Debates of May 15th, 1996

The Environment

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since the fight against greenhouse gas emissions requires the co-operation of the most polluting provinces, especially Alberta and Ontario, what has the minister done so far to convince these provinces to take serious initiatives in this area?

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, it would be an inappropriate strategy to have a national commitment to try to divide and conquer based on partisanship or region or geography or province.

The hon. member mentioned two provinces. It takes 10 provinces and 2 territories to make a national strategy. It takes many countries to make the family of nations. We have to move ensemble and that is clearly our intention.

I also plan to raise it later this month at the ministers' meeting on the environment, the CCME in Toronto. I am very pleased that for the first time in two years the minister of the environment for the province of Quebec will attend. I think that is an indication of how important issues on the environment are, not only for Canadians but also for Canadians living in the province of Quebec.

National Unity

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

Mr. Speaker, I will just summarize what we have learned from the Prime Minister today on the national unity stage. He says that any separation attempt must follow a strict set of criteria but he is not sure what the criteria should be; a referendum result of 50 plus 1 is unacceptable but he does not know what is acceptable; distinct society is okay, even though it was defeated in the Charlottetown accord.

Canadians are wondering if he has a plan or is he just going to roll the dice and take a chance in June and see what happens?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we voted on distinct society in this House. During the Charlottetown accord, the House of Commons and the 10 provincial governments voted for distinct society. There was a referendum. The Reform Party voted against it and also voted against an elected Senate.

Reformers should at some time look with some responsibility at the whole package and look at the consequences of what they are doing. For example, when we were in the referendum none of them tried to help. Some of them wished that we had not won.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister can certainly laugh in the face of the opposition parties, but he is laughing in the faces of the Canadian people when he says that he is not going to listen to the results of the Charlottetown accord.

This introduces a new word into the Canadian dictionary, a new oxymoron called Liberal leadership when it comes to the national unity plan. This is yesterday's man with yesterday's plan. He does not seem to have any of the answers we keep asking for.

Will the Prime Minister give the Canadian people some assurance that he has a plan? Will he table the agenda for the upcoming June conference so that Canadians can be assured he has a handle on this issue?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the speech from the throne is a few months old and the member has not read it yet. It was a big feature in the speech from the throne, yet his party did not read it.

Reform members are trying to find a new way because they are in such disarray that they cannot find anything to talk about. They were elected by telling everybody that there would be free votes in the House of Commons; they have never had a free vote.

They said to the people that they would present a budget before the budget of the Minister of Finance. They could not produce one. They do not talk about the finances of the nation because the finances have never been in such good shape, they have to put up with that.

Beef Industry

[Harold Culbert, Liberal, Carleton—Charlotte, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Beef producers in Carleton-Charlotte are very concerned about the low price and the low demand for Canadian beef. These producers suggest that current Canadian import levels may be to blame.

Can the minister confirm today to Canadian beef producers that he will do all possible to encourage the sale of Canadian beef and to assure that any future import levels will not negatively impact on Canadian domestic markets?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. gentleman for his question. I appreciate the concerns which have been expressed by his constituents.

Since the government came to office, offshore manufacturing beef imports have not gone up. In fact, they have gone down dramatically. In 1993, they amounted to something over 126,000 tonnes. In 1995, that figure had dropped to less than 82,000 tonnes. In 1996, the figure has gone down so far this year by a further 20 per cent.

The reality of low beef prices is a North American phenomenon caused by an oversupply situation in both Canada and the United States. I want to assure the hon. gentleman that we take seriously the matter of promoting our domestic market, and are making very substantial progress in encouraging Canadian processing from Canadian sourced beef.

Air Transportation

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC]

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

Last week, the government refused to hold public hearings on the decision made by the firm Aéroports de Montréal to transfer international traffic from Mirabel to Dorval. While these airports are still public property, the government argued that it did not come under its purview to act in this matter.

Will the minister take his responsibilities and tell us what concrete actions are contemplated to provide a public forum where the various stakeholders will be able to voice their opinions?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, responsibility for Aéroports de Montréal is in the hands of local authorities. This means the cities of Montreal and Laval, the mayors of neighbouring cities, the chambers of commerce, the Mirabel promotion corporation as well as the Montérégie regional economic development corporation and the City of Longueuil. It is therefore up to local authorities.

We entrusted the decision to a regional organization, which has made a quite tenable decision. I have no desire, at the federal level, to make any attempt to interfere with what it has done.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, is the minister denying at the same time having any responsibility in anything relating to international air traffic, such as international flights? In any case, aircraft require airports to land on.

Are we to understand from the minister's remarks that the federal government is hiding behind Aéroports de Montréal, which is its own creature, to try to play down its own responsibility in the historical fiasco with Montreal airports?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois is always pressuring me in this House to interfere either in the affairs of Quebec or those of some regional organization or another. We, in the federal government, do not want to get involved when it is not our responsibility to step in.

The hon. member should be reminded that my mandate consists in ensuring that issues concerning aircraft and air carrier safety are considered.

National Unity

[Ed Harper, Reform, Simcoe Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the future of our great country is threatened because the government does not have the will or the imagination to come up with a national unity plan to answer the demand for change that I am hearing all over Ontario.

The Prime Minister says that something big will happen at the first ministers' meeting. Ontario and the provinces need to know now whether he will stop delaying and announce whatever that something big is today?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, is there any rule against repetition in the House of Commons?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Ed Harper, Reform, Simcoe Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, talking about a lack of response or repetition, their answers would qualify.

History will show that while Canada was being torn apart, the best this Liberal government could do was send in a lawyer to help with a court challenge. This is nothing short of a disgrace.

The Reform Party had a plan. We made it public months ago. Reformers have shown leadership. Where is this government on leadership? My question is for the Prime Minister.

The first minister's conference is only a few weeks away. Why is he stalling, why is he frustrating federalists across the country and why will he not announce his plan today?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, check Hansard : two, three or four will apply.

I replied to this question many times. Members of the third party are preoccupied with unity now when they were all hiding outside Quebec last fall.

Gas Prices

[Vic Althouse, NDP, Mackenzie, SK]

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

Using their power to boycott certain service stations, consumers have forced government into action on gas pricing. The public wants more than just a report under the Competition Act which says that prices have gone up. They know that already.

Since it is already clear that the industry is not doing the responsible job of self-regulation that the Minister of Industry promised during consultations on amendments to the Competition Act, will the government create an energy pricing commission with power to regulate and roll back unjustified price increases?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we have a very decentralized federation as members opposite well know.

When it comes to dealing with regulation of retail prices, I am sure the hon. member knows that would fall within the jurisdiction of a federal government if one were to choose to intervene in the market in that way.

The member should also know that regulation of prices creates a certain amount of rigidity and from experience prices tend to be somewhat higher in markets where they have been regulated than in markets where competition is vibrant and vital.

Our objective in this whole gas pricing affair is to ensure that we have a very open marketplace where competition is real. We will do our utmost to enforce the laws, ensuring that there will be real competition. That together with consumers who are diligent will be our best guarantee that prices will come down.

Human Rights

[Carolyn Parrish, Liberal, Mississauga West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of International Co-operation.

While no Canadians can tolerate the acts of terrorism committed by Hamas in Israel, we currently have a human rights concern there with hundreds of thousands of women and children being deprived of medical supplies and food. Is there anything Canada can do to help in this situation?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, at the last pledging conference, Canada offered to contribute $5.5 million to help with the health, education and water supplies in the West Bank and Palestine. That brings the total contributions to about $70 million since 1993.

Last night in Montreal I attended a meeting of the Canadian, Jewish and Arab communities, where they got together to talk for the first time about what Canada had contributed. What is really important is that the private sector should come together, improving investment, commerce, trade and development. That is the most important way we can give hope to the Palestinian people.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I wish to draw to the attention of all members, the presence in the gallery of a delegation of parliamentarians from the United Mexican States, led by Senator Fernando Ortiz Arana, President of the Senate.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

My colleagues, I would like also to draw to your attention the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Halldor Asgrimsson, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Iceland.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.