House of Commons Hansard #196 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was dollar.

Topics

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Scott Brison Progressive Conservative Kings—Hants, NS

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. I do not see supporting this motion and supporting the notion of further debate on a very important issue as in any way letting the Liberals off the hook. I have heard arguments that common currencies take away the sovereign ability for governments to implement bad economic policy. I would argue that if the Liberals listened to and perhaps took more Progressive Conservative policies, even they would have the capacity to implement some good economic policies. I commend the Liberals for having kept free trade and the GST and for maintaining the deregulated transportation, energy and financial services. Those were the policies of the Conservatives.

The only thing worse than the Liberals taking so unabashedly Conservative policies would be if they were to implement their own.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Bloc

Pauline Picard Bloc Drummond, QC

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to take part in this opposition day debate on the motion introduced by the leader of the Bloc Quebecois and by the hon. member for Charlesbourg. I thank them for their initiative.

The motion reads:

That, in the opinion of this House, a Special Committee of the House of Commons should be struck in order to consider the possibility of Canada's participation in the creation of a pan-American monetary union.

On January 1, a new currency came to existence: the Eurodollar. Over the next three years, national currencies, some of which have been in existence for several centuries, will be relegated to museums and private collections. The decision to have a new reserve currency, in addition to the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, is an important event in the economic history of the world.

The signing of the Maastricht treaty allowed European Union members to enjoy the free movement of people, goods, services and money on their whole territory. A monetary component has now been added to that economic alliance, with the result that, in the future, there will be only one currency and one key interest rate in effect in 11 countries of Europe. One cannot witness these changes without wondering what is going on in America.

The lesson to be learned from the adoption of the Eurodollar is that, sooner of later, economic integration raises the issue of monetary integration. Within about 50 years, Europe has gone from experiencing one of history's most bloody wars to creating a common market, which was restricted at first but later expanded through the Treaty of Rome, and finally establishing a true monetary union.

Why? Because there are many benefits associated with using a common currency when there is a high volume of trade between countries: it reduces uncertainty and the costs of currency transactions, there is increased pricing transparency, resources are better allocated, and there are many other pluses.

Naturally, there is a downside to abandoning national currencies. A currency is first and foremost a trade tool and a store of value, but it can serve as a buffer when our economy is undergoing stresses different from those of neighbouring nations.

The new currency must also be given time to settle in. Some people are still worried about the initial performance of the Euro in the markets and will wait until it is well established before they are prepared to trust it.

But the decision to convert to the Euro means that the 11 nations that did so felt that these disadvantages were offset by the benefits associated with the new currency. Otherwise, the Euro would never have seen the light of day.

The immediate result of the arrival of the Euro on money markets is the drop in the number of so-called intermediate currencies. The Euro replaces the French, Belgian and Luxembourg franc, the German mark, the Finnish markka, the Italian lira, the Austrian schilling, the Irish pound, the Dutch florin, the Spanish peseta and the Portuguese escudo.

In the medium term, the Euro will very likely also replace the English pound, the Greek drachma, the Swedish krona and the Danish krone. This is of direct concern to us; with so many currencies disappearing, what currency will international speculators settle on?

We have only to remember the ravages of the Asian financial crisis, when everyone rushed to the safety of the American dollar, to understand the concrete impact of the Euro. If the Canadian loonie had a rough ride in 1998, so did most European currencies to some degree.

However, it seems clear that, with the Euro on the scene, a new international financial crisis would not have the same repercussions in Europe. Unfortunately, such a crisis would still hit Canada just as hard, perhaps even worse, because those speculating on the rise and fall of currencies during a financial storm have now lost 11 of the horses they can bet on, thus increasing our chances of attracting their interest.

In 15 or 20 years from now, what major currencies will there be left, apart from the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and maybe the Chinese yuan? In that context, in order to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of the growing speculation on currencies, some have proposed a tax on financial transactions, like the so-called Tobin tax.

But we cannot avoid analysing seriously the alternatives offered to us if we do not want to become one of the main targets of international speculators. For example, we could abandon our marginalized national currency and replace it by a strong currency. But still, which one should we choose?

Both Americas may be destined to have a common currency, from the north pole to the south pole, under an extended free trade agreement. But before we consider creating an all new currency, we should remember that there already exists a very strong currency very close to us, a currency which is used as a refuge when the global economy crumbles, that is the American dollar.

The Canadian money supply totals approximately $600 billion Canadian, or almost $400 billion U.S. In comparison, the American money supply is close to $6,000 billion U.S. and increased by approximately 10% in 1998 over 1997.

Considering that the Canadian money supply in American dollars represents only 6 or 7% to the American money supply, the “dollarization” of Canada, that is the conversion of our economy to the U.S. dollar represents, from the American point of view, barely several months of growth for the American money supply.

It is also interesting to note that in some regards, the new European central bank operates like the U.S. federal reserve. In both cases, the central bank establishes the common monetary policy in consultation with a number of regional bank representatives. Therefore, a system where the Bank of Canada would be the thirteenth regional bank of an American network is quite conceivable.

All this is hypothetical, at least for now. But this issue is already raising hackles, particularly in Canada. The main argument is that by giving up its currency, either through freezing the exchange rate relative to another currency or adopting the U.S. dollar, Canada will lose all flexibility with regard to its economic policies.

However, looking at the evolution of the Canadian and American bank rates over the last 50 years, one is forced to recognize that the independence of Canada's monetary policy exists only in some people's mind. In fact, the best way to determine the bank rate in Canada from 1950 to 1986 is to take the bank rate they had in the United States at a particular point during that period and increase it by 1.1 percentage point.

Of course, some may point out that in 1996 and 1997, the Canadian bank rate was lower than the American bank rate for the first time in 50 years. However, we became very aware of the limits of this so-called monetary autonomy on August 27 of last year, when the loonie plunged to record lows and the Bank of Canada had to intervene by raising the bank rate to support the Canadian dollar.

By rejecting this motion as if they were holders of the absolute truth, the Liberals are burying their heads in the sand, as if what goes on elsewhere will never affect us. This refusal to accept change reminds us of their historical position against the free trade agreement.

Recent developments in Europe, including the introduction of the Eurocoin, raise new issues. From whichever point of view, Quebec's or Canada's, federalist or sovereignist, one cannot escape the issues related to economic globalization. These issues are being raised today, and by addressing them in a timely fashion, we increase our chances of taking in stride this inevitable and already noticeable turn towards a new economy. This requires a great deal of thought. That is why the Bloc Quebecois is inviting all members of this House to think about this issue, to take part in this debate and to vote in favour of this motion.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:45 p.m.

Bloc

Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Madam Speaker, I would have thought, with a debate as important as this one on the future of the Canadian currency and the use of a North-American currency, or perhaps a pan-American one, there would have been more interest forthcoming from the government side. They have had virtually nothing to say right from the start, with the exception of using their speaking time for a ten-minute speech of highly dubious nature.

I would like to begin by congratulating my colleague from Charlesbourg, the man behind this most important debate. The question, as set out in the motion, is not whether we must change to some other currency starting tomorrow morning. The question is this: are we going to put on blinkers in the next few weeks, months or years, when debates arise concerning economic interdependence and the future of macroeconomic tools such as monetary policy?

The question is this: are we going to isolate ourselves from major world trends, or are we going to start right now looking at the pros and cons of changing the way we do things.

What I have heard so far has been pretty esoteric. I did not believe we had reached the stage here in parliament of being so blinded by narrow Canadian nationalism as to declare ourselves “staunch defenders of our independence”. Prepared to fight to the death to maintain the Canadian dollar. Ready to fight to the death to prevent Canada from becoming a banana republic”. I will come back to the remarks by the member for Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys, which were totally out of the current debate.

Let us consider some of the arguments we heard from the other side of the House. We heard the Secretary of State for Financial Institutions, not just anyone, but someone who is supposed to be somewhat more open to changes in economic development and in international world trade. He said “Canadian sovereignty is vital. We will not hand Canadian sovereignty over to the Americans”.

We have to recognize the fact that the economic interdependence that was built over the past 50 years, in fact since the start of the first GATT agreement in 1947, is practically complete.

There are 134 countries who are signatories to the WTO agreements. Almost all trade is governed at the moment by rules that are liberalizing it, rules that became rules of law with the creation of the WTO and the establishment of the Marrakesh agreement of 1994.

The government is so far behind that it is now avoiding any debate on the use of a North American currency or one for the three Americas. However, the World Trade Organization, in which Canada is represented, is entertaining the idea that, some day, we might have a world currency. Members can imagine how far behind we are right now. And the one who brought up the ides of a world currency is not just anybody, but the WTO's current director general, Mr. Ruggiero.

We are so far behind here that we forget that, while goods and services have been moving freely under the GATT, and now the WTO rules, capital is not subject to such strict rules that would provide similar protection. As we saw with the Asian crisis, the financial sector is not subject to strict enough rules. The result is that secondary currencies such as the Canadian dollar are subjected to devastating speculation.

It must be pointed out that daily capital movement is currently 30 to 40 times greater than the movement of goods and services throughout the world. If we want some form of protection, we should wonder about the recent Asian crisis, which may not be the last financial crisis to occur in the world. We must ask ourselves questions about the forms of protection that we can create. And one of them is to consistently reduce the number of secondary currencies in the world. Eleven of them have already been merged into a single currency, thus eliminating 11 possibilities for unscrupulous speculators, who destroy national currencies, thus threatening the countries' economic future and job creation efforts.

The Liberals are not interested in talking about this. They would rather talk about Canada's independence. I have never heard so much talk about economic sovereignty in parliament as I have this morning. Independence, as they are using the term however, misses the whole point.

Do the Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions and the Minister of Finance think it is more important to have symbolic, artificial independence, or real powers within a North American organization of the three Americas or an international organization?

My colleague, the member for Charlesbourg, earlier told us how European monetary policy worked, explaining that France had only just recently acquired a say in the future of the French franc, because the future of currencies in Europe was determined by the Bundesbank.

With the creation of the Euro, France will have a say in German policy. That is real power, real sovereignty. France has exchanged an ultimately artificial—because it no longer had any power at all—independence with respect to monetary policy for real power. It did so by banding together.

The same is true for international economic integration, economic interdependence. All members of the House should know this, but they are obtuse. There was the case in 1997 of Costa Rica, a small country of 2.5 million inhabitants, winning an international case against the claims of the American government. Imagine that. Costa Rica never would have thought itself capable of swaying decisions of the United States, the strongest power in the world. Because of economic interdependence and common rules, these small countries have gained extraordinary powers. That is real independence, true national sovereignty.

I listened to the speech of the member for Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys. It was a despicable speech. We are fortunate that the NDP will never have a chance to be the government because if there is a party that would establish a banana republic, it is that party.

I thought it was so preposterous of the member for Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys to ask “Do we want to avoid, after the separation of Quebec, a debate on the use of the currency and a situation where a sovereign Quebec would have no right to use the Canadian dollar?” I am sorry, but the member is really out of touch with reality.

We hold 25 per cent of the money supply. Twenty-five per cent of the money circulating in Canada belongs to Quebec. Whether there is sovereignty or not, this money will always belong to Quebeckers. That is very clear.

Whether we have a North American currency or not, they will have one heck of problem when this happens and it is decided that we will be using the Canadian dollar whether they like it or not. They do not want to hear about it. I can understand that. It would bother me too.

The member for Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys quoted the governor of the new European Central Bank, who said something along these lines “Countries of the European Union will not have any say in the monetary policy of the new bank”. This goes without saying, since in every industrialized country the monetary policy is essentially independent from political power.

Even under the Bank of Canada Act, the powerful Bank of Canada, which he reveres and which does not have any power left according to us, is said to be independent from the political powers in Ottawa. The member told us, quoting the governor of the new European bank, that the use of a common currency generates a loss of sovereignty. Obviously, the hon. member does not know how monetary policies work.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance said “We cannot have a monetary integration of the three Americas. We have different economic realities, different inflation rates, different unemployment rates”. So what? Do the 11 European countries that adopted the Eurocoin as their common currency have similar inflation rates? Do they have similar unemployment rates? Do they have similar domestic policies? Come on. What we heard here makes no sense at all.

I would have liked to have a real debate on this issue, the kind of debate this motion brought forward by my leader and by the member for Charlesbourg deserves. Instead of that, what we have heard so far today is just political bragging about Canada's sovereignty, about the need to defend that sovereignty at all costs. But Canada is losing this debate and it will cost us dearly in terms of our sovereignty.

Canadians may have an identity problem, but Quebeckers do not. We are able to have a debate on economic, monetary and global integration without fear of losing our identity. Quebeckers are sure about their identity. Canadians are not.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

The Speaker

I must interrupt the hon. member. I remind him there are five minutes remaining for questions and comments. It being almost two o'clock, we will now proceed to Statements by Members.

Canadian Red CrossStatements By Members

March 15th, 1999 / 1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that March is Canadian Red Cross Month.

In my riding of Kitchener Centre and across the Waterloo region the local Red Cross branch is holding its 7th annual jelly bean blitz. This event raises not only awareness for it but much needed funds.

I commend and acknowledge the hard work of the 200 local volunteers who assist the Red Cross each year. The Canadian Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that delivers valuable programs ranging from water safety and first aid to abuse prevention and breakfast programs. It is also active overseas in helping victims of war and natural disaster.

I take this opportunity to recognize this organization which dedicates itself to the welfare of people all over the world and wish it a successful Red Cross Month.

Young Offenders ActStatements By Members

1:55 p.m.

Reform

Werner Schmidt Reform Kelowna, BC

Mr. Speaker, in 1994 two high school girls attending Mount Boucherie Secondary School were so concerned about the inadequacies of the Young Offenders Act that they launched a petition asking the government to strengthen it. They will be disappointed.

The proposed legislation takes only minimal steps toward recognizing their concerns and ignores the recommendations of the minister's own justice committee.

British Columbians have additional concerns. The recent non-action by both the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister regarding the recent Shaw decision about child pornography has incensed Canadians.

I appeal to both the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister to change their attitudes toward justice in deference to law-abiding Canadians by making sure Canada has a justice system that protects us and our children, not a system of legal technicalities that allows judges to refuse pleas of guilty by perpetrators of crime.

FarmingStatements By Members

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Rose-Marie Ur Liberal Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON

Mr. Speaker, farming is a way of life for over 200,000 Canadian farm families from coast to coast. Too often, however, it is also a way of injury and death. Six hundred and ninety-seven Canadians died in farm related accidents between 1990 and 1996. Most of these deaths could have been prevented.

During National Farm Safety Week, March 10 to 17, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, together with corporate partner, John Deere Limited, are urging farmers and their families to think about how they can protect themselves from the possible hazards of living and working on a farm.

Lambton Farm Safety Day is held every summer in my riding to teach children some of the safety concerns on the farm. I congratulate the organizers of this well attended program. This year's national theme of “Safe Farming is Smart Farming” highlights the need for everyone involved in agriculture to promote safety awareness and to follow safe practices.

Middle EastStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Yvon Charbonneau Liberal Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, March 14, was a day of solidarity with southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa Valley, and especially the people there.

This day of solidarity is a reminder of the eight day invasion of these areas by Israel 21 years ago. It also marks the security council's adoption, on March 19, 1987, of Resolution 425 proposed by the American representative calling for respect of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from that country.

Unfortunately invasions and acts of aggression have continued—in 1982, 1993, 1996 and right up to today.

A few days ago hundreds of unarmed students pushed back Israeli forces that had annexed the village of Arnoun.

Just a few days ago, even Ariel Sharon said he supported the unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.

Only the implementation of Resolution 425 will bring about a just and lasting peace and security for all in this troubled area of the Middle East.

PovertyStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON

Mr. Speaker, on December 4, 1998, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights issued a report which dealt in part with poverty. Article 13 noted that although Statistics Canada's low income cut-off was widely used by experts to measure poverty the Government of Canada itself did not accept it as a poverty line.

The UN committee has therefore recommended that Canada establish an official poverty line so that we can measure and respond to the tragedy of poverty and be held accountable for our progress.

I encourage the government to quickly respond to the call of the UN to establish a credible poverty line so we can target our resources to relieve real poverty in Canada from sea to sea to sea.

HockeyStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Reform

Val Meredith Reform South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the official opposition I congratulate Canada's National Women's Hockey Team that was crowned world champions for the fifth consecutive year with a 3-1 victory yesterday over the arch-rival American team.

The U.S. scored first threatening to repeat its Olympic upset, but Team Canada answered with three goals demonstrating its true character and skills. Kudos to Daniele Sauvageau's excellent coaching for Canada's world tournament record of 25 wins and zero losses.

This record is due in large part to Toronto's Sami Jo Small's acrobatic goal tending. In recognition of their excellent play, Small along with Calgary's Hayley Wickenheiser and Kingston's Jayna Hefford were selected as first team all stars.

Once again Canada's women's hockey team has done us proud. It is the guys turn now.

Quebec GamesStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Bloc

Réjean Lefebvre Bloc Champlain, QC

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the tremendous success of the Quebec Games in the Mauricie region.

As the member for Champlain, I congratulate Yves Charpentier, president of the 1999 Quebec Games, which were the 34th provincial finals, and Réjean Lemay, director general, and the major organizers, for their superb management of these games, resulting in a budget surplus.

Also I wish to thank and salute the 3,500 volunteers who helped run the show, making the games a memorable success in our Mauricie region.

I also want to congratulate all the athletes who are the reason for such a success. I congratulate and encourage all our young athletes in the Mauricie region for doing their personal best in their respective disciplines. These young athletes represented us so well, by winning 19 medals at the 1999 Quebec Games.

Semaine De La FrancophonieStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Ben Serré Liberal Timiskaming—Cochrane, ON

Mr. Speaker, in this Semaine de la Francophonie, all Canadians should celebrate.

French speaking Canadians outside Quebec have every reason to be proud. By working hard to protect and promote the French language and culture, they give our country a truly Canadian identity.

Each Canadian province has to face different realities, but this concern to maintain high quality French is a plus for all Canadian culture.

The federal government contributes in various ways to support agencies or groups interested in stressing the importance of this Semaine de la Francophonie.

Semaine De La FrancophonieStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Denis Paradis Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Semaine de la Francophonie is a major contribution to the Canadian identity.

Incidentally, let me remind the House that the summit in Moncton will help the international community to get better acquainted with the various facets of the Canadian Francophonie and emphasize the important contribution of Acadians to our rich national heritage.

This summit will also give all Canadians the chance to show their pride and their sense of belonging while making new friends in the rest of the French speaking world community.

My best wishes go to all organizers of this event, which is of the utmost importance to all of us.

CurlingStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Reform

Howard Hilstrom Reform Selkirk—Interlake, MB

Mr. Speaker, today it is my pleasure to congratulate the winners of the 1999 Labatt Brier, the holy grail of Canadian curling.

On Sunday, March 14, Manitoba skip Jeff Stoughton, third Jonathan Mead, second Garry Van Den Berghe and lead Doug Armstrong defeated the Quebec team of Guy Hemmings, Pierre Charette, Guy Thibaudeau and Dale Ness.

The game was a classic epic battle between two curling giants. Quebecers can be proud of their congenial champion and the people of Edmonton can take pride in staging a tremendously successful brier with the highest fan attendance ever.

All Canadians, especially Manitobans, wish Jeff Stoughton and his team good luck as they go on to represent Canada in the 1999 world championships at Saint John, New Brunswick.

HockeyStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Nancy Karetak-Lindell Liberal Nunavut, NU

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to join others in taking the opportunity to congratulate Team Canada winners at the 1999 Women's World Hockey Championship.

Team Canada won its fifth straight world championship this past weekend spanning back to 1991. Led by five time world team leaders, France St-Louis of Saint-Hubert, Quebec, and Geraldine Heaney of North York, Ontario, the team went through the tournament undefeated and now own a perfect 25-0 record in world championship competition.

The 20 women who compromise Team Canada 1999 are remarkable role models for the thousands of young girls and women taking up the game of hockey in this country. I know all hon. members and Canadians everywhere join me in congratulating Team Canada.

Eastern Ontario FrancophonesStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Bloc

Odina Desrochers Bloc Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, Professor Charles Castonguay has written an affidavit for SOS Montfort on the situation of francophones in Eastern Ontario.

The Liberal members from this region, who represent these French speaking Canadians, ought to read it.

We learn from this document that, in the nation's capital and surrounding area, the assimilation rate of francophones has grown from 13% in 1971 to 24% in 1996 overall and from 19% to 32% for people 25 to 34 years old.

“For the Ottawa—Carleton residents born in Ontario only, the net assimilation rate of young francophone adults reached 41% in 1996”, according to Professor Castonguay.

House Of CommonsStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

NDP

Nelson Riis NDP Kamloops, BC

Mr. Speaker, when visitors look around the Chamber do you know what they see? They see men and women who essentially have become political eunuchs or human rubber stamps.

The budget debate takes place in the media as a result of leaked details, and parliament rubber stamps the budget. The government works hard to introduce the MAI and committing future governments for up to 20 years, and parliament is all but ignored. Ministers rarely make public policy statements in parliament but choose instead the national press theatre. The government negotiates NAFTA in secret with its dispute settlement panels operating in secret, locks in future governments and basically ignores parliament.

Parliament conducts take note debates on peacekeeping missions and the government essentially ignores the content of the debates. Parliament passes a motion calling for a moratorium on water exports and the government then asks the United States government to join Canada to study the pros and cons of water exports and water diversion. We pass legislation banning MMT and then back down when the U.S. pressures us just like we will do with Bill C-55 later today.

Parliament has become Canada's national theatre and parliamentarians speak not in the House of Commons but in the house of eunuchs.

Women's HockeyStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Bloc

Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC

Mr. Speaker, the headline on the La Presse sports section this morning reads “Canadian women—world champs for fifth year in a row. 3-1 win over U.S. makes up for Olympic defeat”.

The Bloc Quebecois congratulates all members of the women's hockey team, which has been victorious for the fifth year in a row at the Women's World Hockey Championship, held in Finland this past weekend.

The Bloc Quebecois joins in paying tribute to player France St-Louis of St-Hubert, who announced that she would hang up her skates after this tournament.

This past weekend, team Captain Thérèse Brisson described the retiring player as an exceptional athlete who had made a great contribution to women's hockey.

The Bloc Quebecois hopes that, one day, France St-Louis will be honoured as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

ViagraStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Hec Clouthier Liberal Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that my great riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke is home to the Viagra capital of Canada.

The Pfizer plant in the town of Arnprior will be the only Viagra packaging and distribution centre in the country. This is tremendous uplifting news for all men who have experienced dysfunctional problems. I can already picture a number of prescriptions for opposition members, a dysfunctional group if I have ever seen one. According to doctors the psychological benefits of Viagra include improving one's self-esteem and strengthening relationships.

The leaders of the Reform and Conservative Parties are certainly in dire need of an urgent remedy for their ongoing political impotence. A Viagra prescription would improve their strained relationship and inject much needed self-esteem in all their depressed members who have been limp, listless and lugubrious for many years.

Also, the Bloc Quebecois leader had better make sure all his people get a healthy dose of Viagra too, so that they will have the vigour to stand up and understand that Canada is the greatest country in the world.

Semaine De La FrancophonieStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

David Price Progressive Conservative Compton—Stanstead, QC

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. members are aware, today is the first day of the Semaine de la langue française et de la francophonie.

As a bilingual country, Canada has seized this opportunity to celebrate the success of biculturalism. This week also provides unilingual anglophones with the opportunity to enrich their contacts with French and to increase their knowledge of it.

I am therefore encouraging all hon. members to make as much use as possible of French when speaking in the House this week.

The first simultaneous interpretation facilities in the House of Commons were installed by the Progressive Conservative government of John Diefenbaker.

I invite all hon. members, particularly the unilingual and bilingual anglophones, to use, or to try out, their knowledge of French in order to show Canada's francophones that we support them and are proud to be representatives of a bilingual government.

Let us learn to appreciate our rich heritage.

Official LanguagesStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Robert Bertrand Liberal Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle, QC

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced that an additional $70 million a year would be put into official languages support programs.

These $70 million that will be reinvested in this area will allow us to reinforce our support to official languages communities as well as our support to the provinces and territories for the teaching of official languages and for the provision of services in the minority language.

The announcement was well received by the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, which believes that the minister kept her promise to increase direct support to communities, and by a number of associations, which are pleased to see that funding for official languages support programs is being restored.

I would also like to mention that the member for Dauphin—Swan River took a stand in favour of Canada's linguistic duality before the Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages by congratulating the government on its decision to invest in education. I applaud him for supporting our official languages.

Bill C-55Statements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Reform

Inky Mark Reform Dauphin—Swan River, MB

Mr. Speaker, last year Canada received two unfavourable rulings from the World Trade Organization on its magazine policy. The heritage minister created Bill C-55 to get around these WTO rulings. This evening's vote on Bill C-55, the magazine bill, could trigger the beginning of a trade war with the United States, putting thousands of Canadian jobs at risk.

The official opposition has been alone in the House of Commons defending textile jobs in Montreal, defending plastic jobs in Toronto, and even defending steel jobs in Hamilton against the heritage minister's magazine bill.

In the interest of protecting Canadian jobs and in the interest of the current trade negotiations, why does the Prime Minister not use his common sense and defer this evening's vote on Bill C-55 until after the Easter recess?

Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

NDP

John Solomon NDP Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK

Mr. Speaker, worries persist about the future of the RCMP training academy depot in Regina.

Last week the solicitor general made and then cancelled his plans to attend the cadet graduation ceremony and his deputy minister made and cancelled his plans to attend the same event.

Although cadet training will resume in the new year the civilian workers at the depot still have not received word on the safety of their jobs given the government's shortsighted policy of privatization or alternate service delivery.

Representatives of the civilian workers asked to meet with the solicitor general to discuss this issue during his scheduled visit last Monday. When he cancelled they were referred to the deputy solicitor general. Then he cancelled. What is the reason the minister and his deputy are afraid to meet with these workers? I met with them. They perform a valuable, loyal and dedicated service to Canada.

I call on the solicitor general again to drop any move to privatize civilian services at the RCMP training depot in Regina.

InvestmentOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Reform

Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, how pathetic that the government's main selling point to attract investment to Canada boils down to that we have low wages and a weak currency.

According to a recent study by KPMG consulting and endorsed by the Prime Minister's office, that is the best argument this government can muster to attract investment to Canada.

Is the government proud of the fact that its big argument to attract investment to Canada boils down to come to Canada because we have a weak dollar and we will work for peanuts?

InvestmentOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, anybody who has read the study knows that there was a long list far more extensive and far more profound than the points the hon. member has raised.

The real issue is why is it that when a non-partisan study comes out, a study that shows that Canada is doing well, the Reform Party cannot support it? Why is it that it feels it is its only job in life to knock the country, like last summer when the dollar was under pressure and the leader of the Reform Party went through Asia saying to the rest of the world that Canada was not doing well? Why can it not be—