House of Commons Hansard #128 of the 35th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was police.

Topics

EmploymentOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

NDP

Nelson Riis NDP Kamloops, BC

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

He will know that the red book indicated that jobs were going to be his number one priority. In October 1993, 1.5 million Canadians were out of work and today 1.5 million Canadians are out of work.

He will also be aware that a number of organizations today presented an alternative budget with specific recommendations on job creation.

Would the Prime Minister consider carefully these recommendations on how to create jobs in the next number of months before tabling the next budget?

EmploymentOral Question Period

2:55 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we want to create more jobs and any good ideas to that effect will be considered by the Minister of Finance, who will make, as he has made in the past, job creation a number one priority.

We are disappointed that unemployment is still too high. However, the reality is that in the last three years and four months more than 700,000 new jobs have been created in Canada. We wish it would have been more than that. All the private forecasters predict that next year is going to be a very good year in terms of growth and job creation. We will have job creation as the number one priority and results in 1997.

EmploymentOral Question Period

3 p.m.

The Speaker

Colleagues, during question period I ruled a question out of order. I want you to know why I ruled it out of order because I am going to take it one step further.

The hon. member for Fraser Valley East said that the minister is involved in a cover-up. I judge that question to be out of order. More than that, an accusation like that in my view cannot be allowed to stand. I would appeal to the hon. member for Fraser Valley East to withdraw those comments.

EmploymentOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Reform

Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I was repeating, I thought, the words-

EmploymentOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

EmploymentOral Question Period

3 p.m.

The Speaker

I remind all hon. members that we cannot use other people's words to say in this House what we ourselves cannot say. It is for that reason that I judge the question to be out of order and it is for that reason that I put the question directly to the member for Fraser Valley East. I ask him to withdraw those words which I mentioned earlier.

EmploymentOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Reform

Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I will reluctantly withdraw.

EmploymentOral Question Period

3 p.m.

The Speaker

There are no conditions to a withdrawal. I appeal to the hon. member for Fraser Valley East, a respected parliamentarian. I simply put the question. Will the hon. member withdraw, yes or no?

EmploymentOral Question Period

3 p.m.

Reform

Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I will not withdraw.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:05 p.m.

The Speaker

My colleagues, in the exchanges in question period and in debate I know many times we are caught up in the debate. Many times there are many pressures on us to do one thing or another.

I am going to appeal to an officer of the House who knows full well the extent of whatever his decision will be on all members. The hon. whip of the Reform Party is, as I said before, a respected member. This is no longer between the hon. whip, whom I do

respect a great deal, or anybody else in this House. It is for the Speaker of this House, to whom you have conferred this authority, to judge that which is acceptable and unacceptable in this House.

In view of that, I ask the hon. member to please reconsider. I ask him again if he will simply withdraw the statements that he made which I, as your spokesperson in this House, have judged to be unparliamentary.

My colleague, I address myself to you directly. I ask you to withdraw those statements made in question period which I ruled to be unparliamentary and unacceptable.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:05 p.m.

Reform

Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I do respect the Chair and I mean no disrespect but I did try to reluctantly withdraw. You would not accept that. I will not withdraw further.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:05 p.m.

The Speaker

It is more with sadness than anything else that I, as your Speaker, name Mr. Strahl. It is with regret that I have to name you for disregarding the authority of the Chair.

Pursuant to the authority granted to me by Standing Order 11, I order you to withdraw from the House for the remainder of this day's sitting.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

The Speaker

To the hon. member for Lethbridge, before I entertain your point of order, I have to ask you if it pertains to the incident which has just occurred. If so, I will not hear your point of order. Is it on that incident?

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Lethbridge Alberta

Reform

Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge

Mr. Speaker, the matter is with regard to the subsequent action of my colleagues with regard to this matter.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

The Speaker

With respect, my colleague, I will not hear that point of order.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

René Laurin Bloc Joliette, QC

Mr. Speaker, would it be possible to ask you something about what has just happened, in order to prevent any recurrence? May I ask you a question?

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

The Speaker

Dear colleague, what happened here in the House is quite simply that there was a situation in which language was used that I judged to be unparliamentary.

I can tell you that if I judge something to be unparliamentary today, it is with respect to this particular case. A case that arises a month from now will not necessarily be the same.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

René Laurin Bloc Joliette, QC

Mr. Speaker, my point concerns not the substance of the question but the procedure.

Naming Of MemberOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

The Speaker

Dear colleague, if you wish to discuss the procedure with me, I invite you to do so in my office later. I will then be available to talk about the procedure.

Order In Council AppointmentsRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Fundy Royal New Brunswick

Liberal

Paul Zed LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to table in the House today, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments which were made recently by the government.

Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1), these are deemed referred to the standing committees, a list of which is attached.

Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Fundy Royal New Brunswick

Liberal

Paul Zed LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to 50 petitions.

Committees Of The HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

Reg Alcock Liberal Winnipeg South, MB

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Transport with respect to a national highway renewal strategy.

IndustryRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

David Walker Liberal Winnipeg North Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Industry.

IndustryRoutine Proceedings

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Nic Leblanc Bloc Longueuil, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the Bloc Quebecois' dissenting opinion on the interim report by the Standing Committee on Industry.

We have a few recommendations which I would like to briefly explain. I have always promoted research and development, but I must advise the government to be careful about its marketing of R and D. When it speaks of a future coast-to-coast strategy, I must also warn the government that this policy has not worked in favour of Quebec on the tokamak project. We find the coast-to-coast aspect extremely alarming.

Some of our other recommendations have to do with the fact that Canada has made more cuts to research funding than any other G-7 country. We also know that Quebec obtains only 19 per cent of federal funding for R and D.

We must therefore point out to the government that there are few recommendations regarding the report it is submitting to the Minister of Finance.

IndustryRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Fundy Royal New Brunswick

Liberal

Paul Zed LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 53rd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, regarding the membership of the Standing Committee on Justice and the associate membership of the Standing Committee on Finance.

If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 53rd report later this day.