House of Commons Hansard #11 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was treaty.
Michel Guimond Bloc Beauport—Montmorency—Orléans, QC
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Transport not admit that, every time he talks about his intention to amend the ownership rules, he is siding with Onex, as the president of Air Canada pointed out in the The Globe and Mail this morning?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, what is very important is that shareholders of Air Canada and Canadian International be allowed to make a choice about the companies' future. Then we will look at the proposal to determine whether it is in the public interest.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that the APEC inquiry can recall May. Maybe he would explain why federal government lawyers were opposing the application to recall May.
Unlike his officials, the Prime Minister cannot find the right venue to clear the air on his APEC involvement. The Prime Minister was in Vancouver last week, not to testify before the inquiry, but to attend a Liberal fundraiser.
He talked yesterday about APEC security matters, not in front of Judge Hughes, but in front of reporters.
Why is the Prime Minister not willing to do like his officials and volunteer to testify before the APEC inquiry?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the commissioner is a very experienced person who has looked at all the needs. He has requested that some people testify and they have testified. We have given him all the information he has asked for. I let him do his job. He is there and the lawyers of all the parties are there. Let them do their job and they will report to the Canadian public.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, since the APEC conference two years ago Indonesians have managed to throw out two dictators, yet Canadians are still waiting for answers.
Did the Prime Minister ever discuss with his own staff the presence of protesters at APEC? If so, does that not make him responsible when his staff discuss the matter with police?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, a witness by the name of Mr. Bartleman asked me about Indonesia. I invite the lady to read the testimony. She will find that there were perhaps some words that were not completely parliamentary. Read it and you will get your information, and stop making innuendoes based on nothing in Indonesia.
Apec InquiryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I remind hon. members to please address the Chair.
Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, last week I asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs about merchant navy compensation. The minister, along with his other colleagues, took great pleasure in trivializing this issue by refusing to give the veterans a straight answer. Will the minister inform the House today when they can expect a just compensation package?
George Baker LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, we are presently reviewing the matter concerning our veterans, our merchant navy veterans and the entire benefit structure for our veterans. The hon. member is just jealous that her party did not do it when it was in power.
Elsie Wayne Progressive Conservative Saint John, NB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been in power for 38 years since 1945 and they did absolutely nothing until March of this year. When we were only in power for 16 years we put those merchant navy men under the civilian war veterans allowance act.
This is a serious situation. I ask the minister once again if he will inform the House of when the merchant mariners can expect a compensation package of $20,000. Will he do that immediately, before November 11?
George Baker LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, when this question came up when the hon. member's party was in power the leader said no at that time and the leader is still saying no: no to being a member of the House, no to joining the united alternative, no to running in the byelection. Joe Who has become Joe No.
Mike Scott Reform Skeena, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Nisga'a treaty is nothing less than sovereignty association. The intergovernmental affairs minister tried to deny this in the spring, but now the cat is out of the bag.
In an interview yesterday, the Bloc Quebecois said that the treaty could provide an example for the future relationship of the citizens of a sovereign Quebec with the rest of Canada.
Why does the government not admit that this is sovereignty association, nothing less? Why is it countenancing it here in parliament?
Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, something we could never do is banalize what would be the breakup of Canada.
Mike Scott Reform Skeena, BC
Mr. Speaker, apparently the minister did not understand the question. I will ask it again.
In the spring he said that the Nisga'a treaty was not sovereignty association. Yesterday the Bloc said it finds it a very interesting treaty and it intends to use it as a model for its sovereignty association project.
I again ask the intergovernmental affairs minister why the government is prepared to accept it in the Nisga'a treaty when it rightly denies it in Quebec?
Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, there will be no Nisga'a land in the United Nations. The Nisga'a will not be an independent state in the United Nations. Quebec will also not be an independent state in the United Nations.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, in recent years, the government has intervened, in particular by awarding of the best international routes to its friends at Canadian International Airlines. Today the minister is apparently preparing to change the rules of ownership, again to the advantage of Canadian International Airlines.
Has the government not shown, on two separate occasions, through its treatment of Canadian International Airlines, that it is prepared to do everything to save that company and that, as far as it is concerned, the die is cast?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I will show in committee this afternoon that our policy favours the Canadian people, not a company, but the people of Canada, the travellers of Canada.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, what message is the Minister of Transport sending the shareholders of Air Canada when he says he is prepared to change the law to accommodate Onex and Canadian International Airlines? Is the message not to the effect that it is more important to be a friend of the government in doing business with it than to comply with the law?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, it is very important that the shareholders of Air Canada and Canadian International Airlines decide on the future of these companies.
Following a decision, if we receive a proposal, we will look at it in the public interest.
John Cummins Reform Delta—South Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs should know that in 16 areas the power of the Nisga'a government will be paramount to that of the provincial and federal governments.
In the Marshall decision, the court arrived at its decision based on misinterpretation of a key government witness. The Nisga'a treaty is much more complex than the Mi'kmaq treaty. It has more than 50 unresolved issues yet the government is prepared to sign off on it. The government is handing the courts a blank cheque.
After all the chaos created by the Marshall decision, why is the government rushing through a treaty in which so many specifics remain unresolved?
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I want to relate to the member and to the House what this party has been saying for the last number of months.
The first myth is that the charter does not apply to the Nisga'a government. That is wrong.
The second myth is that the rights of Nisga'a women are unprotected. That is wrong as well.
The third myth is that the treaty provides for taxation without representation. That again is wrong.
If we are going to have a debate in the House, these members have to start from the premise of reading the treaty itself line for line.
John Cummins Reform Delta—South Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, the minister proved once again that this is question period not answer period.
The Mi'kmaq treaty placed restrictions on the Mi'kmaq right to trade. The supreme court twisted that to allow for a race-based priority fishery. The Nisga'a treaty allows for a race-based priority right to fish on the west coast.
The Marshall decision has created havoc on the east coast. With 50 unresolved issues, the Nisga'a treaty will create havoc on the west coast.
Why is the government perpetuating the chaos of a flawed court decision by proposing flawed legislation?
Bob Nault LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, let me go back to the myths of the Reform Party. One of the myths that the Reform Party is trying to perpetuate is that the treaty does not recognize federal and provincial laws. That is wrong.
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, in the CINAR affair, the Minister of Canadian Heritage is accusing the Bloc Quebecois of making unfounded allegations and is carefully avoiding to answer any of our questions.
How can the minister explain that she continues to clam up whenever we ask questions, on the pretext that an investigation is being carried out, while her department officials are giving private briefing sessions to certain journalists acknowledging that there are problems at Telefilm Canada?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, if the reference is to briefings for journalists, these are certainly not secret briefings.