Debates of Sept. 18th, 1996

Taxation

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has shown a great deal of concern for the plight of a considerable number of low income Canadians who have been affected by this move taken by the United States.

Indeed members within our own party and members on both sides of the House have expressed the same concern. The member is absolutely right. There are a considerable number of low income Canadians who have suddenly found themselves without any possibility of adjustment, without any possibility of appeal and are in a very serious financial condition as a result of this action taken by the U.S. administration.

I have raised this matter with the secretary of the treasury and our officials have worked on it throughout the summer. I will be seeing the secretary of the treasury in the not too distance future and I intend to raise this issue.

I am delighted by the support from the House on this particular issue.

Lobster Fishery

[Yvan Bernier, Bloc, Gaspé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Over the last two weeks, Chaleur Bay Micmacs have been fishing lobster without Fisheries and Oceans permits, more than two months after the end of the regular fishing season.

Given that the minister has a mandate to conserve and manage the resource, what does he intend to do to fulfil his obligations in the contentious area of Chaleur Bay so that the lobster are protected?

[Fernand Robichaud, Liberal, Secretary of State (Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is now making every effort to get the aboriginals and the commercial fishermen together, so that they can sit down, talk and reach an agreement in order to resolve this dispute, which leaves the commercial fishermen feeling targeted because the aboriginals are fishing, while the aboriginals are exercising what they claim is their right to fish for subsistence and ceremonial purposes.

Agriculture

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, before the last election the agriculture minister promised to hold a plebiscite on grain marketing and the Canadian Wheat Board. That is now a broken promise. He is still doing behind the scenes surveys. The Angus Reid group tells us they conducted a survey on behalf of his department, but the minister's office refuses to give us the results of the survey.

When will the minister uncover the results of this survey? More important, when will he hold a true and open plebiscite? His lack of action is hurting the prairie economy and is still a broken promise.

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

Mr. Speaker, I see little point in formally releasing a partial and preliminary document which the opposition and the media already have. That strikes me as a bit redundant.

The hon. gentleman and people in the Reform Party keep pressing us to move ahead with the automatic implementation of the report of the western grain marketing panel. On Monday of this week the member for Swift Current-Maple Creek-Assiniboia on CBC radio said this: "There are certain things in the panel's recommendations that I think are terrible". The member from Moose Jaw on the same program said: "I would say from the numbers that we've got generally there have been more who support the wheat board as a single desk seller for wheat and barley". The member from Moose Jaw-

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Regina-Qu'Appelle.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Simon de Jong, NDP, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It concerns the continuing cuts to the CBC.

Despite promises made in the Liberal red book during the last election, the government is proceeding with a further cut of some $190 million to the CBC budget. This will result in a 35 to 40 per cent reduction in both TV and radio services and a loss of some 2,500 jobs.

How can the minister possibly expect the CBC to fulfil its parliamentary mandate as a public broadcaster with these massive cuts to its budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, the cuts that were announced in last February's budget were $123 million, not the figure quoted by the member.

Unfortunately those cuts were announced on top of the previous cuts which total a very difficult circumstance for the CBC. The total package of cuts will result in reductions of about 23 per cent.

Over the last three years one of the things we have had to do as a government is to cut very significantly. We have had to let 40,000 people go across the public service. We have had to cut in ministries and we have had to cut across departments.

The CBC management and board have been working very hard to ensure that in the face of very difficult circumstances they can continue to occupy a very unique niche in the marketplace.

Unlike certain members of the opposition who are calling for the privatization of the CBC, I believe that the CBC has a very important public role to play. We are still investing almost a billion dollars of taxpayers' money in the CBC.

Trade

[Dianne Brushett, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade.

Since the Helms-Burton bill in the United States is very prominent in the news these days and its adverse effect on Canadian business, and as Canada opposes the Helms-Burton bill, does this mean that we are soft on Cuba? Does it mean that we endorse the Castro administration?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I think that is an important question.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I have said on numerous occasions, for a great number of years we have been exercising efforts to bring about a more open and democratic system in Cuba, to bring about economic reforms and respect for human rights.

Unlike the United States, we have preferred a policy of engagement, as opposed to isolation, which quite frankly has not worked in the 30 years it has been in place.

The purpose of our opposition to Helms-Burton is simply to protect the right to have a Canadian trade policy and to have Canadian companies able to rely on that when they are doing business with Cuba.

Presence In The Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw the attention of the House to the presence in the gallery of a delegation of senators from Belgium's Socialist Party.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Government Response To Petitions

[Paul Zed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to eight petitions.

Interparliamentary Delegations

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour and the pleasure to table, in both official languages, the first report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.

This is the report by the official delegation that represented Canada at the third annual meeting of the North Atlantic Assembly's Political Committee, held in Moscow from April 9 to 12.

Mr. Speaker, I also have the honour to table, in both official languages, the second report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association which represented Canada at the 1996 spring session of the North Atlantic Assembly (NATO Parliamentarians) held in Athens, Greece, May 16 to 20, 1996.

Income Tax Act

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-324, an act to amend the Income Tax Act (entertainment expenses).

Mr. Speaker, the bill I am introducing today is aimed toward lowering our national deficit to some degree by amending the Income Tax Act. It will do so by eliminating the part of the act which includes entertainment as a tax deductible expense.

Tax loopholes cost the public treasury an estimated $36 billion a year. As it stands, the Income Tax Act includes provisions that allow business people to write off meals or corporate boxes in sport stadiums as entertainment expenses.

When the Liberal government lowered meal and entertainment expenses to 50 per cent from 80 per cent deductible there were cries from the restaurant industry that business would drop drastically, affecting its many employees. There is hardly a mark on that sector. I believe that this bill will have a similar outcome on stadium owners.

The net result, however, will be considerable revenue, a positive outcome for the government and a feeling of equity for the vast majority of Canadians who are not able to take advantage of these corporate perks and should not have to foot the bill for them.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)

Petitions

[Warren Allmand, Liberal, Notre-Dame-De-Grâce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have 15 petitions from over 1,000 Canadians in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland which say that abolishing the opportunity for prisoners serving life sentences of 15 years or more to apply for a judicial review of their parole eligibility will only serve to increase both human and economic costs of the criminal justice system and increase fear and misconceptions about crime among the Canadian public.

Therefore, the petitioners call on Parliament to oppose the repeal of section 745 of the Criminal Code or the restriction of prisoners access to just and fair procedures as well as to launch a concerted public education campaign to promote the need for more responsible and humane criminal justice approaches to enhance the safety of all Canadians.

[Beryl Gaffney, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present from Nepean and area communities which bears some 70 signatures.

The petitioners bring to our attention that Canadian law does not prohibit convicted criminals from profiting financially from writing books and setting up 1-900 numbers, producing videos, et cetera.

The petitioners pray and call on Parliament to enact Bill C-205, introduced by the hon. member for Scarborough West, at the earliest opportunity so as to provide in Canadian law that no criminal profits from committing a crime.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the honour to present a petition signed by 600 individuals.

The petitioners call on Parliament to look at the fact that the CITT concluded that the dumping and subsidizing of Italian pasta did not cause material injury to Canadian pasta manufacturers and duties are no longer being collected.

They request that the Special Import Measures Act examine the CITT criteria for determining material injury and consider the U.S. model. They petition Parliament to ensure that the Canadian pasta manufacturers have a level playing field for fair market competition in our own country.

[Jack Frazer, Reform, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my duty and honour to present two petitions to the House which have been duly certified by the clerk of petitions.

The first one is on behalf of 25 Canadians residing in beautiful British Columbia. The petitioners humbly pray and call on Parliament to honour and recognize their Canadian peacekeepers in the form of a Canadian peacekeeping medal.

[Jack Frazer, Reform, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on behalf of 44 constituents of Saanich-Gulf Islands and surrounding areas.

The petitioners pray that Parliament enact Bill C-205, introduced by the hon. member for Scarborough West, at the earliest opportunity so as to provide in Canadian law that no criminal profits from committing a crime.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a petition calling for the adoption of my bill C-277, renumbered C-235, on female genital mutilation. Fifty-seven persons from British Columbia have taken the initiative of circulating and signing a petition in support of a measure to protect women and young girls.

Let us hope that all of the members of this House will bow to their wishes and vote in favour of making genital mutilation a criminal act. I hope that certain amendments will be made to the bill on genital mutilation the government is preparing to pass.

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have before me two petitions, one signed by 26 people from my riding and the other one signed by 27 people, calling on Parliament to enact Bill C-205.

Currently Canadian law does not stop convicted criminals from profiting financially from their crimes. Presently a convicted criminal can make money by writing a book and these petitioners ask that this be stopped.

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, St. Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have petitions with over 250 signatures from Manitobans who support the amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

These signatures include people from all age groups who firmly believe that discrimination on any basis should not and cannot be tolerated.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a number of petitions containing over 5,000 signatures from people from across Canada who point out, as others have today, that Canadian law does not prohibit convicted criminals from profiting financially by selling their stories, videos or copyrighting videos or in other ways profiting from the crimes they have committed.

The petitioners call on Parliament to enact Bill C-205, which I introduced, at the earliest opportunity. The third hour of debate will be next Tuesday whereupon there will be a vote on the principle next Tuesday evening, I hope.

The petitioners ask that this bill be enacted as quickly as possible.

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, York North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present to the House two petitions signed by residents of York North.

The first petition is about the Helms-Burton law. The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that the Cuban liberty and democratic solidarity act attempts to impose American domestic policy on other sovereign countries and, therefore, violates international law.

The petitioners further draw to the attention of the House that Canadians' interests, rights and businesses must be defended with strength and vigour.

The petitioners therefore call upon Parliament to pursue all avenues available to ensure the rights of Canadians are protected.