Debates of Oct. 19th, 1999

Audiovisual Productions

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of the minister, is she also aware that the name of Patricia Lavoie, Vice-President, Production and Fiction Development at CINAR, has apparently also been used to illegally obtain funding for the film Who Gets the House , the screen-writer of which was in reality the American Timothy Neilson?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member has any allegations to make, let him do so, and I shall put him directly in contact with the RCMP.

The Government of Canada takes these allegations very seriously, and that is why we asked for an RCMP investigation. This will cast the necessary light on all the facts and I can put the hon. member in direct contact with the RCMP if he wishes.

Pay Equity

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the fight for pay equity has been going on for 15 years. The courts keep rejecting the government's appeals one after the other.

Yet, the federal government keeps denying women the right to equal pay for work of equal value.

When will the government stop appealing the rulings made by the courts and when will it finally pay what is owed to its female employees?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, the government is clearly committed to the principle of pay equity for women and men.

The ruling was issued today. It is only normal that we take a few days to look at it, to discuss with the various stakeholders, including the attorney general, so that we can make the best possible decision.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, this government supports the pay equity principle as long as it does not have to treat women as equals, as long as it does not have to pay any money. However, when it is required to actually obey the law and pay, its principles go out the window. Its words say yes, but its actions say no.

Why will the government not treat women as equals?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, this ruling is very important for all federal public service employees. Therefore, it only makes sense that, as a responsible government, we would take time to analyse it. I can assure you that we will then act.

I can understand that affected employees are somewhat anxious about the government's eventual decision, but I would ask them to wait a few more days, to allow us to choose the appropriate direction.

Airline Industry

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. Air Canada today announced its proposal for a restructuring of the Canadian airline industry and in that proposal it requested a full merger review process by the Competition Bureau.

Will the minister require that all proposals, either present or future, go through the same process so that they are all treated the same?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, under section 47 the Competition Bureau is very much engaged. In fact, I asked the bureau for its advice on the restructuring and that report should be coming to me in the next few days. It will be made public and it will be the subject of discussions at the Standing Committee on Transport.

This ensures the role of the bureau on issues dealing with competition, but the bureau does not have the statutory responsibility to deal with levels of service, the protection of employees, price gouging, or whether or not the airline is effectively Canadian controlled. That is why we put section 47 in place, so that the elected representatives of the people will determine the outcome of this matter.

[Bill Casey, Progressive Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in fact the Competition Bureau is there to protect consumers. The Competition Bureau is there to protect consumers for a good reason and it serves a good purpose for the country.

My question is simple. One proposal will accept a full review by the Competition Bureau. Will the minister require all proposals to go through the same process, or is there favoured treatment?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the treatment we have treats everyone equally and that is the treatment envisaged under section 47 as I have just described.

Fisheries

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

Mr. Speaker, the government is hiding behind the judicial robes of the Supreme Court of Canada and its new federal representative in the Marshall decision.

Its own Captain Canada, the Liberal Premier of Newfoundland, has said that the Supreme Court of Canada has to take responsibility for the anarchy in the maritimes. The Marshall decision must be reviewed, not entrenched as government policy. The troubles on the east coast could end today if the government acted.

Why will the government not reject the fisheries policy that assigns jobs on the basis of race?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the member does not understand the issue. This is about a treaty right which is recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Over and over again we have said that we recognize and respect that treaty right. We will work within the spirit of the supreme court judgment.

That is exactly what we are doing now. We have appointed a federal representative. That federal representative is talking to all the groups right now. We are looking at a long term solution to the issue.

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

Mr. Speaker, the fisheries minister has delusions of adequacy. The supreme court has willy-nilly determined that Canada's fishery should be regulated along blood lines. I find that offensive and the government should too.

The West Nova Fishermen's Coalition is seeking clarification of the Marshall decision. The government refuses to support it. Why does the minister not stand now and tell the House how many maritime fisheries jobs he is prepared to sacrifice to satisfy his race based fisheries policy?

[Herb Dhaliwal, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans I want to ensure that we create more jobs out there.

If the hon. member has been listening, we are talking about emerging products, marketing some of their products and aquaculture. All the things I am talking about will create new jobs in the area of fisheries and oceans.

Audiovisual Productions

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in March 1997, following the first investigation by the RCMP, the attorney general decided not to lay charges against CINAR. Barely one month later, Ms. Charest, the president, hosted a Liberal Party benefit supper with the Prime Minister.

I would like the Prime Minister to explain the coincidence between the favorable decision by the attorney general with respect to CINAR, a decision that is hard to explain, and Ms. Charest's involvement in the Liberal Party.

[The Speaker]

I will permit the question, but it must be remembered that questions regarding a political party are not permitted in the House.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the member is again making allegations in the House. These are very serious allegations, and I think that if he does have allegations to make, he should make them to the RCMP.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the president of CINAR is involved in the Liberal Party of Canada. The Prime Minister himself appointed her to the board of the Millennium Scholarship Foundation. Telefilm must investigate this whole matter, as the name of the son of the president is being used and Mr. Macerola, the former Liberal candidate and executive director of Telefilm, says it is an urban myth.

What we want to know is who is the main player in the urban myth, which might be called “In the Kingdom of the Cronies”?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I find that very regrettable, because we know at the moment that SODEC is being investigated, and I would not be the one to throw mud at a political party, because an investigation is being conducted.

Investigations are necessary and for this very reason we have asked the RCMP to get involved. If the member and the Bloc Quebecois have allegations, they should pass them on directly to the RCMP.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

The Supreme Court of Canada has generated serious conflict and confrontation by declaring a special native only commercial fishery on the east coast of Canada.

In spite of the very obvious problems that come from treating Canadians differently, the minister is about to ratify the Nisga'a agreement, effectively creating the exact same special native only commercial fishery on the west coast of Canada.

Why in the world would the minister promote such a concept in the Nisga'a treaty when he knows full well the kinds of serious problems that come with it?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, the reason I am doing it is because it is the right thing to do for B.C. and for Canada.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government had a wonderful opportunity to negotiate equality into the Nisga'a agreement but it went for special status and special legal rights instead. It had an opportunity to embrace unity but opted for division, an opportunity to build bridges but opted for walls.

Ordinary Nisga'a people will pay the biggest price for that folly in the end. Why are the minister and the government prepared to promote disunity, division and discord rather than equality?

[Bob Nault, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, this will bring certainty and foster economic development in the member's backyard.

I would suggest to the member, knowing that he has 24 first nations of his own and he does not talk to them, that he get some advice from them. The advice they would give him is that this is the right thing to do for B.C., for that particular region of British Columbia, and for Canada in the long run. He should support it.

Genetically Altered Foods

[Hélène Alarie, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is in great disarray over genetically altered foods.

The Minister of Industry wants to promote them at all costs, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food wants to export them without knowing their effects, the Minister of Health does not have enough staff to evaluate them, and the Minister of the Environment is blocking the adoption of an international protocol on biosafety.

Will the Prime Minister finally tell them to quit playing around and make the quality of food a priority?

[Lyle Vanclief, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian public and consumers of Canadian food around the world can be very proud of our regulatory system to ensure the safety of Canadian food.

Any genetically enhanced foods go through a very stringent regulatory process to ensure that they are safe for humans, for animals and for the environment before they are approved.