Debates of June 5th, 1996

[The Speaker]

As is our practice on Wednesdays, we will now sing O Canada, which will be led by the member for Halifax West.

Occupational Health And Safety

[George Proud, Liberal, Hillsborough, PE]

Mr. Speaker, as stated by the Minister of Labour on Monday, eliminating accidents in the workplace is both a social and economic necessity. Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Week lets us focus on the tremendous toll that these accidents take on human life and productivity.

This year's theme of "Training-Target Zero Accidents" shows that training is a key factor to eliminating accidents. How do we target zero accidents? In response I say by integrating occupational safety and health in our day to day activities, for example by choosing the right equipment, learning to lift things properly and taking the time to speak to our workers and co-workers about safer practices.

We can reduce the grim statistics through teamwork. In that spirit I would like to congratulate the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering for sponsoring this annual event. I encourage Canadians to participate in events this week and to work together to make our workplaces safer and more productive.

Marriage

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, June is the month when the hearts of many young adults become twitter patted and marriage is soon to follow. In fact many young couples have made that move just prior to June, including my son and his new wife.

On May 25 I attended another wedding of a young couple, Krista and Jerry, and was asked to give a toast to the bride. As a member of Parliament, I took the opportunity on behalf of the Prime Minister and the House of Commons to wish Krista and Jerry the very best in their marriage.

Realizing that during the rest of 1996 there will be thousands of Canadians joining in holy matrimony, I thought it would be nice if members would take a second for all of us to collectively wish the very best to all newlyweds of 1996. May you live a long prosperous life and may your marriage be fruitful. God bless each and every family on behalf of all members of Parliament.

National Transportation Week

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

Mr. Speaker, National Transportation Week is on until June 8. It gives me great pleasure to draw attention to this event, especially since federal transportation policies provide us every day with more reasons to wish for Quebec sovereignty.

If a single government had jurisdiction over transportation, we would never have faced the uncontrolled development of road transport without first making better use of existing rail and shipping services. Rail transport comes under federal jurisdiction while road transport is a provincial responsibility. Because of this artificial division of powers between the federal and provincial governments, intermodality could not become a major tool for government action.

Quebec sovereignty will solve part of the problem in this area. In order to modernize the whole transportation system, society in both Canada and Quebec must equip itself with modern tools such as sovereignty-partnership and set aside an antiquated and ineffective Constitution.

Mining

[Audrey McLaughlin, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, a couple of weeks ago residents of Whitehorse, Yukon were surprised when they awoke to find that the greenbelts behind their

homes were being staked for mining. This came as some considerable surprise and has raised a large amount of public concern.

It is quite legal under the Yukon Quartz Mining Act to do this staking. However, it was not clearly the intention of the city of Whitehorse when it formulated these greenbelts in residential areas that the greenbelts would be open to staking.

The city of Whitehorse has appealed to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for action. The territorial government has supported that appeal, as have I.

The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development can halt the claims. He can stop them today. I therefore urge the minister to immediately grant a temporary prohibition order on claims staking to allow for the development of detailed plans for land use in the city of Whitehorse.

I say to the minister, do not put off to tomorrow what can be done today.

Student Employment

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, across Canada this summer, students are looking for summer jobs. In Halifax West we are responding.

The summer career placement program is off to a promising start. Over 100 sponsors have joined the federal government to create over 200 summer jobs for our youth. These are not just McJobs. They include lifeguards, veterinary assistants and community development officers, all worthwhile activities.

I am confident the summer career placement program will be a resounding success.

From Terrance Bay to Timberlea, from Boutiliers Point to Bedford, students are working this summer in Halifax West.

Muskoka Air Fair

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the organizers of a terrific event that took place in my riding last weekend. It was called the Muskoka Air Fair and it attracted literally thousands of visitors and aviation enthusiasts to the riding.

We were fortunate enough to experience a spectacular performance by our Canadian world renowned Snowbirds air demonstration squadron which really drew the crowds. Astronaut Major Chris Hadfield also came to the air fair and met with scores of visitors, particularly our young people. He is a true ambassador.

Tourism is a mainstay of the economy in my riding. My constituents need to be creative and proactive when it comes to attracting businesses to the area. This air show took many, many long hours of hard work to come into being. It took insight, foresight and determination and it had an impact.

I congratulate all the volunteers and organizers who worked so hard to make a difference.

Quebec Premier

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during his previous visit to the United States in March 1994 as leader of the Bloc Quebecois, Lucien Bouchard chose a particular terminology to describe with precision the nature of the option he is defending.

He told the Globe and Mail : `We want Quebec to leave the Canadian federation. I am not reluctant to use the termseparation' as it objectively describes the current situation''.

While addressing the Foreign Policy Association in New York this week, the new PQ leader used the words "sovereignty" or "sovereignist" on four separate occasions but did not at any time utter the term "separatist".

Even outside Quebec, the PQ leader continues to create confusion as to his goal by refusing to clearly explain that the sovereignty he is referring to cannot be achieved until Quebec first separates from the rest of Canada.

The Environment

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Laurentides, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Canadian Environment Week, it seems important to stress the fact that the environment is a major concern and that, unfortunately, governments are neglecting this concern more and more for economic reasons.

Neo-liberalism is in fashion, a fashion affecting even environmental policies. Governments are going soft. Their resolve to take strict action against polluters is weakening. It is easier to back away and promote voluntary and self monitoring measures by and for polluters.

This trend poses a great threat. This threat is hanging over the future of a planet that we are devastating at an accelerated pace without apparently feeling any urgent need for vigorous action.

People of our generation can expect to live in an acceptable environment, but what about our children? Will they have to live inside bubbles, forced to protect and isolate themselves from an

increasingly hostile environment. We must stop talking and start acting.

[Keith Martin, Reform, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this is National Environment Week.

This government and others continue to ignore the single unifying cause of the destruction of our agricultural lands, water quality and ozone that combine to make our environment increasingly compromised. The primary cause of the environmental degradation I speak about is our own population growth rate, with its increasing consumption of our dwindling resources which produces environmental degradation and populations under stress. This is a vicious cycle that no one is looking at because they are not prepared to deal with the politically incorrect topic of our own reproductive growth rates.

Our own reproductive success is destroying the beautiful home we call Earth. The response from governments on the environment have been motherhood statements and a nibbling around the edges. Even domestically the government has failed to act on a number of important issues, including the Taro dump site in Hamilton, the clean-up of 24 hazardous toxic sites in Canada, and our endangered species.

If this inaction is indicative of the government's response to the environment, then we are all in big trouble.

Via Rail

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

Mr. Speaker, many residents of my riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore are concerned about the future of the Toronto VIA Rail maintenance centre and the jobs of its employees. Located in Etobicoke the Toronto VIA Rail maintenance centre services equipment and trains that run in the busy Windsor-Quebec corridor.

The streamlining of VIA Rail's passenger rail service that has taken place over the past few years has resulted in a reduction in staff across Canada. The employees of the Toronto VIA Rail maintenance centre have met these challenges and continue to provide top notch service for locomotives which carry people of all ages to destinations across Canada.

I know that the Minister of Transport and VIA Rail are making efforts to ensure efficiency and the continuance of safe and reliable passenger rail service for all Canadians.

Newspapers

[Jim Jordan, Liberal, Leeds—Grenville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as a result of his recently announced purchase, Conrad Black now owns daily newspapers in every province in Canada except two. This latest acquisition of 20 additional dailies boosts his ownership of Canadian newspapers to 58 from British Columbia to Newfoundland. This is 40 per cent of Canada's total daily newspaper circulation. Canadians are very concerned with such a concentration of control.

Canada has 104 daily newspapers. Of the 104 dailies only 14 remain independently owned. The Brockville Recorder & Times in my riding of Leeds-Grenville is one of these independently owned newspapers.

Friday, May 24 was truly black Friday in the Canadian newspaper business. Canadian tax legislation discourages foreign investment or ownership of newspapers or publications in this country. I am sure there is a rational explanation for the current rules controlling newspaper ownership in Canada, but if the rules continue to allow Canadian newspapers and their ownership to fall into fewer and fewer hands-

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Anjou-Rivière-des-Prairies.

Research And Development

[Roger Pomerleau, Bloc, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister of Natural Resources has indicated time and again that 25 per cent of her department's research and development budget goes to Quebec.

The time has come to set the record straight. When the minister says that 25 per cent of the funds are spent in Quebec, she is distorting reality by not including in Ontario's share the funds allocated to the national capital region, when in fact a large portion of this region is located in Ontario and 60 per cent of her department's expenditures in research and development are made in that region alone.

The fact of the matter is that, in 1995-96, only 14.9 per cent of Natural Resources Canada's research and development budget, or $7.8 million out of an overall budget of $52 million, went to Quebec.

And the big picture is not any brighter. According to Statistics Canada, between 1971 and 1991, only 18.6 per cent of the federal government's research and development funding went to Quebec, as compared to 50 per cent for Ontario.

Employment

[Ian McClelland, Reform, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago the Prime Minister told Canadians to get used to unemployment because of the global economy. However, a couple of weeks later he said that more foreign trade missions were needed to spur investment and exports. First the global economy kills jobs, then it creates them.

After the election he spent billions, borrowed at the expense of future generations, on infrastructure projects such as to upgrade the Calgary Saddledome and build a road to nowhere in Nova Scotia. He said that government created jobs, but a couple of years later he now says that only business can create jobs. This uncertainty about how jobs are created is frightening millions of Canadians who cannot find work or who are afraid for their jobs.

The Prime Minister needs a copy of Reform's 5-R jobs plan. If he takes his promise of jobs, jobs, jobs seriously, he will read it and then replace his empty political rhetoric with a real plan for putting Canada back to work.

Fixed Link Project

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, notice was given on Friday, May 31, 1996 to the federal Minister of Public Works and Government Services by the contractor Strait Crossing Incorporated that in one year, on May 31, 1997, the bridge connecting mainland Canada with Prince Edward Island will be officially opened.

This gigantic $800 million project which is a unique public sector-private sector partnership is on schedule and under budget. This in itself is unique for a project of such magnitude. Two thousand, four hundred Canadians work on the job site and 2,000 Canadians work off the job site.

Under P.E.I.'s terms of entry into Confederation in 1873 the Government of Canada was obliged to provide continuous and efficient year-round transportation for people, goods and services between P.E.I. and the mainland. This engineering marvel, a 13 kilometre bridge, will continue to fulfil that agreement. It was made possible by an amendment to the terms of Confederation passed by the federal government in 1993.

It is interesting to note that engineers from all over the world are coming to P.E.I. to study the innovative technology being used to erect the bridge. Hopefully, Canadian engineering students will avail themselves of the opportunity as well.

I invite this House and the people of Canada to come to P.E.I. and view this wonder of the world.

Reform Party Convention

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

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party is having a big convention this weekend in Vancouver. Canadians are wondering what steps the Reform Party is taking to preserve party dignity. To assist, a reading from the gospel according to the leader, the hon. member for Calgary Southwest: "If you think that it is going to be that type of meeting, get as many sane, sober people there as possible. Overwhelm the kook element".

Canadians will wonder which membership list the Reform Party has borrowed to overwhelm the kook element. To quote the Reform gospel again: "Why should a few extremists and eccentrics have more influence with you than I do? Why should they have more influence than the large number of Reformers who are neither extreme nor eccentric?"

Where are these Reformers who are neither extreme nor eccentric? Tune in this weekend on Canada's parliamentary channel and see the greatest circus since P.T. Barnum.

The Speaker: I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Manitok Thompson who is Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and Minister Responsible for the Women's Directorate, Government of the Northwest Territories.

Presence In Gallery

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Cuba

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the consequences of the American Helms-Burton Act, which has extra-territorial effect and is intended to strengthen the U.S. embargo against Cuba, are extremely serious, since Canada is Cuba's major economic partner. Yesterday, the countries of the Organization of American States reached an unanimous decision to present a draft resolution against this American legislation.

Given that Canada and Mexico are partners in both the OAS and NAFTA, and given that the Prime Minister is scheduled to be meeting with the President of Mexico in a few days, does the Prime Minister intend to make use of the economic and political clout the two countries wield with the U.S. and to propose to his counterpart a joint strategy in defence of this American legislation?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as everyone here knows, we have protested on behalf of Canada right from the beginning. Later, I went to meet with the Caribbean heads of government and convinced them to adopt a joint resolution. Mexico has protested against this act. We have had occasion to discuss it with the European community, and it is my belief that the Americans are totally isolated in this initiative to adopt extra-territorial legislation.

We shall be keeping up the pressure on the American government. I myself have spoken with the President, and the matter will certainly be raised, as the hon. member has suggested, with our Mexican partner because we most firmly believe that it is absolutely contrary to both the letter and the spirit of NAFTA.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister. Following along in the same vein, during the Prime Minister of France's visit to Quebec and Canada, which is scheduled for next week, does the Prime Minister intend to discuss the matter, in order to have it placed on the agenda of the next G-7 summit, which will take place at Lyon at the end of June?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the French government has protested, as has the European Community in general. I believe that all the countries have protested, or at least the community as a whole. Every time we have the opportunity to meet with our foreign counterparts, we raise this problem, and I am sure I shall have the opportunity to discuss it with Mr. Juppé. He will, perhaps, be able to bring pressure to bear on the President of France, who is the current head of the G-7, so that the problem may be raised during his term.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, following along again in the same vein, since the extra-territorial nature of the Helms-Burton Act is contrary to international trade arrangements, can the Prime Minister tell us whether Canada has taken any steps to take this dispute before the World Trade Organization?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know there is talk of its being submitted to NAFTA and the International Trade Commission, but I do not know if this will take the form of a Canadian initiative or not. All the countries have protested, and I am sure that the organization will be apprised of this in one way or another.

I have personally raised the issue with the U.S. government on a number of occasions. I think the President will be making a statement on this matter shortly. We believe the Americans will not be able to continue along this path. Here in Canada we are looking at the possibility of amending some of our legislation to counteract the effects of the American legislation.

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Helms-Burton legislation is having considerable impact. This August, a provision will come into effect that may lead to thousands of cases of prosecution against businesses with interests in Cuba. We are talking about nearly 6,000 legal claims including a number involving Canadian businesses.

My question is for the Prime Minister. How does he intend helping businesses that will be prosecuted under this legislation?