Debates of March 5th, 1999

Contributions To Political Parties

[Maurice Dumas, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, so, I ask the minister to consult his party's list of contributions.

Our figures show that a given Canadian's chances of being awarded a contract by the Canada information office are 125 times greater if he has contributed to the Liberal Party coffers. Businesses' chances of being awarded a contract by the CIO are 40 times greater if they have contributed to the Liberal Party.

Does the minister not think that this situation, even though he may not be aware of it, undermines public confidence in public institutions?

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I totally reject the member's allegations, which are totally unfounded.

Since August, nearly 70% of the calls for tender by the Canada information office have been open to the public, and all those who got contracts have been required to apply through a public tender process.

Therefore, I totally reject these allegations.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The government is ramming Bill C-49 through the House and counting on the Senate to fix it up or tidy it up later.

Why will the minister not fix the bill in the House where it ought to be done rather than shirk her responsibility and count on an unelected, unaccountable Senate to fix it later?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as far as I am concerned we have a very good bill. I would note that the hon. member opposite voted fully in support of the bill after second reading.

[Derrek Konrad, Reform, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, today the government shuts down debate on Bill C-49. The government has refused to address the issue of the disposition of family homes in divorce, choosing to instead to leave it up to individual bands to create laws.

Mr. Stanley Cuthand, an academic elder at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, has stated that the problem with entrusting band councils to develop divorce laws is that traditional customs are vague.

Does the minister think that this statement by a respected elder has merit? If so, why is she ramming the legislation through so quickly?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, the legislation is not being rammed through. In fact, we have had 50 speakers address this bill in the House. That does not include the interventions that were made at committee. I would clarify that the hon. member for Skeena supported it at second reading in committee.

The issue of matrimonial property is important. The bill gives us the first opportunity to deal with the provision of recognition of matrimonial property in first nations. I encourage hon. members opposite to understand that and join all other parties in the House to unanimously support Bill C-49.

Family Trusts

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, George Harris of Winnipeg is asking the courts to get to the bottom of the family trust scandal, where $2 billion were allowed to leave Canada tax-free in 1991, but the Liberals are going to appeal the ruling, which allows Mr. Harris's request.

My question is for the Minister of Finance. Given that all the government's fears have been laid to rest in the Muldoon ruling, can the Minister of Finance tell us why it is stubbornly blocking an investigation into the family trust scandal? What is he hiding from Quebeckers and Canadians?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the member is well aware that this matter is before the courts and that I am not in a position to comment.

Poverty

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development.

The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has recommended that Canada establish an official poverty line to accurately measure poverty and to enhance the accountability of our progress.

Does the Ministry of Human Resources Development accept this recommendation and, if so, when will it be implemented?

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, at the current time there is no agreement in this country about how to appropriately measure poverty.

Some groups think that the LICO measure is too high. Some think it is not high enough. What most people seem to agree on is that we need to broaden our understanding of poverty to better address the situation of low income Canadians. That is why we are working with the provinces to develop a market based basket measure which takes into account the cost of people's essential needs.

Any new measure that is developed would supplement, not replace, the current measure like the low income cutoff.

Water

[John Duncan, Reform, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, control of one of our great national treasures, water, is under threat in a precedent setting case before NAFTA, the Sun Belt bulk water export case. At any moment now this case and Canada's control over water might be subject to a NAFTA panel.

What is the government doing to ensure that Canada continues to retain sovereignty over its water? What is it doing to make sure we keep bulk water out of NAFTA?

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the member was but a few days ago, my colleagues the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Environment offered the solution to that very question on two tracks.

The first one is with respect to the boundary waters with the United States and the federal government takes leadership and has full sovereignty. On the question of bulk water extraction, we have been in touch with the provincial governments and have agreed to move on a national policy basis to eliminate bulk extraction and to also have a moratorium. Both tracks work in the best interests of Canadians in this very important issue in terms of water supplies.

Softwood Lumber

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber deal is killing a number of Canadian businesses. This deal expires in two years, yet 86 out of 146 companies replying to my recent questionnaire have little or no trust in this government to spell out a better agreement.

How will this government regain the trust of these companies in order to give confidence back to the industry?

[Sergio Marchi, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, a few years ago when the two governments entered into this agreement, it had the virtual unanimous blessing of the national industry. It also had the virtual unanimous blessing of the provincial governments involved. Clearly it was very much a private sector solution that led to the agreement my predecessor worked on.

We met with the industry some weeks ago. We are beginning the process of determining now rather than later how this agreement is working, whether we want it to continue and if not, what changes can be brought to it.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, our public broadcaster is in crisis. This government has gutted its funding and the cuts have resulted in labour strife. There are also repeated examples of government interference with CBC operations, from Bill C-44 to the logo fiasco to interference in the APEC coverage.

Will the government restore funding to allow the CBC to pay its employees a fair industry wage and restore job security? And will the minister admit this government's financial actions and partisan appointments have caused the current crisis?

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the government has guaranteed stable funding to the CBC and Société Radio-Canada until the year 2003. My hon. colleague could verify from the estimates that that has been increased by $60 million this year, some of it for operational costs and a good chunk of it for technical investments. The government remains committed to this very important institution, that is, CBC and Radio-Canada.

National Defence

[Gordon Earle, NDP, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the fairness of military justice is under scrutiny worldwide. Military justice in Canada is under scrutiny.

In light of the legitimate safety concerns and serious questions raised around the Anthrax vaccine, is there any indication that the director of military prosecutions will use his discretionary power to withdraw the charge against Mike Kipling, a father and husband who faithfully devoted over 25 years of his life in the service of his country? The Department of National Defence has accepted Mike Kipling's resignation. Why not allow this family man and loyal Canadian to retire in peace and dignity?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to comment on the specifics of the case. The individual deserves to have a fair trial. The matter will proceed to a court martial. Cohesion and discipline in the military are very important. Someone is alleged to have disobeyed an order in terms of a major offence. On that basis the court martial will proceed.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance should step in to the real world and see that climate change is for real and so is the Kyoto challenge.

The truth of the matter is that we are 25% behind our goal and environmental issues continue to be a low priority for this Liberal government.

Another Liberal budget has just passed and so has another opportunity for the minister to take concrete action to combat climate change.

When will this government put an end to its paltry environmental record and announce new and significant economic instruments so Canadians can meet their Kyoto target?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, that work is already under way in two important respects.

First, in the budget of 1998 we introduced the climate change action fund. This is $150 million in new money to support the ongoing process with the provinces, to support the work on science, to support the work on technology transfer and on engaging the Canadian public. We have a very open and transparent process with 450 Canadian experts working together to develop a long term strategy. The process is very well along in its development.

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

Mr. Speaker, is the finance minister for real? The science on climate change certainly is and our international Kyoto obligation is as well. As a former environment critic, the Minister of Finance should be ashamed.

Last spring the auditor general pointed out that this government lacked the political will to implement international agreements. We should not be surprised because this government is in the sixth year of its mandate and it has yet to pass one piece of environmental legislation, except for the MMT bill which cost Canadian taxpayers $16.5 million.

Will the minister commit today to provide industry with the necessary economic instruments to begin to combat climate change?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, again I point out to the hon. member that the 1998 budget added $150 million to the process. That brings this government's investment in climate change solutions on an annual basis to over $200 million per year.

In addition, there were a number of technical measures in this budget having to do with gas flaring, having to do with support to municipalities, and having to do with wind experiments in the Atlantic provinces which will continue to move the momentum along.

The government is moving on the file and we intend to meet our targets.

National Defence

[John Richardson, Liberal, Perth—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence. We have heard that Canadian forces personnel are well trained to meet a variety of situations. Does the minister have any information about a flight crew in the Canary Islands who saved a woman's life?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, four members of an air crew from CFB Trenton on their way home from the Central African Republic were on a one night stopover in the Canary Islands on February 24.

During the crew's rest period, they noticed a man struggling to pull an elderly woman from a hotel pool. The crew members pulled the woman from the water. They applied CPR and cleared her lungs. Within a few minutes, she was breathing again. I am pleased to report that she is doing fine, thanks to the fine efforts of Master Corporals Frank Bessette, John Kolontouros, Jordie Larson and Dawn Garvin.

Taxation

[Gurmant Grewal, Reform, Surrey Central, BC]

Mr. Speaker, one of my constituents in Surrey was promoted but taxes demoted his family's standard of living. As his child tax benefits shrink, CPP and bracket creep eat away at his paycheque, leaving his family worse off. He pays $4,000 more in taxes than the family next door where both parents work.

Will this government stop discriminating against families where one parent stays at home to raise children?