House of Commons Hansard #218 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was senate.
Cliff Breitkreuz Reform Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, given the ethical standards set by the minister it is a wonder public servants did not ask CP for a donation to the heritage minister's dinner.
The actions of the director of mountain parks clearly violate Treasury Board guidelines and seriously compromise the heritage department's objectivity.
Will the ethics counsellor be investigating the matter or is the Prime Minister planning to handle this one personally?
Albina Guarnieri LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I am doubtful the health budget can cover the cost of therapy for all the conspiracy syndromes members of the Reform Party have.
I understand the deputy minister is reviewing the matter to which the hon. member has referred and I will be happy to inform him of the results as soon as they arrive.
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during his visit to the European Parliament, Quebec's deputy premier openly condemned Canada for its action against Spain in the turbot dispute. This new change of direction by Mr. Landry goes against the support expressed by his leader, Mr. Parizeau, regarding our intervention, as well as by the Bloc Quebecois.
My question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
Can the minister assure Canadian fishermen, particularly those in Quebec, that Mr. Landry's change of direction will have little impact on the issue of overfishing off Canada's coasts?
OverfishingOral Question Period
Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
Brian Tobin LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his excellent question.
On behalf of all members in the House, including I am sure members of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, we are shocked at the statement of the deputy premier.
Brian Tobin Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Nobody would take the risk of speaking for you fellows.
We are shocked that the deputy premier of Quebec in Strasbourg condemned the Canadian government position in the
turbot dispute when it is clear all members of the House in all parties strongly support these measures to protect Canadian fishermen.
It is clear to me, and to Canadian and Quebec fishermen, that Mr. Landry's positions-
Brian Tobin Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Just a second, please. This is very important. Mr. Landry seems to be talking out of both sides of his mouth.
Roger Pomerleau Bloc Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.
When he appeared before the transport committee, the minister refused to guarantee the survival of CN's subsidiary, AMF, which employs over 1,300 workers in Pointe-Saint-Charles, one of the poorest areas in Canada. The minister even said that AMF's situation was precarious.
Given the economic situation which currently prevails in Montreal, and particularly in Pointe-Saint-Charles, will the minister tell us why he refuses to guarantee that AMF will survive and that its 1,300 employees will not lose their jobs?
Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that AMF's situation is precarious. I hope that the hon. member will realize that other regions in the country have experienced the same situation. As a New Brunswick native, I can tell you that we had the same problem in Moncton, when CN decided to pull out of there, a decision which affected over 1,000 employees.
AMF's best chance of survival is to find a solution to CN's current problem in its negotiations with an international company interested in moving there. A solution must not only be found to the impasse related to the acquisition costs, but also to the productivity of that plant.
We all recognize the problem which exists at AMF, and I hope that CN and the eventual buyer will find a solution to the difficulties which, so far, have been a major obstacle.
Roger Pomerleau Bloc Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC
Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Finance, who is responsible for regional development in Quebec, agree that saving 1,300 jobs in Pointe-Saint-Charles should be at least as important for the federal government as buying capital assets to make CN more interesting for its future buyers? Beyond the minister's rhetoric, where is the hope for these 1,300 workers?
Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the possibility of commercializing CN is a very serious issue. So is, of course, the future of AMF, both for its workers and for greater Montreal. We are all aware of that, and every effort is being made to try to find a solution.
We will continue to co-operate with CN, in the hope of finding a way to reach an agreement which would ensure the sale and survival of AMF, which is a very important industry for the Montreal region.
Jim Gouk Reform Kootenay West—Revelstoke, BC
Mr. Speaker, last week it was revealed the government is prepared to allow Hughes Aircraft to delete three main features of its contract to provide a new automated air traffic control system and stick Transport Canada with the cost of training and installation which was included in the original contract and lease us the equipment we were supposed to own.
Also, the completion date has been pushed back two years. To add insult to injury Hughes wants more money, and the government is actually considering giving it.
Will the minister please tell the House why Hughes was not told to live up to its original contract or have it cancelled?
Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member of the Reform Party who is critic in matters of transport obviously lives an exciting life. On one hand for months in the House he has talked about the cancellation of the Pearson contract as an example of what governments should not do. Now in the case of the Hughes contract he wants it cancelled.
We have to do the best we can in any commercial undertaking to arrive at a solution in the best interests of the Canadian taxpayers.
I have said that with respect to the Hughes contract and all of the CAATS arrangements so far the government is extremely concerned about them. We are concerned about cost overruns, about glitches. We are attempting to find a solution in the best interests of both air safety and the Canadian taxpayer.
The hon. member will have to decide whether he wants to cancel contracts, support contracts or try to negotiate out of a specific contract. In the case of Hughes I wish the hon. member would decide which way he wants to go.
Jim Gouk Reform Kootenay West—Revelstoke, BC
Mr. Speaker, my position is quite clear. It is the minister who is very inconsistent.
No value has been placed on the deleted items. No value has been placed on transport's new obligations and no figure has been given on how much transport is asking the Treasury Board for.
Knowledgeable air traffic controllers are now questioning the value of the diminished system. Will the minister agree to hold off on any amendments to the contract and have the Standing Committee on Transport review the whole issue and make a recommendation to the minister?
Douglas Young LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, if there were a knowledgeable air controller on that committee I might consider it.
Because we have to deal with this issue in a fairly short order we will proceed as best we can to deal with finding a solution to this problem. We will make sure whatever deal is arrived at is absolutely transparent.
As this matter came to my attention I immediately advised the auditor general of our concerns with respect to it. We will try to resolve a very serious problem.
The hon. member should recognize that our intention to commercialize the air navigation system, which I hope he will support, should avoid any problems like this occurring in the future.
Jim Jordan Liberal Leeds—Grenville, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice.
In spite of laws regarding safe storage of guns in Canada there are a lot of guns sitting behind kitchen doors. In order to flush a lot of those weapons out of the system and therefore reduce the need for compliance with the law, would the Minister of Justice in dialogue with the Minister of Finance consider an incentive, perhaps a small tax credit, for each gun turned into police as a way of making our communities safer?
Allan Rock LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to dialogue with the Minister of Finance, particularly in light of the suggestion for tax credit to rely on the legendary generosity of the Department of Finance.
The point the hon. member raises is important with respect to the safe storage of firearms. Registration aspects contained in Bill C-68 passed in the House last night are intended among other things to encourage compliance by owners with those very safe storage obligations.
With respect to firearms no longer wanted or where an owner wants to dispose of them, Bill C-68 provides that even in the case of prohibited firearms those who own those firearms can sell them to others in the same class. That was a change introduced on the recommendation of members of the Liberal caucus. Furthermore, firearms that are unwanted can always be surrendered at an amnesty or delivered to museums for a credit.
The suggestion made by the hon. member is an innovative one. I will be happy to take it up with the Minister of Finance and pursue it.
Jean Landry Bloc Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture.
Last year, the Minister of Agriculture declared a moratorium on the use of bovine somatotropin, or BST, to allow the dairy industry to adjust and to give the public the information it needs. Although these two requirements have still not been met, the minister indicated in this House yesterday that he had no intention of extending his moratorium.
Does the minister recognize that the public still does not have the information it needs on BST and that the dairy industry is in no position to meet consumers' demands for a way to distinguish dairy products with BST from those without?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, while not necessarily accepting all the suggestions made in the hon. member's question, I would point out to him that a tremendous amount of information has been made available. There is obviously a difference of opinion with respect to this product.
Might I say that in all the very legitimate questioning about rBST we should be careful not to feed unfounded doubts and fears. We do not yet have the scientific analysis that is presently being conducted by the Department of Health. I think we should wait for it and we should get all the facts on the table.
In the meantime we should not engage in comments or allegations that question the safety of Canadian milk. To do so would be to harm the Canadian diary industry, including that very significant portion of the industry in the province of Quebec.
Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley East, BC
Mr. Speaker, last week's election in Ontario spelled the end of employment equity in the province because the new government is going to scrap this discriminatory legislation.
During the election the leader of Ontario's Liberal Party called employment equity outrageous and said that numerical targets in employment meant the same thing as hiring quotas.
The minister knows that Bill C-64 includes these same outrageous numerical targets. If the minister will not listen to Canadians, will he at least listen to his Liberal friends and scrap his own version of a quota bill, Bill C-64?
Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member possibly knows-it is not always easy to tell whether the Reform Party knows what is going on in Parliament-the committee has been holding hearings for the past four months on the employment equity bill and has listened to well over a couple of hundred representations from a wide variety of Canadians. One thing they all understand, except the hon. member, is that there is no quota system in the bill.
Svend Robinson NDP Burnaby—Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the political minister for Newfoundland.
Last week I met in St. John's with executive officers of the Newfoundland Dockyard Trades and Labour Council as well as Mike Apostilidis, president of the dockyard.
In view of the uncertainty about the future of the dockyard which employed 850 people last year, will the minister agree to a full independent review of the books of Marine Atlantic? Will he finally meet with the dockyard workers and not pass this off to his colleague, the Minister of Transport from New Brunswick? Will the minister finally stand up for the dockyard workers just as much as he stood up for the turbot in Newfoundland?
Brian Tobin LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member from the other side of the country, from the great province of British Columbia, finally had an opportunity to visit Newfoundland. It is regrettable that it took a large convention and a sought after position to bring him to this part of the land, but we welcome him to the island.
I met with the dockyard workers and with the management this week in a meeting arranged by my colleague, the Minister of Transport. We had a very frank and open discussion about the future of the dockyard. There is currently an ongoing negotiation between an interested party and the dockyard management on a possible purchase of the dockyard. We will have an answer on the negotiation within a matter of days. Following that negotiation we will see whether or not it is successful. Other discussions are under way with the workers.
This problem requires careful attention, careful consideration, and will not be solved by unduly raising expectations or setting out simplistic solutions. I know my colleague who wants to assume the leadership of his party would agree with those criteria.
Presence In The GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery today of the members of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs of the British House of Commons, led by the Right Hon. David Howell.