Debates of March 7th, 1997

Correctional Service Of Canada

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, it turns out that there is a small number of disruptive, high security women prisoners for whom the new regional women's prisons do not offer adequate facilities. Until a permanent solution to the issue is worked out the correctional service has decided to set up a limited number of special units for these women.

They are in facilities originally intended for male prisoners, but it is my understanding these special units will be quite apart from male prisoners and will offer special services and programs for women of a high security nature, pending the working out of a more permanent solution.

[René Laurin, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what guarantee can the minister give that correctional services will take all the necessary steps to remedy the situation and to provide women prisoners with detention conditions that respect the spirit and intent of the Arbour commission's recommendations?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about a small number of women prisoners who are of a high security nature and have potentially disruptive tendencies. We are not talking about all women prisoners. We are talking about having them in special units where they receive the programming necessary to help them get back into normal society.

In any event, as I have said, this is an interim step. It is not a permanent step. It is being supervised by the new deputy commissioner for women's corrections.

Finance

[Ken Epp, Reform, Elk Island, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have a conundrum in the finance department. Over and over and over officials in that department have said the Canada pension plan is a payroll tax. Yet yesterday the Minister of Finance said he received advice from that department to act quickly with the provinces so it would not appear to be a tax.

Furthermore the department has stated on a number of occasions that payroll taxes kill jobs. Yet now we are being asked to believe the 70 per cent increase in CPP will create jobs. How does the Minister of Finance reconcile these 180 degree out of phase points of view?

[Barry Campbell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, not surprisingly the member opposite continues to confuse a number of different things.

Under the government payroll taxes have been reduced. UI premiums have been reduced significantly putting $1.7 billion back into the economy.

When he tries to roll in the CPP package it is really quite incredible. Canadians will not be fooled. What is going on with the CPP is a serious attempt, in conjunction with the provincial governments, to make that program sustainable so that it will be there for those who are retired and for those who will be retiring in the future. It is not killing jobs. It is saving for people's retirement.

[Ken Epp, Reform, Elk Island, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the conundrum continues. Over the last 30 years the Liberals and the Conservatives trusted members of the Department of Finance, or they deliberately distorted or whatever what members of the department were saying by saying the CPP plan as proposed was sustainable.

Now suddenly it is not sustainable. How can that be reconciled? How can we reconcile that it is sustainable on one hand and Canadians were to believe? Now it is not and they are to pay 70 per cent more.

[Barry Campbell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, now I have a conundrum. If I can read between the lines the hon. member is saying that we should never look at a program over time and decide whether or not it should be changed.

We have done that with the provinces. It is the responsible thing to do. Canadians told us to make sure the Canada pension plan was

there for them when they retired and that if it required adjustment we should have the courage and the fortitude to provide the leadership to do it. We have done it.

Pay Equity

[Marlene Catterall, Liberal, Ottawa West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board. On the eve of International Women's Day around the globe economic equality for women still remains an elusive goal.

In Canada it has been over a decade that federal employees in female dominated groups have been seeking equal pay for work of equal value. Unfortunately many of them now believe the human rights tribunal has ruled and our government is refusing to implement the ruling.

Would the President of the Treasury Board clarify the situation with the tribunal to make clear what our government is prepared to do to end pay discrimination and to give women the pay they deserve for the work they do?

[Marcel Massé, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question. She is well known for having defended the questions of pay equity and rights of women in the community and in Parliament, and she continues to do so.

She should be proud of being in a party, in a government, that has done so much for pay equity and the full rights of women.

Not only have we been among the first to accept the principle but we have been the first to have paid over $1 billion in order to implement it. At present there is a case in front of the tribunal and in that case the pleading has stopped a few months ago. We except the judgment to be as soon as possible in the next few months.

We have already solved the question with some unions and I am prepared to offer to the unions involved, if they want to get a settlement quickly rather than having to wait for the judgment in court, to tell them let us sit down at a table and negotiate the issues so we can have a quick judgment.

Employment

[John Solomon, NDP, Regina—Lumsden, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the acting Prime Minister.

According to labour force statistics released today, 44,000 full time jobs for women disappeared in January. Medical technicians, educators, clericals and other women's jobs in the public sector have led the cuts. This Liberal government cut 45,000 jobs and thousands more were lost as a result of a $7 billion cut to health transfers to the provinces.

Will the acting Prime Minister acknowledge that women's jobs have never been a priority for this government, or have the Liberals entirely written off women as productive workers in the economy?

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism)(Status of Women)]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very interesting that hon. members across only seem to ask questions about women's equality and women's economic autonomy on International Women's Day. What happens to the rest of the year?

We spent a whole year as a government dealing with issues of women's economic autonomy in terms of training, literacy and looking at women's transfer payments from their custodial parents for their children, sustainable training for women, bringing women into the real world where construction jobs are open to them. We spent every single day analysing in every single department through gender based analysis the issues of the reality of women's rights and how our government impacts on it.

It is very strange that the members of the opposition only seem to think about this on International Women's Day.

Regional Development Banks

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), I have the pleasure to table, in both official languages, the 1995 report on Canada's participation in regional development banks.

Petitions

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today. The first comes from St. Catharines, Ontario.

The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that our police and firefighters place their lives at risk on a daily basis as they serve the emergency needs of all Canadians. They also state that in many cases the families of officers killed in the line of duty are often left without sufficient financial means to meet their obligations.

The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to establish a public safety officers compensation fund to receive gifts and bequests for the benefit of families of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition comes from Welland, Ontario. The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that managing the family home and caring for preschool children is an honourable profession which has not been recognized for its value to our society.

The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to pursue initiatives to assist families that choose to provide care in the home for preschool children, the chronically ill, the aged or the disabled.

[Sharon Hayes, Reform, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present today.

The first calls on Parliament to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to raise the age of consent for sexual activity between a young person and an adult from 14 years to 16 years.

I support this petition and call on the government to-

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Milliken)]

The hon. member will know it is out of order for her to indicate either opposition to or support for a petition. In the presentation of petitions, the practices of the House require that a member state a summary of the petition and may indicate where the petitioners are from but it is not normal to indicate support for or opposition to a petition. I invite her to comply with that portion of the rules.

[Sharon Hayes, Reform, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I present is from my riding and contains 76 signatures. The petitioners call on Parliament to not increase the federal excise tax on gasoline.

The third petition, containing 260 signatures, is again from my riding and other lower mainland constituencies. The petitioners urge all levels of government to demonstrate their support of education and literacy by eliminating the sales tax on reading materials.

[Mac Harb, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition sponsored by the Canadian Automobile Association. The petitioners call on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with the provincial government to make the national highway system upgrading possible beginning in 1997.

[Bill Gilmour, Reform, Comox—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present the following petition which comes from my riding of Comox-Alberni and contains 274 signatures. The undersigned bring attention to the fact that British Columbia has a senatorial selection act which allows the election of B.C. senators. They also draw attention to the fact that British Columbia Senator Len Marchand will resign his seat in the Senate shortly.

Therefore the petitioners call on Parliament to urge the governor general to appoint a duly elected person according to the forthcoming vacant British Columbia seat in the Senate of Canada.

I fully concur with the petitioners and endorse this petition-

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Milliken)]

I hoped the hon. member had heard me indicate to one of the other members earlier that it is out of order for the member to indicate his opposition to or support for a petition. I invite him to comply with the rules in his use of the time during presentation of petitions.

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by 45 individuals in the greater Toronto area. While recognizing the change in government policy to fully rebate goods and services tax on books purchased by educational institutions and libraries, they call on the government to pursue the policy further and remove the tax from books, magazines and newspapers.

Questions On The Order Paper

[George Proud, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Milliken)]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.