Debates of June 7th, 1995

Minister Of Canadian Heritage

[The Speaker]

I ask the hon. minister to please not use the paper as a prop.

[Michel Dupuy, Liberal, Laval West, QC]

If she wants me to compare what is on her list with the truth I will be glad to do so either in the House or personally with her.

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I asked for the entire list and I do not want to hear the Minister of Canadian Heritage question whether I am telling the truth in the House.

The code of conduct set by the Prime Minister for his cabinet ministers is so low that even Brian Mulroney could pass the test. The Prime Minister has insisted he will not investigate this mess, nor will the ethics counsellor. Even Brian Mulroney had the RCMP investigate the LaSalle dinner, a dinner not very different from this one.

Will the Prime Minister direct the RCMP to investigate this paid access to the Minister of Canadian Heritage?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all the facts are known and there is no need for an investigation. The names and the amounts of money are known. The money has been paid to the Liberal Party. I discussed this with the ethics counsellor yesterday morning.

Crtc

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The minister has a responsibility to preserve the CRTC's independence, as well as that of Canada's regulatory process regarding broadcasting.

How can the Minister of Canadian Heritage associate himself with orders in council deemed illegal by the CRTC, which is responsible for implementing them, considering that, by virtue of his ministerial responsibilities, he must protect the CRTC's independence?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I will once again explain to the Bloc Quebecois that we did nothing to compromise the CRTC's independence, since we followed a process which is provided for in the broadcasting legislation.

The situation is very clear. There is a parliamentary process. We could debate the issue in this House. We have no intention of restricting the CRTC's independence. If Bloc members have a different view on the directive, they can share it. We are prepared to listen.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I hope that the committee will be as receptive to our amendments as the minister is in this House. My supplementary is also for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. How can the minister willingly ignore the criticisms made by the CRTC chairman, who has to call on public opinion to preserve the independence of his organization? Is this not a serious neglect of duty?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important the opposition understand what we are trying to do.

The complaint would have validity if there was an attempt to interfere with the CRTC's process, if there was an attempt in some fashion to determine who would receive a licence or who would not.

Instead we are dealing with situation in which the government is endeavouring to establish policy. That policy includes an obligation on the part of those who wish to provide direct to home satellite services of applying to the CRTC to obtain a licence to do so. Nobody would be able to carry on that business without a licence granted by the independent tribunal, the CRTC.

That does not in any way limit its independence. It is an appeal to it to use its independence in a way that is understood by the process to have a public application heard, debated, discussed and licences issued free of interference from the Government of Canada.

Minister Of Canadian Heritage

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, political contributions are not the problem here. Guaranteed contracts because of those contributions are the problem.

The government's approach to conflicts of interest is no different form the Mulroney gang. "If he had any information other than smear and innuendo let him summon the courage to make a direct accusation". Are these the words of the Prime Minister? No, they came from the lips of Brian Mulroney in defence of Roch LaSalle of all people.

Why has the Prime Minister adopted the Mulroney approach to political integrity and why will he not ask the heritage minister to resign?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have replied to that question. I have said many times that every member of the House is raising money.

The minister was involved in raising money for the Liberal Party of Canada. The money has been paid and receipted according to the law. We do that. I did it in Calgary, in Edmonton, in Vancouver; I do it all over Canada. That is the way political parties function in Canada. That is the way we can ensure it is fair for all parties. Every member of Parliament has the right to solicit money from people.

If you can prove a link between a contract and a contribution, do it. If you cannot, you do not have the right to speak because it is only-

[The Speaker]

I ask all hon. members to please address their remarks to the Chair.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal red book promised to restore integrity to our political institution. It promised a Liberal government would ensure codes of conduct were met and that conflict of interest would become a thing of the past.

Only 20 months later Canadians are wondering whether anyone in the House other than the hon. member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce remembers those promises, which he campaigned on, in the red book. If the government were serious about its election commitments the Minister of Canadian Heritage would be a thing of the past.

Why has the government again broken its red book promises to restore integrity to our political institutions?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, they have asked the same question 10 times. I gave the answer that the money has been paid to the Liberal Party according to the law and I have nothing else to add.

Criminal Code

[Michel Daviault, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister and deals with another matter.

Yesterday, the Special Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide tabled its report. It contains several recommendations regarding aggressive therapy, living wills, assisted suicide, euthanasia and more. The Prime Minister is already committed to a debate in this House.

Will the Prime Minister undertake to strike a House of Commons committee to review this matter, as the official opposition asked him to do last November?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday or the day before, we received the committee's report, which is being studied by the Minister of Justice. The member's suggestion to have a House committee review the matter is an interesting one. I will bring it up with the Minister of Justice, and if it happens to be in everybody's interest to have another committee, a committee of the House this time, study the issue, personally I have no problem with this.

[Michel Daviault, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, regarding the issue of aggressive therapy, I would remind the Prime Minister of the 1983 Law Reform Commission report which recommended that the Criminal Code be amended, especially with regard to aggressive therapy.

Given the importance of the issue, and considering that there is general agreement to amend the Criminal Code with respect to aggressive therapy, will the Prime Minister undertake to act without delay and table a bill to this effect in this House?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if there is general agreement, and if the fastest route is to table a bill, I have no doubt that that is what the Minister of Justice will want to do.

On the other hand, the member asked whether we would consider having a parliamentary committee review the matter; this could be another alternative. We might want to combine both. The Minister of Justice is going to take this under advisement and report to the House when he is ready.

Poverty

[Eleni Bakopanos, Liberal, Saint-Denis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in Canada a great number of women live in poverty. Quebec women have recently shown that they want governments to contribute to their economic equality.

My question is for the secretary of state for the status of women. Will the federal government take any real measures to meet the legitimate demands of women?

[Sheila Finestone, Liberal, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women)]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Saint-Denis for her commitment and dedication. I must say our government is profoundly committed to the principle and the development of equality for women.

We have undertaken many projects in this regard. First of all, we restored the court challenges program. The Minister of Human Resources Development tabled a bill on employment equity. The president of the Treasury Board tabled the Employment Equity Act. The Minister of Justice has taken many initiatives in order to improve the Criminal Code.

Government Appointments

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, due to patently obvious Liberal patronage, the justice department in a case in Nanaimo, B.C. put a reluctant and inexperienced lawyer handling his first drug conspiracy case up against a seasoned defence lawyer. Predictably the case was thrown out.

Because this patronage issue has expanded beyond the three firms identified as being the revenue minister's ardent supporters, will the justice minister do the right thing to protect the people of B.C. and review his recent appointments of Liberal bagmen and hacks?

[Russell MacLellan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot comment on the case because it is possible the decision will be appealed.

The lawyer for the crown, the prosecutor, was an experienced litigator and had been a representative of the attorney general since 1986.

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is very interesting. He has been a representative of the justice department since 1986. This was his first case prosecuting drugs. Formerly he had prosecuted fishery problems. There is a difference.

Due to the interference of the revenue minister, a firm of 20 years' experience, MacDonald McNeely, that would have been handling the case, was let go. In spite of concerns expressed by myself in the House to the justice minister, concerns expressed by the RCMP in public and to the justice department and even the newly appointed prosecutor himself, the justice department still let him go ahead with the prosecution and he blew it.

I ask again, will the minister do the right thing. Will he get rid of the revenue minister's appointments and give the people of B.C. what they deserve, a properly run justice system free from patronage?

[Russell MacLellan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, prosecutions by the federal government take many forms.

The Criminal Code is a very large book. A lawyer can go a whole career and never have prosecutions under certain sections. It is extremely unreasonable not to allow a representative of the attorney general not to prosecute because he or she may not have had a previous case under that particular section.

Krever Commission

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health.

The national hearings on the tainted blood scandal allow members of the Krever Commission to hear witnesses in order to understand the events surrounding this tragedy. It happens that some decisions were made by federal political figures. Yet, these same people have not been invited to appear before this commission.

Can the minister assure us that her department's authorities have made all the information required to shed light on the decisions that were made between 1978 and 1985 by the various actors, including the political figures, available to the Krever Commission?

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we want to fully co-operate so that we really know what happened. I am told that, indeed, all the information has been made available to Mr. Krever.