Debates of Oct. 24th, 1997

The Environment

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, even the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers wants us to come up with a fair solution through the Kyoto negotiations.

This government is consulting with all the stakeholders including the provinces. We are going to be negotiating actively in Kyoto in the interests of all Canadians, bearing in mind western Canada, central Canada, eastern Canada. Any deal this government signs will be in the best interests of all Canadians, not like the Reform Party which has a monomania about taxes and does not care about the health and safety of Canadians for the future.

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister admitted to reporters yesterday that Canada made a mistake at the earth summit in Rio. This is quite a revelation.

The minister said: “Canada should not have agreed to cut its emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000”. We did not realize what was implied by that commitment.

If Rio was a mistake, why is Canada prepared to repeat it in Kyoto with a legally binding treaty?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of the Environment, who is not here today, I want to clarify the remarks she is quoted as stating.

She said that the targets at Rio were very noble ones. Unfortunately there was not enough follow-up on implementation.

What she is really saying is that this time we anticipate having a legally binding, realistic and achievable implementation system. That is the answer.

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like we are getting a little flip-flop over here.

The minister was speaking from the heart, speaking the position that Canadians want to hear and what she feels. Yet she is not allowed by the frontbench to have her say.

The environment minister admits that the Kyoto treaty will lower the standard of living of all Canadians across this nation. This is not just an Alberta issue. Industry will be devastated in Ontario and Atlantic Canada as well.

Will the minister commit to conduct an economic impact analysis that considers the devastating that will descend on industry and the thousands of jobs lost in her home province of—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Transport.

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, there are all manners of consultations going on dealing with this very crucial file.

This is an issue that affects all Canadians no matter where they live. It is wrong for one party, one particular group in the country to play off one part of the country or one interest group against the other. That is what the Reform Party does and it has to end.

Employment Insurance

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

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

Everyone except the federal government knows that poverty is on the rise in Canada and that drastic cuts to employment insurance only make it worse. Yesterday, the premier of Quebec suggested that the question of how to use the billions of dollars from the surplus in the employment insurance fund be put on the agenda of the next federal-provincial conference.

Does the government intend to act on the Quebec premier's suggestion to finally put an end to the scandal of the $12 billion surplus accumulated at the expense of the unemployed?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to stand here and pretend to speak for the prime minister and the premiers as to how they will discuss their issues.

I will say, though, that I find it somewhat humorous that a minister of the Mulroney government who jacked premiums to over $3 is now giving us lectures on why we have not reduced them lower than $2.80.

I can assure the House that with the EI fund we will do what is best for the workers, best in the long run for Canadians. That is the balanced approach this government has taken all along.

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

Mr. Speaker, the voters saw right through it and taught the Liberals a good lesson in the last federal election. It will happen again in the next election if the Liberal government does not reconsider its position in this matter.

In St. Andrews, last summer, all provincial premiers agreed to ask the federal government to lower the EI premium rates and to improve protection for the unemployed.

Will this government, which boasts about working in partnership with the provinces, act on this request and put an end to the drastic cuts to employment insurance?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, when we first announced that we were going to change directions dramatically from where the Tories were in their previous terms in government, we said that we were going to make sure that there was a surplus in the EI account. We knew, as all other Canadians know, it is not a time to increase premiums when the economy is in a downturn.

If people do not accept that we should plan for a day when we might have a little more difficulty with the economy than we have today, they obviously should not be on this side of the House. I suspect they may want to stay where they are.

Canadian Ambassador To France

[Daniel Turp, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Canadian ambassador to France, Jacques Roy, continued his tour of Quebec under the aegis of the Council for Canadian unity. The ambassador delivered the message of national unity to Quebeckers from Trois-Rivières to Quebec City and will do so through the lower St. Lawrence as well.

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. How does the Deputy Prime Minister justify having a diplomat, who is supposed to be representing us abroad, on a clearly partisan tour of Quebec with and under the aegis of an organization that is no less partisan, the Council for Canadian unity?

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Roy is currently in Quebec as part of public awareness tour. He already was on such a tour last year in Manitoba and Ontario. This a routine visit and one of his duties as Canadian ambassador is to promote the idea of a strong and united Canada.

[Daniel Turp, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, these are very odd routine visits when an ambassador speaks of flags, of French Canadians in the public service and essentially of Canadian unity. If Jacques Roy wants to go into politics, he should get himself elected in the next elections.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister not acknowledge that he should immediately send his ambassador back to work in France?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is usual for the ambassador of Canada to speak for Canada. Would the hon. member prefer he speak for Guadeloupe?

Aboriginal Affairs

[Rick Laliberte, NDP, Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, as the aboriginal population grows the crisis deepens and costs rise. By the year 2016 the cost to Canadians could be as high as $11 billion a year. For thousands of young aboriginal people poor health, lost economic opportunity and lost hope for the future can never be measured in dollars. When will this government honour its commitment to aboriginal people and provide a full and complete response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples?

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as mentioned yesterday in response to another question in the House, the Government of Canada will respond to the royal commission of inquiry, the commission of Justices Dussault and Erasmus. The response will be given as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we have established priorities. We are meeting with all interested parties and we will report to the House as soon as possible.

[Rick Laliberte, NDP, Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Royal Bank said that the deplorable state of Canada's aboriginal people is a national shame. If investments are not made to infrastructure in the northern communities, if investments are not made in jobs and economic development, if investments are not made in the social realities of aboriginal people, will the deputy prime minister commit today to look at the deplorable means of aboriginal people and work with them to look at the betterment of our future and our country?

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, this is why we have supplementary estimates. In the supplementary estimates we have some money for infrastructure. There was $8 million for infrastructure. For the youth employment strategy we have $24 million in the estimates. This is what we are doing and doing well.

Search And Rescue

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday people died in the north Atlantic. Today the eyes of the world are on Canada's search and rescue operations. We have excellent people who cannot do their jobs without excellent equipment.

In response to a serious question the Minister of National Defence gave partisan lines that were inappropriate. Every single Canadian knows that it was this government that cancelled the helicopter deal that could have made a difference yesterday. When will this government stop playing partisan politics and act responsibly by properly equipping our coast guard?

[John Richardson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the incident off the coast of St. John's this morning and the ongoing search and rescue activities are things I am proud of. Our Canadian forces personnel are doing an outstanding job.

To put the record straight, the helicopter the member is referring to would only have a range of 500 miles offshore—

[An hon. member]

It's 700.

[John Richardson, Liberal, Perth—Middlesex, ON]

I am sorry, it is 700. But this is beyond that range, and he knows it. Until we get the ship within that range, we could not have used those helicopters. What we are doing now—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. member for Fundy—Royal.

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague asked twice yesterday and I am asking for a second time today. Soon is not good enough. Yesterday's events made it clear that Canadians need an answer. Please take this question seriously.

Today we have a platform out there, the Hibernia platform. Any helicopter could have actually flown to the platform, refuelled and continued on. We did not have the flexibility to actually make that step because we did not have the helicopters in the first place.

I ask the parliamentary secretary—

[The Deputy Speaker]

The hon. the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.