Debates of June 8th, 1998

Oceans

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I am most pleased to remind my colleagues and all Canadians that today is oceans day. Since 1992 countries from around the world have observed this date as oceans day in order to celebrate one of our world's finest resources.

This year oceans day has a special significance because the United Nations has declared 1998 the international year of the ocean. Canada is celebrating with activities to bring awareness of the importance of our oceans and the need to protect them.

To emphasize this importance the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has undertaken a number of initiatives. One, start at the Youth for the Oceans Foundation to promote youth leadership and education concerning the oceans. Two, a national public consultation process to develop a national oceans strategy for Canada. Three, a public review of draft marine protected area policy. Four, a national framework for establishing and managing these areas under the Canada Oceans Act.

Government Of Ontario

[Jim Jones, Progressive Conservative, Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to mark the third anniversary of the election of the Ontario Progressive Conservative government.

The accomplishments of this government are numerous: a 30% tax cut to be fully implemented on July 1, a full six months ahead of schedule; the largest 12 month job creation initiative in the province's history with 265,000 net new jobs between February 1997 and February 1998; a balanced approach to the deficit will see it eliminated by fiscal year 2000-2001; an economy which is growing faster than any of the G-7 industrial countries.

Lately Mike Harris has been the victim of savage attacks by the Prime Minister and his finance minister. The reality is they just cannot accept that it is possible to cut taxes, reduce the deficit and create jobs when your government is both progressive and conservative.

Multilateral Agreement On Investment

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Forum jeunesse of the Bloc Quebecois yesterday organized a day of reflection on globalization, which included an examination of the multilateral agreement on investment.

The Bloc Quebecois, in agreement with the governments of Quebec and a number of provinces, has already expressed serious reservations over some aspects of the agreement.

All these young people from Quebec and others from elsewhere in Canada are wondering and concerned about the effects of the MAI on economic and cultural development for example. In their opinion, the social responsibility of the multinationals in the community is important too and was regrettably put to one side in the MAI negotiations.

The Bloc Quebecois calls on the federal government to listen and respond to the concerns of these young people, since they will be taking over and building tomorrow's society.

Ywca

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago the YWCA of Peterborough, Victoria and Haliburton established two crossroads centres for abused women and their children. Since that time these shelters have given literally thousands of women the courage to deal with violence, poverty and oppression in their lives.

Our thanks to all those across Canada who work with shelters like these. Our congratulations to all those women and children who have used the shelters as a stepping stone to a better life.

Special congratulations to the YWCA of Peterborough, Victoria and Haliburton. Happy anniversary, crossroads.

Ukrainian Canadians

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, this week the Ukrainian Canadian community is commemorating the 65th anniversary of the 1932-33 manmade famine genocide in Ukraine, engineered by soviet leader Joseph Stalin, in which some 7 million Ukrainians perished.

Soviet party leaders with the aid of military troops and secret police units seized every last scrap of food. Whole villages became a mass of corpses. Large parts of Ukraine were blockaded, no food was allowed in, no people were allowed out. While guarded warehouses were filled with grain, Ukrainian peasants were beaten, arrested and even shot for trying to take the few remaining kernels lying on the fields. Their extermination was a matter of state policy.

Food is still a favourite weapon with many authoritarian regimes in the world today. It has been said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

We join today with members of the Ukrainian community and other Canadians in remembering the atrocities of this crime against humanity.

British Columbia

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, on December 11 last year the supreme court brought down its ruling on Delgamuukw, the B.C. aboriginal land claims case.

In its decision the court vastly expanded the concept of aboriginal title to the point where the B.C. first nations summit has now claimed aboriginal title to all land and resources in British Columbia.

My question is for the minister of Indian affairs. Who owns British Columbia?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition points out, it was December 11 of last year when the supreme court made this important ruling.

The day after that I was in British Columbia meeting with first nations, meeting with the province and meeting with the business community to ensure that we were taking appropriate action so that the decision of the supreme court was part and parcel of our treaty making process.

I am glad to welcome the hon. member to the debate finally.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Delgamuukw decision has created economic uncertainty in every sector of the British Columbia economy that requires land or resources: mining, the fishery, ranching, agriculture and tourism, all of them.

The decision has created a potential taxpayer liability of literally tens of billions of dollars. These impacts alone are big enough to cripple the British Columbia economy.

Why has the federal government done nothing concrete to address or correct these impacts?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, clearly the most important thing that we can do to achieve certainty in British Columbia is to negotiate treaties. That is what we are doing.

I would point out that the Laurier Institute has identified that the economy of B.C. will increase by 1% with the settling of these treaties.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has had a treaty negotiating process going in British Columbia for seven years and has not produced one concrete treaty as a result.

Everything the Liberal government has done in British Columbia on the land claims issue has made things worse rather than better. Now Delgamuukw puts a legal caveat on every piece of land in B.C. and the minister's excuses and inaction just make things worse rather than better.

Will the minister of Indian affairs put an end to this uncertainty by legislating a definition of aboriginal title which addresses the interest of all British Columbians?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, in six months the best they can come up with is a suggestion to legislate away aboriginal rights. That is the approach of two centuries ago and it has not found solutions.

The supreme court directs us to negotiate resolutions. That is the approach we are taking and that is the best way to create certainty in the province of British Columbia.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, six months and the best the minister can say is that we are to continue to follow a failed policy that has produced no results whatsoever.

British Columbia jobs are in jeopardy because of the government's inaction following the Delgamuukw decision. The province is in recession and agriculture, forestry and mining investment are in decline. The citizens of B.C. need and want jobs now and not another study.

What will the minister of Indian affairs do to guarantee B.C. companies that their investments are secure?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, one of the most important parties in the discussions that we are having in the province of British Columbia is the B.C. business community.

The solution to the issue of longstanding treaties and negotiations is being undertaken now.

When the hon. member opposite talked about negotiation he was down in my part of Ontario. What did he say we could do with the likes of Ipperwash? Call in the army was the solution of that party for the most important arrangements we must make with aboriginal people in Canada.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister ignores the facts.

Seven years and they have not produced one agreement in British Columbia. At that rate it will take decades, even centuries, to resolve all of them.

In the meantime land claims past, present and future are all affected by the Delgamuukw decision: logging in New Brunswick, land claims in Ontario, mining in Labrador, ranching in Alberta, forestry in British Columbia and power plants in Quebec.

Why does the minister not legislate a workable and fair definition of the term aboriginal title?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, let us be fair. The fact that the federal government can unilaterally legislate a solution here is absolutely preposterous. There are parties that have to be at the negotiating table which all have a view on how we make progress. We are there.

On May 12 an editorial in the Financial Post stated:

Minister Stewart and her provincial counterparts are on the right track in seeking a fresh start to making deals.

Health Care System

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Healthcare Association strongly condemned the federal government for its drastic cuts to the funding of health services in Canada.

The association even said that Ottawa's cuts have led to the current crisis in the health care sector.

Given the requests made from all sides, how can the Deputy Prime Minister justify the federal government's continuous refusal to reallocate money to health, considering that health care services all over Canada have a great need for such funds?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we recently increased transfers to the provinces. We increased them to $12.5 billion annually, as recommended by the national forum on health, two years ago.

In so doing, we acted responsibly to ensure the future of our public health care system.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it just so happens that the national forum on health is condemning this government, which would have us believe that it increased transfers by $6 billion, when it in fact cut $42 billion instead of $48 billion. This is the reality.

I ask the minister: Given the anticipated surplus of $6 billion, is it not time to invest money in health care, considering that the $2 billion that was cut in Quebec alone is equivalent to shutting down all the hospitals in Montreal?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we have already increased transfers.

However, let us not forget that health is a shared jurisdiction between the federal government and the provinces. The provinces must do their part. Minister Rochon and the Bouchard government acted in such a way as to produce unfortunate results in Quebec. It is the province's responsibility.

We intend to assume our responsibilities as regards transfers, and we have already increased these transfers.

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

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

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, the Canadian Healthcare Association says that the Canadian public has lost confidence in the health system because of the federal government's huge cuts to provincial transfer payments.

With a surplus of $6 billion, should the federal government not be making it a priority to reduce the cuts it has imposed on the provinces in order to alleviate the terrible pressure it has created on the health system throughout Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, the provinces have benefited greatly from lower interest rates, equalization payments and so on, despite the cuts.

Bernard Landry had the following to say, and I quote “We must admit that we feel we must do our share so that the Canada we have helped to put in debt can eliminate that debt”. So said Mr. Landry in the National Assembly.

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite everything he has just said, will the minister admit that he has cut payments to Quebec by an amount equivalent to the salaries of all nurses for one year?

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is apparently unaware of the fact that the federal government transfers almost $28 billion annually to the provinces for such things as health care.

This is a responsibility that is shared by the two levels of government, both federal and provincial. As I said, we intend to fulfil our responsibilities as the federal government, and we have already taken action to ensure the future of our health care system.

Foreign Affairs

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

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

When it comes to nuclear proliferation Canada is beginning to look like a nuclear typhoid Mary or Johnny H-Bomb seed as we send our Candu reactors over the planet to aid and abet the nuclear arms race.

Why did the government allow the Minister of Finance to sign the financial arrangements with China and Turkey without proper departmental review? When will the government reconsider its almost maniacal commitment to the export of Candu reactors?

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, to say that there was not any financial review is simply inaccurate.

The Government of Canada through cabinet obviously gave broad mandate to the negotiations, but when it comes to specifically looking at the financing proposal that is handled by the Export Development Corporation, a crown corporation. When the specifics of the contract are looked at that is also done by AECL.

The Government of Canada gave broad directions and guidelines. The specifics both on financing and contracting have been handled by the two crown corporations, which is how they were acted upon from the start of the AECL program.