Debates of Feb. 28th, 2000

Scott Tournament Of Hearts

[Dick Harris, Reform, Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Sunday saw the conclusion of a hugely successful year 2000 Scott Tournament of Hearts held in my city of Prince George, British Columbia.

The crowds that attended throughout the week were the fourth largest ever in the history of the tournament. It was a success because of the hundreds of volunteers, the organizers and the rinks that participated from all over Canada, the best of the best women curlers in the country.

While there can only be one tournament winner, that just happened to be the Kelly Law Rink of British Columbia. We want to congratulate both that rink and such a wonderful, wonderful curling tournament.

I also congratulate all the organizers, the volunteers, Scott Paper and, most of all, the best of the best of women curlers who came to the beautiful, friendly, wonderful city of Prince George, British Columbia, in my riding; spent a week with us; had a lot of fun; and took home some prizes.

Mélanie Turgeon

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois wishes to offer its warmest congratulations to skier Mélanie Turgeon for her remarkable performance last Saturday.

Mélanie Turgeon won the Super-G at Innsbruck, Austria, on the World Cup Circuit. This 23-year old champion is the first Quebec woman to win a downhill World Cup event in 30 years, and the first non-Austrian woman to win on that hill since 1964. This is also her first victory in all of her World Circuit career.

What is more, Mélanie Turgeon was again on the podium yesterday in Innsbruck, with a second place in another Super-G event, which has raised her to 12th overall in World Cup standing.

Clearly, her patience, perseverance and hard work have received their just reward. We in the Bloc Quebecois are immensely proud to share in this great Quebec athlete's huge success. What a great inspiration she is to others.

Canadian National Soccer Team

[Ted McWhinney, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, with a two-nil victory yesterday over Colombia in the final of the Gold Cup International Soccer Tournament, Canada secured a place on the world soccer stage. Seated only 11th in the field of 12 teams from North, South and Central America, Canada surprised many with its plays throughout the two week tournament.

We note in particular the performances of Vancouver born goalkeeper, Craig Forrest, who was named the tournament's most valuable player and New Westminster's striker, Carlo Corazzin, who led all scorers in the tournament. We salute the team's performance and its brilliant promise for the future.

[Rahim Jaffer, Reform, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is our pleasure today to congratulate the Canadian National Soccer Team for its thrilling two-nil win over Colombia yesterday to capture the Gold Cup for the championship of North and Central America. This is Canada's biggest win since qualifying for the World Cup in 1986 and a sign of a great future for soccer in Canada.

Team Canada's combination of offensive creativity and solid defence allowed it to control the flow of the entire game. Keeper Craig Forrest, who was named MVP of the tournament, made a brilliant save on a penalty shot in the last five minutes that may have saved the game.

It is no secret why soccer is becoming the fastest growing sport among young Canadian men and women. With the win yesterday, Team Canada has inspired thousands of young soccer players along with their coaches and parents.

We salute our national soccer team who has not lost a game since new coach Holger Osieck took control last year and wish it continued success as it builds toward the next World Cup.

[Rick Limoges, Liberal, Windsor—St. Clair, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Canadian National Soccer Team on its outstanding performance at the Gold Cup tournament held in Los Angeles over the past two weeks.

The players' determination led to their dramatic Gold Cup win with a 2-0 shutout of Colombia's national team. Ranked 85th going into this tournament, the Canadians also beat the 10th ranked Mexican team in the first playoff round. Its key victory in Los Angeles guarantees it a place in the prestigious Confederations Cup Tournament to be held in Japan and South Korea in 2001. This success also makes Canada's World Cup qualifying match, to be played this June, a lot more important.

All the players and coaches deserve a round of applause for their notable effort and win.

World Sprint Speed Skating Championships

[Reg Alcock, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada retained its position as a speed skating force this past weekend when Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alberta, and Mike Ireland of Winnipeg, Manitoba, placed first and second overall in the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships.

Mr. Wotherspoon, silver medalist in the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games, is the dominant sprinter in the world having won two consecutive world titles. He leads a very strong Canadian team that in long track speed skating won five medals at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games and will once again be the team to beat at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Congratulations to these exceptional Canadians who make us all proud.

Canadian National Soccer Team

[John Solomon, NDP, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled to join with all Canadians in congratulating the Canadian National Soccer Team, captained by Jason DeVos in its stunning 2-nil Gold Cup victory yesterday over 24th ranked Colombia. Ranked 85th in the world prior to this tournament, Canada's team played brilliantly in the final game.

As a former soccer coach and father of an aspiring soccer player, I congratulate the coaches, the volunteers, the organizers and fans whose hard work and commitment have helped to bring this great honour to Canada. This victory will give a huge lift to the whole soccer movement in the country. In FIFA President Sepp Blatter's own words, “They got to this Gold Cup on merit”.

I especially recognize the contribution of coach Holger Osieck, top tournament scorer Carlo Corazzin, and most valuable player Craig Forrest on this marvellous victory. It was excellent coaching and superb playing by the entire team. We are all very proud of this great accomplishment.

Developing Young Canadian Talent

[Yvon Charbonneau, Liberal, Anjou—Rivière-Des-Prairies, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday last, under the chairmanship of Ted Johnson, the board of directors of the National Theatre School of Canada located in Montreal met in Ottawa, and the members of the board met MPs on Parliament Hill.

Mr. Johnson paid particular tribute to the Minister of Canadian Heritage for her leadership in the establishment of a national program to foster the develop of young Canadian talent.

He also expressed high praise for both the current and former Ministers of Human Resources Development Canada for their role in supporting the opportunity for the next generation of talented young Canadians to train and work in their field to make valuable contributions to the development of the performing arts in Canada.

Employability Programs

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 1996 the federal government undertook its most comprehensive reform of unemployment insurance since its inception in 1940, rechristening it, ironically, “employment insurance”.

This reform denied benefits to six unemployed men in ten and seven women in ten and more than eight young people in ten under this plan and caused misery in the lives of hundreds of thousands of families.

The Liberal Party massacred this public security plan, claiming that it was important to develop the employability aspect.

While the Liberal government has been boasting for the past three years that the employment programs have been on target, the Minister of Human Resources Development has just revealed that of a mere 459 projects, representing spending worth $1 billion, 82% were unsupervised.

This sort of mismanagement of public funds reveals the urgency of establishing a poverty commissioner, who would, among other things, evaluate programs to avoid such an administrative and a political mess.

Sandy Geldart

[John Herron, Progressive Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in the House to salute a great individual, Mr. Sandy Geldart of Quispamsis in my riding of Fundy—Royal. At 81 years of age, Mr. Geldart has been nominated for the lieutenant governor's Caring Canadian Award. In the last decade Mr. Geldart has single handedly raised over $77,000 from his bottle exchange program to help high school graduates pursue post-secondary education.

These are students who would otherwise not be able to attend university or college due to financial reasons. So far his efforts have resulted in the awarding of twenty-six $1,000 scholarships with an amazing $51,000 still in the pot to keep the program going.

I salute the council of the town of Quispamsis for putting Mr. Geldart's name forward. Whether or not Mr. Geldart gets the award, in the eyes of the students and the community Mr. Geldart will be indeed one of Canada's greatest caring Canadians.

Bill C-20

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Beauport—Montmorency—Orléans, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the arrogance of this Liberal government came to light once again on Friday when the government House leader described as “folly” the remarks by the Bloc Quebecois during committee hearings on Bill C-20.

This “folly” is simply the broad and clear consensus in Quebec opposing the bill on clarity. It is a well known fact: the truth hurts.

Was the folly in this committee not rather the push by the Liberal majority to limit debate? Was it not the expedited work of the committee arising out of the Liberal majority's fear of going to hear witnesses on their home ground?

In the name of the Quebec consensus opposing the bill on clarity, I repeat loud and long that the quintessential folly in this matter is Bill C-20 itself.

The Economy

[Sophia Leung, Liberal, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, one of the many benefits to Canadians from the current fiscal management of the government is low inflation. Between January 1999 and January 2000 the consumer price index grew by only 2.3%. This was even lower than the 2.6% seen in December and comparable to the low inflation seen throughout the government's mandate.

The policies of the government continue to achieve and maintain price stability with the objective of holding inflation in the range of 1% to 3%. Keeping inflation low has been just one of the many successes of the government. How appropriate to talk about such good economic news on the day of the budget. Canadians can expect great—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Kootenay—Columbia.

Apec Inquiry

[Jim Abbott, Reform, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday at the APEC hearing in Vancouver, Commissioner Hughes invited the Prime Minister to appear to give testimony. Without the Prime Minister's testimony there will be a cloud of suspicion in the mind of the public that will taint the findings of the commission.

To this point the commission has spent between $3 million and $4 million. Canadians understandably are asking why. The answer is the public complaints commission was chosen by the PM's office as a vehicle to bury the Prime Minister's complicity in denying Canadians freedom of expression.

The Prime Minister does not understand the difference between a dictatorship and a democracy. In a dictatorship the executive directs the enforcers. In a democracy there is a firewall separating the executive from the enforcers.

This issue is about the freedoms that we cherish in this great nation of Canada. The Prime Minister fails to understand this fundamental concept. Will the Prime Minister attend the public complaints commission and be answerable to Canadians?

Broadcasting

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last week's bid by BCE to take over CTV is just the latest corporate merger focusing on the Internet as a broadcast medium. Why is our government abandoning us to the private broadcasters in the new media?

The CRTC has said it is stepping back from any kind of regulation of the Internet. What about Canadian content? The CBC continues to bleed from a thousand cuts.

It is time to get with it. Britain has been proactive by allowing the BBC to become an Internet service provider and creator of high quality national content for both the Internet and their own public network.

It is time our government called an inquiry into how to take back our public broadcasting system in the face of national and international corporate concentration. It is time to keep Canadian spaces on the net, make access to the net affordable to Canadians, enforce our copyright laws on the Internet to protect creators, use the new media to promote culture and act to ensure future control over our broadcasting content on the new media or we will all be losers.

Who wants to be multi-billionaires? BCE and CTV. Who will pay down the road? Canadians.

Human Resources Development

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister was talking to taxpayers he would know how angry they are about the bungling at human resources development.

Their concerns can be addressed in three ways: by removing the questionable files from the hands of those who can tamper with them; by suspending all questionable programs pending an official investigation; and by suspending the human resources minister and other responsible officials while that investigation is pending.

Why does the Prime Minister refuse to take any of those actions?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, these programs exist to help people in Canada in every riding and in every city.

When we look at the work, we are helping all sorts of groups to either create jobs or to help people in society. All members of all parties are aware of these programs. They are very good for the quality of life of those Canadians at the bottom of society.

We do not intend to stop that. Once the audit has been completed, we have a program to ensure that if there are some mistakes they will be corrected. We want to make sure that the work is done properly, but we want to—

[The Speaker]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, let us see how these programs help people.

The public accounts from 1995 to 1998 now show the following: while the finance minister was busy slashing funds for hospital beds, he was increasing funding for hotel beds in the Prime Minister's riding; while health care spending was going down, spending on grants and contributions was going up. However, the budget speeches of the finance minister never revealed that. The real spending priorities were very different than what he talked about in the budget.

Why did the Prime Minister allow the finance minister to say one thing and do another? Will that—

[The Speaker]

The Right Hon. Prime Minister.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when we went through a difficult period, it was to reduce the deficit from $42 billion to, what it hopefully will be this afternoon, the fourth year in a row that we will have a surplus.

During that period of time unemployment was at 11.5%. We had to keep programs operational in order to reduce unemployment. We have been successful because unemployment went from 11.5% down to 6.8%, the lowest in 25 years.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, every budget the government has produced has increased spending. No doubt today it will be the same.

The human resources minister is responsible for wasting millions of the increased spending given to that department. If that minister is going to remain in charge of even a dollar from this budget, it would be one dollar too many.

Why should Canadians give the government more money when it wastes the money they give it in the first place?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian people are aware of what the government has managed to do.

When we started, I talked about the unemployment level. I talked about the deficit that we had to cure. We had an 11% interest rate. It went down to 6%. Since we formed government, 1.9 million jobs have been created. Those are the reasons the Canadian people are still confident in this government.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it would have been great if the Prime Minister had talked about the question.

We have seen problems for years now with documents regarding the APEC file, the Somalia file and now the disaster in Shawinigan. There are billions of dollars at stake here. Many people stand to be tainted by this scandal but they still have full access to this evidence.

How can Canadians be sure that there will even be any documents left to audit?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, last week we needed a truck to deliver the documents to them. There were 10,000 documents given from the files of HRDC. We have been completely open.

Some auditing is being done in every department. In the past the auditor general only made only one report a year to make sure everything was audited properly. Now we have four reports a year plus auditing in every department.

All hon. members know that government is not a small operation and there will always be something to correct. That is why my ministers and I will do everything we can.