House of Commons Hansard #29 of the 35th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was provinces.
Yvan Bernier Bloc Gaspé, QC
Mr. Speaker, apart from the problem with the figures the minister just quoted, the consensus I referred to in my first question also reflects that problem.
Does the minister of fisheries admit he is duty bound to respect such a broad consensus against his proposal as drafted, which affects not only Quebec but also Ontario and many stakeholders in the maritimes, including Newfoundland's Oceanex and the port of Halifax?
Coast GuardOral Question Period
Bonavista—Trinity—Conception Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
Fred Mifflin LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I may have missed the intonation of the last part of the hon. member's question but I do not think it is important to the answer.
All these aspects have been taken into consideration. Nobody wants to pay any more for anything. The regrettable part of this is we have to go forward with it. It has been passed by this very Parliament.
If the hon. member is trying to derail this issue and defer it for another time, it will cost the industry more money. I am sure he would not want to be part of something to do that.
Herb Grubel Reform Capilano—Howe Sound, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party wants deregulation for the benefit of consumers, but letting banks into car leasing will not be good for consumers. Without more competition among banks, it will only fatten their already fat wallets.
Will the minister assure the House banks will not be allowed to expand their business until they are also forced to face more competition?
Doug Peters LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is well aware there will be a policy paper put out by the government in a little while which will treat many of these issues.
Herb Grubel Reform Capilano—Howe Sound, BC
Mr. Speaker, all the minister's recent announcements are about demands from the banks for more business.
The demands by others for more freedom to compete with the banks are never mentioned. I am sure this has nothing to do with the banks' generous financial support for the Liberal Party and the government's $105,000 grant to the Canadian Bankers Association.
Will the minister assure the House that the up-coming white paper will level the regulatory playing field between banks and their competitors?
Doug Peters LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, he will have to wait for the white paper to see what it says.
Mark Assad Liberal Gatineau—La Lièvre, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
For over two years now the people of Lebanon have made immense sacrifices to rebuild their beleaguered country, which has been laid waste by foreign invaders.
The reopening of the Canadian embassy inspired great hope for the Lebanese people, but an excessive military reprisal by Israel destroyed all that and the mounting debt toll is a disgrace. The decisive attack on an electrical power plant in the populous city of Beirut is an example of the excess.
I ask the minister what the Canadian government intends to do to come to the aid of hundreds of thousands displaced Lebanese people. In particular, what influence can it bring to the United Nations to assure that resolution 425 will be respected once and for all?
Christine Stewart LiberalSecretary of State (Latin America and Africa)
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada deplores the attacks against the civil population of Lebanon and the peacekeeping base within Lebanon in recent days.
We have received a request from the International Red Cross for assistance to the people of Lebanon and we are at his moment considering what we can do to come to their aid. It is something we intend to do.
Canada is not a member of the security council of the United Nations. Yesterday we did support its resolution deploring the attacks against Lebanon and we have asked for an immediate ceasefire on the part of all parties. We want to see negotiations bring about a peaceful resolution to the situation there.
Canada does support the integrity of Lebanon's territory through resolution 425. We will do everything we can to assure that integrity is achieved through ongoing negotiated peace accords in the area.
Antoine Dubé Bloc Lévis, QC
Mr. Speaker, on December 20, 1993, the Clerk of the Privy Council, Jocelyne Bourgon, wrote to Quebec's Deputy Minister of Transportation, Georges Lalande, that the Government of Canada's title over railway property would be transferred over a five year period. This seems to indicate that complete ownership will be transferred to CN by 1998.
Based on the foregoing, does the Minister of Transport recognize the facts stated in the letter written by the Clerk of the Privy Council and could he at the same time recognize that, until the property transfer has been completed, the federal government is still fully responsible for restoring the Quebec bridge?
Stan Keyes LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. He has shown great interest in the pont de Québec. We have to realize this is a magnificent structure. I have seen it from a boat underneath, et cetera.
However, CN is the owner of the pont de Québec and CN is responsible for it and charged with paying for the renovations to the bridge. It fully intends to, with $1.5 million to $2 million in bridge repairs this summer. More could be had if the hon. member can impress upon the minister of transport in the province of Quebec to talk to CN to get more funding to maintain that wonderful, beautiful structure, the pont de Québec.
Jim Gouk Reform Kootenay West—Revelstoke, BC
Mr. Speaker, the government has announced it intends to reintroduce Bill C-22, a bill which cancelled the Pearson development contract retroactively so as to say no contract existed.
The Supreme Court of Ontario has already ruled the contract was valid and that the government was in breach of that contract. Subsequent government appeals have been lost by the government.
Can the minister explain how he can justify reintroducing this unconstitutional bill so that history can be rewritten to suit the Liberal Party?
Stan Keyes LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, in a few minutes it is the intention of the federal government to reintroduce on behalf of the Minister of Transport the so-called Pearson bill in its original form and at the stage it was at prior to prorogation. It then will move on immediately to the Senate for first reading.
It was a bad deal then and it is still a bad deal. Maybe it is more in the interest of the member to support what is important to the Canadian taxpayer than to support the interests of his friends the lobbyists.
Nelson Riis NDP Kamloops, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is to the minister of fisheries. As a member for British Columbia, I feel obligated to say there is a sense of rage and British Columbians
are feeling betrayed by the minister of fisheries in imposing the so-called Mifflin plan as a solution.
There were 500,000 coastal representatives on Parliament Hill yesterday, saying his plan is wrong. Will the minister listen to the people of British Columbia this time and pull back from implementing his plan? This would allow British Columbians to have proper input into the decision on how to deal with the fishery crisis.
Fred Mifflin LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I have made it clear that I will be meeting with a group from British Columbia. I have great sensitivity to their concerns but I have to tell the member that in this matter the fish come first, the fishermen and then the politics.
John Finlay Liberal Oxford, ON
Mr. Speaker, during the last week of March, Canada hosted Globe '96 in Vancouver, an international trade fair and conference on developing the business of the environment.
What are the direct benefits to Canada from the money we spent to host this conference?
Sergio Marchi LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member not only for his question but for the interest he has consistently displayed since being elected to this Chamber on the whole question and file of the environment.
The Globe conference was probably the premier conference anywhere in the world that very eloquently showcased environmental technologies. There were representatives from 60 different countries and 123 officials just from China. It says that there are 4,500 small and medium size Canadian firms employing 200,000 Canadians in good jobs, jobs for the economy. It also underscores that it is not a question of a good environment or jobs; we can, we should and we will have both.
Bob Ringma Reform Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health, who seems to be a little lonesome today, as no questions have been put to him so far. Dairy producers are going through very rough times. After losing federal subsidies, they now have to battle American dairy producers on import tariffs.
Why does the minister want to make the lives of dairy producers, and those who make cheese from raw milk in particular, even more difficult with a study aimed at banning cheese made from raw milk?
David Dingwall LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I am tempted to respond in a way which is somewhat repugnant of the kind of question the hon. member has put forward. Is the hon. member suggesting that the Minister of Health, federally or provincially, when they become aware of scientific evidence which suggests that the risk will be increased that we not share that information with Canadians?
The purposes of gazetting the information is to consult with the industry to make sure there will be no ill effects in terms of health for any Canadian.
I hope the hon. member who is a reasonable individual most of the time would want to support that kind of approach.
Philippe Paré Bloc Louis-Hébert, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Stephan Zbikowski, a Canadian citizen from the riding of Verchères, who was arrested in Venezuela in December 1994 for cocaine trafficking, has been held in Carabobo maximum security penitentiary ever since. Note that no charges have yet been laid against Mr. Zbikowski by Venezuelan authorities and that, while awaiting trial, he is being held with inmates considered to be dangerous offenders.
In light of the fact that Mr. Zbikowski has been detained for 16 months without trial and that the actions taken by Canadian officials were unsuccessful, does the minister plan to exert diplomatic pressure to speed things up so that this Canadian citizen can finally be tried?
Christine Stewart LiberalSecretary of State (Latin America and Africa)
Mr. Speaker, our Department of Foreign Affairs provides very good consular services to Canadians in trouble abroad.
I am not familiar with the details of this particular case but I would be very happy to put our department in contact with the hon. member so that he can receive some answers about this case.
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, over the last few weeks I have noticed that some members of this House know very little about the tokamak issue. For their benefit, I am seeking the unanimous consent of the House to table the letter which was signed by the three Quebec ministers and which provides the real figures, the real facts and the real issues relating to tokamak.
Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Saskatoon—Dundurn Saskatchewan
Liberal
Morris Bodnar LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 38(6), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to 14 petitions.
Interparliamentary DelegationsRoutine Proceedings
Cape Breton Highlands—Canso Nova Scotia
Liberal
Francis Leblanc LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the reports of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association to the monitoring of Russian elections for the OSCE parliamentary assembly held in Russia from December 13 to 19, 1995, and to the meetings of the bureau and the standing committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE held in Vienna on January 10 and 11, 1996.