Debates of June 2nd, 1999

The Budget

[Lorne Nystrom, NDP, Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance confirmed in the House that he paid $104,000 of the public's money to three Liberal hacks to polish his budget speech.

That is $3,500 a page or $5 a word; in other words a lot of public gold for the minister's silver tongue. On top of that he spent $3.85 million advertising the budget, an increase of 500% from last year.

In what could be a Liberal leadership year, how much will next year's budget cost to advertise? Will it be $5 million or $10 million? How much?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me simply quote from the departmental official who confirmed what I said in the House yesterday, that it was not only for a speech. It was for the entire communications strategy.

In fact, and I now quote, it was for all of the other informational material about the budget. It is true that there was advertising about the budget. That advertising was generally very well received by all people in the country, unlike the advertising for the Parti Quebecois which was condemned by the agencies that watch that kind of advertising.

National Defence

[David Price, Progressive Conservative, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has set up an official maritime helicopter project office in the Department of National Defence. This is the first official step toward a Sea King replacement.

I have a question for the minister. Why has there been no announcement? Is he waiting for parliament to recess to make this announcement, or will he do it now?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we are working on this project. As I have said before, we are developing our procurement strategy. This is a very major purchase. It is very complicated too in terms of the missions system, so it is taking some time to put all the pieces together.

I am hopeful that at the very earliest opportunity we will be able to announce that we are proceeding, but certainly the matter is still under consideration.

The Environment

[Joe Jordan, Liberal, Leeds—Grenville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are increasingly concerned about climate change. May was drier and warmer than normal in some regions of Canada. The St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes have water levels that are well below their 30 year average.

Could the Minister of the Environment tell the House what she is presently doing to ensure that Canada will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions?

[Christine Stewart, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, climate change is a top priority of the government. Earlier today, with the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Transport, I had the opportunity to announce eight new transportation projects intended to demonstrate how all Canadians can participate in reducing greenhouse gases.

This is clean air day. The government has also launched a climate change trade fair which I welcome all members of the House and the public in this region to visit to see how all Canadians have worked together to reduce greenhouse gases.

Nav Canada

[Dale Johnston, Reform, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to hear the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour say that she was willing to do everything possible to get an agreement between the air traffic controllers and Nav Canada.

I hope that also means there is a willingness to declare a moratorium on job action so that the parties will have plenty of time, maybe even a couple of months or so, to ratify this deal.

It is of the utmost importance that they have time to go through this deal and negotiate it and not have something imposed on them.

[Brenda Chamberlain, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, we have a process in place. We believe in negotiations and we intend to let the negotiations take place.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I would like to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in our gallery of His Excellency Hugo Fernandez Faingold, Vice-President of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Points Of Order

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, during question period I said that 10 of the 12 members of the Canadian delegation representing Canada including Quebecers at the World Trade Organization hearings on asbestos were industry representatives. I want to correct that. Ten of the twelve are Quebecers from Quebec but they are not all industry representatives.

I apologize for any misunderstanding I may have created.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

During question period the Minister of Canadian Heritage in response to a question from the member for Dartmouth about Bill C-55 said “The regulations exclude rewrites”.

I wonder if the minister would be willing to table these regulations. If she is referring to regulations that none of us here have seen, we would certainly like to see them.

[The Speaker]

Did the hon. minister hear what the point of order was? It was a request actually.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, of course the member will have a chance to review the regulations when they are available.

I trust that he takes the word of the hon. member that when an agreement is signed and the agreement specifies that there are no rewrites in terms of the regulations, the member will have a chance to review those regulations.

[The Speaker]

I do not want to get into what is the answer and what is not, but there it is. Good luck.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to five petitions.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House in both official languages the report of the meeting of the IPU working group for legislators on a draft handbook for legislators on HIV/AIDS, law and human rights, held in Geneva from February 24 to 26, 1999.

Committees Of The House

[John Maloney, Liberal, Erie—Lincoln, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present in both official languages the 23rd report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

In accordance with Standing Order 108, your committee has considered proposals for a miscellaneous statute law amendment act, 1998 as well as changes by the Department of Justice. It agreed on Tuesday, June 1, 1999 to report the same without amendment.

[John Williams, Reform, St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present in both official languages the 29th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts relating to chapter 2 of the April 1999 report of the Auditor General of Canada dealing with Revenue Canada, the underground economy initiative.

I also present the 30th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts relating to chapter 4 of the April 1999 report of the Auditor General of Canada dealing with fisheries and oceans managing Atlantic shellfish in a sustainable manner.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109 of the House of Commons, the committee requests the government to table a comprehensive response to these two reports.

Medically Unnecessary Abortion Referendum Act

[Jim Pankiw, Reform, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-515, an act to provide for a referendum to determine whether Canadians wish medically unnecessary abortions to be insured services under the Canada Health Act and to amend the Referendum Act.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to move first reading of my bill entitled an act to provide for a referendum to determine whether Canadians wish medically unnecessary abortions to be insured services under the Canada Health Act and to amend the Referendum Act.

The purpose of this bill is to provide for a referendum to be held on the question of whether public funds should be used for medically unnecessary abortions.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Criminal Code

[Jim Pankiw, Reform, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-516, an act to amend the Criminal Code (consecutive sentence for use of firearm in commission of offence).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to move first reading of this bill entitled an act to amend the Criminal Code (consecutive sentence for use of firearm in commission of offence).

The purpose of this bill is to require that a sentence for the commission of certain serious offences be supplemented if a firearm is used, The additional sentence is to be served consecutively to the other sentence and is to be a further minimum punishment of 10 years imprisonment if the firearm is not discharged, 20 years if it is discharged, and 25 years if it is discharged and as a result a person other than an accomplice is wounded, maimed or disfigured.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Prairie Grain Elevators Act

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-517, an act respecting the transfer of grain elevators located in a prairie province and the discontinuance of their operation.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to require persons who operate grain elevators located in a prairie province and who plan to discontinue operating any of these elevators to provide potential buyers with an opportunity to purchase the elevators. This would place them on an equal footing or on the same basis as the railway companies.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would be grateful if you would seek unanimous consent to return to presenting reports from interparliamentary delegations.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is there unanimous consent to revert to presenting reports from interparliamentary delegations?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.