Debates of March 5th, 1999

Shrimp Fishery

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express concern regarding the future of the shrimp fishery in Nova Scotia. Seafreez Foods Inc. has requested, along with the Canso Trawlerman's Association, an immediate increase in shrimp stock quotas off the Strait of Canso, Nova Scotia. A similar request was made by the ACS plant in Mulgrave. Both have made straightforward requests for help.

After meeting with the minister and bringing this matter to his attention several times over the past few months, I am confident that he too understands the importance and significance of the much needed quota for the small fishing communities of Canso and Mulgrave, Nova Scotia. Given the dire situation that these communities find themselves in, such proposals make absolute sense.

I urge the minister to review these proposals with fairness and equity and answer favourably the plea for quota. These two communities are among the most economically stricken areas of the country.

The hardships experienced since the downturn of the fishery have been staggering. If the requests are denied, as was the case with the turbot quota, devastation to the people in these communities is guaranteed. The premier of Nova Scotia has proven to be an ineffective voice for these communities.

As the minister is well aware, the fishing—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. member for Oakville.

International Women's Day

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this year the theme for International Women's Day will be “Going Strong—Celebrating Older Women”. This theme was chosen to coincide with the International Year of Older Persons as declared by the United Nations for 1999.

Secretary General Koffi Annan has said “As we reflect on a half century of human rights advocacy, and as we resolve to do better where we have failed or fallen short, the situation of older women warrants special attention”.

Women make up a large share of our senior population and, while many are active and independent, older women are among the poorest people in Canada.

Without the resources and support they need, these women are faced with significant obstacles to independence, health and the ability to remain active members of society.

As we prepare together to celebrate International Women's Day next Monday, March 8, let us rededicate this House and ourselves to the challenge of promoting fairness, equity and respect for older women in Canada.

The Senate

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, members of parliament are accountable to the public and last year they received a 2% increase in their office budgets. Members of the senate who are not accountable to the public gave themselves a 6% increase this year on top of the 10% increase they gave themselves last year for a total of 16%.

The Senate has it so good that it has decided not only—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. member for Louis-Hébert.

Centre D'Insémination Artificielle Du Québec

[Hélène Alarie, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is good news in Quebec's agricultural sector: the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec, the Conseil québécois des races laitières and the Conseil provincial des cercles d'amélioration du bétail have bought the Centre d'insémination artificielle du Québec, or CIAQ.

This artificial insemination centre is a strategic tool for the development of Quebec's cattle industry. For 50 years, it has been a loyal partner, helping to promote the evolution of dairy farms in Quebec by supplying quality products and striving to bring about genetic improvement.

The new limited partnership can point to universally recognized achievements. The reputation of the now celebrated bull, Starbuck, whose descendants number over 450,000, is well known. One of his offspring, Rodolphe, continues to supply the CIAQ and could well leave behind even more progeny than his father.

The CIAQ controls over 80% of Quebec's artificial insemination market and 45% of the Canadian market.

We wish all Quebec's dairy cattle farmers and the 125 employees of the CIAQ a very successful future.

Taxation

[Diane Ablonczy, Reform, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for a week now we have been asking a basic question. Why do single income, two parent families pay considerably more tax than two income families? The government's responses fall into three categories. Either the Liberals avoid the question and puff up what little they have done for families, they avoid the question and attack any Reformers who dare ask it, or they avoid the question and attack and insult stay at home parents.

I invite the finance minister to answer the question. Why is he allowing this clear discrimination to continue?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the preamble to the hon. member's question simply does not bear any relationship to reality. What we have done is certainly outline the number of measures which we have taken to help those families raising children, whether it be the child tax credit, the community action program for children or the prenatal nutrition program.

What has happened in every case is that we have pointed out to the Reform Party that despite its rhetoric in the House it has voted against every one of those issues which will help children. That is the basic debate, how to help children, how to help families raising children.

This government has brought forth a series of measures and the question is why does the reality of the Reform Party's votes contradict its rhetoric?

[Diane Ablonczy, Reform, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I guess that falls into the category of avoid the question and attack the questioner. The minister knows very well that the measures he is speaking of to help families were embedded in a budget where taxes on families were jacked up time and time again. Of course we did not support his budgets and we will not until there is tax fairness in them.

Again, will the minister even acknowledge that there is systemic discrimination in his own budgets against two parent families with only one income?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, again the hon. member simply does not seem to get it. In the last budget by raising the threshold by $675 and the $300 million that went into the child tax benefit, the tax burden on Canadian families was substantially reduced.

The basic issue is the Reform Party is saying, and if not would the hon. member explain the contradiction, that it would tax somebody at $25,000 at a higher rate than it would tax somebody at $50,000. That simply does not make any sense. That is why we have a progressive tax—

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The hon. member for Calgary—Nose Hill.

[Diane Ablonczy, Reform, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this problem will never be fixed if the minister will not even acknowledge it.

The fact is, and he knows this very well being the finance minister, that single income, two parent families pay about $4,000 more in taxes even though they have less net income. They have a difficult time under this minister's budget. What will the minister do to address this problem?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have made it very clear that, just as we have brought in through previous budgets measures to help families, we would like to see the House of Commons finance committee look at the whole issue as to how best government can help Canadian families raise their children. We have already said that.

The issue we are debating here is whether the Reform Party is in favour of progressive taxation. Is the Reform Party in favour of individual taxation versus family taxation? If it is, how does it gibe its approval of that with its questions? The real fact of the matter is that the Reform Party is against progressive taxation. It is against individual taxation.

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, all this bafflegab about progressive taxation is really quite galling from a minister who brought in a clawback on his much vaunted child tax benefit of 70% for low income families. The C.D. Howe Institute calculates that families between $25,000 and $35,000 in income are facing as high as 70% marginal rates.

When the minister talks about progressivity our objection to the inequities for single income families relates to the child care tax deduction which they cannot claim if they raise their children at home.

How can the minister defend the continued discriminatory effect of the child care tax deduction?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have said this matter should be referred to the House of Commons finance committee. Now that we are in a surplus position it makes an enormous amount of sense to us to look at one of the beneficial ways we can improve the tax code to benefit Canadian families. The hon. member ought to be prepared to participate in that process on a constructive basis.

The real issue is why the hon. member is arguing against individual taxation. Why does he believe that higher income Canadians should be taxed at a lower rate than lower income Canadians? That is the issue. Why does he not answer the question?

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister wants to talk about progressive taxation then he has to explain to $30,000 income families why they are facing a 70% marginal rate with his vicious clawback of the renamed family allowance.

I look at the figures in his own budget which say that a family with $35,000 with a single earner is paying $1,700 in taxes, $2,200 more than what a dual earner family would play. That is a low income family.

Studies are fine. Talk is cheap. When will the government act? When will it address the concerns of single income families and provide the kind of equity they have been demanding for years?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the example the member raised was a $30,000 family. The fact is we did act. We increased the child tax benefit and as a result that family will now pay no federal income tax.

Illegal Immigrants

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during the television program Le Point , the CBC said that Canada is, in the eyes of criminal smugglers, the one country where it is easiest to bypass immigration laws.

That alarm has also been raised by the Canadian security intelligence service since 1997 in its annual reports, where it points out that the smuggling of illegal immigrants has been increasing because of the relatively minor penalties imposed on those found guilty of that offence.

Will the government admit that, as things now stand, our Canadian laws are totally powerless to eliminate the smuggling of illegal immigrants, and that this is shameful?

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that Canada has one of the best immigration and refugee policies in the world.

I reject categorically any claim that the government is not acting or that we are ineffective in our actions. We are very forceful through CIC officials, the RCMP and all arms of the federal government to ensure that our immigration laws are being followed and adhered to.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a study on organized crime sponsored last year by the Solicitor General of Canada revealed that 8,000 illegal immigrants arrive in Canada every year, and that this situation costs taxpayers between $120 million and $400 million.

Why has this government not taken action since?

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the government is acting. We are very active internationally on the whole issue of the international smuggling of people. We are at the forefront of this effort.

I really would caution the hon. member from the Bloc to not start taking on the characteristics of the Reform Party in trying to victimize some people who come to this country in a legal fashion. In any country with any law there will be some illegality but that is just a small percentage.

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the magnitude of the illegal immigrant network was clearly shown in the television report prepared by Normand Lester.

Worse still, in that same report, Immigration Canada admitted that it does not know the actual number of illegal immigrants.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the government admit that the current mess regarding illegal immigrants in Canada is the direct result of the ineffectiveness of the immigration and refugee board which, on average, takes three years to issue its rulings?

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the answer is no, no, no.

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am a little worried.

Since 1989 all the Quebec ministers of Immigration have asked for an in-depth review of the process concerning political asylum claims. Will the government pledge today to introduce a bill to that effect by the end of the current session?

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that the government has produced a white paper on immigration. The committee on citizenship and immigration will be reviewing the whole legislation and the member knows that her party and all other parties in the House will be in a position to give input.

There is no activity of government that is totally fault free but in the vast majority of cases this government in immigration and citizenship is doing a great job.