Debates of Dec. 9th, 1997

Kimberley Junior Dynamiters

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago the Kimberley Senior Dynamiters won the Allan Cup. Today the Kimberley Junior Dynamiters are carrying on the tradition by breaking the longstanding record of 27 wins in a row which was previously set by the Kitchener Rangers. Twenty-eight wins in a row for the Kimberley Junior Dynamiters.

New coach Tim Tisdale has taken the Dynamiters from worst to first in just two years. His assistant coach is Jerry Banks.

My constituency boasts a proud history of world class hockey players. Rob and Scott Neidermeyer, Tom Rennie, Jim Hiller, Don and Bob Murdok, Jason Marshall, John Klemm, Glen Cochrane, Frank, Danny, Derrick and Cory Spring, Jason Weimer, Dave Schtchnard, Steve Yzerman, Mike McBain, Joel Savage, Jay McNeill, Xavier Majic, Shane Churla, Bill Lindsay, Randy Petruk, Craig Stahl and Bruce Holoway are just a few that members might recognize.

The Creston Valley Thunder are to be congratulated for their victory as Kimberley's 29th opponent. This is the kind of hockey that makes all Canadians proud.

Philippe Boisclair

[Odina Desrochers, Bloc, Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Philippe Boisclair, a young man of 17 from Saint-Agapit de Lotbinière, is presently going through a unique experience.

In fact, since last September, he is attending one of the United World Colleges, an organization chaired by Nelson Mandela. He is our first student to be admitted into such a college.

Philippe is a born communicator and is participating in this international program so that he can have contacts with teachers and students throughout the world. The people of the riding of Lotbinière are proud to have such a young man who is making a difference internationally.

As the member for Lotbinière, I encourage young people to seek such experiences, because they are the ones who will be leading Quebec society tomorrow.

Algeria

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval West, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege to inform this House that last weekend, when they gathered in Quebec City for their biennial convention, the 700 delegates of the Liberal Party of Canada, Quebec Section, unanimously adopted a resolution calling for peace in Algeria.

This resolution was proposed by Liberal supporters from the riding of Laval West, which I have the honour to represent in this House.

Canada plays a leading role in the world for the protection of democracy and of human rights. It is important that this House support international initiatives aiming at stopping these massacres.

Algeria is Canada's main economic partner in Africa. This serious problem has to be raised as quickly as possible before the proper authorities in the United Nations and the European Parliament so that these massacres will stop.

Parliamentary Interns Food Drive

[Murray Calder, Liberal, Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, approximately 120,000 people in the Ottawa region live below the poverty line and around 30,000 of them receive food assistance every month. Nearly half of those receiving food are children.

To help some of those in need during the holiday season, the parliamentary interns with the support of the Canadian Bankers Association have decided to organize a food drive. The food drive will take place between December 8 and 12. Boxes will be placed for the collection of non-perishable foods in five locations: the offices of the hon. members for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, Lac-Saint-Louis, Hillsborough, Calgary Southeast and Halifax West.

The parliamentary interns are also going to visit our offices for a reminder and to collect food or money for the food bank. We invite everybody working on the Hill to be generous. Many families count on our support.

Government Spending

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it has been said that giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

Three decades of Liberal and Tory governments intoxicated from swilling the taxpayers' hard earned money, carousing from one spending program to the next has left Canadians with a painful debt hangover.

While it appears that the Liberals have at last sworn off the stuff at least for now, Canadians know that their dependency problem has not been licked. At the very next opportunity they will sneak off to some dark corner of the budget, knock the top off a bottle of taxpayers' green and succumb to the stupor of fiscal inebriation.

Canadians know that a return to such substance abuse endangers the health of the country. They will not accept their government falling off the wagon. That is why at the next federal election they are going to send these tax and spend Liberals into paroxysms of withdrawal for an extended stay at the nearest fiscal detox centre and elect a sober Reform government.

Family Violence

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I reflect on the words of the hon. Margaret Norrie-McCain from the memorial service for the 14 young women murdered in Montreal, it is clear that we must now acknowledge Marc Lepine as a victim of violence himself.

Mrs. McCain has made an urgent plea. The American model of more jails and more police will not address the most important cause of the Montreal massacre.

The catastrophic impact of family violence on children's emotional development and self-esteem is now well documented. We must do more in support of the important work of people like Dr. Paul Steinhauer of Voices for Children and Dr. Fraser Mustard and Mrs. McCain in the establishment of such places like Beatrice House, which will provide real and holistic solutions for protecting children from family violence.

My colleague, the member for Moncton, was co-chair of the Crime Prevention Council where it was made clear that crime prevention must begin with preventing the genesis of criminals who, upon examination, almost always have come from violent homes.

Child Poverty

[Stéphan Tremblay, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is cause for concern because this morning, the Canadian Council on Social Development revealed that the number of children living in poverty is constantly increasing, even if unemployment is down slightly.

Contrary to all the negative stereotypes we are familiar with, poverty does not strike only people who are on welfare or who are jobless, but also workers with a low income.

Of even greater concern is the report's conclusion that the gap between the rich and the poor is increasing. Canada's record in this area is dismal because it is sixth among the ten most industrialized nations, considering that the income of the wealthiest 20% of the population is seven times greater than the income of the poorest 20%.

The federal government wants us to believe that the $850 million in support for poor children will compensate the billions of dollars that it took from their parents by cutting social transfers and employment insurance.

Canadian Marconi Company

[Ian Murray, Liberal, Lanark—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday I was pleased to announce a $1.1 million investment in the Canadian Marconi Company of Kanata through the Technology Partnerships Canada program. The repayable investment will be used by CMC to develop a display control unit for the United States Army's medical evacuation helicopter the Black Hawk.

Not only will this cutting edge technology create 20 new jobs, maintain 15 existing jobs and generate $47 million in export sales, it will also open the door to new opportunities by enabling CMC to become a prominent avionics integrator.

Congratulations to the Canadian Marconi Company and the federal government for proving once again that building partnerships between government and the private sector can only increase Canada's competitiveness in the knowledge based economy.

Impaired Driving

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the festive season is upon us and with it the sad reality that party goers may get behind the wheel of their car drunk, endangering their lives and the lives of their passengers and innocent Canadians.

In Ontario alcohol related offences jumped 22% in the first week of the police holiday RIDE program over the same period last year. In just one week 146 people were charged with drinking and driving.

Impaired driving is the largest single criminal cause of death in this country. Every six hours someone is killed by a drunk driver and yet nothing has been done at the federal level to address this serious problem.

MADD Canada has repeatedly made demands for changes to the Criminal Code in an effort to deter drinking and driving and protect the lives of innocent Canadians. To date their demands have fallen on deaf ears.

As a result, provinces such as Alberta and Ontario, not the federal government, are leading the way to make those who drive while impaired face stiffer penalties.

Canadian Foundation For Innovation

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, they tell me that today there was a smile on the face of the statue of Maurice Duplessis in front of the Quebec National Assembly.

Why is that? Because the separatist government has decided to resort to a method worthy of the Duplessis era, namely to cut off universities and research centres if they receive funding from the Government of Canada, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation in particular.

That is the latest bright idea of the Bloc's head office in Quebec City, where they had run out of ideas for stirring up the Government of Canada. So here we are, back to the old dark days in Quebec.

University administrators are, understandably, not comfortable with the situation. Researchers do not like separatist politicians trying to make political hay at their expense. The federal program was, moreover, created in keeping with the rules and meets community concerns.

Because of the challenges of research and the strong competition in this area of activity, Canada is forced to step up its efforts to create a comfortable niche for itself. Quebec must not push the sector of high technology and innovation aside. Another fine opportunity for the development of Quebec has been lost by the separatists.

George Pinlac, Jr.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on July 9, 1995, 15 year old George James Pinlac was at Winnipeg Beach with friends when he heard cries for help from a young boy who was trying to retrieve a beach ball from outside the roped area.

Noting that the victim had trouble staying afloat, George immediately dropped what he was doing and swam to his rescue. As George attempted to grab hold, the panicked boy clutched him by the neck and forced him under the water. Tragically both George and the other teenager drowned.

On December 5 this year, George's selfless act of courage was honoured as the Governor General presented his parents, George Senior and Felicidad Pinlac of Winnipeg, with a posthumous medal of bravery.

Just as the whole community mourned when young George was lost, we all watched with admiration as his proud parents were honoured with this moving tribute. George Pinlac Jr. forfeited his own life to help another. His lasting legacy will be his rare and uncommon bravery.

Campaign Funds

[Guy St-Julien, Liberal, Abitibi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in yesterday's Journal de Montréal , in an article over the byline of Martin Leclerc, we read:

Interesting news—six Bloc members have deviated from the party line.

Last spring, no fewer than six Bloc MPs did not respect “the great heritage of René Lévesque” and deviated from their party line by accepting campaign contributions from companies.

In the 1997 elections, the hon. member for Drummond accepted several thousand dollars from a number of companies, including Cascades, which contributed $5,000 to her campaign fund.

Corporate donations are not illegal federally, but the Bloc has always maintained that it would prefer to adhere to the Quebec legislation on private donations.

The Bloc has, moreover, taken care not to reveal that five more of its Quebec MPs violated the spirit of the Quebec legislation by receiving several thousand dollars from businesses in 1997.

Harvey Smith

[Bill Matthews, Progressive Conservative, Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, Harvey Smith is just 16 years old and already he has earned a place in the Newfoundland history books under the category of scholars.

The level three student at St. Bernard's All Grade School in St. Bernard's, Newfoundland will be off to Trinity College, Cambridge, England next September with a three year $90,000 scholarship. He won the Canadian Cambridge Scholarship last month beating out more than 450 other top Canadian undergraduate students in a rigorous test.

Harvey Smith is the first Newfoundlander to win this prestigious scholarship. He is also the youngest to win it and the first from a regular public school.

This is not the first award Harvey Smith has received for his amazing scholastic skills. Recently the Department of National Defence brought him to Ottawa to the Peacekeeping Monument where they launched a book Harvey had written entitled Siad . It earned Harvey the Prism award, designed to encourage young Canadians to write and national defence had 15,000 copies of the book printed for distribution to schools throughout Canada.

At Cambridge, Harvey will study biochemistry and molecular biology and hopes to one day contribute to a Canadian team of researchers in developing a cure for cancer.

Ontario

[Roger Gallaway, Liberal, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, excuse me while I take one minute to be provincial.

The premier of Ontario is proving daily that balancing a budget and instituting tax cuts at the same time creates chaos and doublespeak.

Later this week I will be delivering thousands of individual petitions, addressed to His Excellency the Governor General, calling for an election in Ontario now. When something like Bill 160, ominously called the education quality improvement act, takes $1.6 billion out of education and this is called an improvement, something has to give. In this case parents will give: money for pencils, books, school equipment, bussing. The list goes on and on.

If well educated people represent our future, someone should advise Mr. Harris that education does not improve when the system is fiscally dead.

Kyoto

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Kyoto conference wraps up tomorrow and delegates will be finalizing details on an accord that can dramatically affect Canadians for years. The prime minister said he would sign this deal and be legally bound by it.

I have a very specific question to the prime minister about the costs of complying with the Kyoto deal. Did the federal government commission studies estimating the impact of this deal on jobs, taxes and economic growth and, if so, will the prime minister make those studies public?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, nations are meeting in Kyoto at this moment to face one of the most difficult problems the world is facing at this time, climate change. There are very important negotiations among developed and developing nations at this time.

We have submitted a proposition that is a very reasonable one and we hope that we will obtain many of the points that have been made. But at this time it has not concluded and in terms of costs, we will have to face the same situation as our competitors because if we have an agreement, it will be signed by everybody and everybody will have to contribute.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the prime minister did not answer my question. He does not want to talk about the costs of the emission levels he is committing to in Kyoto because he is afraid of the public reaction to those costs. We know that reducing emission levels to the Liberal level could reduce Canada's economic growth rates by 2% to 3%.

So instead of these evasive answers, I ask the prime minister again will he present this House with the economic studies which his government must have done before setting those Kyoto targets?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when the Leader of the Opposition talks about 2% or 3% of growth, some have suggested that and it is over a period of 15 to 20 years. We have to look at the other side of the coin as well.

Canada can be very innovative. We can develop new technology and we can turn it to the advantage of Canada if we get the system of points. For example, if we export natural gas to the United States and other nations we could earn points. Because we can produce non-polluting elements of energy, Canada will be better off and in a more competitive position than others.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this is all very interesting, but we are asking where is the study that backs up or verifies what the prime minister is saying.

I can understand the government's wanting to hide from this question. It is afraid of the impacts with the Canadian public if it finds out the costs involved in this deal.

I ask the prime minister again will he provide this House with the economic studies of the impact on jobs and economic growth of what he is committing to in Kyoto?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition would like for us to give a prediction, a very exact prediction, or perhaps a change of 2% in GDP over 20 years when this year we will probably do 1% more than predicted at the beginning of the year.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this kind of nonsense is just absurd when the prime minister thinks that the Canadian public is going to be paying more out of its pockets.

We know that major decisions like the Kyoto deal have to go through a very detailed economic analysis before cabinet makes a decision on them.

For example, the iron and steel industries will suffer huge losses. That means thousands of families will have to move long distances and try to find new jobs.

Where is the study that talks about the cost of Kyoto? Why are the prime minister and the government keeping the bad news such a secret?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if we produce steel in Canada with the Kyoto deal we will have exactly the same challenge as the Americans who produce steel with the Kyoto deal, the same challenge as the Japanese who produce steel with the Kyoto deal and other countries which produce steel with the Kyoto deal.

We have an international obligation to ensure that the globe survives this crisis.

We have a policy. They just want to protect a little sector of one industry in Canada.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the prime minister that the United States is certainly at a different latitude than Canada. He may not have paid attention to that.

This government is keeping the cost of Kyoto silent to Canadians. Literally tens of thousands of jobs will be destroyed: 12,000 perhaps in the coal industry, 56,000 perhaps in the oil and gas sector. These are people. These are not just numbers or some little sector the prime minister is talking about.

Where is the study that proves these sad stories? What is with the secrecy of this government?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, she is throwing figures in the air which are based on nothing.

Canada is a country which will respect its international obligations. We will not be a Parliament that does not accept its responsibilities around the world. If the Americans, the Japanese, the Europeans and the world sign, Canada will sign.

Transfer Payments

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, all the finance ministers are united in calling on Ottawa to compensate the provinces for the transfer payments cut by the federal government to reduce its deficit before introducing new programs in provincial areas of jurisdiction.

Does the prime minister, who says he is always looking for consensus, not think that he should respect the consensus expressed by the finance ministers and compensate the provinces for lost transfer payments in the areas of health, education and social services before rushing into any new spending?