Debates of May 7th, 1998

Millennium Scholarships

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Papineau—Saint-Denis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our goal in this is to help give more young people access to skills and knowledge. So aware are we of how much expertise there is at the Quebec Ministry of Education that we want to work in partnership with the ministry to ensure this program's success.

Labour

[Rick Casson, Reform, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the governments of Alberta and Ontario have written to the federal Minister of Labour pointing out serious flaws in Bill C-19, the labour bill.

Typical of this government, the minister has ignored the provinces. Now we have learned that all the federal ministers from B.C. have written to the labour minister demanding that the bill be changed.

We know how the Liberals treat the provinces and we know how they treat their backbenchers, but are they really going to ignore their own ministers?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, even my hon. colleague I believe realizes that Bill C-19 is very important to labour and management in this country. Members will see that this government will pass this very much needed and important legislation very shortly.

[Rick Casson, Reform, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in his opinion it is much needed. This bill is very undemocratic. One of the most undemocratic aspects is that it would allow the labour board to certify a trade union even if most of the workers voted against it. That is unfair to business and it does not represent workers' democratic rights.

Why does the labour minister think it is okay to certify a trade union without the support of the majority of its workers?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, what my hon. colleague is referring to is when a certification vote is taken and there is less than 50% and the union can prove to the labour board that inappropriate action was taken by management, the board as a quasi-judicial body has the right to approve and certify that union.

Tobacco Sponsorship

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Mitis, QC]

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

It has been one year since the Prime Minister pledged, during the last election campaign, to make the tobacco legislation more flexible. While the festivals are getting ready for their last season under the current sponsorship rules, the government seems willing to help professional sports teams.

Would it not be reasonable and politically honest to say exactly and truthfully what is happening with the government's election promise?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows full well, we are always reasonable and honest. We are committed to amending the tobacco legislation and we will do so when we are ready.

Quebec City

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

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

Today, the conferences of 1943 and 1944 are being commemorated in Quebec City with the unveiling of busts of Roosevelt and Churchill. But to deliberately ignore former Prime Minister Mackenzie King is to ignore the war effort of all Canadian veterans.

Does the Prime Minister find this situation acceptable?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. I find it absolutely deplorable that some would play politics by trying to rewrite history.

Canadian soldiers, at the request of Prime Minister Mackenzie King, were the first ones to intervene during the second world war. It was thanks to an initiative taken by Prime Minister Mackenzie King that the meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt took place in Quebec City.

To ignore Prime Minister Mackenzie King in commemorating the conference held in Quebec City during the war is totally unacceptable. It is in very bad taste and should never have been approved by the Quebec premier.

Environment

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Alberta's energy minister says that he will not sign the Kyoto deal until he gets some solid facts and figures on how this will directly impact on ordinary Canadians' lives.

When the federal minister was in Kyoto she betrayed the provinces by unilaterally raising the scale. How does the minister expect the provinces to sign on to any agreement after the way she treated them at the Kyoto conference?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, this government went to Kyoto with the collaboration of partners across this country.

We are committed to achieving our goal and that is to reduce our emissions by minus 6% below 1990 levels. A couple of weeks ago we met with all of our provincial and territorial counterparts. We agreed to develop a strategy. We are working with all sectors of our economy and with the municipalities. We will achieve our Kyoto target.

Canadian International Development Agency

[Gurmant Grewal, Reform, Surrey Central, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the last three years, four western provinces got 8% of CIDA's contracts. Four eastern provinces got 2% of CIDA's contracts. Ontario and Quebec got 90% of the contracts.

In response to my question earlier, the CIDA minister said that she was sorry for British Columbia. Today in the foreign affairs committee some Liberal members said that B.C. companies should move to Ontario.

Can the Prime Minister stand up and confirm that this is his government's position?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will have to repeat it again because obviously the member of parliament did not understand my answer.

There is an open bidding system to which all contracts are posted. Companies from across the country are invited to bid for these contracts. The companies from the west are every bit as good if not better than many others. What they have to do is bid for the contracts in a fair and open manner. They will win as many as anybody else.

The idea is to get the best price and the best value for Canadians.

Banks

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

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

U.S. evidence shows that big banks make fewer loans to small business, that big bank service charges are at least 15% higher and that the bigger the bank, the smaller their small business loan portfolio. This is what the U.S. congressional committee is being told about big bank mergers.

If American congressmen are receiving this evidence and questioning their bank mergers and the needs of small business, why will the government not allow all-party committee hearings with all five political parties?

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

Mr. Speaker, I find it passing strange. The NDP called for a denial of any bank mergers outright before we had any hearings. Then it wanted the finance committee to look at it. Then it wanted another committee to look it. Now it wants the industry committee to look at it. At the same time it said do not look at it, deny all the mergers.

We are not like that. We are putting in place a process involving a report of the task force which will come in September, extensive hearings by the House of Commons finance committee, and the Senate committee. We are going to have Canadians involved in this decision. We will not make a decision until they are.

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

Mr. Speaker, it seems the government wants to give the big banks lots of time to do their lobbying to soften people's views on this issue.

A Wall Street Journal analysis found that small business lending declined in U.S. banks which merged but went up with the non-merged competitors in the same period. In Canada small business lending is dropping and our banks have not even merged yet.

Will the government join with the CFIB and the four opposition parties in support of my motion this afternoon for all-party hearings at the industry committee into the impact of the proposed bank mergers on small business consumers and rural Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have put in a process. We are going to have extensive all-party hearings at both the Senate and the House levels. Meanwhile our party has taken the initiative of setting up the special task force under the very able leadership of the member for Trinity—Spadina. If you want to participate in some public hearings, either hold your own or agree to come with us and help.

[The Speaker]

Once again colleagues, please address the Chair. The hon. member for Tobique—Mactaquac.

Royal Canadian Mint

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

Mr. Speaker, the bill that the minister of public works introduced in the House this morning authorizes the Royal Canadian Mint to borrow $30 million to build a plant that will get into direct competition with Westaim Corporation from Alberta. This plant will be built in Winnipeg in the backyard of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In the 1970s the Liberal government of the day moved into the oil industry and we all know what a disaster that was. Millions of tax dollars were wasted on Petrofina and the national energy program.

Will this minister immediately stop—

[The Speaker]

The hon. minister of public works.

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

Mr. Speaker, again I think the hon. member has all the facts mixed up.

First of all to build a plant in Winnipeg does not need extra borrowing authority. They have enough and the decision was made previous to the bill. The bill streamlines the operations of the Royal Canadian Mint and also increases the amount of the corporation's borrowing authority since the government decided that the corporation has to make a profit and has to operate on a commercial basis.

In terms of the plant in Winnipeg, a plant already exists in Winnipeg. This is an extension so we can save—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Tobique—Mactaquac.

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister of public works also stated a while ago that this matter was before the courts and he could not comment. The problem is if the matter is before the courts, why is the minister going ahead with the construction of the plant in Winnipeg?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a proceeding before the courts concerning patent protection. It has nothing to do with the building of the plant. This is a decision that the corporation made in accordance with the rules of the corporation and with the approval of the government and we are going ahead.

Alberta Forest Fires

[John O'Reilly, Liberal, Victoria—Haliburton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of National Defence inform this House as to what action this government is taking to help the people of Alberta in regard to the devastating forest fires in that western province?