Debates of Nov. 15th, 1999

Audiovisual Productions

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage has maintained that she knew nothing about the practice of using other people's names that went on in the televisual sector.

Yet there was an investigation in 1997, which was put on hold shortly before the election was called and, a few months later, Mr. Shapiro, an executive producer with World Affairs, testified during a trial that he had used someone else's name. The minister therefore cannot seriously maintain that she knew nothing of this practice.

My question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. What has she been doing in the last two years to ensure that taxpayers' dollars are being properly spent?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, for some weeks now, I have been making the point that an RCMP investigation is now under way.

If the member does not believe me, does not believe in the process, perhaps he would believe Agnès Maltais, Quebec's culture and communications minister who, on November 13, asked that the situation within SODEC be assessed and requested that she be given the results of the RCMP investigation. With these two documents, she will be in a position to take action.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister can go ahead and use the excuse that everything is under investigation, but that does not change the fact that there was an investigation and a trial in 1997, nor does it change the recent revelations that show, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that producers acted fraudulently to obtain large amounts of money from the federal government.

By refusing to take the necessary corrective action, is the minister not guilty of complicity?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the member continues to make insinuations. I would just like to say that, if he does not believe me, and if he does not want to listen to Agnès Maltais, he would perhaps be interested in what Denise Robert, the president of the APFTQ, has to say “The insinuations of widespread misappropriation of funds we have been hearing here do not solve anything and are very harmful to the industry as a whole, which generates 25,000 direct and indirect jobs in Quebec annually”.

If he does not want to listen to me, he should at least listen to the president of the APFTQ.

Csis

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I ask the solicitor general again. He has told us that it is the mandate of SIRC to look into this matter and that is correct, but the question is what date did he receive advice from CSIS and what date did he advise SIRC to carry out its mandate and do its job?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated to my hon. colleague previously, I was notified immediately. I do not have to tell SIRC what to do. SIRC is mandated by the House to review the files of CSIS. That is exactly what is taking place.

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, let us try one more time. I need to know and Canadians need to know from the solicitor general the date that he was advised and the date that SIRC was advised by himself, by somebody at CSIS, by somebody in his department. When was SIRC advised to look into the theft? Was it at the same time that the minister was advised? I do not think so.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, all I can do is repeat to my hon. colleague that I received the information from CSIS immediately and SIRC has the mandate from this House to review the files. The files are available. I do not have to tell SIRC what to do. It reviews the files and reports to me.

Finance

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today the ministers of finance are meeting together, and one of the main issues they will be addressing is the cumulative cuts in federal transfers to the provinces which have deprived them of some $33 billion.

Will the federal government admit that it has improved its finances at the expense of the provincial budgets and that transfer payments must be restored to their previous levels in order to allow the provinces to reinvest in health and education?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, surely, the hon. member knows that, last year, health transfers to the provinces were raised in excess of $11.5 billion over five years.

The hon. member must also know that the deficit has been eliminated as a result of the economic upturn in this country, the increase in employment, and the decrease in interest rates, all entirely due to the atmosphere of confidence that reigns in this country at this time.

[Richard Marceau, Bloc, Charlesbourg, QC]

Mr. Speaker, will the minister not admit that the present financial situation of the federal government and of the provinces reveals a serious flaw in the Canadian federal system, namely that the government with the money does not have the responsibilities, while the ones with the responsibilities do not have the money, thanks to him?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, when we look at the debt/GDP ratio, for example, we see that the provinces are far better off than the federal government.

When we look at the amount that the governments are spending on interest, it is 27 cents on the dollar for the federal government and an average of about 14 cents for the provinces.

The three levels of government must work together, and we intend to do so. By so doing, we will have the winning conditions for a stronger economy and a better society.

Justice

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a leaked document from the correctional service indicates plans to spend $3.8 million on a plane because “forecasting indicates the number of violent offenders is expected to increase”. The justice minister says that violent crimes are declining, so why is the solicitor general spending money for transportation on what he calls an increase in violent offences?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, all decisions made by Correctional Service Canada are made with public safety as the number one priority. On the issue of the plane purchase, it is for public safety and also for economic reasons.

[Myron Thompson, Reform, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I do not read a lot of those reasons in the document.

The second reason for spending is that the current system of using RCMP aircraft does not accommodate the scheduling needs of the inmates.

Will the solicitor general please explain? Where are the inmates going in such a hurry? The last time I checked, their schedules were totally flexible.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated previously, the purchase of this plane is, first, for public safety and, second, it will be a money saving venture. As well, the RCMP will have access to this aircraft.

Csis

[Pierrette Venne, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, an analyst from the Canadian Security Information Service was robbed of highly confidential documents, as we know, because she left them unattended in her car. Furthermore, she waited a week to report the theft to her superiors.

Does the minister realize how ridiculous the secret service looks when an employee decides to take secret documents to a Maple Leafs hockey game?

The minister has said he called for an investigation immediately, as soon as he learned the documents had been stolen. What does immediately mean for him? Did he learn about it in the Globe and Mail —

[The Deputy Speaker]

The solicitor general.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated previously, I was informed immediately when this happened. The Security Intelligence Review Committee will do a review, as I indicated previously, and it will have access to all CSIS documents. It will review the situation and it will report to me.

Railway Crossings

[Janko Peric, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. This June several grade school students in my riding could have been seriously injured when a railway crossing arm apparently malfunctioned.

What is the minister doing to improve safety at railway crossings in Cambridge and the rest of the country?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I know that this is of great interest to all members of the House because railway accidents happen very frequently.

In the last 10 years we have seen a reduction in railway crossing accidents. To achieve the goal of preventing accidents, we are actively involved in the crossing improvement program. We have contributed $50 million over the past six years. In fact another $2 million went into the program just recently. We have established a program called Direction 2006 which seeks to increase awareness of safety issues surrounding the rights of way and rail crossing issues across the country.

National Defence

[Art Hanger, Reform, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants to withdraw our troops from Kosovo. He has confirmed what the official opposition has been saying for a long time, that our troops are overstretched. To add insult to injury, he has referred to our men and women in the military as Boy Scouts, while the foreign affairs minister talks about soft power.

When will the Prime Minister stop abusing and running down our military and start giving them the funding they need to do the job?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and all of us on this side of the House have great admiration for the work done by the men and women of our armed forces. We are justifiably proud of the role the forces have played in building peace and security in the troubled Balkans.

We are certainly aware of their funding needs. The Minister of National Defence is working on this. In the meantime, our decision to consolidate in Bosnia has been done not in isolation but in consultation with our allies who are carrying out similar steps to avoid overlap and duplication.

[Art Hanger, Reform, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I can see why the Deputy Prime Minister has to read the answer off as to what the accomplishments of our troops are because he probably does not even know on a personal level.

[The Deputy Speaker]

I do not think I need to remind the hon. member for Calgary Northeast that people sometimes refer to notes in this Chamber, but members do not read. It is contrary to the rules.