Debates of Feb. 17th, 2000

Heritage Canada

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Hamilton East, ON]

In addition, 33% of money invested in the private sector is invested in Quebec. I have never heard the member opposite complain about the fact that 50% of cultural funding goes to Quebec.

[Pierre De Savoye, Bloc, Portneuf, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the same letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, it is said that officials from Heritage Canada pose as volunteers on Canada Day, when they are in fact paid out of the department's budgets.

How can the minister explain that these pseudo-volunteers are paid time and a half for the first seven hours and then double time to work on Canada Day, this with public moneys?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I simply remind the member that those who complain because we try to celebrate our country should know that we do intend to celebrate it and we want to do it in every riding.

This is why we have a Canada Day celebration committee in the riding of Rimouski. I think the hon. member for Rimouski—Mitis is very aware of the existence of that committee.

We attended Family Day in Chicoutimi. We also helped the Association des bénévoles de l'hôpital Saint-Félix—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Portneuf.

[Pierre De Savoye, Bloc, Portneuf, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is suffering from the same syndrome as does the Minister of Human Resources Development.

The director general of the Quebec region himself complained that this use of public moneys was depriving him of money needed for his normal operations. Incidentally, since the near-victory of the yes side in the 1995 referendum, the Canada Day budget has increased by 1,120%.

Is this an illustration of Pierre Trudeau's view, who said that the best way to counterbalance the appeal of separatism was to allocate time, energy and huge amounts of money to—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we are not afraid to recognize that we are a country, that we are still a country, all the more so since Bloc Quebecois members made requests of that nature. For example, the member for Manicouagan asked for 75 Canadian flags of a certain size, the member for Portneuf wants 300 flags of—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. member for Winnipeg—Transcona.

Gasoline Prices

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. Yesterday the minister indicated that he thought the rising price of oil and gas was strictly a provincial matter, which is an odd point of view given that the Governor of the Bank of Canada thinks it is an issue, as does the Chairman of the Federal Reserve in the United States. Even President Bill Clinton has expressed his concern about it.

Is there a pattern here of not being able to stand up to the oil and gas industry? First the Minister of Foreign Affairs collapses over Sudan and then the Minister of Industry will not take his responsibilities, washing his hands of the problem of rising oil and gas prices.

When will the government express its concern and when will the government take its responsibility and tell the House what it intends to do about rising oil and gas prices?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, to that remarkably foolish question let me say that we have expressed our concern over gas prices repeatedly on this side of the House. We have financed several studies by the Competition Bureau into determining whether there is competition in the industry. The competition police so far have not found any offence under the Competition Act.

The superlative investigative skills of the New Democratic Party apparently can find such evidence when all the police at the Competition Bureau cannot. Congratulations to them. Let them give us the evidence and then we will proceed under the proper law.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot burn Liberal studies in their cars. They burn gas and oil and they want to know that something can be done about it.

I will perhaps ask the Minister of the Environment or the Minister of Natural Resources a supplementary question, because the underlying issue here is whether or not we are going to eventually break our dependence on these kinds of fuels, on exhaustible resources and on the internal combustion engine.

I want to ask the appropriate minister this question. Does the government have any new plan, given the fact that these high prices may be maintained, for breaking our dependence on the internal combustion engine and finally getting around to doing many of the things that were recommended in the seventies and eighties?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. gentleman followed the policy announcements and the investment plans of the Government of Canada, he would know among other things that we have made very substantial investments in support of fuel cell technology which holds enormous promise for the future, with a burgeoning industry in British Columbia and across the country led by the Ballard corporation that the government is very strongly supporting.

We are also investing with the Iogen Corporation of Ottawa in alternative fuels such as ethanol which can reduce the CO2 emissions by up to 90%. Yes, indeed, we are pursuing the new innovations and the new fuels of the 21st century.

Human Resources Development

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the Minister for HRDC stated that she was using Statistics Canada figures to justify TJF money that was flowing into her riding. We have been informed by Statistics Canada that they do not produce unemployment numbers on a riding by riding basis.

My question to the minister is very simple. Where did the minister get her numbers?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I repeat again that they did come from Statistics Canada. That process has now stopped, but in the context of this project the numbers that were made available to the department came from Statistics Canada and they indicated quite clearly that this was an area of high unemployment.

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

Mr. Speaker, in recent conversations with an official from StatsCan we were told “I am very suspicious. I don't know how HRDC comes up with these numbers”.

Given this direct contradiction, can the minister tell us why she is using bogus numbers to circumvent the rules for her own department?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, let me say again that the riding of Brant was an area of very high unemployment, spiking at over 14%. Very clearly the program, the transitional jobs fund, was there to assist ridings like mine. I am absolutely convinced that it is these programs that have helped men and women in my riding find opportunities that otherwise would not have been there.

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's nose is growing. A minute ago she told us—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I ask the hon. member to choose his words wisely.

[Jason Kenney, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

I will, Mr. Speaker, and I wish the minister would choose her statistics wisely. A moment ago she told us that the unemployment rate in 1997 in her riding was 10.3%. I have in my hand the unemployment statistics of the human resources development department for Haldimand—Norfolk—Brant with respect to comparative unemployment rates, which indicate in 1997 an average rate of 8.4%, and in every month, save one, a lower unemployment rate than Ontario and the national average.

How can this minister stand in her place and not tell the truth, that her riding did not—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when we asked the Minister of Human Resources Development yesterday about the Corbeil case, she said that it had been settled in law. Corbeil has acknowledged his guilt and therefore acknowledged having acted illegally. But what has not yet been settled is the fact that it seems it is easier to get a hold of the lists of projects when it is illegal than when it is legal.

Could the minister explain why members are unable to get details on the files of Human Resources Development Canada for their own ridings today?

[Jane Stewart, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I categorically reject the statements made by the member opposite. I remind the House again that he himself talked about the transitional jobs fund and was congratulating himself as an opposition member for being so successful in getting these projects in his own riding.