The House will be pleased to know that it is 20 minutes, Madam Speaker. I would take a round of applause by the government members as a sign of encouragement. We all need a little encouragement in this House.
The budget provided the federal government with a golden opportunity to settle its debt with the Government of Quebec, but it chose not to do so.
During the ice storm, the people in Quebec came together in a show of solidarity and everyone gave a helping hand. Although in a tight situation, the Government of Quebec agreed to loosen the purse strings. There are overdue payments with regard to the ice storm: Quebeckers are being denied $435 million, because the federal government argues that the expenditures incurred by Hydro-Québec to undertake emergency measures and rebuild its infrastructure are not covered by the federal disaster relief program.
When will the Liberals play fair with the Quebec government? That is the question.
We could talk about Oka. The Government of Quebec is still waiting for a $38 million cheque to cover expenditures the province considers eligible under the federal disaster relief program.
We are dealing with a petty government, a low, mean, and heartless government, except maybe for the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development who stands out a bit, though not enough to deserve an award.
There is also the whole issue of systemic inequities that have continued for several generations now. Let us start with research and development. Is there anything more important in a modern society that R&D?
I am glad to see that the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is showing some concern. I have some consideration for the minister of course because she is a charming lady, but also because she had the courage to apologize, on behalf of the Government of Canada, and that she is working now on a plan of reconciliation with the aboriginal people.
I hope the minister will not forget that, if there ever was a government on this earth that has worked, that has recognized aboriginal governments, and that has paid tribute to, made things easier for and given space to aboriginal communities, to the first nations, because they are nations, it is the Government of Quebec that did it, as early as 1985.
In a sovereign Quebec, within a matter of months, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development knows that we will treat all the aboriginal communities on Quebec territory on an equal footing. The Erasmus commission urged the government to do the same. I hope that this call will be heard, but I still think that the minister stands apart from the rest of the government, which is quite unimpressive. She is like a breath of fresh air in an all too dreary situation.
I also want to raise the whole issue of social housing. Eighty-nine per cent of my constituents are tenants, not owner-occupants. In the 1996 speech from the throne, the government had committed to decentralizing certain powers. Among the commitments that the government had made at that time, $1.9 billion was to be redistributed to the provinces for social housing. What has happened since that speech from the throne? Nothing happened in the case of the Government of Quebec.
Nothing happened. Why? It is not because the Quebec government was not ready to negotiate or refused to take over that responsibility. Since Quebec is already responsible for the Civil Code and for land use management, it would only be normal for it to also take over responsibility for social housing.
You will not believe what I am about to say. The Government of Canada does not want to give Quebec its fair share of the social housing budget. Despite the fact that Quebec has 29% of all Canadians who are in dire need of housing, the Canadian government, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, invests only 17% of its available funds in Quebec. Whether we look at the percentage of the total Canadian population Quebeckers represent or at the percentage of Canadians in need of housing living in Quebec, Quebec is clearly being short-changed.
The federal government wants to transfer $300 million, which is ridiculous, when Quebec can rightfully claim more than $500 million. Who is protecting Quebec's interests in this government? Who is interested in these much needed negotiations? No one.
I ask the minister responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to initiate negotiations, to negotiate in good faith and to give Quebec its due share.
I could give many more examples, but I want to take a few minutes to say that tomorrow will be a sad day in the House of Commons. I want to prepare you in advance because I know how sensitive you are.
I would like to address my comments to all Liberal members. Tomorrow there will be an important vote on a motion to add social condition as a prohibited ground of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act. In fact, this is a private member's bill introduced by the hon. member for Shefford, whom we wish to commend. Government members could seize this opportunity to create an additional tool to fight poverty.
Quebec, which is without any doubt the most progressive province in Canada, added to its Charter of rights in 1975 a provision prohibiting discrimination based on social condition. The Canadian Human Rights Act still lacks a similar provision.
This explains why some Canadians are still victims of discrimination in terms of access to financial services, housing and, indeed, under the employment insurance legislation. Our bet is that taking action to put an end to discrimination, by adding social condition to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination for instance, would contribute in a significant and realistic way to improve the condition of the less fortunate.
I am ready to bet that, tomorrow, all government members will rise and vote against the bill introduced by the member for Shefford. Canadian citizens will not forget that this government was not concerned about poverty and would not take concrete action to fight poverty.
I would ask the government members who will sleep tonight to think about the benefit that would accrue to their communities if they agreed to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act. I remind them that eight provinces have already prohibited discrimination based on social condition. It is high time we, as parliamentarians, enabled those who are discriminated against, at least those who do in federal jurisdictions, to put an end to it.
If government members were to vote against the bill, I predict that a standoff, an all out war would result, because we in the Bloc Quebecois will never tolerate so much insensitivity on their part with respect to the fight against poverty.