House of Commons Hansard #41 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pension.
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, this is not an accurate statement, since we already have a national policy in place. Depreciation rates for ships are very high. There are also programs in place to support ship sales and operations. Therefore, it is not true that there is no policy to support shipbuilding companies.
Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, will the minister admit that he should support the shipbuilding industry in Quebec and Canada by taking the same kind of measures the U.S. government has in place for its industry, so that our builders can at least compete on a level playing field with the Americans?
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, it depends on what the hon. member exactly means.
If she means that we should have an equivalent to the U.S. style of protectionism in the Jones Act, I do not think she would find very general support for that. If she thinks we should have export sales support as does the U.S., my answer to her is that we do. If she asks me whether I think we should turn over subsidies to an industry to enable it to sell into international markets, I suggest to her that I do not agree with that.
Rob Anders Reform Calgary West, AB
Mr. Speaker, the prime minister said in 1990 “if elected Liberal leader I pledge to work for a Senate that is elected and that has legislative powers of its own”. Yet for the past seven years Senator Andrew Thompson has had his toes in the sand and Pacific breezes on his face. The Canadian people have shelled out over a half million dollars to keep him there.
Canadian taxpayers want Senate reform. The opposition wants Senate reform. Only the prime minister does not want Senate reform. Is there any Liberal who will stand up now for the Canadian people and demand Senate reform? Is there one?
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the applause by Reform Party members does not indicate the rumour is true that they are seeking to have me replace the current leader of the Reform Party.
We are interested in Senate reform but the Reformers have proven there is no point in pursuing it because of the way they opposed it when they opposed the Charlottetown accord.
Rob Anders Reform Calgary West, AB
Mr. Speaker, people in Canada want real Senate reform. Since 1990 Senator Thompson has collected a half million taxpayer dollars while he suns himself in Mexico.
What did the Prime Minister do? He gave Thompson even more beach time by relieving him of his caucus duties.
How many more Senate haciendas will Canadians have to buy? How many more six month Margaritaville holidays will taxpayers pick up the tab for before the PM keeps his word and reforms the Senate?
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we do not condone the conduct of the senator in question. However this is not due to any government decision or anything within the direct power of the government. It is a matter for the internal economy committee of the Senate. I understand it is dealing with the matter.
In the meantime let us have members of the Reform Party make clear that they are dropping their opposition to Senate reform which they voted against in the course of the Charlottetown accord. Let Reformers get up and say what they really stand for when it comes to true reform of the Senate, not just electing one way but unelecting if a—
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Department of Foreign Affairs have been aware, for at least five years, of the dubious activities of INARI, despite its UN accreditation.
How is that, despite criticism of this agency, the government has still, five years later, not asked the UN to withdraw INARI's accreditation?
Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, in response to the hon. member I would welcome any representation he would like to make on the exact kinds of changes he believes should be made.
We are looking very carefully at the matter. We would be very happy to hear what the opposition has to say.
Beth Phinney Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Mr. Speaker, this is World AIDS Day. The Minister of Health announced this morning that there would be funding for AIDS and HIV programs.
Given the significant importance of this health issue, how does Canada compare with other countries in its attack against AIDS?
Joe Volpe LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will know that in the course of the last mandate the amount of funds contributed to strategies to combat AIDS ranks second worldwide.
The $200 million plus that were designated for dealing with this epidemic have again been renewed for an additional five year term. It comes out to about $42.2 million per annum to address the epidemic, the therapies, the vaccines and perhaps a cure, hopefully a cure. Canada is leading and is in the forefront of addressing the AIDS epidemic.
Rahim Jaffer Reform Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, ten long weeks ago, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs said he was going to consult Quebeckers about the Calgary declaration.
Ten weeks later, he has done nothing. Separatists, however, have not been sitting idle. Lucien Bouchard is already talking about a snap election or referendum.
What is the government doing to ensure that the separatists no longer overtake it?
Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, if I may reassure the member, the forces of Canadian unity are now overtaking Quebec's separatist forces.
Rahim Jaffer Reform Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, I wish the hon. minister would act on his words.
The separatists alarm clock is ringing but the government is hitting the snooze button. It is sleepwalking its way toward another referendum.
Why are Quebeckers the only Canadians not being consulted on the Calgary declaration? Why is Lucien Bouchard the only politician talking to Quebeckers on unity?
Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member will accept that what he said is wrong. It is nonsense.
He knows that we are working very hard. All the parties believe in unity for Canada. The results are promising. We must keep going. A good way to do it would be for he and his party to be strongly behind supporting the Calgary declaration.
Rick Laliberte NDP Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Natural Resources.
On the Kyoto announcement, is the government intent on supporting the Reform fearmongering on this issue instead of acknowledging that efforts to cut emissions can be a powerful job creator?
Could the Minister of Natural Resources explain what targets have been set for job creation through greenhouse gas emission efforts like public transportation, building retrofits, clean environmental technologies and transitional funding for displaced workers and industries?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, all elements mentioned by the hon. gentleman may well be part of an implementation package.
We will work on that package immediately after Kyoto in consultation with provinces and otherwise. He should know that my department is already investing $70 million a year in efforts directed toward the climate change issue.
In the 1997 budget that was increased by a further $20 million a year. We are hopeful that innovations like the Ballard fuel cell, the separation of carbon dioxide, the deal between Petro-Canada and IOGEN, and all these new technology innovations will create jobs.
Rick Laliberte NDP Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal announcement for Kyoto is finally here but it is no where near the previous red book promises or international commitments. Canadians know that Liberals often miss or forget their promises.
Will the Minister of the Environment assure Canadians that job creation will be a major instrument used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Christine Stewart LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, this government believes that dealing with this issue, bringing in all of our partners to focus on measures in fact will be a win-win situation. The environment will be improved. We will have jobs created. There will be many benefits not only for Canada but also for the international community through our efforts.
Jean Charest Progressive Conservative Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise an issue today in the House of Commons that I can only assume has never been raised in the Liberal caucus in the last four years. That is the issue of unemployed Canadians.
I would like to know whether the government would want to acknowledge today that the increase in CPP premiums the Liberals are now planning for will have the net effect of taking away a week's wages for a worker who works and earns less than $35,000 a year. If they do know that, why are they doing it, or is it someone else's fault?
Jim Peterson LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, Canada still has the lowest payroll taxes of any country in the G-7.
Under the Conservatives, not one responsible action was taken to deal with the growing crisis in the CPP, a deficit that was going to be unfunded by the year 2030 of $6 billion. But we acted. We acted with the provinces. We acted on behalf of workers and present and future pensioners and we are proud of it.
Jean Charest Progressive Conservative Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, might I suggest to the minister and the government that they should act their age; they really should assume their responsibilities.
If they are doing so, why is the government now syphoning billions of dollars annually out of the pockets of workers and small businesses in order to create a unnecessary surplus in the EI fund?
Why are they going along with that? Instead of feeding the poor and unemployed statistics, why does the government not return a bit of these people's own money, so as to create jobs in our economy?
Jim Peterson LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to payroll taxes, that is the government that started out with EI premiums at $1.95 heading to $3.30. We have cut them four times: to $3, to $2.95, to $2.90 and now to $2.70. We do not have anything to learn about payroll taxes from that side of the House.