Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege today to speak to Bill C-82, a bill that would see the Canadian Mint issue a new coin for use by Canadians. This would be a $2 coin to replace a $2 bill.
There apparently was a survey done by the mint that stated that Canadians would support converting the $2 bill to a $2 coin. It also stated that if this was implemented it would save Canadian taxpayers $250 million. It may seem odd that perhaps Reform would oppose a cost saving measure, but I do not think the whole story was told when this survey was implemented. It almost seemed like a bit of a fixed survey. Obviously the $2 bill is costing Canadian taxpayers because of its short shelf life. However, there were a lot of questions that were not asked in the survey such as whether Canadians are in favour of having a $2 denomination at all. Do we need a $2 denomination? In fact if we were to remove the $2 bill and not replace it with a $2 coin we would save even more dollars. However, I do not believe that option was included in the survey the mint used.
I think it is important that we not let this thing quickly slip through but that we do point out that perhaps there were some flaws in the survey and we do need to consider this matter a little further.
Before I get into this, it does surprise me that this is a high priority on the government's legislative agenda, that we are talking about the minting of a $2 coin. The House denied unanimous consent to debate the Bosnia situation. I guess the government members felt that the debate of a $2 coin was more important than our concern for our peacekeepers in Bosnia, because this is on the Order Paper and we are debating it now rather than debating the work of our peacekeepers in that very ugly situation.
One would have thought the government would have hurried the drunk defence bill through committee and to the floor of the House so we could debate that. There are several justice bills that the government tabled months and months ago. However, it seems to be willing to let them lay dormant until the very end of the session. It must want to just ram this legislation through at the end of the session to try to avoid public exposure to its bills.
Here we are today, very near the end of the month of May with just a few sitting days left and we are debating the minting of a $2 coin. I wonder what Canadians think of the Liberal government's priorities in this case. One would think that it would be more important to be talking about balancing a budget than creating new coins. This is just more money to go into the hole with. It is really strange that we are debating the minting of a $2 coin.
There has been lots of discussion as to what will be on this coin. I may get to that later in my speech. However, I do want to talk a bit about the survey the Royal Canadian Mint submitted. Approximately 80 per cent of respondents in the survey favoured the introduction of a $2 coin to replace the $2 bill. However, as I said, this result was achieved only after telling Canadians that they would be saved $250 million of their own taxpayers' money.
The Reform Party is not questioning the fact that the government will save the $250 million, which is over 20 years by the way, but we are having a problem with the Liberal government not taking the time to examine particularly what the cost would be to the private sector. At odd times the government pays lip service to the private sector and says it is supportive of the private sector. But when the rubber hits the road, actions always speak louder than words. Here we go again: the Liberal government is making a proposition that will cost the private sector a big bundle of their own cash.
My colleague from Elk Island outlined many of the different groups that were not consulted in this survey and that had opposition to the bill. The vending machine operators will take the brunt of the cost. It is vending machine operators who are dependent on coinage in their machines. The conversion of existing vending machines to accept the new $2 coins could cost up to $800 per machine. That is an additional cost to the private sector, small business.
What will it do with these added costs? Will it swallow them and see lost profit? I doubt it very much. Business is usually a little smarter than that. It will more than likely pass that cost on to the consumer. It will come out of the same old pocket again. The consumer taxpayer will be paying not only for the minting of this coin but the additional cost passed on by the vendors.
It is interesting to note that soft drink manufacturers such as Pepsi and Coca Cola are furious about the changes. Vending machine operators have still not converted all of their machines to accept the loonie. It has been eight years since the loonie was introduced. We still do not have all the vending machines accepting loonies and now we are talking about minting a $2 coin and all of the vending machines have to be adjusted to accept the new coinage.
The Canadian Banking Association has concerns. I know there is a member on the other side who was involved with the Canadian Banking Association. It has some real problems with issuing the new $2 coin. It estimates that right now it has
between 30 and 50 million surplus loonies in its vaults. That is a lot of money. If those are recirculated perhaps we would not need a $2 minted coin.
Heather Sinclair, president of the Canadian Banking Association, suggested recirculation of the surplus loonies would provide all the coins needed during the removal of the $2 bill from circulation. We may be able to save Canadian taxpayers much more than $250 million if we take a longer look at this and do the right thing. The cost of this survey was approximately $20,000. It seems a shame to spend $20,000 on a survey that was incomplete and perhaps leads us to the wrong conclusions.
In the survey the mint also asked what 10 themes Canadians would prefer on the tail side of the coin. That is an interesting question to ask Canadians. I can imagine some of the answers. I imagine dead politicians were on the list, perhaps heroes, wildlife, landscapes. I wonder if anyone suggested putting Brian Mulroney's picture on the $2 coin. Nobody would use it in that case. It would be a symbol of bad luck, bad taste and would settle the matter right there and the coin would not be issued.
It seems the government wants to mint a new $2 coin and that this bill will follow the usual passage through the various stages. The Liberals will line up and like little voting machines they will vote for this piece of legislation without giving it very much consideration and we will have a $2 coin.
A number of groups have proposed designs for the new $2 coin. Some of them are rather plausible and certainly have some credibility. Others we kind of smile at a little and say we doubt very much whether Canadians would want that image stamped on to the new $2 coin. Apparently Glendon, Alberta has proposed the new coin take on the likeness of the town's symbol, a giant perogie on a giant fork. That would be great. We also have a big oil can in the town of Rocanville, Saskatchewan. I do not know if it has submitted that but it would be another worthy suggestion. There is the Ukrainian Easter egg from Vegreville. I am sure if we had the former finance minister with us that would be his suggestion.
I thought of a great Canadian symbol, probably the greatest symbol we have of a white elephant in Canada, the Mirabel airport. I do not know how we would stamp Mirabel airport on a $2 coin, but I am sure our former Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau, would be very happy to see that stamped on a $2 coin in memory of his great project, probably the most under used airport in Canada.
We know the minister of public works is looking at a number of plausible suggestions for design on his coin. Perhaps the minister would want a dingy on it. Perhaps the minister of fisheries would want a turbot on it. If it were a turbot we would have to make sure it was not a small one. I am sure the minister would insist on a sexually mature turbot. That would be only reasonable.
We know the Liberal government is to implement this new design. It is very unlikely it will change its mind. It seems to be bent on minting a new $2 coin. I thought in all seriousness, if the House goes against my wishes and decides to mint a new $2 coin without looking further at the cost perhaps it would be time to have a prairie symbol stamped on a coin. The prairies have often been overlooked and they have much to contribute to the national perspective. We have contributed a great amount of money to the national economy, as my hon. colleague from Lethbridge has said. Canadians hold the prairies in high esteem and it is only fitting the new $2 coin, if it is passed by the House, be stamped with a prairie symbol.
I am sure even hon. colleagues from Ontario and Quebec, the Atlantic provinces and our western maritime province in the north realize they have had their fair share of symbols stamped on our currency. Perhaps it would be time to show some more recognition to the prairie region.
I have a proposal for the new coin. It is in the image of a white tailed deer. These deer are common species on the prairies. They are one of the primary game animals of the region. They are still plentiful across the prairies and can be found in northern Ontario and northern Quebec.
They are beautiful animals. They are enjoyed by sportsmen, by shutterbugs, by artists and by nature lovers alike. They are synonymous with Canadian history and the development of the prairie region. They helped sustain our aboriginal peoples long before white man even discovered the prairie region.
They were important to the pioneers who settled the area in the late 19th century. They are very much an appreciated species on the prairies.
White tailed deer hunting brings more money into Saskatchewan than any other hunting or fishing activity. The Saskatchewan ministry of the environment and resource management calculates $800,000 per year is put into provincial coffers alone from the sale of deer licences and a further $3 million is brought into the province each year by out of province and out of country hunters.
In 1993 a constituent of mine, Mr. Milo Hansen of Biggar, Saskatchewan, a progressive community in the Kindersley-Lloydminister constituency, was fortunate enough to shoot the world record white tailed buck. The old record was set in Nebraska in 1914.
That is an incredible accomplishment on the part of Mr. Hansen. It has become famous in my part of the world and it needs some national exposure. Since the Hansen buck was taken, hunting activity in the area has increased and more American hunters are coming to Canada.
A new $2 coin featuring the Hansen buck would be a fitting way to commemorate this internationally acclaimed achievement of my constituent.
Here are some historical reasons why a prairie symbol should adorn the new coin. While other parts of Canada have been represented on our coins in the past, none have strictly represented the prairies. For example, the maple leaf on the penny and the beaver on the nickel represent central Canada for the main part. The sailing ship on the dime, the beautiful and famous Bluenose , represents the Atlantic region. The moose on the quarter and the loon on the dollar represent the Canadian shield in the north. Putting a prairie symbol on the new $2 coin would create a regional balance on our nation's coins.
I understand the mint has done some public consultation about the nature of the new coin and I trust the continuing tradition of representing Canadian wildlife remains a popular option. I assure the House that the town of Biggar, Saskatchewan is supporting this proposal, as are many other Saskatchewan and prairie members of Parliament.
The Hansen buck is truly a great Canadian achievement and therefore I propose the new coin be designed in the image of a white tailed deer as nearly as possible in the minting of coins to the actual Hansen buck. I have a poster of it in my office. If any members would like to see this beautiful animal they are more than welcome to stop by. I would be very happy and very proud to show them how beautiful this specimen is.
I have been a bit facetious in some of my remarks about some of the potential images that could go on the coin. Probably we should not even mint the coin unless we are absolutely sure Canadians understand all the alternatives.
If that does not happen, if that dialogue is not permitted, if the mint goes ahead with this plan after it is approved by the House I would ask the House and the mint, the department of public works, to give serious consideration first and foremost to a prairie symbol being on the coin. Second, if it pleases Canadians, members of the House and the mint, and I hope it would, I ask they give serious consideration to stamping an image of the Hansen buck on the new $2 coin.