question. It was a most successful trade mission, particularly because it not only involved representatives of the Government of Canada but also representatives of three provinces, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan, plus representatives of close to 30 leaders of Canadian farm organizations and Canadian agri-businesses. It was truly in the spirit of Team Canada referred to by the Prime Minister.

There were some specific transactions concluded by the business delegation during the course of the trip. A foundation was laid for many more transactions in the future. We made progress on issues such as trade-distorting export subsidies and vital sanitary procedures.

We discussed Chile's succession to the NAFTA as the fourth amigo. We were expanding Canada's trade horizons with respect to grain, pulse crops, alfalfa, livestock, meat, animal genetics, agriculture technology, processed foods and agricultural equipment and machinery.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, I wish to draw to your attention the presence in the gallery of Mr. Hans-Ulrich Klose, Vice-President of the German Bundestag and three of his colleagues, members of Parliament.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Points Of Order

[Sarkis Assadourian, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Madam Speaker, yesterday in the debate in this House, Private Member's Business, Crimes Against Humanity, on page 11375 of Hansard , I used the figure ``300,000 intellectuals''. That should read 3,000. I made the error and I hope to have it corrected in the next Hansard .

[The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Maheu)]

It will be corrected.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Supply

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia, SK]

Madam Speaker, I was not very surprised reading the text of the Bloc motion that we are addressing today because I find that its members are following their usual strategy of being vexatious and provocative, trying to pit Canadians against Canadians. They do this under the pretence of representing their constituents, but I do not believe that Quebecers as a group do not believe in fairness. By and large, they are like the rest of us. What we are seeing here is a classic example of what the Bloc does in this place day after day after day.

I asked a couple of Quebec members from the other central Canadian party how they felt about the fact that the Bloc engages in this type of rhetoric. I asked them if they were at all embarrassed by the constant whining and by these efforts to put out their hand for more and more. The answer that I got from these other Quebecers was: "Yes, it does embarrass us".

Let us take a look at this terrible abuse that we hear is being heaped upon those Quebec dairy farmers with their guaranteed 40 per cent share of the domestic milk market in Canada. Yes, they are going to have their subsidies cut; they are going to be cut by 30 per cent over two years. Therefore, their $217 million subsidy will be cut by $57 million.

What the hon. members from the Bloc neglect to mention is that all the dairy farmers in Canada do not reside in Quebec. The rest of us have cows too. We are going to be losing our pro rata share of that same subsidy, which is causing this inordinate amount of whining.

On the other hand, the Crow benefit is not going to be phased out gradually. We are not going to lose just a few percentage points per year over any given period of time. It is going to be cut by 100 per cent immediately and forever.