Debates of May 31st, 1999

Government Grants

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question the Prime Minister is the king of patronage and there is no question that he excels at the art of pork barrel politics. However, when the Prime Minister gave an associate $600,000 of taxpayers money prior to the last federal election, he took it to a whole new level.

How can the Prime Minister deny that by doing what he did before the last election he made a blatant attempt to buy votes with taxpayers money?

[The Speaker]

We must not impute motive in any way. I see the Prime Minister is on his feet. I would rule the question out of order, but if he wants to answer it he may.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, they still use the words that are not reality. I have never been associated with anybody and the famous hotel. It was bought for cash. It was a lease that the buyer bought before I became Prime Minister, and he paid cash. The lease was for $1 and he found the money to pay for it.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. The Prime Minister has sullied his office through this dirty deal. There is a huge difference between—

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I want the hon. member to go directly to his question.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when will the Prime Minister find the courage to demand that Thibault pay back that money?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this is a great success. Not only have jobs been created but the person has expanded his project. It was in an area where we have the highest level of unemployment in Canada.

If there is something I should complain about, it is that my own area is among the areas with the highest unemployment in Canada. I will keep fighting and working for them.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

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

Mr. Speaker, in response to a question in this House on Friday, the Minister of Canadian Heritage confirmed that, as far as she was concerned, quality television had nothing to do with advertising revenues, thus suggesting that the CBC could well do without some of the separate revenues generated through advertising.

Are we to understand from the minister's position that, in her opinion, to have quality programming television must be fully subsidized by the government?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, what the Bloc Quebecois suggested last week was that we ignore the CRTC's policy. We said in this House is that we respect regulatory agencies and that we want the CRTC to do its job.

If we were to act like Quebec did with Télé-Québec, we would no longer have television.

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

Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Canadian Heritage suddenly wants a fully subsidized state television, is it not proof that she is only interested in having full control over the CBC, and that her motto is “Canada my country, the CBC my tool”?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, these are crocodile tears, especially in light of what the Quebec government did to Télé-Québec. There is nothing left at Télé-Québec.

Correctional Service Canada

[Randy White, Reform, Langley—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, according to access to information requests, over 1,300 federal prisoners use crack or cocaine while in prison, virtually every day. Another 1,300 while in prison every day use heroin and another 5,400 use marijuana on a daily basis.

The government purports to have a zero tolerance policy for drugs in prison. I ask the solicitor general why it is that drugs are just as easy to get inside prison as they are outside.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, drugs and addiction are major problems in the country. Seven out of ten people are in our federal penitentiaries as a result of being involved with drugs and alcohol.

I assure my hon. colleague that I make it a major priority to address the drug and alcohol problems in our field institutions.

[Randy White, Reform, Langley—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, is it the same priority he gave to bus passes, golf, and all the other things he has given?

Of the prisoners in the Pacific region where I live, 46% use drugs while in prison. The Liberals say they have a national drug strategy that works, but it does not work on the streets or in prisons of Canada.

If 46% of prisoners use drugs while in prison, is this zero tolerance policy not a bit of a bad joke over there?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated to my hon. colleague, I am well aware that drugs and alcohol are major problems for our prisoner population. As I indicated I intend to address these problems.

Tainted Blood

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's ethics counsellor has been consulted about the conduct of the Minister of Finance with respect to the tainted blood issue in order to determine whether the minister placed himself in a conflict of interest situation.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Will he agree to release the full text of this report, as soon as his office receives it, so that MPs can examine it?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I see no problem with the counsellor forwarding me his report. In fact, the Minister of Finance himself requested an investigation into whether there had been a conflict of interest. I am certain that there was not, and we will gladly release the counsellor's remarks.

The Environment

[John Harvard, Liberal, Charleswood—Assiniboine, MB]

Mr. Speaker, as noted earlier in question period, today is the first day of environment week. We all know that smog and air pollutants are a big problem, especially on hot days like today.

Could the Minister of the Environment tell the House what new measures she is proposing to make sure Canadians breathe clean air?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, on the first day of environment week I am very pleased to announce that I am instituting gasoline flow rate regulations which will prevent 1,500 tonnes of volatile organic compounds and 15 tonnes of benzene, a known carcinogen and toxic substance, going into the air, at a saving of $1 million to Canadians.

As well, on Wednesday of this week we will celebrate the first Clean Air Day Canada. I challenge everyone in the Chamber and across Canada to consider how they can contribute to cleaner air not only that day but every day.

Publishing Industry

[Inky Mark, Reform, Dauphin—Swan River, MB]

Mr. Speaker, every time the heritage minister opens her mouth, she sucks more tax money from the taxpayers of Canada. Reports estimate that her new magazine deal will cost taxpayers at least $100 million.

My question for the heritage minister is the same one she refuses to answer. How much will the taxpayers be forking over in subsidies and tax breaks to pay for this new deal?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has to understand one thing I think the Reform Party does not understand. In a country like Canada there is a strong belief that we have two founding peoples, two official languages, and literally hundreds of Canadians of many cultures.

What we want to do is to reinforce those cultures through the federal government, and that is one of the things we have been doing.

They propose that we abolish the Canadian heritage department. which would kill the links that help build this country and make it stronger.

[Inky Mark, Reform, Dauphin—Swan River, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I understand what culture is about, but I did not ask the minister a question about culture. I asked her a question about money, tax money.

I am sure we in the House all believe Canadians deserve to know how much of their money the heritage minister has blown this time. I ask her again. How much will the magazine deal cost taxpayers of the country?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the member talks about blowing money. Let us look at one area that has been a growth area for the Canadian people, the Canada television fund. In the last two years the Canada television fund has generated $1.2 billion worth of television investment in the country, 2,000 hours of new television programming, and at the moment 20,000 jobs and counting.

That is an investment in Canada, in culture, and in getting our message out from coast to coast to coast.

The Environment

[Louise Hardy, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, while the Arctic contaminants report has highlighted the terrible effects of persistent organic pollutants on people and animals in the north, the government cancelled environmental research projects for the Arctic. At the same time the minister is proposing to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to curtail and in effect limit her own power to act on behalf of the environment and Canadians.

Under these circumstances could the minister please explain how she intends to clean up and protect the northern environment?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the government took a very important initiative last year in signing and in being the first country in the world to ratify a UN-ECE convention and protocol on the transport and the transboundary transport of toxic substances. This is very important.

On Friday I announced $62 million to clean up a contaminated site in Sydney. We are committed to cleaning up contaminated sites across this country. There will be further announcements. Today I am bringing in gasoline flow rate regulations which will keep toxics out of the air at every service station across the country.

This government is taking significant steps to—