Debates of Feb. 20th, 1998

International Aid

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, we said and we will continue to say that we want to increase the moneys earmarked for programs in developing countries.

We also said that we will do so when our fiscal house is in order. I am convinced that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance will see to it that this financing is restored over the years.

Trade

[Steve Mahoney, Liberal, Mississauga West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry.

While Canada's international exports have grown by nearly 11% this decade, internal trade among the provinces has grown by only 2.8%. Governments have talked about this issue for years with little action.

Could the parliamentary secretary tell the House what the government will do to tear down Canada's internal trade barriers and stimulate interprovincial trade?

[Walt Lastewka, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I believe the member knows that ministers and officials of the provinces and territories have been meeting for two days concerning the issue of internal trade. We know how crucial internal trade is to Canada and Canada's competitiveness.

There has been consultation. The working groups have been working very hard to come up with an agreement. There has been a lot of discussion. I hope as they conclude their meetings there will be some positive results. I wish them well in their deliberations. Hopefully together, in co-operation, we can tear down the barriers.

Bill C-28

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the deputy finance minister.

Even the government's own so-called ethics counsellor, the same ethics counsellor that has whitewashed every other scandal for the government over past years, has said that this matter was conducted improperly. He told a parliamentary committee that he should have been informed but he was not.

Why was the finance minister's name on a bill which could benefit him?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is good to remind the House of the facts.

The amendments in question were prepared and handled exclusively by the previous secretary of state for financial institutions. The Minister of Finance had no involvement whatsoever, no knowledge of, no participation in and no handling of these amendments.

It could well be that for technical parliamentary reasons the minister's name was on the bill so it could be tabled in the House, but this does not mean that he did anything improper. He did nothing improper. He had no involvement in this matter. There is no conflict of interest and no appearance of conflict of interest.

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this party along with all other members of the House have a right to know on behalf of their constituents the answer to this question. Why was the finance minister's name on a bill that could benefit him?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister's assets are in a blind trust. He has no way to have any knowledge of the management of the assets in the trust. He has already confirmed that he has had nothing to do with the matter.

I want to ask my hon. friend a question. If these amendments are wrong, why are members of his party not opposing them? Or, do they really recognize that these amendments came from an agency of the British Columbia government? What do they say to the British Columbia government if they think these amendments are wrong?

Obviously these amendments have nothing to do with the Minister of Finance and in view of where they originated obviously there is no conflict of interest.

Housing

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for the housing deficit in the country.

In December the minister took an off reserve housing society, the Meen-Sga-Nist, to court. Under his direction the employees have not been paid for three months. They want to know if they will be paid.

Will the minister stop using these underhanded tactics on other off reserve housing societies? The one that comes to mind is the Tintina housing society in Watson Lake, Yukon.

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

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately this case is before the courts and I cannot comment.

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, the Tintina group in Watson Lake, Yukon, is not before the courts. The housing situation in the country has become unbelievably severe. People are homeless.

What are you going to do about that? Are you going to—

[The Speaker]

My colleagues, please address your questions through the Chair.

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for your direction.

What is the minister going to do to improve the situation in housing when it comes to off reserve people? He sits very close to the aboriginal affairs minister who gave clear direction to negotiate, not litigate.

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

Mr. Speaker, if the members would have read their correspondence they would have realized that on January 30 I announced the extension of RRAP for the next five years at a cost of $250 million.

There is an aboriginal housing component in that program. She should read the press release to learn more about it.

Fisheries

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

The minister is aware of the dire straits the east coast fishery faces. As the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans he has to know that an active licence buy back is one tool in his command.

Once again I ask the minister to commit his department to an active licence buy back.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have once again in two days the support of the Conservative Party for this measure.

I believe licence buy backs are an important tool that we should use. I remind him that on the Atlantic coast we have had a licence buy back programs to the tune of approximately $100 million and on the west coast to the tune of approximately $80 million.

I will note his support for this program. When discussions arise as to what might be done in the future with respect to the east coast fishery, I will bear his views in mind.

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for that answer.

The minister has to know that most of the $100 million spent on the east coast of Canada in licence buy backs did not buy back active licences. That is the problem with the original program.

We need an active licence buy back program and we need input in that program from grassroots fishermen who are actually out there fishing the resource and wanting to have some input.

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

Mr. Speaker, once again I could agree with the hon. member on both counts.

He is correct that the buy back of licences which are not being used does not immediately affect fishing capacity. On the other hand, a licence which is not currently being used could be used in the future. The buy back of even those licences is important.

With respect to the second aspect of his question, the need to have the involvement of fishermen and of the industry, I assure him that is being done and will continue to be done.

I would add that the positive approach he is adopting would mean he also could play a useful role in this activity.

French And The Internet

[Jacques Saada, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State responsible for Science, Research and Development, and it could be put by any francophone or francophile member of this House.

As we all know, access to the Internet is overwhelmingly in English. Could the secretary of state tell us what he is doing to facilitate access to the Internet in French for Canada's francophone communities and for all Canadians who wish to avail themselves of this service?

[Ronald J. Duhamel, Liberal, Secretary of State (Science]

Mr. Speaker, a number of initiatives are supported by organizations such as SchoolNet, including Calliopée, La Course Destination Monde and la Boîte à outils francophone.

A contest organized through the community access program will give us 171 French-language projects prepared with the help of 200 communities across the country. SchoolNet's digitized collections will provide 82 projects, both in French and in English. Through the DHRD, Schoolnet and PAC, we are hiring young francophones all over the country to provide services in French.

Senate Of Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the Prime Minister said:

We would like to reform the Senate and the best way is to try to convince the provinces to do so.

Premier Klein of Alberta wrote the Prime Minister seeking a commitment to hold off on filling the vacant Alberta Senate seat until Alberta had an opportunity to have a Senate election.

The Prime Minister says he is keen on bringing the provinces on side to reform the Senate. Why then did he ignore Premier Klein's request to appoint an Alberta senator who had been duly elected?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the problem with the hon. member's suggestion is that once somebody is elected, assuming that the government through the prime minister appoints that person, the person is there until the age of 75 and nobody can do anything if that person does not do a proper job.

That is why when the Prime Minister said he wanted to have the consent of the provinces he was talking about a constitutional amendment which would deal with the issue of Senate reform in a meaningful way.

We have every respect for the views of Premier Klein, but the Prime Minister has constitutional responsibilities under the constitution as it exists today.

Rail Transportation

[Antoine Dubé, Bloc, Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.

On February 22, 1996, the National Transportation Agency accepted CN's application to abandon the rail line along the St. Lawrence to Lévis. Since then, there have been numerous postponements, while petitions with more than 11,000 signatures have been presented in the House of Commons expressing opposition to this and calling for the station at Lévis to be maintained.

It being no longer possible under the Transport Act to delay the decision past February 21, what does the minister intend to do concerning the station and rail line at Lévis?

[Fred Mifflin, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. On behalf of my colleague, the Minister of Transport, I know his concern and the concerns of his constituents in this area.

The concern of Transport Canada is essentially for safety and for the best service possible that can be offered.

I assure the hon. member that an announcement has not been made but one will be made in the very near future.

Bankruptcies

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

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

Statistics Canada today announced nearly 91,000 business and personal bankruptcies, a record level of human tragedy. These bankruptcies demonstrate the failure of the Liberals' policies to help these people who are struggling to make ends meet.

How can the minister justify this tragedy and what hope can the minister give to these people who in record numbers have lost their savings, their homes and their dreams?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, bankruptcies are high but they are coming down. This is the sign of the economic recovery that we are undergoing.

Over the course of the last four years we have put in place the basis for a very solid economic recovery. This is why unemployment has fallen from over 11% to under 9%. This is also why the OECD predicts that Canada will have the highest economic growth rate and the highest growth rate in jobs this year.