Debates of May 3rd, 1999

Kosovo

[Ben Serré, Liberal, Timiskaming—Cochrane, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, Canada agreed to take in 5,000 Kosovar refugees whose living conditions have reached a critical stage in the crowded and unsanitary camps.

By its action, Canada is showing its solidarity with a population that needs much more than just moral support. Canada has clearly established that these people's lives were in danger where they were.

By taking concrete action, Canada is once again demonstrating its openness to other nations at times of crisis.

Any day now will see the arrival of people who are suffering greatly, and there is no doubt that what the government has said and done represents the views of all Canadians.

The spontaneous gestures and many expressions of support from Canadians are proof to the entire world of our concern for our fellow human beings.

Summer Work Program

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every year at this time, hundreds of thousands of young Canadians look forward to the summer work program where they can begin working for the summer. Small business operators, non-profit groups and so on, also look forward to it. Everyone benefits from the program.

The problem, at least in British Columbia and the Yukon region, is that the funds have not been allocated yet. They have not been announced. All sorts of programs which should be starting today are in fact not starting today nor tomorrow. They are going to start some time in the future.

All of the programming and planning that has gone into this is now being sort of tossed out the window. Students are frustrated. They are calling to ask us what is going on. They want to know if the programs are being approved.

On behalf of British Columbians and the people from the Yukon, I would urge the minister and the staff to make these allocation announcements as soon as possible.

Tva Network

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, TVA officially broadcast its signal Canada-wide under the terms of the licence recently granted by the CRTC.

Today, the Bloc Quebecois congratulates all those who, directly or indirectly, made this long-awaited initiative possible.

The Bloc Quebecois is particularly happy for the 618,000 francophones outside Quebec who speak French in the home. A new French broadcasting signal in North America is no small achievement. This one enriches the audiovisual environment of francophone, Acadian, and francophile communities, giving them access to a more balanced selection of English and French channels.

TVA has promised to serve the francophone and Acadian communities. The Bloc Quebecois pays tribute to TVA's initiative and hopes that this co-operation between Quebec's most popular broadcaster, its viewers in Quebec, and francophone viewers outside Quebec will foster renewed solidarity for the Francophonie in Quebec and Canada.

United Alternative

[Steve Mahoney, Liberal, Mississauga West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, the so-called grassroots of the Reform Party got a chance to speak their mind on the Anderson plan for the united right. Many of them gave this clearly crass and opportunistic scheme to try to win power a big thumbs down.

Here is what one Reform member said at a town hall meeting held in Edmonton, “To me, UA is a threat to the very cause of what I signed up for”. Here is what another Reformer said in opposition to the UA, “We want to take part in party policy from the ground up. We do not want to be governed; we want to be represented”. From a woman in Calgary, “Political parties”, she said, “are not meant to be merged together. They need to remain distinct and separate in order to be able to distinguish between their beliefs and ideas. Conservative and Reform go together”, she said, “like oil and water”.

If the Reform leader believes in listening to his grassroots, then he had better pull the cotton out of his ears because they are telling him this united alternative just will not fly.

Aluminum Industry

[André Harvey, Progressive Conservative, Chicoutimi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, in Chicoutimi, the federal government announced, through its secretary of state, that the processing of aluminum would be a primary objective for the future of our country.

Indeed, the secretary of state for regional development demanded that, in co-operation with the National Research Council, departments with an economic mandate prepare a document on aluminum processing technologies to help all potential investors make aluminum processing one of our country's primary objectives.

I take this opportunity to thank all those who worked with me, particularly friends of my region like Marcel Demers, Lucien Gendron, Pierre Tremblay, and André Tremblay from Alcan.

I also want to mention the excellent work of the secretary of state for regional development, who recognized that the processing of aluminum is a key component in ensuring our country's economic future.

International Year Of Older Persons

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the International Year of Older Persons 1999 celebrates the increasing importance of our older people in today's society.

To celebrate the occasion, VIA Rail Canada has just introduced its “Take a Companion Along For the Ride” program for seniors. This program allows a companion to travel free when a full fare senior ticket is purchased.

I would encourage all levels of government across Canada to offer some incentives to seniors during this special year for seniors. Various municipalities, including those in my riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton—Springdale, for instance, should consider offering special public transportation programs to seniors. In that way we can show due respect to our seniors whose dedication and hard work over the years have made Canada the number one country in the world.

National Film Board

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is with pride that I extend our best wishes to the National Film Board on its 60th anniversary.

Since 1939, the NFB has played a leading role in the development of the Canadian and international film industry, from both an artistic and a technical point of view.

So far, the NFB has won 3,861 awards in Canada and abroad, including ten Oscars. And there are more to come; for instance, When the Day Breaks , a short animated film, has been officially nominated for a Palme d'or at the next Cannes international film festival.

On the 60th anniversary of its foundation, it is important to pay special tribute to the NFB's history. The John Griersons, Norman McLarens, Claude Jutras and Kathleen Shannons, to name but a few, have left a filmmaking heritage of which we have every reason to be proud.

Bravo and happy 60th.

The Late Gordon Olmstead

[Peter Goldring, Reform, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's merchant navy of World War II suffered losses more than the other three services at war.

Cold lonely duty, constant targets of a deep sea foe. Simply, a shudder of ship as torpedo explodes is the only notice of impending doom for the lucky. Lucky because in being alive there is still hope. For others, the shudder ushers internment to the finality of the ocean's depth. For some who did live, enemy prisons of hell were their fate until war's end.

Gordon Olmstead survived both, to return home and fight for veterans' rights. Gordon excelled at his task and Bill C-61 reflects his hard work.

Gordon Olmstead passed away on April 24. How fitting it would be to rename Bill C-61 the Gordon Olmstead act.

Bloc Quebecois Youth Forum

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, the Bloc Quebecois youth forum held its general council in Sorel. We would like to thank everyone who had a hand in the success of this event. Participants in Forum Jeunesse had an opportunity to take stands on various topical issues, as well as discussing the Bloc Quebecois' chantiers de réflection.

The Bloc Quebecois wishes to congratulate Apraham Niziblian on his election as head of the executive of Forum Jeunesse, and to thank outgoing president Mathieu Alarie for all he has contributed over the past year. Finally, we congratulate Sandra Hernandez on her re-election as vice-president.

We should also point out that not only does the board of Forum Jeunesse give representation to the various regions of Quebec, but women are in the majority as well. This is a fine example of a political organization that is representative of the population it serves.

Taxation

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the industry minister and the minister of taxes are at it again. It is too bad taxpayers have to pay the price while these two start fighting the yet to be announced leadership race.

On the weekend the industry minister admitted that the high tax policies of the finance minister were forcing our young people to leave for the greener pastures of a low tax United States. The industry minister says tax relief is needed now while the finance minister says everything is just fine the way it is.

Will the Prime Minister step in between these two and just declare a winner? Will he cut taxes for Canadians now as the industry minister wants, or will he stick the status quo to us like the finance minister has been doing for the last six years?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have already started to cut taxes. I do not know where the member was.

We have reduced the EI contribution from $3.07 to $2.55. We will reduce taxes by over $16 billion over the next three years. I will give an example. A family of four earning $60,000 will have almost a 10% federal tax reduction a year.

We have also introduced a tax credit to help poor families and have increased the revenues of those at the bottom of the scale, and we have balanced the books. That is not too bad.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is too bad the Prime Minister did not share the epiphany with the Minister of Industry. I will quote his revelation from the weekend:

I've been saying for a long time we've got to lower taxes. Personal taxes are much higher than in the U.S.

He says we are falling way behind our American counterparts. In fact, if the finance minister were doing his job, average Canadian families would have $28,000 more in their pockets than they do under the high tax policies of the finance minister.

Why does the Prime Minister not agree just for once with the industry minister that taxes are way too high and they have to be lowered now for Canadian families and businesses?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we do it in a reasonable way because we do not want to cut taxes and increase the deficit.

At the same time we know we have some problems in society that need attention and the Liberal government is thinking about the poor in society. That is not a big preoccupation of the Reform Party.

There is the reality of the last two years, that 600,000 Canadians who were paying taxes are not paying taxes any more. There was a surtax imposed by a right wing government before of 3% that we have eliminated. Now we have a tax credit of—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Fraser Valley.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the industry minister knows that the average Canadian family is down by $28,000 compared to our American counterparts.

It seems now that the finance minister realizes something is wrong and he says he hopes that very soon he will be able to meet with somebody to talk about it.

He has had six years to set up some meetings. He has had six years to actually lower the taxes. He has had six years while the standard of living of Canadians has dropped like a rock due to the tax gouging policies of the finance minister.

When will the Prime Minister step in and say enough is enough, give tax relief to Canadian businesses and families, and do it now?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will never say enough is enough of anything or of a good government. It is never enough to have a good government, but a good government is not only taking care of one element of society.

We are not preoccupied only with the rich. We are preoccupied with the poor. It is why we are preoccupied with the health care of people. When they compare us with the Americans they do not tell Canadian citizens that 40 million Americans are not covered at all by medicare while every Canadian in Canada is covered. We have a very good story to tell the Americans.

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for one of the members of the millionaire's club on the Liberal front benches to start crying crocodile tears about poverty in Canada, but it is hard to keep—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. Please be judicious in the choice of words.

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

They are a little sensitive. The industry minister first told us that taxes were helping Canadian productivity. Under pressure from the finance minister, he flipped and said that productivity was a real problem after he had said our productivity had plummeted to Mississippi levels. Now, lo and behold, he is telling us that we need to lower taxes to U.S. levels.

I am a little confused. Could the industry minister tell us whether he has flipped or flopped today?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when he was not a member of parliament he was the one who was afraid that the Liberal Party would reduce the deficit by increasing taxes.

We have reduced the deficit from $42 billion and have reduced taxes at the same time. The member should look back at what he has written in the past.

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have to assume the Prime Minister does not do his own taxes. If he did and he filed them last week, he would see that his taxes like those of most Canadians have gone up because of the bracket creep of the government and the increased CPP premiums.

Why on the one hand does this Prime Minister deny that we need deeper tax relief, real tax relief, while the industry minister is telling us that Canada's productivity is lagging because of our job killing tax burden?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Again he is late, Mr. Speaker. We have increased the personal exemption by $675 for every taxpayer so there is no more bracket creep. He should go back and look for himself before getting up in the House of Commons.

Employment Insurance

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, figures released on the weekend show that, although 100% of young people pay EI premiums, only 15% qualify for benefits.

How can the Prime Minister justify the policies of quotas, cuts, and harassment of unemployed workers, particularly young people, espoused by the Minister of Human Resources Development, who claims to be concerned about what is happening to young people and says he is looking out for them?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we reformed the EI program and it is running much better. Reforms always cause problems, but we were not afraid to go ahead. We are now looking at possible adjustments.

The fact is that the system is working much better now that it is based on hours rather than days worked. More of the people who formerly did not qualify do now, and they have much more flexibility. No system is perfect, but the one we have now is working well and, if improvements are indicated, the minister and other members of cabinet intend—