Debates of Nov. 17th, 1998

Hazardous Products

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians by now, along with most members of the House, have learned to filter out the fevered rhetoric of the New Democratic Party. Instead they focus on what the reality is.

The reality was explained calmly yesterday by scientists from Health Canada who tabled the proof, who took the public through the facts, who explained which toys are safe and explained why others are being taken off the shelves.

I believe it is clear to Canadians what course they should take. It is equally clear that this government has acted in the public interest.

Taxation

[Scott Brison, Progressive Conservative, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in 1989 the current finance minister said that he was worried that the government would attack the deficit on the backs of the people who could not afford to bear the burden. Yet a recent survey shows that low income Canadians have been the hardest hit by this government's regressive tax policies. Bank of Canada figures show that Canadians have the highest personal debt ever.

Is the finance minister satisfied that he has helped put this government in the black by putting Canadians in the red?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what happened in 1989 is that we were objecting to the increasing taxation as we headed into a period of recession, which is what the previous government did. Since that time obviously Canadians have suffered. Fortunately, if we take a look at what has happened, in 1996-97 family disposable income rose and the net worth of Canadians increased.

[Scott Brison, Progressive Conservative, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the government has balanced the books by overtaxing Canadians. Federal tax revenues have ballooned from $116 billion in 1993 to over $151 billion this year. As well, policies like free trade, implemented by the previous government, have helped generate revenues to pay down the deficit. Yet the current finance minister was opposed to free trade in 1990. The finance minister has flip-flopped on free trade.

I ask him today to do the right thing and flip-flop on tax reductions. Do the right thing now, take our advice and give Canadians the tax relief they need.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the hon. member was not here for the last budget, but after we had eliminated the $42 billion deficit we immediately began to proceed to reduce taxes by $7 billion over the next three years. Four hundred thousand taxpayers have been eliminated from the tax rolls.

We very much hope that we can continue to do this.

Let there be no doubt about it, tax reduction is an important priority for this government, but, unlike the opposition, so is health care, so is education, so is research and development and so is the basic social fabric of the country.

Canadian Wheat Board

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources.

The so-called Farmers for Justice are complaining that the voters' list for the Canadian Wheat Board contains the names of people who are deceased.

I would like the minister to explain why they are putting dead people on the voters' list.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food expressly amended Bill C-4 to specify that CWB directors will be elected by producers. That was supported by all parties and by all major farm organizations.

The word “producer” is a defined term in the act. It includes actual producers and those who are interested parties legally entitled to share in a portion of an actual producer's crop. This latter category obviously, in some cases, includes those who are administering the estates of interested parties. It is up to farmers themselves to ensure that the information shown in CWB records is accurate and up to date.

Canada Port Authorities

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Senate is full, but the Liberals still have a good patronage haven, the Port of Halifax.

The intent of the new Canada Marine Act was to devolve control of seaports to local stakeholders. In Halifax nominations to the port advisory committee by local shipping, commercial and labour interests were ignored to make room for the same Liberal hacks who have run the port for years.

Now Merv Russell and his crew are incestuously engaged in selecting themselves and their buddies as port authority directors.

When will the Minister of Transport defend the public interest and stop abetting this nonsense?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are setting up 18 Canada port authorities across the country and they are all being treated in the same way. They are all being treated fairly, according to the dictates of the law.

There are many inaccuracies in the hon. member's question.

First of all, the interests that he claims were not on the advisory group are represented. The Chamber of Commerce is represented. Local business is represented. Trade unions are represented. They are all represented. What he is doing is getting sucked into a local partisan political debate in Halifax. I would have thought he was above that.

Icebreaking Policy

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Orléans, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Yesterday, in reference to his unfair policy of charging for icebreaking, the minister stated, and I quote:

At the time, the committee thought it had achieved the most satisfactory compromise—

Are we to conclude that, at the time he refers to, the minister finally realized the error of his policy of charging for icebreaking, and that he intends to change it before irreparable damage—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the policy is clear. Vessels using the icebreaking service must meet 17.5% of the costs. Not half, merely 17.5%.

A committee made up of representatives of the ports and of interests in the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes drew up a scale of fees. We accepted it. It is based on ships' crossings, and 85% of them—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.

Unemployment Insurance

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the EI system is showing an incredible surplus of $600 million per month, yet less than 40% of unemployed Canadians qualify for benefits.

Now the government suggests that it will use some of its fiscal surplus to provide tax cuts to the wealthy. It is like some perverted version of Sherwood Forest where it intends to rob from the poor to give to the rich.

Will the finance minister reject calls from the Business Council on National Issues and others to take billions from the pockets of the unemployed to line the pockets of the rich? Will he commit today to use the EI surplus only to restore benefits and eligibility and for no other purpose?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that we reduced EI premiums. We have done so every year.

He also knows that in the last budget the 400,000 people who we took off the tax rolls were the lowest income Canadians. At the same time, the tax cuts that we brought in benefited those earning salaries of less than $50,000. The national child tax benefit brought in by my colleague, the Minister of Human Resources Development, is directed toward poor families with children.

The fact is that the tax cuts we bring in are really dedicated to those who need them most.

Canada Post

[Gilles Bernier, Progressive Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that Canada Post has once again run amok.

I have been given information from several Canada Post employees that Mr. Barry Bennett, the director of the Fredericton region, used the Fredericton sorting station to store his sports car last winter.

When exactly did the minister begin allowing Canada Post managers to use crown owned properties as their personal storage facilities?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for bringing this case to my attention. It is the first time I have heard of it. I will investigate it right after question period and we will see what happens.

Unemployment Insurance

[George Proud, Liberal, Hillsborough, PE]

Mr. Speaker, for months now we have been hearing opposition members complain that the government does not care about seasonal workers, that the employment insurance system does meet the needs of Canadians and that the government is only interested in balancing its books on the backs of the poor.

Can the minister tell us what he has done recently to prove the opposition wrong? What has he done to fix the unemployment insurance system?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, on November 10 I announced the launch of a new small weeks project in 31 high unemployment regions of our country.

This small weeks project is a direct result of our commitment to monitoring EI reform on a continuous basis. We are investing a further $225 million so that workers who often rely on EI benefits are not penalized when they take on as much work as possible.

This clearly shows our commitment as a government to make changes—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for York South—Weston.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance knows that ordinary working Canadians are being ripped-off by the tax system.

The National Hockey League Players Association earns tens of millions of dollars tax free every year as a result of a loophole in the tax system.

Does the Minister of Finance believe that it is fair that ordinary working Canadians should be subsidizing rich hockey players who earn on average $1.25 million a year? When will the Minister of Finance close this unconscionable loophole in the tax system?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member is saying is simply not true.

All hockey players in Canada are required to pay taxes. They are required to pay on the number of games they play within Canada. It is pro-rated. They do pay taxes just as any other Canadian.

Canadian Farmers

[Howard Hilstrom, Reform, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, this government is gouging farmers. It collects $138 million through user fees by agencies such as the Canadian Grain Commission and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. It is within the agriculture minister's power to immediately cut these costs. To date he has done nothing.

Why does the agriculture minister keep on ripping the last of the profits from our Canadian farmers?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Grain Commission provides the guarantee to the Canadian producers of grain and to the rest of the world that we have the finest and highest quality grain. The recovery costs on that system to the producers is the same now as it has been for many, many years. On the Canadian food inspection system, in the efforts that we had to take in order to recoup from the incredible financial situation that we inherited, we have asked the industry after a long consultation to participate in covering some but only a minor portion—

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in our gallery of Mr. Arthur Donahoe, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.