Debates of Nov. 26th, 1997

Mining

[Stan Dromisky, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Atikokan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources.

Today representatives of the mining industry from across Canada have come to Ottawa to outline their current challenges. What steps is the government taking to ensure an attractive investment climate for the mining industry in this great country of ours?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, mining in Canada employs about 350,000 people. It is the economic backbone of some 150 communities. It contributes $24 billion to our economy and generates about $40 billion worth of exports.

Government actions in support of mining in Canada include the success we have had in shaving four points off interest rates and the fact that we are supporting world class science and technology, particularly in the field of geoscience.

We have made our commitments to federal regulatory streamlining. We issued guidelines for greater certainty into the regulatory process. The list goes on and we will continue in that vein.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from aboriginal people at the grassroots complaining about the misdirection of funding. The minister would not even meet with them.

When did the minister find out about this report? Either it was kept from her against her knowledge, or she was aware of it and did nothing. Which is it?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, we received the report in 1996. As I point out, we have been working to modernize and make changes in the area of social assistance. If the opposition would look at the changes that are occurring community by community, it would see the changes that have transpired.

I have been listening to the public as well and I would say that this is what it is saying about Reform. You and your party have had some success in creating only self-propelling stereotypes that victimize aboriginal people as unable to practise acceptable standards of conduct.

We believe it is the conduct of Reform MPs that should be scrutinized—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Crowfoot.

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we are asking this minister about the report that we understand was dumped on her this morning, today, which she knew nothing about until now.

Would she confirm to this House whether that is the truth? If it is not, then set us straight here in this House. When did she find out about that report?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, this report has been in the department. We have been working with it and have made changes to respond to the auditor general. There is nothing new, there is nothing exciting. What the report tells us is what first nations chiefs and the royal commissioners have been telling us, that indeed we do need to modernize social assistance, and we are doing it.

Health

[Greg Thompson, Progressive Conservative, Charlotte, NB]

Mr. Speaker, 12,000 Canadians suffer from hepatitis C. I want to remind members they are innocent victims of the Canadian blood supply system.

The question is pretty straightforward. I want to know from the government when it will announce a compensation package for these innocent victims.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated to other colleagues a while ago and as the hon. member knows, a number of people, including organizations representing hepatitis victims, have testified before Justice Krever. We do not know yet whether Justice Krever has—

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

If the hon. member from Edmonton can hold on a minute, perhaps I could answer another hon. member who deserves respect from this House.

The issue the hon. member raises is very important. We are looking forward to that report and recommendations of Justice Krever in that regard and with regard to the blood supply generally and anything else—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Charlotte.

[Greg Thompson, Progressive Conservative, Charlotte, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that answer. They have been in power now going on five years. They dilly-dallied on this issue four, five years. Nothing to do with the Krever inquiry. They know they have a problem. They do not want to deal with it.

The question is when are they going to deal with it. These are innocent victims, 12,000 Canadians, who deserve an answer. They deserve that answer now, not five years down the road, not ten years, but now. When are they going to act?

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, on the day this report is tabled, the hon. member across pretends he cannot wait 15 minutes. He is using those victims for his own political ends. He can wait 15 minutes and listen to the report.

Workers Receiving Tips

[Yvon Charbonneau, Liberal, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.

The Government of Quebec recently announced measures to collect tax on the tips of restaurant and hotel workers. However, many people are concerned about how tips will be assessed for employment insurance purposes.

Could the minister tell us what the Government of Canada is prepared to do to make sure that the workers concerned can benefit to the maximum of the safety net provided by the employment insurance plan?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec advised us of its intention to tax tips. We then met with restaurant owners to discuss the situation.

The Minister of Finance and I have agreed to amend the employment insurance legislation by January 1, 1998, to make tips reported on a voluntary basis eligible and insurable under the employment insurance plan, without the requirement to first remit 20% of the amount to one's employer, which will make the life of restaurant owners easier. By working together, we can work in the best interests of Quebeckers.

Human Rights

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Earlier this week at the APEC summit the minister stated that to avoid irrelevance, the APEC agenda must include human rights.

Will this minister explain why the prime minister then knee-capped him yesterday by saying that the APEC agenda will never include human rights? Will the minister ask the prime minister to apologize to Canadians for his disgusting joke with APEC leaders about UBC students who were pepper sprayed while demonstrating for human rights in Indonesia, East Timor, China and other APEC countries?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, in the run up to the APEC summit and during the summit, the prime minister, the ministers there and the Canadian delegation have been actively working toward an APEC that would be ensuring that its economic decisions were accountable to those who are affected by them.

It is important to note that the final declaration states “as leaders we are accountable to safeguarding and improving economic and social well-being, we commit ourselves to ensuring that APEC remains responsive to our concerns”. It demonstrates that the work of the prime minister and all the delegation has been very useful in helping APEC evolve.

[Svend Robinson, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, one of the leaders who was laughing at the prime minister's joke was genocidal President Suharto whose government recently threatened Indonesian participants at the APEC people's summit if they demonstrated against Suharto.

Did the prime minister raise this issue with Suharto, in between jokes of course, and what steps is our government taking to ensure the safety of Indonesians threatened by Suharto's repressive regime?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the hon. member has a very long history of super exaggeration. I think he has demonstrated this in his questions.

The fact is we have met continually with representatives of the people's summit. I can report to the hon. member that we have asked our embassy to make sure, regarding those Indonesian nationals who attended the conference, of what happened when they came back, and nothing has happened.

Once again we find the hon. member engaging in the highest form of exaggeration and misinformation.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, quite a while back there was a request from a certain judge in the province of Alberta that there be an inquiry into the Stony Reserve because of some major problems. This minister denied there were any problems. She said they would take care of themselves, she was not going to dirty anyone's laundry. At a recent request she has said there are no problems. When I ask a question in this House she says there is no problem.

Does that mean that she finally learned that there are problems because she just received the report that we are talking about today?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I categorically reject every ounce and every word in the hon. member's comments. He talks about the need for an inquiry. That is one approach, to sit and wait and listen to see if there is a problem.

What we did was take action and implement strategies that help us deal with the past, the present and the future. This side wants to act and get results. That side just wants to talk and talk and talk.

Television And Cable Production Fund

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Having cut cultural funding by over half a billion dollars, the government created the television and cable production fund, which made it possible to produce high quality programs, and the cultural community says it is very satisfied with that formula.

Can the minister make a promise to this House, and keep it, that she will do everything possible to convince her finance colleague to renew this fund for several years in order to allow better planning in this sector?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I would first of all like to thank all my hon. colleagues in the House for their support of the television and cable production fund. I can assure you that my colleague, the Minister of Finance, is so interested that he has already promised that, right after oral question period, he will meet with the group that came today.

I thank the minister and I thank all members who supported us in this initiative.

Banks

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, today it was the turn of the Bank of Nova Scotia to reveal record profits, $1.5 billion, or an increase of 42% over last year, which is beyond even its wildest expectations.

Profits are fine if they are reasonable, but gouging the consumer is not fine.

I want to ask the minister whether he is willing to agree to a Parliamentary inquiry into bank services charges. I want him to throw away his script and answer the question. Yesterday he had the wrong script in his hand. He did not answer the question. Can he answer the question today?