Debates of Sept. 21st, 1998

Government Of Canada

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.

1998 Commonwealth Games

[Larry McCormick, Liberal, Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox And Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House to take this opportunity to congratulate the 277 athletes who represented Canada proudly at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I know that all hon. members and Canadians everywhere join me in applauding the 30 gold medals, 31 silver medals, 38 bronze medals and all other exceptional performances that were witnessed over the past 10 days.

In sport all Canadians come together and agree on the importance of shared values such as excellence, dedication, discipline and fair play. In international competitions such as the Commonwealth Games we come together as a nation to celebrate these values.

Like every other Canadian I want to see our athletes on the podium. At the same time I want to recognize each and every one of them for what they have already brought to us through their commitment to their dreams and their courage in pursuing them.

I thank team Canada for the wonderful performances.

The Economy

[Rahim Jaffer, Reform, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, while the Canadian dollar was taking a beating over the summer our Prime Minister was safely bunkered away in his summer fortress.

With his new $80,000, tax funded security system he was safe from the tough questions Canadians wanted answered. Soon our fearless Prime Minister will be able to enjoy the sanctity of country living even faster with the completion of a new road.

The Prime Minister can keep wasting tax dollars on his secret summer hideout in the country or he can put his golf clubs away and do something about the state of our Canadian dollar.

When can Canadians expect leadership from this government, or can we expect to see the dollar remain as low as the Prime Minister's golf score?

Human Rights

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the civilized world was fixated when Pakistan detonated the so-called Islamic bomb. At the same time a number of MPs received letters from the Religious Liberties Commission and the Ahmadi movement in Islam.

The Ahmadi letter anticipates that changes will be made to the constitution of Pakistan which would make it a violation for Ahmadis to keep the holy Koran in their homes. These sanctions could include capital punishment.

The religious liberties letter makes reference to a Christian who was sentenced to death for blasphemy.

I believe that these two are linked, that the so-called Islamic bomb and the widespread persecution of religious minorities in groups in Pakistan are linked and prevent Pakistan from taking its rightful place amongst civilized nations.

I would call upon the Government of Canada to express its displeasure at this fundamental breach of human rights in the same manner as it expressed its displeasure at the detonation of the bomb.

I would also call on my fellow MPs to demand that the Government of Pakistan immediately repeal its—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Apec Summit

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, documents, memos and e-mails from the privy council office, the prime minister's office and the RCMP indicate that the Prime Minister was directly involved in the security arrangements for the APEC summit in Vancouver.

Why has the Prime Minister been denying his involvement for almost a year when all the evidence points to the fact that he bent over backwards to protect an Asian dictator not from violence but from political embarrassment?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there is an inquiry being held at the moment on this matter. I do not want to comment on the incident.

During the APEC summit we received 19 leaders from countries around the world. We had the president of the United States, the president of China, the prime minister of Australia, the president of the Philippines and many others. As the government it was our duty to ensure their security in Canada.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this story has been coming out in dribs and drabs. The Indonesian bodyguards were given the right to shoot Canadian demonstrators. Canadians were arrested for holding up signs which stated such subversive things as democracy and human rights. The protesters were pepper sprayed because they might have been seen by APEC leaders.

The Prime Minister has a chance today to clear the air. Exactly what did he direct his officials to do with respect to APEC security?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it was the responsibility of the RCMP to ensure the security of all the leaders who came to Canada. There was an incident and a committee is now reviewing the incident. It was our responsibility to ensure that all the national leaders who came to Canada would be received in a very safe way, which is exactly what happened.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want answers, not evasions.

According to an official in the privy council office working on security arrangements for the APEC summit: “The Prime Minister will want to be personally involved”. Canadians want to know the extent therefore to which the Prime Minister was personally involved in the security arrangements for APEC.

Why did the Prime Minister trample on the political rights of Canadian citizens in order to protect an Asian dictator?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, arrangements were made by local authorities in Vancouver to ensure order was maintained. Protesters were in areas where everyone could see them. If the Leader of the Opposition had been in Vancouver at that time he would have seen the protesters that some of my ministers and all the members of the delegation saw during their visit.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister deliberately ordered police to quash peaceful protesters. Canadians want to know why and what it was he said.

Why was the Prime Minister more concerned about the feelings of a foreign dictator than he was about protecting the rights of our own Canadian citizens?

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the public complaints commission is investigating the incidents around the APEC meetings. I think that institution, which has been in existence since 1986, has established a good record and deserves the opportunity to get to the bottom of this. That is how Canadians will find out the answers to the questions.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to know what the Prime Minister will do about this and where his fingerprints are all over this deal.

The RCMP had to stare down these bodyguards and Canadians want to know why the Prime Minister gave in to a foreign dictator who uses goons with guns. Why would that be?

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the public complaints commission has existed for a long time. It has done very good work. I think it has the confidence of Canadians. It certainly has the confidence of the government. Consequently I think members opposite should let the appropriate tribunal, at arm's length from the government, do its job and get to the bottom of this.

Social Union

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

Mr. Speaker, the ten premiers reached a historic agreement in Saskatoon on social union.

The Prime Minister's response to this consensus was disdain and arrogance.

Will the Prime Minister recognize that, by so cavalierly rejecting the consensus on social union, as Alain Dubuc, the editorialist of La Presse pointed out, he is treating the provinces with the arrogance and disdain of certain employers of 50 years ago?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when we met last December, it was the federal government and I that had discussions with the premiers in order to hold the meeting and progress in the social field so we could harmonize our policies.

It was an initiative of the federal government. We are in the process of negotiating. However, when people ask the Prime Minister of Canada to change the five conditions of the Canada Health Act, we will not change them, because Canadians want to keep—

[The Speaker]

The leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

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

Mr. Speaker, it was not one of the premiers' demands. The premiers asked him to return the money he had taken out of the pockets of the poorest provinces. That was what they asked.

With the Prime Minister's attitude to the unanimous position of the provinces, we are entitled to ask questions.

Is it not his intention to try to hinder the Conservative government of Mike Harris and the government of Lucien Boucher in order to help docile individuals in Quebec and Ontario come to power?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, provincial elections are going to be held soon. I can see the PQ and their little brothers, the Bloc Quebecois, are nervous.

I want to say that we are asking no more of people than that they be clear and honest with the people of Quebec and not twist and turn like the Parti Quebecois did yesterday so as to muddle Quebeckers even more.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with the huge cuts it has imposed on the provinces, the federal government has exerted some very heavy pressure on health care across Canada.

All the provincial premiers are unanimous on this. The Prime Minister is the only stubborn one.

Could the Prime Minister not learn something from the reception the fishers and the unemployed have been giving his Minister of Human Resources Development all summer, and become less arrogant toward the people who are calling upon him to be more tuned in to the public?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to the hon. member that the Minister of Human Resources Development handled the cod fisher situation very well this summer, that he made some significant offers, that he allocated considerable funds, and that the situation is pretty good under the circumstances, because the Minister of Human Resources Development is really looking after the problems of the disadvantaged, instead of making political hay from it.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing this kind of thing for a long time, but the government is disconnected from the people.

I am asking the Prime Minister: Is his current arrogance, his concern for a high profile, his lack of compassion, his desire to be the boss of Canada and to stick it to the Conservative government of Mike Harris or the government of Lucien Bouchard, not in the process of disconnecting him completely, utterly, from what the people want, which is for Ottawa to return to the provinces the money it took from them for health?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of new alliances, the Ontario ultra-right is becoming the model for the Bloc Quebecois and the Parti Quebecois.

Apec Summit

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Prime Minister and his staff made a decision to sacrifice the democratic rights of Canadians in order to create a comfort zone for a brutal foreign dictator. Today I ask the Prime Minister one simple question. Was it worth it?