Debates of June 11th, 1998

Veterans

[Peter Goldring, Reform, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, over one week has gone by since I revealed the 43 year government cover-up of Hong Kong veteran claim rights against Japan.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also knows these veterans were forced into slave labour camps. This morning for the second time in this session of parliament, the foreign affairs committee voted unanimously and recommended slave labour recompense for Canada's Hong Kong veterans.

With proof of a cover-up and a second unanimous recommendation from his own committee, will the minister commit to settle these affairs and these claims—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked for the full facts on events that occurred 40 years ago. When we get the facts, we will draw the legal consequences.

We have not got access to all the legal documents. The relations with Switzerland involve a country not at war with Japan. We are dealing with a peace treaty. The minister has been in touch with the chair of the veterans organizations and he has undertaken that we will look for a solution. I can assure the House of this.

Fisheries

[John Cummins, Reform, Delta—South Richmond, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a company owned by friends of the minister of fisheries was charged with failing to provide critical catch information.

Those charges were dropped days after the minister went fishing with the company's vice-president. The minister says the charges were dropped because the department had an agreement to get the data through a third party. His department now says no such agreement exists.

How does the minister explain this contradiction?

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

Mr. Speaker, the company in question the hon. member has been pursuing so vigorously for such a long time is a company that employed last year I believe 1,200 British Columbians in the fishing industry.

It is impossible for the minister of fisheries to avoid the personnel of companies that employ fishermen and others. That is my job.

With respect to the question of charges on the issue of information, that should be addressed to the Minister of Justice, whose department oversees the crown prosecutors. They press or do not press charges.

It has nothing to do with me. The hon. member should know this—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Portneuf.

Bc Mine In Black Lake

[Pierre De Savoye, Bloc, Portneuf, QC]

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

In order to help finance a pre-retirement program for the former BC mine workers of Black Lake, Minister Louise Harel is prepared to do her part and the mine is prepared to do the same. The only contribution lacking is one from the federal government.

Does the minister commit to also doing his part, to joining with the Government of Quebec and the mine management in drawing up an agreement for these former workers?

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

I see that the Government of Quebec's local branch plant here in the House is doing a good job of passing its commitments on to us.

I have had the opportunity on several occasions to discuss this matter with Mrs. Harel, and I can state that we were the first government to act in this matter, which we have been following very closely, by making close to $3 million available to the former BC mine workers, specifically in order to provide them with as much assistance as possible in terms of training and active measures.

I am totally confident that we shall still be able to do more for the BC mine workers, in order to help them back into the work force and to improve their situation.

Foreign Affairs

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

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

In responding to a question earlier about his answer to me on Monday, he claimed that he had never denied that the Government of Canada had any responsibility in the signing of the financial arrangements for the sale of the Candu reactor to China, yet he did exactly that. If we check the record, he said that it only had to do with the Export Development Corporation and AECL.

If he is changing his mind now and saying that the Government of Canada is actually responsible, then why was there not the environmental review that should have been in place? The minister cannot have it both ways. Either you were responsible and there is a review, or you were not responsible and you are telling us something different here today.

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the only member who is changing his mind is the hon. member for Winnipeg—Transcona. The fact of the matter is that on Monday he alleged that there was no financial review, that there was no process. We said then and we repeat again that that is wrong.

He said it should have been the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade or the Department of Finance. They do not do that particular specific due diligence. That is the job of the two crown corporations. No one had ever alleged that the Government of Canada at the end of the day did not go forward with that project. So the hon. member cannot have it both ways.

Fisheries

[Bill Matthews, Progressive Conservative, Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has closed the last remaining Atlantic salmon fishery on the Labrador coast. The closure of this fishery is the result of a serious decline in Atlantic salmon returning to our rivers to spawn.

While our own salmon fishery is shut down, just nine miles off our coast the French islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon are still carrying on a commercial salmon fishery. Yet these French islands have no salmon rivers. They are not contributing to the resource.

Why are our own fishermen forced to welfare while the French fishermen harvest Atlantic salmon? And while he is on his feet—

[The Speaker]

The hon. minister of fisheries.

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct that the last commercial salmon fishery has been closed down. The recreational fishery is still continuing in Atlantic Canada and there are many excellent opportunities for people who wish to take advantage of that.

With reference to the French islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon, there is approximately 500 fish taken there. It is approximately 3% of the take in the northern area of Labrador which was closed.

We will now be discussing with the French. Now that we have closed our commercial fishery we will be discussing with the French, and also with the Danes with respect to Greenland because we want to make sure that high seas—

[The Speaker]

My colleagues, I do not know when parliament is going to rise, but today is a special day for us and it is a very special day for our pages. I often use the words “call in the members”. Now I would like to call in the pages.

House Of Commons Pages

[The Speaker]

Dear pages, to follow parliamentary proceedings from the floor of the House of Commons is an honour bestowed to very few. However, this opportunity was provided to you in this busy year during which another chapter of our country's history was written.

Your time with us is coming to an end, but I am sure you will bring wonderful memories back with you, as one cannot be unaffected by all the rich history, beauty and traditions of our Parliament.

Whether we are pages, clerks or members of Parliament, it is a real privilege to serve our democratic institutions, and you have lived up to the challenge.

There is no doubt that you will leave the House more knowledgeable about our parliamentary way of life, but I hope that you have also gained a sense of pride in our democratic institutions and all the men and women who serve them.

Through one another you have probably learned a great deal about Canada, our Canada, and all its wonderful diversity and promise that pages have come to represent.

May you take what you have learned and combine it with all of your talent, spirit and yes, dedication to help us all to build an even better Canada in the next century.

On behalf of all of my colleagues here, thank you for your excellent work and for the loyalty and professionalism that you have shown in the past year. I and my colleagues offer you our very best wishes for great success in the future.

Thank you for serving us so well.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Business Of The House

[Randy White, Reform, Langley—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I understand you indicated that the House may not be sitting. I expect as House leader that I will be here next week and that is the good news. The bad news is that it will be all by myself.

I would like the government House leader to tell us which day will be the last day and will they be presenting any more legislation that we can bicker about.

[The Speaker]

Before I give the floor to my esteemed colleagues on both sides, I just forgot for a second. If this is our last day and I do not know that it is, but if it is, in any case there will be a reception in my chambers at about four o'clock. I invite all hon. members to please join me and the pages so that we can take some refreshment together.

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the question of the hon. opposition House leader. The good news is that regardless of whether we sit or not, I will be here next week and will gladly keep company with the hon. member, if that is his wish.

This afternoon, as already announced yesterday, the House will consider the Parliament of Canada Act amendments. I believe that is Bill C-47.

Tomorrow we hope to complete Bill S-2, the transportation safety bill at all stages including committee of the whole and subsequently third reading. Then we will proceed to Bill C-38 respecting the Tuktut park. I understand one other bill is under discussion between hon. members. If there is consent we could add it tomorrow but I will not add anything else at the present time unless there is that consent.

If everything that we can expect to happen has happened, I would then call a motion which is now standing on notice in my name which would make some minor adjustments to House procedure, some adjustments that would not be necessary had last Monday night not occurred. That motion when adopted would bring to a conclusion the spring portion of this session.

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order arising out of question period. There was some discrepancy about the figures I put before the House and they were questioned by the solicitor general. I would like to table the main estimates so the solicitor general might have an opportunity—

[The Speaker]

I believe they are already there, but does the member have the consent of the House?

[Some hon. members]

No.

Parliament Of Canada Act

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

moved that Bill C-47, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act, the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act and the Salaries Act, be read the second time and referred to committee of the whole.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin my comments I would like to ask the Chair to notify me after 10 minutes of speaking because I want to share my time with colleagues on all sides of the House.

I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-47, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act, which I had the honour of introducing earlier. The bill responds to recommendations of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs which was tabled on Wednesday, June 3 in response to the Blais commission report on MPs compensation.

As the commission so aptly put it:

An MP is someone who serves the public, and therefore must not expect their pay to be a windfall. In fact, no one expects that. By the same token, no one should be forced to experience financial hardship after winning an election.

This means that compensation and benefits must be reasonable, realistic given what is expected from MPs in practical terms, and in line with general trends in society—or at least not lag too far behind. However, we are seriously lagging in this respect.

I would like to commend the chair of the committee, the hon. member for Peterborough, and the members of that committee for their report. The report is a reasonable response to a complex and even more sensitive issue. Interestingly, it seems like everyone in the media finds this issue to be more important than many other areas of government policy.

[Rob Anders, Reform, Calgary West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order to seek the unanimous consent of the House for the second reading to be discharged and this bill, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act, the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act and the Salaries Act, to be withdrawn as it does not reflect the priorities of Canadians.

[The Speaker]

That is not a point of order, but does the hon. member have unanimous consent?