Debates of March 20th, 1996

Byelections

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

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

There was none. Of course, all the Reform Party members can ask that question. The people from Haiti who live in Montreal have the good sense not to vote for the Reform Party.

[Bob Mills, Reform, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Canada are sick and tired of old line political patronage. Pierre Pettigrew has done everything except hand out free tickets to Montreal Canadiens' games in an attempt to win the byelection.

Also very interesting was his decision not to invite the Prime Minister to visit, but instead concentrate on more locally popular politicians like the Haitian president.

When the red book talked about governing with integrity, did that include unelected government ministers having a blank cheque to influence elections?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the Reform member that the President of Haiti is taking a trip outside his country. He has decided to visit the Dominican Republic, the U.S. government in Washington, and the Canadian government in Ottawa.

He was not likely to alter his itinerary to accommodate the problems of the Reformers. As I have already said, moreover, Montrealers of Haitian origin have sufficient judgment not to vote for the Reform Party, despite its trying every trick in the book to gain a few political points while dwindling away more each day from the Canadian political scene.

National Defence

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

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

Some time ago now, the special commission on the restructuring of the reserves released its report.

Could the minister inform the House what steps, if any, have been taken to deal with the commission's report?

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

Mr. Speaker, the regiments, squadrons and ships of the Reserve Force are very important. They are a mirror of Canada's history and Canada's values. It is very important that they be maintained.

The traditions of our reserve force must be kept. Later this summer, I shall be reflecting on this matter, on the commission, on the House report, on the Senate report. In doing so, I should be mindful that the disbandment of units must be kept to a minimum, that control of the local armouries must be given back to the militia units and that there should be more people in the reserve and not less.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Gaston Leroux, Bloc, Richmond—Wolfe, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in their red book the Liberals promised stable multiyear financing for the CBC. When Mr. Manera was appointed, the Liberals promised that there would be no more cuts other than those imposed by the previous government.

On November 22, Mr. Beatty stated that any new cut to the CBC would lead to a change in its mandate. Well, the budget slashes the CBC's funding by $150 million.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Given what Mr. Beatty said in November, is the minister in the process of altering the CBC's mandate through the budget, that is to say, through the back door and without public debate?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage]

No, Mr. Speaker.

[Gaston Leroux, Bloc, Richmond—Wolfe, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage says she is about to announce the creation of a cultural production fund. Does the minister intend to impose a CBC tax, thus shifting part of the deficit to the taxpayers and making them pay twice for the same service?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage]

No, Mr. Speaker.

Communications

[Ray Speaker, Reform, Lethbridge]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Canadian Heritage upheld the CRTC's direct to home satellite policy which is so anti-competitive that not even the Prime Minister's son-in-law could make it work.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

I would ask members to please stay directly on the issues and go to the administrative responsibility of whatever minister is involved rather than going off on side issues. I would ask the hon. member to do that.

[Ray Speaker, Reform, Lethbridge]

This dramatic flip-flop occurred right after Power DirecTv decided that it wanted to throw in the towel.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. What happened to the Liberal government's policy of competition in the direct to home industry?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I am amazed that the member of the Reform Party has the gall to stand up and ask that question in the House when the government, in previously amending the Broadcasting Act, suffered such derision from the Reform Party. If the member wants to talk about flip-flops, the flip-flops are on that side of the House.

At the moment two companies are licensed to offer direct to home, Power Corporation being one of them. A third company is ready to come into the arena very soon.

In not turning back the decision of the CRTC, the government believed, as the CRTC believed, that the people who are currently receiving cable in their homes should not have to subsidize the cost of the high technology of the new direct to home instruments. Current television users should not be subsidizing technologies that may be coming in. It should be paid for by the people who want to bring in that technology.

[Ray Speaker, Reform, Lethbridge]

Mr. Speaker, that answer just is not good enough. Competition in this country is being thwarted and stopped by that government policy. It has to change.

Other people support that position such as the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. The British and Australian governments have made representations to the government saying that the current policy should change. The International Federation of Film Producers has threatened to take Canada to the World Trade Organization because of this type of attitude. Also some Canadians do not agree.

The government knows of these objections. Why is it continuing a policy that was brought about by the CRTC?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, part of our mandate as the Government of Canada is to defend Canadian consumers and not to defend American television producers and British and Australians who may be making representations.

In fact there are currently two companies that have an intention to proceed, including Expressvu and the Power Corporation. There is a third company that has just recently received a letter from the CRTC to hear its application.

The message of the CRTC is that Canadians who are currently watching television on cable lines they have paid for through their cable subscriptions should not have to cross-subsidize satellite television. If you want satellite technology, you pay for it.

Human Rights

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, gay, lesbian and bisexual people in Canada are getting very tired of waiting for equal rights, not special rights. They are told that this government is saying that our rights are not a priority any longer.

Is it clearly the commitment of the Prime Minister that a bill will be introduced and passed in this Parliament before the next election? This would keep the promise the Prime Minister made in writing in July 1993 which I quote: "The Liberal Party of Canada is firmly committed to banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation". Is that clearly the commitment of this Prime Minister in this Parliament?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member had been in the House at the beginning of question period, I replied to that question. I said a bill will be introduced. We passed legislation on that matter in relation to the Criminal Code a few months ago. The bill amending the human rights act will come eventually but not at this moment because we have other priorities. It is part of the program. We have passed one bill already and the other one will come in due course.

Banks

[Beth Phinney, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this morning the Globe and Mail reported that the major banks intend to continue their plans to expand their insurance business and sell insurance directly to consumers even though the finance

minister said that the existing restrictions on banks selling insurance would be retained.

Would the secretary of state for financial institutions explain to the House what steps the government is taking to maintain the existing restrictions on the sale of insurance by banks?

[Doug Peters, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, the government's position is quite clear. In the recent budget the finance minister said that the present restrictions on the banks networking insurance will be maintained.

The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce or any other bank cannot sell insurance to the customers in their branches. That is what the restriction means. They can and do own insurance companies who can sell insurance in other ways, in other places.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, I have a point of order from the government whip. It is the first notification I have.

Points Of Order

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, you will no doubt recall that during question period the hon. member for Red Deer, I believe in a question accused another member of this House of influence peddling. Influence peddling is a serious accusation in the Criminal Code. That kind of accusation I suggest cannot be made directly or indirectly in the House.

Citation 481(e) of Beauchesne indicates that a bad motive cannot be imputed to another member. Citation 487(1) indicates that threatening language is inappropriate. Citation 487(2) says that indirect accusations are just as inappropriate as if they were made directly.

This language must be withdrawn. It is not appropriate for such language to be used on the floor of the House against any member.

[Bob Mills, Reform, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. party whip that the person I suggested was doing this is not a member of this House. As he is not a member of this House, I would assume then that the rules of this House do not apply.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, as I mentioned earlier in our debate, I would ask you to be very cognizant of the words that you use in this House. Both in the questions and in the answers some words tend to be more inflammatory.

I listened to the debates. It was my perception at least with the use of the words "influence peddling", if they were directed at a sitting member of Parliament, surely they would be unparliamentary and should be withdrawn. I go beyond that. I would ask that in the use of these words that they be not used in a very loose fashion.

I will take it upon myself to get the precise meaning by looking over the "blues" and the use of these two words "influence peddling". I will come back to the House and make a further decision or a further comment if it is needed.

I have another point of order from the hon. member for Beaver River.