Debates of Dec. 2nd, 1997

Anti-Personnel Mines

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada is hosting a gathering of representatives from over 100 countries who will be signing the Ottawa treaty banning anti-personnel mines, and the Bloc Quebecois wishes to reiterate its support for this disarmament effort.

Bloc members also wish to acknowledge the commitment of non-government organizations and of individuals, especially Jody Williams, recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, who succeeded in convincing the majority of nations that action on this issue was urgently needed.

The Bloc has no doubt that the government's initiative represents a major step in the promotion of peace, even if some countries that manufacture and use land mines are still refusing to sign the treaty.

We urge the government to continue its efforts to bring the greatest number of countries to sign the treaty. In fact, we wish to assure the government that a sovereign Quebec will also sign the Ottawa treaty.

La Francofête

[Claudette Bradshaw, Liberal, Moncton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the organizers of La Francofête, a festival that took place in Moncton from November 13 to 16, 1997. The Francofête was a real success. It featured Acadian musicians and performers. It was also the first time that a francophone festival was organized to pay tribute to Acadian musicians, a bit in the tradition of the East Coast Music Awards. This festival gave the people of the maritime provinces the opportunity to share their Acadian heritage with pride.

I would also like to thank Acadian artists such as Antonine Maillet and Edith Butler, who have led the way in ensuring that Acadians can work and prosper in the maritimes. We are all proud to see the Acadian culture continue to thrive.

Environment

[John Finlay, Liberal, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Leader of the Opposition challenged the very existence of a global warming problem.

Are he and his fellow Reformers the only ones who continue to believe that global warming would be good for Canada's climate, that air polluted by smog is a tasty delicacy? Perhaps they think that global warming is an international conspiracy. Or are they all members of the flat earth society?

I thought the world hit an all time environmental low when Ronald Reagan challenged the existence of acid rain. Today I am not so sure because I cannot believe an educated man like the Leader of the Opposition would make the ridiculous statements he made in the House last week.

Global warming is a real problem. All of us as Canadians must work together to help solve the problem of excessive greenhouse gas emissions. I hope that the Leader of the Opposition will be helping us to protect the global environment in the future.

Credibility

[Gurmant Grewal, Reform, Surrey Central, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want accountability and credibility restored in their politicians and the political system.

Canadians feel that this House is too partisan to focus on important issues. When politicians look in the mirror each morning, they should see 100,000 people they were elected to represent, not their party whip.

Canadians want their politicians to learn from their mistakes and take their jobs seriously. Canadians want their politicians to listen to the debate in the House and then make up their minds as to how to vote, not just come out of their groundhog holes at voting time and vote as they are told to vote. Many members occasionally did not even know what they voted for.

Let us act as responsible democratic law makers. We can restore credibility in politicians by awakening our consciousness and listening to our own hearts and the 100,000 hearts that elected us, not the party whip.

Let us be reminded to be credible and accountable to the people who elected us.

The Late Michel Bélanger

[Nick Discepola, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness that we learned of the death, yesterday, of Michel Bélanger, a great Canadian, who was noted during several decades for his contribution at the social, cultural, political and economic levels.

We all knew Michel Bélanger to be a man of conviction, who cared deeply for human values while bearing in mind that our society had to set out on the road to social and economic prosperity. He believed that every human being had something to contribute to the efforts to improve our quality of life.

The achievements of such an active man are too numerous to list here. Let us nevertheless mention that he was one of Canada's leading bankers. We will recall his role as co-chair of the parliamentary commission on the political and constitutional future of Quebec. I had the pleasure of working with him when he was chairman of the no committee during the 1995 referendum.

You shall not be forgotten, Mr. Bélanger. Thanks a million for your outstanding contribution to the development of Canada. You remain the model of a hard-working, conscientious person striving for perfection.

[The Speaker]

I am sorry to interrupt the hon. member. The hon. member for Okanagan—Shuswap.

Westray Mine

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the first duty of any government is to protect its law-abiding citizens. Instead neither the province nor the federal government made sure that the men who went underground to mine coal at Westray came home safely each day.

According to the book The Westray Tragedy , CANMET recommended a more in-depth evaluation of the project. Over 100 men previously killed in the Foord coal seam should have been reason enough for governments to be extra cautious about Westray. So why did the federal government suddenly give its stamp of approval through loan guarantees? If the federal government had no worry for the safety of citizens working at Westray, why did it not even ensure that its investments could be recovered through long term safe and profitable operation of the Westray mine?

The report released yesterday reveals a chain of obvious preventable safety problems. As project financier, Ottawa must share the blame for turning the federally assisted job project into a tomb, a mine so unsafe that 11 bodies have yet to be recovered, and a whole region in Nova Scotia remains in mourning.

Land Mines

[Sheila Finestone, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a recent trip to the Middle East with the foreign affairs minister gave me occasion to see firsthand the devastation caused by the use of anti-personnel land mines, particularly to our peacekeepers and innocent children. Unlike other military weapons, land mines lie in wait buried in the ground for innocent unsuspecting victims, killing and maiming every 22 minutes every day.

The Ottawa round tables are planning the substance for concrete measurable actions to secure limbs, lands and lives. Ottawa is hosting more than 120 countries today ready to sign a treaty banning the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines, as well as to destroy existing stockpiles and to demine within 10 years.

All countries will have to co-operate with a compliance regime. The Canadian government and NGO organizations aim for a total ban of these mines. We must mobilize not simply to sign the treaty but to ratify it, to give aid to victims and proceed to demine, stopping these crimes against humanity.

Parti Quebecois

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what a sight it was yesterday to see Lucien Bouchard and Jacques Parizeau together on the same podium. How nice it was to hear them say there were no divisions among the separatists.

When Lucien Bouchard condones Jacques Parizeau's statement about the ethnic vote in the last referendum by saying that his predecessor deserves respect, that he is a great democrat, it is true that there are no divisions. Parizeau-Bouchard, same difference. Not only do they want to divide Canada, but they also want to divide Quebec into classes or even into castes.

Well, Messrs. Parizeau and Bouchard, my Quebec has only one class of citizens: first class citizens. Did you get that? In Quebec, we only have first class citizens.

Environment

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, this week when we are talking about Kyoto and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is important for the government in particular to remember the role that a revitalization of rail transportation in this country could play in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

I urge the government to take seriously many of the recommendations that were made a couple of weeks ago by the Railway Association of Canada. I do not agree with all of its recommendations but it certainly made some that the government should take very seriously.

One of the most useful ways we can combat greenhouse gas emissions in this country is to revitalize rail transportation, both on the freight side and the passenger side, and to reregulate our transportation system to favour rail transportation.

We are threatening public safety and polluting the environment. Let us get some of this freight off the highways and back on the rails where it belongs.

Parti Quebecois

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, PQ members witnessed a nice reunion when the former chairman of the yes side, Jacques Parizeau, shared the same stage as the current Premier of Quebec, Lucien Bouchard.

There can be no doubt now that the comments made by Mr. Parizeau, the great democrat, as he was referred to by Lucien Bouchard, reflect the Parti Quebecois' official ethnic policy. We now understand why the Bloc Quebecois, a party that has lost its raison d'être, is silent on the issue.

The Quebec Liberal caucus, which I have the honour of presiding, is Quebeckers' real voice in Ottawa, and all of Brome—Missisquoi is proud of that.

The Late Michel Bélanger

[Hélène Alarie, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Michel Bélanger has just died. Recruited in the early sixties by the key players of Quebec's quiet revolution, he became an economic adviser to René Lévesque. Under Mr. Lévesque's leadership, Michel Bélanger initiated the bold plan to nationalize electricity.

Michel Bélanger was the first francophone to become president of the Montreal stock exchange, then president of the Provincial Bank, before becoming the architect of the bank's merger with the Bank Canadian National, and then president of the new Banque nationale, until 1989.

Following the failure of Meech Lake, Mr. Bélanger agreed to form, with Jean Campeau, the commission on the political and constitutional future of Quebec. Mr. Bélanger was a staunch federalist, but he did not hesitate to refute the comments of those who used scare tactics when talking about the economic risks relating to sovereignty.

In September 1991, he said “I have always believed that sovereignty could be achieved, but was not necessary. However, if no one is prepared to find another solution to the problem, then it must be done”.

The Bloc expresses its condolences to Mr. Bélanger's family and friends.

Education

[Norman E. Doyle, Progressive Conservative, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, it is time for the federal government to invest in our future. I call upon the Minister of Finance to earmark more money for post-secondary education. Since 1993 the minister has cut billions in transfers to the provinces which has directly resulted in higher tuition for students all over Canada.

In my province of Newfoundland, enrolment at Memorial University has gone down steadily since 1993 while tuition has increased by a whopping 200%. As a result, student debt has reached crisis levels.

If the government does not act soon, accessible and affordable post-secondary education for Canadians will be a thing of the past.

Automotive Industry

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's automotive industry is booming. Production of cars and car parts continues at a record pace this year. Continued success in the automotive industry is extremely positive for the Canadian economy.

Chrysler Canada for instance employs some 3,500 people in my riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton and around 14,000 people nationwide. As well, Chrysler now hopes to create 1,300 new jobs at its Bramalea assembly plant by working in co-operation with Human Resources Development Canada.

It is innovative partnerships like Chrysler's proposal that will allow Canada's workforce to compete in the global markets of the 21st century.

Krever Report

[Greg Thompson, Progressive Conservative, Charlotte, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it has been one week since the Krever report came down. Many Canadians are looking very critically at the government to respond to the needs of over 12,000 hepatitis C victims, victims of a tainted blood supply in Canada.

I am asking the federal minister to respond unilaterally to show the leadership needed to address this very serious problem. Do not wait for the provinces. Show the leadership that we expect of the Minister of Health. Act now. Do not wait. They need your help.

Patronage

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker,

Well, we've got trouble my friend Right here, I say trouble right here in Liberal City

Why sure, it's the patronage They're always mighty proud to say they're always mighty proud to say it

They consider that the time that they spend with a lobbyist friend is golden

Helps 'em cultivate good friends with the big cheques and the wish lists

Did you ever take and try and give an ironclad leave to yourself when there's Liberal hacks involved?

Well, I call that the trough the first big step on the road to the depths of degradation, I say now first, medicinal wine from a teaspoon, then beer from a bottle

And the next thing you know their buddies are working while ordinary folks get squat

Listening to some big out of town jasper Hearin' him talk about holiday time and guaranteed wage, all taxpayer paid

Makes your blood boil, well I should say Now friends let me tell you what I mean

You've got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 patronage appointments Appointments that mark the difference between a gentleman and a Grit

And that starts with G and it rhymes with T and that stands for trouble

Oh, we got trouble We got terrible, terrible trouble Those Liberal handouts are the sign of the devil's tool

Yes, we've got trouble, trouble, trouble We got trouble here. We got great big trouble with a T and that rhymes with G and that stands for Grits Right here in Liberal City

[The Speaker]

We've got trouble.

The Environment

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Anything I say will be anti-climactic, Mr. Speaker.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

To get serious, any greenhouse emissions deal signed in Kyoto is doomed to failure if the provinces do not co-operate.

Last month the environment minister met with her counterparts and they agreed to certain levels. Now those levels have been changed by the federal government twice. The Saskatchewan negotiators are refusing to go to Kyoto. The Government of Alberta says that it has been betrayed by the actions of the federal government.

My question is for the Prime Minister. How does he intend to force the Kyoto deal on the provinces when they feel so betrayed by the way it was developed?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have made a proposition at Kyoto for negotiating purposes. In the discussion we had with the provinces we discussed many aspects of it. It was said that we needed some flexibility.

We are going to negotiations where there will be 150 nations sitting at the table. Everybody has to make sure that the problem of climate change is dealt with very seriously by all countries of the world.

In Canada we said that we wanted to have a position that we were able to implement, keeping in mind that we are neighbours with the United States which has a bigger problem than we do. We decided to have a position—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has had three positions in the last three weeks. That is why the provinces are upset.

Another reason they are upset is that the federal government has steadfastly refused to articulate its view on what this Kyoto deal will cost. Other people are sharing their views on the cost.

The conference board says that it could cost $780 a year for every man, woman and child. BCNI estimates the Kyoto deal could cost a 2% to 3% reduction in GDP but the government will not say what its cost estimate is.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Exactly what is the federal government's estimate of the cost of its commitments at Kyoto? Does he think that this level of cost is acceptable?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are going into negotiations where all countries of the world have to face exactly the same problem.

We know that we can turn it into an opportunity for Canada to be successful in developing new technology and exporting that new technology to the world. We are a great exporter of energy.

We are dealing with the possibility of getting credit for some of the things we are doing. For example, we are cleaning gas in Canada so that we give clean gas to the Americans. We would like to get credit for that.

We are going there with a very good negotiating position.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, with vague answers like that one it is clear the Liberal position at Kyoto will be just as ineffective as the Tory position was in Rio.

When the member for Sherbrooke went to Rio it was all photo opportunities and hype. It was a giant PR exercise that meant nothing. That was because there were no real consultations before they went. There was no real deal in Canada. There were unrealistic targets. There was no plan to pay. There was no plan to implement.

Why is the Liberal government making exactly the same mistake at Kyoto that the Tories made in Rio?