Debates of Feb. 11th, 1999

Water Exports

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Environment tried to pretend that they were living up to the NDP motion passed in the House of Commons the day before concerning the bulk export of water from Canada.

However, what they announced falls far short of the motion. For example, the motion called on the federal government to declare immediately a moratorium on bulk water exports. Instead there are to be 10 separate provincial moratoriums and they are not necessarily immediate, if some of them happen at all.

Worst of all the Liberals continue to parade the half-truth that water is not affected by NAFTA. If so, why do they say that they want to avoid a national ban on exports on the grounds, that that would treat water as a tradable good and might trigger NAFTA?

If water was exempt like raw logs, beer and culture are under NAFTA, we could ban it or not ban its export as we please; but we cannot and we will not be able to until the Liberals face up to the reality of what they once knew and now deny, that we either have to change or scrap NAFTA.

Théâtre Du Rideau Vert

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Mitis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is with emotion and gratitude that the Bloc Quebecois pays tribute to the management and staff of the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and expresses its gratitude to Mercédes Palomino, who founded the theatre jointly with Yvette Brind'Amour.

The Rideau Vert is Quebec's oldest French theatre. It has put on nearly 300 productions. Its aims have remained unchanged: to provide the public with professional quality theatre and to promote the work of Canadian and Quebec playwrights.

It put on the first productions of Michel Tremblay's Les Belles-Soeurs , Antonine Maillet's La Sagouine and Françoise Loranger's Une maison, un jour ... and Encore 5 minutes .

The Bloc Quebecois hopes the curtain continues to rise at the Rideau Vert for many decades to come on productions that touch both our hearts and our imaginations.

Congratulations to Ms. Brind'Amour and to Metcha.

The Late Yvon Dufour

[Jacques Saada, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today Quebec weeps at the loss of one of its great actors, Yvon Dufour, who died at the age of 68.

We watched him in Le Courrier du roy , Jeunes visages , D'Iberville , Les Enquêtes Jobidon , La Petite semaine , where he was the lead, and Le Temps d'une paix , among others.

For a person arriving in a new country, local television represents a powerful source of cultural learning. It was how I learned. Yvon Dufour contributed to it significantly. He was part of my discovery of my adopted land. Like many others and with considerable talent, he helped me better understand Quebec.

I wanted to thank him today and to pay him tribute. I offer my heartfelt sympathy to his family.

Job Corps Program

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, at the end of March the federal-provincial New Brunswick job corps program comes to an end. This program assists older workers and makes possible projects like facilities beautification, silviculture, fish enhancement, upgrading tourist facilities and other environmental projects.

While the province was prepared to continue the program, the human resource minister, ignoring his own officials, decided not to renew it or extend it, leaving 956 people with an uncertain future.

Employers and participants have praised the program and new Brunswick communities have benefited immensely from the projects. Cancellation will affect the entire province.

The Liberals have finally stumbled upon a good program and now they are ignoring the assessment of their officials by cancelling it without providing a replacement to meet the needs of participants, employers or the community.

I urge the government to reconsider its plan before adding hundreds more to the ranks of the poor.

Waste Report

[Steve Mahoney, Liberal, Mississauga West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the most recent edition of the member for St. Albert's so-called waste report indignantly claims that the Department of National Defence is nickel and diming us into the poorhouse by spending $1,033 to replace a lost tricycle. “It must have belonged to a general's granddaughter”, the hon. member writes.

It turns out that this tricycle was a military cargo transporter used by soldiers to assist victims of the Saguenay region flood in 1996. Only the Reform Party would believe that helping Canadians who are being ravaged by floods is somehow a waste of money.

I have some advice for the hon. member. He should check his facts and do his homework. Until the accuracy of the member's publication improves I will continue to relegate it, the copy of the waste report, to the wastebasket where it truly belongs.

Donald Calne

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Donald Calne, who received his arts, science and doctor of medicine degrees from Oxford University, is director of the neuro degenerative disorders centre at the University of British Columbia.

He has achieved international stature for his work on Parkinsonism. He introduced bromocriptine as a treatment for Parkinson's disease. He has demonstrated that latent damage occurs in the brain even before the symptoms of Parkinsonism appear. He was recently named Officer of the Order of Canada for his research, writings and contributions to international medicine.

Health Care

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the crisis in the health care sector continues.

Since the Liberals took office, over $16 billion has been snatched away from the provinces in the sector of health care and social services.

The result is clear in the reports we have been seeing of late. Waiting time in Quebec emergency rooms has reached a critical level. As is the federal Liberals' practice, the blame is passed on to the provinces.

Next week's budget will not provide the $16 billion already taken. The Minister of Finance will try to convince you he is repairing the health care system, but billions more will be needed to fix it.

Canadians, beware, next week's budget will bring you more taxes and less health care.

Taxation

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a new study by the Vanier Institute of the Family proves what Canadian families already know, that taxes under the Liberals have reached a record high.

Income taxes alone now eat up almost one-quarter of every family's budget. Although we are paying record taxes to the Liberals, they have cut our health care deeper than ever.

Could the Prime Minister please tell us why we are paying record taxes but he has cut our health care to the bone at the same time?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance said many times in the House, we have reduced taxes every year we have been in government.

To give an example, when we formed the government the EI premium was $3.30. We reduced that to $2.55. We made reductions in taxes every year, including last year. The surtax for those below $50,000 of 3% was completely eliminated and 400,000 taxpayers were not on tax rolls at all after the last budget.

I am confident that the Minister of Finance will think about the taxpayers come next Tuesday.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister could check his books. Taxes have gone up, not down. Average Canadians are paying $1,800 more this year in taxes than when the Prime Minister took over in 1993, yet they have had $1,150 cut out of their health and social programs. That is $1,800 more in taxes and they have cut $1,150 on health care.

How can the Prime Minister bill himself as the great guardian of health care when he ought to be sued for malpractice?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, exactly a week ago I had a discussion with all the premiers. We discussed health care. They were all very positive about the intention of the federal government for the next budget.

Perhaps the member should check with the premiers before asking questions.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure they are comforted that the Prime Minister is going to put back a fraction of what they have taken out since they took office in 1993.

Next week in the budget we will probably hear about a $2 billion selective tax cut. Canadians are saying “thank you very little”. Incredibly, we are still paying more taxes, not less. Since 1993 the Prime Minister has wrung $1,800 more out of the average taxpayer and still take back $1,150 in cuts to health care.

How can the Prime Minister brag about being the great slasher of health care and Mr. tax hike?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were elected to provide good government for the people of Canada and we do not have to work with anybody to try to form an alliance to survive.

We are continuing to provide good government. The united is here and the alternative is there.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that was very eloquent.

Taxpayers are paying $1,800 more this year in taxes than they did in 1993. Meanwhile this year, government spending is down $1,150 per taxpayer for health care since 1993.

Has the Prime Minister no shame that he is charging taxpayers $1,800 more this year than he did in 1993 yet he is cutting the heart out of health care?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we cut taxes by $7 billion in the last budget over a period of three years. We reduced the EI premium every year since we formed the government, from $3.30 to $2.55.

At the same time, we managed to eliminate the deficit which was $42 billion. I guess the people of Canada know we are doing our best and we are providing good administration which is ensuring the growth that permits the government to balance its books.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should understand that it was not he or his government that reduced the deficit. It was Canadian taxpayers who eliminated the deficit. He took $1,800 out of their pockets every year to reduce the deficit. He is putting back a fraction of what he took out of health care.

I wonder how the Prime Minister feels to be known as the man who put the hell into health care.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am a bon Chrétien. I will easily forgive those words. Yes, there is more tax paid in Canada because there are 1,500,000 Canadians who were not working but who have jobs today because we have provided good government. There are more people paying taxes because the level of unemployment went down from 11.5% to 7.8% last month.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, General Baril showed us yesterday just what a good cover-up operation he runs.

But the more we hear about the Prime Minister's ski vacation, the less we understand.

My question is very simple: Can the Prime Minister tell us what kind of plane he used to fly to Vancouver and whether it stayed there during his holiday?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister always flies in a Challenger. There is nothing secret about that.

I have always interrupted my vacations. When nine Eskimo died in New Quebec, I interrupted my vacation, unlike the leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not have a Challenger.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

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

Can he tell us then how it is that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the delegation of members left Ottawa in a Challenger on Sunday morning and flew to Amman in 12 hours, while seven hours were not enough for the Prime Minister to make it from Vancouver to Ottawa? Will he explain that for us?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, General Baril explained this yesterday. The Canadian Armed Forces are responsible for getting the Prime Minister around. The Prime Minister himself does not tell the pilot what time to get up. That is not my responsibility.

However I would point out to the leader of the Bloc Quebecois that the leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Jean Charest, who does not have a Challenger either, attended the funeral service in New Quebec.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was outside the country, but this is not how question period works.