Debates of June 13th, 1995

Work Safety

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw to the attention of the House that this week is Canadian occupational safety and health week, a week designated to focus public attention on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace.

This year's slogan, "Communicating: Open the Channels", stresses the need for co-operation. The importance of prevention is clear when we look at the figures. In 1993 alone 733 Canadian workers were killed and nearly 830,000 were injured while at work. This translates into more than 15 million work days lost with direct and indirect costs of more than $10 million.

I commend the people trying to reduce these numbers by increasing awareness of the problem. I urge all members of the House to work with business and labour to stop this tragic waste of human and economic resources.

Maritime Provinces

[Ron MacDonald, Liberal, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the leaders of the world's wealthiest countries are meeting in Halifax this week for the G-7 summit to discuss greater economic and political integration.

In this climate of global change we are witnessing the dismantling of barriers to commerce regionally, continentally and globally. This coupled with the changing nature of federalism in this country offers the maritime provinces the opportunity if not the necessity to redefine their role within Confederation.

For too long the common concerns of maritimers have been diluted on the national stage by far too much local parochialism. If the maritime provinces are to re-establish their economies in the context of the national or international marketplace strong leadership must be shown now to arrive at a true economic and by extension political union of the maritime provinces.

I call on the maritime political, business and economic leaders to take up the challenge to place the maritime provinces in the position to succeed as Canada continues to undergo profound periods of restructuring.

Bosnia

[Julian Reed, Liberal, Halton—Peel, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I call on all members of the House to join me in welcoming Mr. Kresimir Zubak, president of the federation of Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Mr. Vladislav Pogarcic, deputy minister of foreign affairs for the Bosnian federation.

The federation of Bosnia-Hercegovina was created last year in Washington, D.C. Its creation signalled a small step toward peace in what has been a tragic and lengthy war. The federation is currently comprised of Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Muslims who have agreed to work together toward a lasting peace.

The tragic events in Bosnia have touched us all. Television images have haunted us, as have our concerns for the safety of the hundreds of Canadian peacekeepers currently in Bosnia.

We pray for an end to the fighting in Bosnia-Hercegovina and we wish Mr. Zubak much luck in his endeavours to find a lasting peace in his homeland.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, Mr. Zubak is here now with us in the gallery.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Labour Relations

[Bernard St-Laurent, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, soon this House will be asked to debate the anti-scab bill presented by the Bloc Quebecois. The purpose of this bill is to end the inherent injustice in the Canada Labour Code that allows federally-regulated employers to hire scabs, which tends to delay dispute settlement and penalizes workers.

I ask members to recall the case of Ogilvie Mills, where a strike has been going on for more than a year, because the new employer wants to impose a collective agreement. Although the Minister of Labour has done nothing about this case, the Bloc urges the government to support our bill. Several Liberal members,including the present Minister of Human Resources Development, voted in favour of a similar bill in 1990.

To our Liberal colleagues I say: you now have a chance to show whether you are prepared to defend the interests of the workers.

Backbenchers

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks it has become obvious that ministerial arrogance is sky high. I will suggest a few pranks backbenchers can play on cabinet to bring it back to reality, the rookies.

The first trick is to pose as maintenance staff and remove the name plates off the doors of the ministers of health, national revenue and Canadian heritage. When asked what you are doing, simply reply you are getting a head start on your summer job.

Another idea is to call on the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of Shady Acres retirement homes. Tell her an amount is still owing on her room deposit as she forgot to include the GST. Remember that promise?

How about phoning up the minister of defence and asking him if DND cleans windows too.

Finally, backbenchers, send the Prime Minister a clear message that the strong arm, disciplinarian tactics of the past no longer wash in today's world. Vote the will of your constituents even if it bucks the party line.

Party Fundraising

[Robert Bertrand, Liberal, Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since launching its fundraising campaign, on January 23, the Bloc Quebecois has been boasting about the fact that it was complying with the Quebec legislation on political party financing, by only accepting donations of less than $5,000, and only from individuals.

Yet, the preliminary data just released by the director general of elections concerning the 1993 election campaign show that dozens of corporate donations were accepted by Bloc Quebecois candidates and MPs, and that these donations amount to several thousands of dollars.

Now we understand why the Bloc Quebecois relied for such a long time on the Canada Elections Act clause which allows parties not to release the list of their contributors.

G-7 Summit

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Halifax is ready. World leaders will begin to arrive tomorrow in beautiful Nova Scotia for the Halifax Summit.

They will discuss issues that will affect all of us. Reform of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund can help to build peace and economic stability throughout the world. Better co-operation to fight organized crime is key to all of our security whether we live in Tokyo or Timberlea.

I thank everyone who has worked so hard to make this Halifax summit a great success.

The summit action is not just around the table. Mount Saint Vincent University will bestow an honorary degree on Hillary Clinton. Halifax West will welcome hundreds of international media to see a few of our fabulous sites and we will show off our cultural industries and have a Ceilidh on the Cove in Hubbards. We welcome the world for a fabulous summit.

Referendum On Quebec Sovereignty

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Château Frontenac was all lit up. Those in charge of the protocol had been at work since the early morning; everything was ready for the big ceremony. Mr. Parizeau himself, also known as "Vibrant Weasel", was presiding and the excitement filled the air.

This is how we learned that the leaders of the PQ, the Bloc and the ADQ had signed a document in which they ask that a referendum on the separation of Quebec be held this fall. But, for many observers, there was no need to wait for this so-called signature ceremony to learn that the PQ leader and his two associates want Quebec to separate.

Four months ago today, people in Orford, Sutton, Cowansville, Lac-Brome, Bedford and the Brome-Missisquoi riding as a whole, said no the separatist adventure. They chose Canada. Quebecers do not want separation, and they will make it clear at the referendum.

Unemployment Insurance Reform

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in his UI reform proposal tabled last week, the Minister of Human Resources Development strikes a direct blow at young people entering the job market by now requiring first time claimants to have worked a minimum of six months before they become eligible for any government assistance.

This reform proposal is ridiculous, considering the appalling situation young people in Quebec and Canada, a generation with 16.5 per cent unemployment, are being plunged into.

Thousands of young people are being penalized, even those who are qualified. In Canada, 30 per cent of poor families included at least one graduate, a proportion that has doubled in the past ten years.

To continue to add to the burden of a generation that has already undergone great hardship is just plain cruel. The minister must withdraw his proposal and stop attacking the young.

Liberal Party

[Ed Harper, Reform, Simcoe Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tonight's vote on Bill C-68 will be a decisive moment in Ontario politics. Ninety-seven Liberal members will have an opportunity to represent the views of their constituents. We will have a chance to see if last week's lesson in populism renews the desire of all members to do what is right for their ridings and their province.

Time allocation may speed some bills through the House but Ontario members know the final vote on this issue will take place in 1997 on the gun bill, on pensions, on sexual orientation and employment equity. Liberals must choose between supporting their party or supporting their constituents. Will it be Liberal, Tory, same old story? Do not allow your decisions to be Mcleoded. Vote with your constituents.

Reform Party

[Shaughnessy Cohen, Liberal, Windsor—St. Clair, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today is the final vote in the House on Bill C-68.

Just as we faced some tough questions on the bill, it is time for the other side to answer one or two. We know who they are, the new politicians, the great populists, the members who came here to represent the folks back home; the wundekinders who will ignore special interests and stay true to their constituents.

I think their whip said it best when he said a few minutes ago to vote the will of your constituents even if it bucks the party line. The member from Simcoe-Centre was telling us the same thing. In the face of a clear consensus, in the face of the clear wishes of the constituents in Calgary, their leader is kowtowing to the gun lobby, turning his back on his constituents and bowing to the will of his caucus-some populist.

Crime

[Patrick Gagnon, Liberal, Bonaventure—Îles-De-La-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Senator Joyce Fairbairn, along with the Solicitor General and members of criminal justice associations, launched "Between the Lines", an information kit on literacy and crime prevention which points out ways in which we can make a difference in reducing crime in our modern society.

The answer to crime does not lie only in building more prisons or adding more police. The answer lies also in a combined effort by everyone in reducing and eliminating the social inequalities and injustices that contribute to crime in the first place.

We already see the tragic consequences of crime in our federal penitentiaries. The majority of offenders who enter our federal correctional institutions have poor academic skills. Many are unable to read a newspaper or a comic book or follow a simple set of instructions.

The literacy program Between the Lines will make a fundamental and lasting contribution to the prevention of crime and the reduction of illiteracy in Canada.

Presence In The Gallery

[The Speaker]

Before we begin question period today, I would like to draw to members' attention the presence in the gallery of fellow parliamentarians, members of the planning, budgetary and public accounts committee of the Mexican congress.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Unemployment Insurance Reform

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, with its UI reform, the federal government is preparing once again to substantially cut eligibility and UI benefits. According to today's Globe and Mail , Quebec will be the principal victim of the additional cuts to the unemployment insurance plan, which will amount to $1.6 billion.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Would he confirm that, as usual, Quebec will bear the cost of the additional cuts of $1.6 billion in unemployment insurance, since it will assume 40 per cent of the cuts for a total of $605 million as compared with only $255 million for Ontario?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I said it yesterday and I will repeat it today: the government has reached no decision yet. The Minister of Human Resources Development is currently conferring on the matter. There will be a reform of all social programs in the fall to enable us to put funds at the disposal of those who want to work and take training courses.

This is our focus-we want to enable workers to find jobs and recover their dignity. The specific program will be announced once consultations have been completed. At the moment, no one can claim that one party or another in Canada is forced to contribute more than the others.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, in other words, if we unscramble the Prime Minister's answer, we may conclude that no decision has been made, the project is in the works and the Globe and Mail was right to refer to it today.

I would ask the Prime Minister if we are to understand that he and his government want to put off a decision until the fall, that is after the referendum on Quebec sovereignty, so that the announcement of the cuts, affecting the unemployed in Quebec primarily, will follow afterwards?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, first I am pleased to hear that there will be a referendum. We are looking forward to having one.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

I hope that the question will be clear, that they will say "we want to separate from Canada" and that they will not try to trick people into thinking that the intent of the referendum, is anything other than separation.

As for us and our UI program, reforming all the social programs requires consultation with the provincial governments. The minister is consulting them now. The papers can only speculate at the moment. This is not the first time articles have appeared in the papers, with the results of the federal government programs differing entirely from what the Globe and Mail saying. This is usually exactly what happens.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I see that the Prime Minister seems willing to talk about the referendum. He told us that he is looking forward to the referendum and to a straightforward question. Quebecers know full well that the only thing the Prime Minister can offer Quebec is the status quo, the same old unfair cuts, and that his only objective is to finish the job started in 1982.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Hear, Hear.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Since he wants to talk about the referendum and wants a straightforward answer-because the answer will be as straightforward as the question-, does the Prime Minister admit that, faced with the decision made by a sovereignist, clearly sovereignist Quebec people, he, as the Prime Minister of Canada, will then have to sit at the table and negotiate on a one-to-one basis with the Quebec government?