Debates of Feb. 3rd, 1997

Double Vision

[Ted White, Reform, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if you have had the chance yet to read a very interesting new book called Double Vision: The Inside Story of the Liberals in Power . I wish there were time to read the whole book into the record, but I will give an example from page 133 which tells the story of the department negotiations with the finance minister leading up to the budget of 1994.

More than once when officials reminded the minister of promises in the red book he yelled: "Don't tell me what's in the red book. I wrote the goddarn thing and I know that it's a lot of crap. Don't be a slave to it".

Well, this book certainly blows the whistle on the government-

[The Speaker]

My colleague, I would remind you that we cannot say with someone else's words what we cannot say here in the House ourselves. I would judge that with those words you are coming pretty close. I will ask you to sanitize whatever is in that book if you are going to finish.

[Ted White, Reform, North Vancouver, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the book certainly blows the whistle on this government and in case you missed the title, it is Double Vision .

Breast Cancer

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville—Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, older Canadian women are encouraged by their doctors to get a mammogram every second year because mammography screening is the best technique we have for the early detection of breast cancer.

Good mammography requires high quality mammographic x-ray equipment, highly trained technicians and qualified radiologists to read the results.

In Canada there is a voluntary accreditation program available to those responsible for mammography units, but after five years of the voluntary program's existence only 37 per cent of these units have passed the standards.

This is not good enough. We need national standards for quality assurance in mammography. Canadian women need to know that the mammography unit they visit is accredited or certified and meets the highest possible quality assurance standards. Canadian women deserve nothing less.

Community Action Program For Children

[Dianne Brushett, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the community action program for children, CAPC, is a Health Canada program which provides funds to community organizations that deliver direct services to those families that need it most.

In my riding, Maggie's Place is a family support centre that promotes positive parenting and offers programs in budgeting, nutrition, self-esteem for parents and social development for children. These services are essential to the mental and physical well-being of many families in Cumberland-Colchester.

The CAPC program has been effective and efficient in delivering services to low income families and poor children across Canada. It is imperative that we as a government make a renewed funding commitment to this program which is helping thousands of deserving Canadians in the fight against child poverty.

Black History Month

[Jean Augustine, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February has been designated Black History Month. All over the country, people will be honouring the contribution of people of African origin to the development of Canada.

This month we honour the accomplishments of many African Canadians so that young Canadians realize the role that these figures play in shaping equality and in the multicultural nature of this country.

I want to pay special tribute to someone who passed away about two weeks ago, Lloyd Perry. He was a community worker, the Official Guardian of Ontario, someone who belonged to such organizations as the War Amps, who received several awards and several honours as a black Canadian who made several contributions.

At this time, this House should be well aware of the contributions of people like Lloyd Perry and others who have given so much to this country.

Hagood Hardy

[John Nunziata, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were saddened on New Year's Day to learn that music legend Hagood Hardy had died after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 59.

Canada has indeed lost not only one of our greatest talents but a respected national ambassador. With his music and passionate love for Canada, Hagood proudly and elegantly represented our country to the world.

Over the years, Hagood won the hearts of many not only with his talent but with his grace and humanity. He was a gentleman in the true sense of the word. His contributions to Canadian music earned him three Juneau awards.

In 1992 Hagood was awarded the Order of Canada for both his music and for his endless charitable work. Several days before his death, Hagood displayed his uncommon grace when he treated radio listeners in Toronto to a final live performance of his signature song "The Homecoming".

Despite obvious pain, he insisted on playing, demonstrating the kindness, courage and love of music that led to his national and international acclaim.

1997 Special Olympics

[Maurice Bernier, Bloc, Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, all this week, the Special Olympics for athletes with mental disabilities are being held in the Toronto area.

This year's Winter Games bring together more than 2,000 athletes from 73 countries in five disciplines: downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, ringette, figure skating, and speed skating. From the first Special Olympics, held in Chicago in 1968, our athletes have always brought honour to us.

I send a particular greeting to the only member of the Quebec delegation, Josée Bournival of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès in Mauricie. I encourage everyone in Canada to follow the progress of our athletes in Toronto.

We wish the best of luck to each and every one of these athletes. They certainly deserve our full admiration and encouragement for their participation in these special Games.

The Government

[Preston Manning, Reform, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to draw to the attention of the House the greatest failing of the government.

When the Prime Minister came to power in 1993, he promised Canadians accountability, integrity and responsibility. Since then, the government has broken its GST promise, mocked the unemployed, botched the Airbus investigation, gagged the Somalia inquiry and stonewalled the tainted blood investigation.

If Canadians, through their House of Commons, are to hold this government accountable for such abuses, they need the tools to do the job. These tools include free votes in this Chamber, unfettered committees, citizens' initiatives, referenda and the power to recall elected officials.

This is the way to fix the system to restore accountability, integrity and trust to our parliamentary institutions.

Lieutenant-Governor Of Quebec

[Mark Assad, Liberal, Gatineau—La Lièvre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, Lise Thibault was sworn in as the Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec.

Mrs. Thibault is a great Canadian, and a great Quebecer. Her unswerving devotion to her fellow citizens has made her a lady whom everyone respects.

I am sure that all of the members of this House join with us in sending our most sincere congratulations to the Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, along with our best wishes as she assumes these new duties.

Team Canada

[Nick Discepola, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to draw your attention to the outstanding performance of the latest Team Canada mission. This two-week visit to three Asian countries made it possible for the Canadian delegation, led by our Prime Minister, to conclude nearly 180 different agreements worth more than $2.13 billion.

This fourth mission by Team Canada included, in addition to the Prime Minister and nine provincial premiers, more than 400 business people, education professionals, municipal authorities and young entrepreneurs.

Team Canada missions are a very effective way to help develop new markets for Canadian companies, in addition to stimulating job creation at home in Canada.

Once again, our congratulations to the Prime Minister of Canada and his provincial counterparts on their excellent co-operation on this latest mission.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, welcome back to the House of Commons.

Somalia Inquiry

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to see you and my colleagues once again. I am happy to see the government members too, because we have a lot of questions for them.

This government's behaviour has been odd for the past three years. The matter of contaminated blood is one example. The Prime Minister says he wants the entire situation brought to light, but he refuses to initiate the process giving Mr. Justice Krever access to the documents that would allow him to get to the truth. In the matter of the GST, despite what the Prime Minister's cronies say about not keeping the promise, the Prime Minister keeps saying he has met his commitments. In the matter of Somalia, the Prime Minister, on the one hand, agrees to get at the truth and, on the other, denies the Somalia inquiry the time accorded it.

[Nick Discepola, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

Do not forget that this is question period.

[Gaston Leroux, Bloc, Richmond—Wolfe, QC]

They are nervous.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

They are already nervous. The session is not over, I guarantee.

My question is this: By cutting off testimony in the Somalia inquiry on March 31 and by denying Mr. Justice Létourneau the time he must have to complete his inquiry, is the Prime Minister not telling the army its days in the hot water it got itself into are almost over and telling the rest of Canada, Canadians, that they will never get to the bottom of the Somalia affair?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I are very happy to return to the House. We adore question period. I am particularly sorry to be losing the member for Roberval as my opposite. That is very distressing. I will let him ask questions until he has a replacement.

I think the Minister of National Defence has clearly explained why he did not consider it appropriate to give the commission any more time so that what must be done at national defence may be done as soon as possible.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister need not delight in the fact that he will be losing me as his opposite. I will counsel my successor well on how to get him to put his foot in it regularly.

More seriously, we have learned that senior officers of Canada's military-and this is very serious-blackmailed the former minister of defence, who was in the race to become Prime Minister at the time.

It is extremely serious when members of the command staff can put pressure of all sorts on the minister of defence in order to cover up certain information they do not want make public.

Will the Prime Minister acknowledge that, in the light of the seriousness of the events that have occurred in the relationship between the army and the minister of defence and the army and the government, his government is making a terrible mistake in cutting off the testimony that may be heard before the Somalia inquiry as of March 31, which is approaching very quickly?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, and as the hon. member knows very well, we have never commented on whom should called by the Somalia commission. We have never commented on the testimony given before this commission.

The commission's mandate was extended to the end of June, which means it will have worked for over two years. If, for its own reasons, the commission wants to hear testimony reflecting the concerns of the hon. Leader of the Opposition, it may do so.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, how does the government reconcile the statements of the Prime Minister that they absolutely want light to be shed on the Somalia affair, and the statements by the minister of defence, who said on his appointment that everyone could be heard-he was full of good intentions-with the attitude of the government today, where it is limiting the time available to the commission, despite the opinion of Mr. Justice Létourneau?

Essentially, how can they reconcile their words of a few months ago with their hurry today to put the lid on the pot as quickly as possible?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, clearly what counts for the government is getting on with things rather than spending years studying a situation that occurred in 1992-93.

A historical document can have a certain value at a given point. For us, and for most Canadians I think, it is time to act. We have to take steps to try to avoid repetitions in the future.

We could have waited. A number of people think it might have been interesting for the government to leave the thing under cover until the end of the year, or some time next year or even two or three years from now. What counts for us is to make sure that the Canadian forces, which receive a lot of support from the public, may continue to do the fine work its members have been doing for 100 years and are still doing around the world.

[Jean H. Leroux, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, observers are unanimous in saying that, since the government decided to impose a deadline on the Somalia commission of inquiry, witnesses from the armed forces seem much more at ease before the commission, knowing that, come March 31, everything will be over, and that they only have to hang on until then. Yet, we now know that the military blackmailed the former defence minister. And now, the Prime Minister is gagging the inquiry.

Does the Prime Minister realize that, by refusing to give the commission enough time to shed light on this scandal, he is condoning the actions of senior army officers regarding this whole issue, including the blackmail to which the former defence minister was subjected?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let us not forget that people involved in this issue have an opportunity to express their point of view.

As I said earlier, it is absolutely not our intention to suggest to the commission that it should call one witness instead of another.

However, it seems rather farfetched to refer, as the hon. member did, to someone who not only was the Minister of National Defence but who went on to become the Prime Minister of Canada. It does not help much to suggest that people of that stature can easily be gagged or forced into situations they do not accept.

[Jean H. Leroux, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Létourneau commission was set up, we had questions to ask and the new defence minister told us: "We want to find out exactly what happened in Somalia. The commission's mandate is very clear: it must look into every aspect".

My question is for the Prime Minister of Canada. If the Prime Minister wants to show in a concrete manner that he does not condone what occurred, will he agree today to extend the commission's mandate, as asked by Mr. Justice Létourneau, and as needed

by the commission to shed light on what happened before, during and after the events in Somalia?

[Douglas Young, Liberal, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to listen to our friends opposite who sometimes tell us, quite correctly, that a lot of money was spent on commissions. I will not name them all, but we sometimes hear opposition members tell us that the government has spent enormous amounts of money on such commissions.

But the hon. member must realize that the government has already granted three extensions to the Somalia commission. When the commission was first set up, its deadline was the end of December 1995.

Perhaps the hon. member is more interested in a historical document that could be produced in two or three years. As for us, we felt it was very important to take action and to start implementing policies and procedures that, hopefully, will prevent a repeat of such things in the future.