House of Commons Hansard #171 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was band.
Jason Kenney Reform Calgary Southeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, Revenue Canada workers in Ottawa are being handed pink slips so that the Prime Minister can spread more pork around his riding.
In December I asked the revenue minister just how many of his employees were being moved from Ottawa to Shawinigan and he did not have a clue at that time.
Again, how many public servants in the revenue department are being moved from Ottawa to Shawinigan or are being fired so that the Prime Minister can take care of business back home?
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the hon. member woke up. In 1996 the government announced a realignment to make sure we utilize all the tax service offices across Canada, including the ones in Surrey, in Summerside and in Ottawa to use high technology scanning and make it an overall call centre.
This was announced two years ago. I am glad the hon. member woke up to the realignment across the country to ensure we serve taxpayers and provide excellent service. That is why this was done.
Jason Kenney Reform Calgary Southeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry the minister is still asleep at the switch. He still has not given an answer. How many jobs have moved to Shawinigan?
When Brian Mulroney started filling his riding with pork, the Liberals cried foul. Now this Prime Minister has become the king of pork, the prince of pork in his own constituency, giving his riding three new hotel additions, a new convention centre, tennis courts, a theme park, a new armoury and of course the canoe hall of fame, all paid for with tax dollars.
Is this why the tax centre is being moved to Shawinigan, because that is where all the money is being spent?
Herb Dhaliwal LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, this is very typical of the Reform Party. It wants to divide Canadians this way. It wants to divide Canadians by region.
I have been informed that one job is moving to the Shawinigan riding. I know the Prime Minister may not be happy but that is the reality.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government is demanding that the provinces undertake to spend any increase in the Canada social transfer to health in accordance with federal terms and conditions.
Is this not somewhat brazen on the part of a government which misappropriated $20 billion out of the EI surplus to finance numerous other projects, from debt reduction to tax cuts, not to mention the purchase of new submarines?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, if I understand the hon. member's question, when we took office, the previous government was planning to raise EI premiums to $3.30.
We, on the other hand, have lowered them every year and, this year, they are down to $2.55, a reduction in excess of $1.5 billion over last year. This is money in the pockets of Canadian workers and small businesses.
Paul Crête Bloc Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, in his new book, the minister responsible for the employment insurance program laments the plight of the poor and the excluded who are the victims of globalization.
Is this not brazen on the part of a minister who imposed quotas to his officials with respect to the number of unemployed who should be excluded from the EI program?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, these allegations about quotas are false. I have never heard anything about such quotas. It is clear however that, like any responsible government, we want to protect our system against fraud because, in order to serve Canadians well, we must see to it that the money goes where it is intended to go.
So, checks are run to ensure the integrity of the system, since the best guarantee for the future of a system is its integrity.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, a British Columbia supreme court decision has made the possession of pornography legal.
Over 70 Liberals have joined with Reformers in urging the minister to use the special Constitution clause to override the court in this instance.
Will the minister today take action and solve this problem for Canadians?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated, we have taken action, as has the attorney general of British Columbia. He announced immediately that he will appeal the decision. He will seek an expedited appeal and we will intervene to support him in the appeal of this case.
We believe that subsection of the code to be constitutional and we will defend it.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, this decision has given pedophiles the right to abuse children.
Over 70 members on that side have asked for action on this issue. This minister and all members of this House in June took 15 minutes to give themselves a pay raise. Will this minister speak to her House leader and in 15 minutes today let us solve this problem of pedophiles?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I have to point out and express my deep dismay at the fundamentally incorrect interpretation of the effect of Mr. Justice Shaw's decision in this case. I think it is most unfortunate that the hon. member would so misrepresent the situation.
We believe that subsection of the Criminal Code is constitutional. That is why we are taking the extraordinary step of intervening before the B.C. court of appeal.
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, last June, the Minister of Indian Affairs announced the creation of an independent inquiry into the division of matrimonial property between men and women when there is a divorce. At the present time, aboriginal women have no protection whatsoever in this area under the Indian Act.
How can the minister explain that, eight months later, this inquiry has not moved ahead one iota, and the people who are to take part in it have not even been named?
Jane Stewart LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, there has been advancement.
The hon. member may be making reference to Bill C-49 which is under debate in the House now. In that piece of legislation 14 first nations will achieve control over the lands that are theirs on reserve. Included in that is a commitment among those 14 first nations to present codes of review for marital property.
As we speak now there are no aspects in the Indian Act that focus on matrimonial property. As a result of this legislation there will be.
David Pratt Liberal Nepean—Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services.
Recent municipal tax changes by the Ontario government have created property tax chaos, especially for those municipalities that depend on payments in lieu of taxes from the federal government.
What is the government doing to ease the tax burden on local property taxpayers such as those in Ottawa-Carleton?
Alfonso Gagliano LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, I have just announced changes in the way the Government of Canada will calculate its 1998 payment in lieu of taxes to Ontario representing a fair and equitable solution to assist local municipalities.
Under the new procedure the Government of Canada will pay as much as 43% more to Ontario municipalities than it did in 1997. In total federal payments to Ontario municipalities will be $35 million more than they were in 1997.
This approach we believe is fair and equitable and will help municipalities and municipal taxpayers to balance their situation.
I would like to thank my colleagues of the capital region in helping me solve—
Inky Mark Reform Dauphin—Swan River, MB
Mr. Speaker, since introducing her magazine bill the heritage minister is dragging Canada into a potential trade war with our largest trading partner. Farmers, cattlemen and forestry are all looking for breathing room from the U.S. on trade, but the minister is upping the ante and threatening exports like wool suits from Montreal, steel from Hamilton and lumber and wheat from the west.
Why is the heritage minister endangering thousands of Canadian jobs with her personal agenda?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, first I thank all members of the House who set aside their partisanship and wrote to express their abhorrence of the measures that were taken by a certain U.S. magazine publisher.
I have made no threats. In fact I have a riding which has more steelworker jobs than any riding in Canada. I also understand that when it comes to the law of the land we must respect due process.
We have on this side of the debate respected due process throughout. We retained the sovereign right to pass laws to support our culture and we expect to do that in the full light of all international agreements.
Charlie Penson Reform Peace River, AB
Mr. Speaker, this minister just does not get it. This is about jobs. She really should get it because it is this type of answer that cost her her job as deputy prime minister in the past.
Bill C-55 is a time bomb waiting to go off. What assurance can this minister give that workers in the steel industry, wool suits, wheat and agriculture will not be threatened just to boost this minister's ego?
Sheila Copps LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, this issue is about the right of Canadians to protect and to promote our own culture. This is a recognition about Canada. That is why members of parliament on all sides of the House except the Reform Party have supported this legislation.
As a government we retain the right to use fair rules in steel, fair rules in textiles and fair rules in culture. This bill is fair for Canadians and Americans.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. Cape Bretoners have for generations produced coal that helped build this economy and get us through two world wars. Now the federal government is dumping Devco. It is time to recognize that contribution with a real commitment to rebuilding the Cape Breton economy.
Why is the government not offering an adjustment package sufficient to give Devco workers and their communities a real chance to rebuild their lives?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to outline the package.
There have been $69 million written off in previous Devco obligations; $41 billion to allow Devco to operate to March 31, 1999; $40 million to allow Devco to operate through to the end of the year 2000; $111 million for human resources planning, including pensions, severance arrangements and training; $68 million for economic development; $80 million over the next few years through ACOA and the Cape Breton Enterprise Corporation; and $140 million over the next four years through the normal active measures of Human Resources Development Canada, for a total of $550 million.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, dumping Devco deals a death blow to $300 million annually in economic activity. The government's package will not make a dent in that annual loss. The livelihood of Devco employees and their families and the lifeblood of the Cape Breton economy is under assault here.
Will the government make the commitment today and this time keep the commitment that Cape Bretoners have a major say in developing a better program for pensions, for severance pay, for retraining and for economic diversification?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, Devco has already undertaken to discuss with the unions the human resources development package. I believe some of those discussions have already taken place.
With respect to community development and economic development, those discussions began last Thursday night led by the Hon. Al Graham and along with Senator Sister Peggy Butts. Indeed the community will be intimately involved in the development of these plans and strategies.