Debates of June 16th, 1995

Members Of Parliament Retiringallowances Act

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Deputy Speaker]

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

[Some hon. members]

Yea.

[The Deputy Speaker]

All those opposed will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Deputy Speaker]

In my opinion the nays have it.

And more than five members having risen:

[The Deputy Speaker]

Pursuant to Standing Order 76(8), the division on the motion stands deferred. The deferral also applies to Motion No. 38.

[Peter Milliken, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I think you might find there is unanimous consent in the House that the remaining motions in Groups Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are deemed put, divisions demanded and the votes deferred.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is there unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Stephen Harper, Reform, Calgary West, AB]

moved:

Motion No. 11

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 32, on page 9, with the following:

"(A) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 12

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 39, on page 9, with the following:

"(B) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 13

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 4, on page 10, with the following:

"(A) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 14

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 11, on page 10, with following:

"(B) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 15

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 21, on page 10, with the following:

"(A) 0.02 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 16

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 31, on page 10, with the following:

"(B) 0.02 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 17

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 42, on page 10, with the following:

"ty years of age, 0,".

Motion No. 18

That bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 45, on page 10, with the following:

"age, 0, and".

Motion No. 19

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 48, on page 10, with the following:

"thereafter, 0.02 for the years or portions".

Motion No. 20

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 18, on page 11, with the following:

"years of age, 0;".

Motion No. 21

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 20, on page 11, with following:

"son has reached sixty years of age, 0;".

Motion No. 22

That Bill C-85, in Clause 9, be amended by replacing line 24, on page 11, with the following:

"ter, 0.02 for the years or portions of years".

Motion No. 23

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 41, on page 11, with the following:

"(A) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 24

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 3, on page 12, with the following:

"(B) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 25

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 13, on page 12, with the following:

"(A) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 26

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 20, on page 12, with the following:

"(B) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 27

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 30, on page 12, with the following:

"(A) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 28

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 40, on page 12, with the following:

"(B) 0 for the years or portions of".

Motion No. 29

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 6, on page 13, with the following:

"(i) 0 for the years of pensionable ser-".

Motion No. 30

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 13, on page 13, with the following:

"(ii) 0 for the years of pensionable".

Motion No. 31

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 12, on page 14, with the following:

"ty years of age, 0,".

Motion No. 32

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 15, on page 14, with the following:

"age, 0, and".

Motion No. 33

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 18, on page 14, with the following:

"thereafter, 0 for the years or portions".

Motion No. 34

That Bill C-85, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 26, on page 14, with the following:

"therein, be 0."

Motion No. 35

That Bill C-85, in Clause 11, be amended by replacing line 39, on page 14, with following:

"sixty years of age, and".

Motion No. 39

That Bill C-85, in Clause 20, be amended by adding after line 38, on page 19, the following:

""beneficiary" means the spouse or child of a deceased former member;"outside income deduction" means the same amount or percentage that, pursuant to the Income Tax Act would be deducted in a year from a payment to the former member or beneficiary under the Old Age Security Act, in respect of other personal or household income received, if the former member or beneficiary was entitled to receive such a payment during the year in question.

(2) From the amount payable to a former member or beneficiary in each year under this Act shall be deducted an outside income deduction calculated in accordance with this section.

(3) The Governor in Council may make regulations ( a ) defining the other personal and household income to be taken into account for the purposes of this section, which is to be equivalent to that taken into account in calculating a deduction under the Old Age Security Act; ( b ) requiring a former member to report an estimate of other income for every year before the commencement of the year and to report the actual amount of other income after the end of the year; ( c ) providing for the amount to be deducted under this section to be deducted in instalments from periodic payments to a former member or a beneficiary under this Act.

59.2 (1) In this section,".

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Richelieu, QC]

moved:

Motion No. 40

That Bill C-85, in Clause 20, be amended by replacing lines 4 and 5, on page 21, with the following:

"coming into force of this section, holds or commences to hold a federal position or is a party to a federal service contract or enters".

[The Deputy Speaker]

Normally at this time the House would proceed to the taking of the divisions at report stage of the bill now before the House, however pursuant to Standing Order 45(6), the divisions on the motions stand deferred until Monday, June 19, 1995 at 11.30 p.m.

[The Speaker]

It being a little after 11 a.m., question period will be extended to a little after 12 p.m. Pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House will now proceed to statements by members pursuant to Standing Order 31.

University Of Ottawa

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to congratulate the University of Ottawa for a remarkable fund-raising campaign. Through its Vision campaign, the university raised $38.6 million, which was much more than the university's objective.

This campaign will allow the University of Ottawa to remain a leader in the area of teaching and research.

In more concrete terms, it has enabled the university to begin construction of the first phase of a new building for the Arts Faculty, D'Iorio Hall, which will be devoted to research in the pure sciences and the neurosciences research institute.

The campaign also raised close to $9 million that will be used to endow chairs, as well as for centres of excellence and institutes, and over $1.5 million for scholarships and student financial aid. In addition, this campaign was an excellent opportunity for the University of Ottawa to forge new partnerships with industry and the business world.

Once again, congratulations to all who contributed to the success of this campaign and long life to the University of Ottawa.

G-7 Summit

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

Mr. Speaker, the G-7 summit in Halifax gives us another example of Canadian federalism. Although French is, in fact, totally absent from the summit site, the Leader of the Govern-

ment in the House said yesterday that Canada projected "the image of a bilingual country".

This image came into sharp focus during a press conference by a Japanese official. Faced with the reporters' stupefaction when he started his presentation in French, he continued in English, explaining that he thought Canada was a bilingual country. The people of Quebec have had enough of this veneer of bilingualism, which does not respect the Canadian reality and does not even keep up appearances any more.

The person who said that the summit was not held in Quebec City because the separatist mayor of that city had not put a Canadian flag over city hall did not even notice that the mayor of Halifax had not done so either.

Again, the Prime Minister is clearly showing his inconsistency and contempt for the French fact in Canada.

Gasoline Additives

[Paul Forseth, Reform, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment has a bill before the House which would ban the octane enhancer MMT from Canadian gasoline. She says that since the United States EPA has banned it, Canada should follow suit.

This week the United States District Court of Appeals issued a mandate ordering the EPA to grant a waiver to permit the use of MMT in unleaded gasoline in the United States. The court found that MMT does not cause or contribute to the failure of any emission control device or system.

The industry minister has added that the key to banning MMT in Canada is to create a uniformity of standards between the U.S. and Canada. Now with the U.S. on the verge of reintroducing MMT, Canada again will be on the opposite side.

The government is too stubborn to initiate third party tests which would show one way or another whether MMT is hazardous to our automobiles, our health and our environment. It works now to make things cleaner. The Minister of the Environment has shown that she is swayed by political lobbies rather than scientific evidence.

The Environment

[John Richardson, Liberal, Perth—Wellington—Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to the Stratford Central Secondary School environmental club.

Environment Canada and the Stratford Central Secondary School club have been working together as partners on an environmental education project. Through the environmental partners fund the federal government has invested $5,400 in this project.

This partnership has resulted in the development of a Carolinian forest ecosystem, an area of rich biodiversity that represents Stratford's natural heritage. The forest will serve as an example of community action, a piece of natural heritage, and an educational tool for students.

During the developmental stages of the project various stakeholders and community members worked together to plan and plant the ecosystem. These partners include the Stratford Parks Department, Lawson Killer Insurance Ltd., Canada Trust, Stratford Rotary Club, the city of Stratford, the Stratford civic beautification and environmental awareness committee and most important, the students of Stratford Central Secondary School. All of them were partners with Environment Canada in this outstanding project.

Volunteers

[Jean Augustine, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to give special recognition to the many volunteers in Etobicoke-Lakeshore who donate their time and energy for the benefit of our community.

In particular, I would like to commend the efforts of Tamara Cooper, Jo Matson and R. J. Welsh, recipients of the 1995 volunteer of the year award. These individuals are among over 13 million Canadians who care for children, visit the sick, organize special events, serve on local boards or committees, or bring attention to important issues affecting Canadians.

The value and importance of voluntarism cannot be underestimated. It factors into our gross domestic product contributing 191 hours per volunteer per year of non-paid work, the equivalent of an estimated $12 billion wage bill or 617,000 full time positions. While the country gains tremendously from the charity of volunteers, voluntarism also enables individuals to acquire and sharpen skills in today's highly competitive job market.

At this time I would like to welcome to Ottawa individuals from the Lakeshore Immigrant Aid Centre who play an important part in our community's volunteer sector.

Parliamentary Interns

[Paddy Torsney, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding interns from the University of Michigan-Dearborn political internship program.

Since the beginning of May eight interns have been expanding their knowledge of Canada by working in the offices of members

of Parliament. These fantastic university students have had the opportunity to learn more about Canada's unique political structure and distinct cultural identity, while fostering cross-border relationships.

By encouraging participation in programs such as these we are cultivating a relationship between the future leaders of both Canada and the United States. As the global economy expands we need to increase mutual understanding between our nations. Programs such as these facilitate that development.

On behalf of the eight members of Parliament who benefited from the services of these outstanding interns, I would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication and wish them the best of luck in their futures.

Thank you Leo Addimando. It has been a pleasure working with you.

2002 Winter Games

[Antoine Dubé, Bloc, Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this afternoon around 1.20 p.m., a large number of Quebecers will be riveted to their televisions and radios to find out the olympic committee's decision regarding the location of the 2002 winter games.

Bloc members are convinced that the Quebec City region offers the best sites, unsurpassed cultural events, and a population full of warmth and joie de vivre.

We wish to commend and thank all members of the Québec 2002 organization, who worked relentlessly to promote this most challenging collective project for the people of Quebec.

Good luck, Quebec City.

Free Votes

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker.

There are strange things done when the midnight sun Has set in the month of June, By politicians old who set as their goal To make us sing their tune. There's little time left, so let's be deft And invoke tight party rule, For we know what's best and ignore the rest And oh, can we be cruel. If a pesky MP says, "This bill's not for me", That's a sticky situation, Like a ton of bricks, we'll stop those tricks, And revoke the nomination. But the citizens of this land we love Have had it up to here, With the ancient way this game is played, Oldtime politicians should fear. For when a member of this House Votes against the party, They solemnly stand for a new type of land That the voters say is hearty. There soon won't be space In this marvellous place, All the members to try Who have stood with pride And been muscled aside But have said to the old ways, goodbye!

Dial-A-Life Housing Corporation

[Rey D. Pagtakhan, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise and congratulate Winnipeg's Dial-A-Life Housing Corporation on the official opening today of its second housing project for people of native ancestry.

These individuals are five times more likely to develop serious kidney problems than other Canadians. Due to a lack of health care services on reserves they have to travel to urban health centres for dialysis treatment. The Dial-A-Life project will meet their needs during treatment in Winnipeg.

I salute the Dial-A-Life Housing Corporation under the leadership of Mrs. Winnie Giesbrecht for its hard work, voluntarism and dedication to seeing that its projects are initiated, developed and managed by persons of native ancestry. Their dedication is a source of pride for the Winnipeg North community and beyond.

I am proud to be part of a government committed through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to building projects such as this one.

Please join me in conveying best wishes to all residents of Dial-A-Life Housing Corporation on this proud occasion.

Nuclear Industry

[Charles Caccia, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently the auditor general stated that Canada's serious nuclear waste disposal problem would require $9 billion to remedy. On top of this the government is now under pressure to provide $570 million in the form of a subsidy to the international thermonuclear experimental project, otherwise called ITER, a nuclear fusion megaproject.

I urge the government to turn down this subsidy request in keeping with the promise made in the last budget not to finance megaprojects. So far the nuclear industry has been subsidized by Ottawa to the tune of over $5 billion. Canadians can no longer afford to subsidize megaprojects.

Quebec Independence

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

Mr. Speaker, the dictionary of synonyms of Quebec separatists is full of words and expressions which have one thing in common: they all refer to the same reality.

There is the sovereignty association, with no hyphen, of the Bloc leader, the European type of union suggested by the ADQ

leader, and now the independence of Quebec, the new idea proposed by the PQ leader, who did not want to be left out.

Indeed, this is the expression used earlier this week by the pequiste Premier to describe the propaganda operation conducted by his Deputy Premier in Europe.

I ask the Bloc and ADQ leaders to tell us whether they are prepared to sign a new agreement with the PQ, in which the expression used this time will be the independence of Quebec.