Debates of June 15th, 1995

Free Votes

[Jim Silye, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, page 94 of the Liberal red book states that if elected, Liberals would give more power to individual MPs by providing more free votes. Yesterday the Prime Minister broke this promise by warning his own MPs that if any one of them vote against the party line more than once, he will not sign their nomination papers for the next federal election.

Breaking campaign promises to free voting backbenchers, kicking them off committees, killing their travelling privileges, threatening to pull their nomination papers and last night the government whip ordering them not to vote is not leadership. It is dictatorship, duly elected and duly followed by sheep like members on the other side.

If it looks like a Mulroney caucus and baas like a Mulroney caucus then I guess it is a Mulroney caucus and can be led to the slaughter in the next election just like a Mulroney caucus.

Iliqqusivut

[Jack Iyerak Anawak, Liberal, Nunatsiaq, NT]

Mr. Speaker, today at 4 p.m. the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada will be holding a news conference on Parliament Hill to unveil Iliqqusivut, the Inuit Spirit of the Arctic Pavilion which will be showcased at this year's Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.

For 18 days in August the Inuit will bring a piece of the Arctic to Toronto's CNE. The pavilion will feature Inuit businesses, artists and cultural performers. Visitors will be able to hear and see the famous Inuit throat singers and drum dancers, participate in traditional Inuit Arctic games, enjoy northern food of char and caribou, and purchase Inuit carvings, prints, jewellery and clothing.

I encourage all members of Parliament, their staff and all other Canadians to experience the Inuit way of life at the CNE this summer and, for a foretaste, to join us on the front lawn of Parliament Hill later this afternoon.

Bosnia

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Group of Seven summit opened this morning in Halifax, while 12 Canadian peacekeepers and observers are still being held hostage by the Serb forces. They are literally being used as a shield, as Bosnian government troops launch an offensive on the outskirts of Sarajevo to break the Serb siege of the Bosnian capital.

Could the Minister of National Defence tell us what specific steps have been taken to provide a safer environment for some 850 Canadian peacekeepers deployed in Visoko who are now caught between the two sides in a confrontation between Bosnian government troops and Serb troops north of Sarajevo?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question. I can inform him that at the base in Visoko, because of the build-up of Muslim forces, certain precautions have been taken to be ready in the event of an attack. The situation is very disturbing but, so far, our troops are in good shape and not in any immediate danger.

As for the 11 members of the Canadian forces in Ilijas, this is a real problem because of the start of hostilities in this region. So far, they are in good shape and are not in danger.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during a previous question period, the Minister of National Defence said they were in a very delicate situation.

I wish the Minister of National Defence would explain what he meant by this very delicate situation and why these peacekeepers still have not been released? Could he be a little more specific?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are very concerned that our people have not been released. Yesterday I called in the chargé d'affaires of the Yugoslavian government to lodge a formal protest with the authorities in Belgrade.

Although we appreciate very much the efforts of President Milosevic and the Yugoslavian government in Belgrade so far in getting the release of the hostages and working with the Bosnian Serbs, we have demanded they intercede immediately to release the 11 Canadians at Ilijas and Captain Rechner who is still in Pale, the Bosnian Serb headquarters.

There is no reason for these people to be detained other than the fact that perhaps these forces are being held as some kind of a shield to try to prevent the Bosnian Muslims who are amassing for an attack apparently to liberate Sarajevo from Serb control in the suburbs.

It is totally unacceptable to have United Nations personnel, especially Canadians, used as pawns in the middle of a conflict between those two parties.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since the Prime Minister is now at the G-7 summit, together with some very important players in this unfortunate series of events, could the Minister of National Defence tell us whether today, the Prime Minister intended to make it clear to the G-7 heads of state that quick action is urgently needed to save our troops, to save Canadian soldiers who are now in the worst possible situation in that part of the world?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure our Prime Minister intends to raise the matter in Halifax with his G-7 colleagues, because he knows perfectly well this is a bad situation and everyone wants to see the liberation of all hostages and prisoners.

I am sure the Prime Minister will be talking about this with his colleagues in Halifax. All members of the G-7 are as concerned as everyone about the deteriorating situation in the former Yugoslavia.

As to whether or not Canada will take part in the rapid reaction force, again that will be the Prime Minister's decision. He will announce that in due course.

[Jean-Marc Jacob, Bloc, Charlesbourg, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.

As the minister mentioned, the heads of state at the G-7 Summit will be discussing the situation in Bosnia. However, yesterday in Washington, French President Jacques Chirac expressed his regret at the length of time it was taking to set up the rapid reaction force in Bosnia. Here, on the other hand, we still do not know whether Canada will be part of the force or not.

Would the Minister of National Defence tell us whether or not Canada will participate directly in the establishment of the rapid reaction force as France and Great Britain have proposed?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question.

[Jean-Marc Jacob, Bloc, Charlesbourg, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think either the minister or the Prime Minister have ever answered this question. They have said they will discuss the matter at the G-7 summit, and again we have the same response.

How can the government not commit to participating in the rapid reaction force-because we have still not had an answer-and thus abdicate its responsibility to further protect the safety of the peacekeepers in Bosnia at a time when many members of the large contingent of Canadian peacekeepers are in very precarious situations?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government is certainly not abdicating its responsibilities.

We have taken measures in the last number of months to ensure that our forces take all necessary precautions, as I described in reply to the earlier question, especially increased fortifications at our base in Visoko, especially increased protection for our troops, and a number of other things that will help them do their duties.

The question of the rapid reaction force was an initiative that we support. It is an initiative that will largely be manned by British and French forces. Certainly it is the desire of the NATO allies that Canada participate. We want to make sure before we give our concurrence that we are fully satisfied with the way the force will be deployed. Those answers will be coming shortly.

Minister Of Canadian Heritage

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government House leader said that he did not accept the premise of our questions about the heritage minister's violation of the federal code of ethics. We are not dealing with assumptions, conjectures and speculation here. We are dealing with the facts.

It is a fact that the heritage minister targeted departmental clients for political donations. It is a fact that everyone who attended that dinner received a government contract or appointment. It is a fact that the minister blatantly broke section 23 of the government's own code of conduct.

What does it take for the Prime Minister to remove a minister guilty of unethical behaviour? A criminal conviction?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, there is a fundamental flaw in the hon. member's question because on the public face of information available it is not based on fact. There is no information I am aware of to say that the minister personally invited people to the dinner but rather that he simply attended the dinner. It is quite proper for ministers and members of all parties to attend fundraising dinners. It is part of the normal political process in the country and I am informed that the donations were properly recorded.

I can ask the hon. member a question. Why is she asking questions that do not appear to be based on facts?

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear the minister attended and he is personally responsible for the contracts that go out under his signature.

The government's excuses and its carefully crafted damage control lines are certainly wearing thin. The heritage minister was clearly in the wrong. The government is making matters worse by refusing to release the full list of all the people who were invited to the minister's dinner, the full list of those who actually sent contributions, and the full list of donors who have received heritage contracts or appointments, not just giving donations. Trying to bury this information in Elections Canada documents will not make it go away.

I have a supplementary question. If the government does not have anything to hide, why is it hiding behind these ludicrous answers? When will it make all the list public?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear from public information that this dinner was not organized by the government and the invitations were not sent by the minister or the government. These are not materials within the control of the government, except to the extent that they are

recorded in the Elections Canada returns. To have information disclosed in the Elections Canada returns is not hiding the matter. It is carrying out the requirements of the law.

I again ask the hon. member why she is asking questions like this rather than about matters of real concern to most Canadians.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in the red book in the last campaign I thought integrity was a fairly major issue in the country.

The Prime Minister has said that the heritage minister was not at fault because receipts were issued for all donations. Selling access to a minister of the crown cannot be justified by a handful of receipts. The heritage minister has violated the federal code of ethics by placing himself in a conflict of interest, but instead of doing the honourable thing and demanding his resignation the Prime Minister continues to stubbornly defend the indefensible.

The government has put politics ahead of principles and it is making a mockery of the code of ethics. Enough is enough. Will the heritage minister resign now?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has made what I consider to be a totally unwarranted accusation by saying that access to the minister of heritage was being sold. Ministers generally come in contact with the public in a whole range of acceptable ways, including attending fundraising dinners.

It is clear if anybody is putting politics ahead of principles it is that member and her party.

G-7 Summit

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, only a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister stated that the G-7 summit would be held in Halifax rather than Quebec City, because the Canadian flag did not fly above the city hall occupied by the separatist mayor of Quebec City. Now that the G-7 summit has just opened in Halifax, La Presse reports that, ``those who do not speak English are lost''.

How can the Acting Prime Minister, whose government defends a vision of Canada as a supposedly bilingual country "from coast to coast to coast" not be embarrassed by the almost total lack of French on the very site of the G-7 summit in Halifax?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, since this summit is being attended by spokespersons for the G-7 countries, including France and Canada, it is obvious that both official languages are represented at the summit site.

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we see the faces of francophones, but the image being projected is English. How can the federal government explain that Canada continues as always to project a unilingual English image at the G-7 summit, while federal representatives in Quebec seize every opportunity to emphasize the merits of a bilingual Canada?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I totally reject the premise of the hon. member's question. The face we are showing at the summit is that of a bilingual, proud and united country. The hon. member's attempt to tarnish this image of unity is regrettable.

[An hon. member]

Right.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Ethics

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Acting Prime Minister.

It has been revealed that both the director general and the director of the public works contracting branch have doled out contracts to close family members without competition. One director hired his wife to do his office work. Mr. Hugues Bureau-St. Pierre has received close to $50,000 from his generous Aunt Lillian since September 1993.

Is the government investigating this matter? If so, will he punish those responsible for unethical conduct?