House of Commons Hansard #177 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was nafta.
Pierre Brien Bloc Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, because he is upset at Quebec for not signing his social union proposal, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is threatening to deprive our province of funds.
How can the minister claim to feel bound by the government's motion on distinct society, when he is resorting to blackmail to get Quebec to fall in line with all the other provinces?
Stéphane Dion LiberalPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I am not at all concerned about this type of issue, because I am very confident that, as the debate goes on, it will focus more and more on the content of the agreement.
Perhaps I should mention just one clause and ask the hon. member to reflect on it: “A provincial government which, because of its existing programming, does not require the total transfer to fulfill the agreed objectives would be able to reinvest any funds not required for those objectives in the same or a related priority area.”
Gerry Ritz Reform Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, here is a reality check for the finance minister.
Under his watch taxes are up $38 billion, health care funding has been slashed $16 billion. We know taxpayers deserve better than that.
When will the finance minister stop his high tax, health cut agenda?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, in order to have a legitimate debate over tax policy it is important for each political party to lay down its assumptions.
In the budget next week we will do ours as we did ours in the last budget where we cut $7 billion.
The Reform Party has said it will taxes substantially but it has not said where it will find the spending cuts to pay for those tax cuts. The Reform Party owes it to the Canadian people to basically set out its agenda. Whether it is hidden or not it should now see the light of day.
Gerry Ritz Reform Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
We are here today to debate your policies, not ours. We will get there next time round.
TaxationOral Question Period
The Speaker
I ask the hon. member to direct his statements through the Speaker.
Gerry Ritz Reform Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, how can the finance minister continue to defend this ridiculous shell game he is playing, forcing Canadians to pay more and get less?
The legacy is high taxes, 38 tax hikes, health care slashed, 180,000 people still in waiting lines. When will it stop?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, either the Reform program and those tax cuts are real, in which case there are spending cuts that will justify them, or the numbers are pulled out of thin air.
The only issue now before the Canadian people is do Reformers have some kind of policy or are they nothing but windbags?
TaxationOral Question Period
The Speaker
I would ask all hon. members to be judicious in their choice of words.
Richard Marceau Bloc Charlesbourg, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has always said that the RCMP Public Complaints Commission would be able to cast full light on his involvement in the APEC affair.
Yet, last December, its chair stated: “The Prime Minister is not part of my mandate”.
How is it that the Prime Minister has told us on numerous occasions that the commission could investigate his involvement, when the chair of the commission says the opposite?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the public complaints commission reviews complaints brought to it by civilians against the RCMP, which is exactly what it is doing.
Richard Marceau Bloc Charlesbourg, QC
Mr. Speaker, according to secret documents, the Prime Minister discussed security concerns and the comfort of dictator Suharto with the Indonesian ambassador.
The Prime Minister apparently even boasted of Canada's experience in managing such politically sensitive visits.
How could the Prime Minister claim to have never discussed with Suharto's people any questions relating to his security and comfort, when there are secret documents revealing the very opposite?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalSolicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has indicated many times in the House that he and his ministers will co-operate fully with the public complaints commission, and that is what we will do as a government.
Paul Forseth Reform New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister huffs an awful lot about Reform ideas to deflect from his bad record, but he knows absolutely nothing about economic freedom.
The truth is the finance minister has taken $38 billion extra from Canadians' pockets since he came to power and has greatly hurt health care.
I am ask simply and directly why he is promising some tax relief yet going to give tax hikes? Will Canadians get real tax relief this year?
Paul Forseth Reform New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Speaker, the House has heard how the finance minister spins a line and says everything is okay while average Canadians are hurting from the tax man.
There is another fact. Since 1993 he has taxed back 155% of wage increases of Canadians. This is not good enough to pay for the increases. He also wants to go after the savings.
I will ask him this simple question again. Will Canadians pay less on the bottom line this year, yes or no?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we brought in tax relief in the last budget. We are going to bring in tax relief in this budget.
On the other hand, I can understand that this member might have missed it. He might have slept through the budget.
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil, QC
Mr. Speaker, the women's program has been reorganized at the expense of women.
In fact, Status of Women Canada has decided to do away with the support component of its program, and this has deprived women's centres in Quebec and in Canada of thousands of dollars.
As the strategy to provide financial support to women's centres produces excellent long-term results, can the Minister of State for the Status of Women commit, for the good of women, to going back on her decision and restoring this funding immediately?
Hedy Fry LiberalSecretary of State (Multiculturalism)(Status of Women)
Mr. Speaker, the women's program has been funding women NGOs in this country for many years. There is a fair share campaign that has been asking for more funding and we are looking at that issue. We would welcome more funding.
However, the issue of the funding of the women's program is that it has managed to do so much with the budget we have. No women's programs have been cancelled in this country as a result of the funding of the programs to date.
Eugène Bellemare Liberal Carleton—Gloucester, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry.
There are only 325 days left until the end of the century, and the public is concerned increasingly about the year 2000 bug.
Members of the House have heard about what the government is doing regarding Y2K readiness and what businesses should be doing.
Has the Minister responsible for consumer affairs forgotten Canadian consumers?
John Manley LiberalMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, that is right, 325 days left is not very long. We have not forgotten about consumers.
This week we are delivering brochures to every household across this country hoping to give Canadian consumers an indication of the kinds of things they ought to be concerned about as they prepare for the change of the millennium. Some things will be affected in their household, many will not.
In that context I commend the work of the industry committee which this week released its second report on the Y2K problem. It is another important contribution to ensuring that Canada is one of the most prepared countries—
Year 2000 BugOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice.
In Montreal two men are convicted of a brutal rape. In Ottawa a woman is convicted of killing her husband with two bullets to the head. In Ottawa a man is convicted of killing his mother. What do all these crimes have in common? They all went home instead of going to jail.
When will the Minister of Justice change this law so that those convicted of these violent crimes go to jail instead of going home?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows, as I have said in the House on a number of occasions, there are five cases from five different courts of appeal that will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada this spring.
If after hearing those cases it appears that changes need to be made to the law, I can assure this House I will make those changes.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is time for the minister to get out of the classroom and get down to real living.
These people convicted of these violent crimes are going home. That does not mean locked in at home. They are going to movies in their neighbourhood today. They are going shopping today.
When will the minister take the action she should as Minister of Justice and make sure no more cases like what happened in Ottawa this last weekend happen anywhere else in Canada?