House of Commons Hansard #160 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was senate.

Topics

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Herb Gray Liberal Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I would ask the hon. member to put his question again.

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

The Speaker

If the hon. could simply put his question.

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC

In light of the facts in the whole APEC affair, is the commission, which is only an administrative tribunal, powerful enough to blame the Prime Minister and his office staff?

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the commission noted on October 5 that it was absolutely necessary not only to hear evidence on the events but also an explanation on why they occurred and that is why it intends to go wherever the evidence given by our witnesses leads it.

It is obvious that the commission can and wishes to do its job. We ask that the hon. member let the commission do its job.

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC

Mr. Speaker, does the Deputy Prime Minister not understand that the only way all our concerns about the Prime Minister's involvement in the APEC affair can be put to rest is by appointing an independent commission that would report directly to parliament and whose specific task would be to investigate the actions of the Prime Minister and those of his entire staff at the PMO, and to shed light once and for all on this whole matter?

I hope he understood the question and will answer it.

Apec Summit InquiryOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Windsor West Ontario

Liberal

Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, under the Inquiries Act, the authority to appoint a commission is vested in the Prime Minister, not parliament.

If the hon. member is asking that the Prime Minister appoint a commission, I wish to thank him for the vote of confidence for the Prime Minister.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Charlie Penson Reform Peace River, AB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade.

Many Canadians are asking how we got into this farm crisis. High taxes here in Canada and massive foreign subsidies.

This year the European governments will pay their farmers over $60 billion. The U.S., not to be outdone, will match European subsidies. This has all the makings of an all-out trade war.

Will the Minister for International Trade phone his U.S. counterpart to work together to reduce these foreign subsidies in Europe to protect our Canadian farmers?

AgricultureOral Question Period

November 26th, 1998 / 2:35 p.m.

York West Ontario

Liberal

Sergio Marchi LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, we already did that a long time ago.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

Charlie Penson Reform Peace River, AB

Mr. Speaker, our Canadian farmers can compete with any farmers around the world on the basis of production but they cannot compete on the basis of foreign government subsidies and massive treasuries.

If the minister has phoned his U.S. trade counterpart, can he tell us today one positive result of that phone conversation?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

York West Ontario

Liberal

Sergio Marchi LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, we have the same faith in our farming community across the country. We have raised it repeatedly not only with my counterpart, Charlene Barshefsky, but also with Leon Brittan.

In addition to that, our Prime Minister has repeatedly raised this with the President of the United States and the European—

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

The Minister for International Trade, if he wishes to continue.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

Sergio Marchi Liberal York West, ON

As I was saying, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister also raised it at the last Canada-European summit. It will be on the agenda again when the Europeans visit this capital in two weeks time.

We have appealed to both sides that the commodity base has been whacked enough without engaging in this war between subsidies from North America and the European Union. We are hopeful that they will take heed.

Social UnionOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the premiers of Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick and Quebec once again asked that the social union issue be settled before the next federal budget.

However, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs says there is no urgency and that it would be easier to negotiate with a federalist government in Quebec.

Does the minister realize that, in making this comment, he is sending us the message that with a more docile government in Quebec, a Jean Charest government, provincial demands would be lesser and thus easier to meet for the federal government?

Social UnionOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Mr. Speaker, this is a false allegation. I never said there was no urgency. I said we were negotiating and good progress was being made.

Quebeckers do not want to separate. It would be better if they did not elect a separatist government. Quebeckers are confident. It would be better if they did not elect a party that relies on mistrust.

The Canadian social union is about all Canadians helping one another, something which the member does not seem to be able to grasp.

Social UnionOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, how can the minister explain that, while the ten premiers agree on social union, he is the one dragging his feet, the one in no hurry, the one who seems to want to sabotage the talks?

Social UnionOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the former PQ leader, Jacques Parizeau, said that, for Quebec, social union consists in getting its loot.

During the ice storm, the other Canadians did not give their loot to Quebeckers. They gave their heart and generosity. In Manitoba, we did not give our loot; we gave our heart and generosity.

The Canadian social union is about the heart and generosity of all Canadians. It is about a country that Quebeckers have built with the other Canadians, and they will not give control to people who want to destroy it.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Reform

Jake Hoeppner Reform Portage—Lisgar, MB

Mr. Speaker, when foreign governments overfished Canadian waters, Brian Tobin stood up to them, but when foreign governments attack our Canadian farmers with tens of billions of dollars in subsidies, this Liberal government does nothing to stop these attacks.

Why do prairie farmers not deserve the same type of respect that fishermen got when their livelihood was at stake?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

York West Ontario

Liberal

Sergio Marchi LiberalMinister for International Trade

Mr. Speaker, the minister of agriculture outlined quite well and eloquently this afternoon that the farming community is a building block of this country.

He said that the farming community will get the support of this government and that we have appealed not only to the United States and the European Union but we are also trying to find common ground with other countries, like Australia and New Zealand, and Latin America. Then the international community will be able to deal with this in an even-handed way.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Reform

Jake Hoeppner Reform Portage—Lisgar, MB

Mr. Speaker, things are now so bad on the family farm that hog producers cannot even afford to feed their animals. Canadians watched the news in disbelief last night. Farmers are forced to kill their pigs because there is not enough money to feed them.

How could this Liberal government let things get that bad?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Prince Edward—Hastings Ontario

Liberal

Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that unfortunately this decline in price has happened very quickly. As soon as it started to happen I met with my provincial counterparts. We are working with the industry and the safety nets advisory committee and I am talking to my cabinet colleagues so we can work together as we have in the past with the provinces and the industry to put in place an additional support system that will help farmers in this type of disaster.

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Bloc

Hélène Alarie Bloc Louis-Hébert, QC

Mr. Speaker, the situation at the moment in agriculture is very difficult.

Grain and meat prices, especially hog prices, are dropping. The minister of agriculture is getting ready to announce an aid program for farmers.

Could we have the minister's assurance that he will adapt his program to programs already existing in Quebec so that farmers and producers there may also receive aid and enjoy their fair share?

AgricultureOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Prince Edward—Hastings Ontario

Liberal

Lyle Vanclief LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, this government will do as it has done in the past and will continue to do in the future. When and if a program is put in place it will be equitable to all farmers in Canada. It will be available to them if they need to call on it no matter what province they live in.