Debates of March 2nd, 2000

Sandra Schmirler

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

Mr. Speaker, it is with deep regret and sadness that I rise today on behalf of all members of parliament to honour the life and contributions made by Regina's Sandra Schmirler. Sandra died this morning after an intense battle with cancer. She was only 36 years old.

We all remember how Sandra and her rink captivated the world when they won their first ever gold medal for women's curling at the Nagano Olympics two years ago.

Sandra was a role model for all of us. She was a six time Saskatchewan women's champion, three time Canadian champion, and three time world champion.

She was a true fighter not only bravely battling cancer but also other issues close to her heart. Her skill on the ice was matched by her courage for life.

I would like to extend on behalf of all of us our deepest sympathy to her husband Shannon England, her two young children Sara and Jenna, and the rest of her family. Our prayers and our thoughts are with them.

We may have lost Sandra but her spirit lives on for her family, for her community, for the people of Saskatchewan and for all the people of Canada.

The Environment

[Jocelyne Girard-Bujold, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in its first red book, the Liberal Party wrote that environmental protection “will be the cornerstone of Liberal foreign policy”.

In its second Red Book, the Liberal government said it agreed “that climate change is one of today's most crucial environmental issues, posing a threat to Canada's ecological and economic well-being—The costs of inaction on climate change are too high”.

Yet the 2000 budget contains nothing more in connection with greenhouse gases than the investment of a mere $285 million over the next four years, when the Liberals ought to have invested at least $1.5 billion over five years in order to fulfil their Kyoto commitments.

Today, the Liberals are betraying their commitment and adopting a short-sighted approach. It is high time that the Liberals' red books were recycled.

Health Budget

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Minister Bernard Landry has confirmed that his government deprived the people of Quebec of $841 million in the health system.

According to Mr. Landry, the problem in the health system would appear not to be financial. What a scandalous statement.

Let Mr. Landry try that explanation on for size with the people travelling to the United States for medical care.

Let Mr. Landry try that on for size with the people backed up in emergency department waiting rooms.

Let Mr. Landry try that on for size with the people in the Outaouais region of Quebec who have just lost some of their physicians.

Once again, this is a real scandal.

Cfb Shilo

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride to congratulate and recognize one of the finest military training facilities and some of the finest military personnel that we have anywhere in North America.

Over 150 soldiers from CFB Shilo embarked on a six month tour of Bosnia yesterday. Most of the troops on tour are from the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery along with soldiers from other sections and branches of CFB Shilo.

This marks the largest deployment out of CFB Shilo since 1992 when troops departed for Cyprus. It also marks the historic occasion of the first operational use of Canadian artillery since the Korean war. Our troops will be replacing a British light artillery unit in Bosnia. The first rotation of troops left yesterday and will be followed by a second rotation in April.

I would like to extend my congratulations to all the soldiers at CFB Shilo and wish them a safe return in October.

Mozambique

[Aileen Carroll, Liberal, Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the first week of February torrential rains began to fall in Mozambique causing the worst floods in 50 years. Before it could recover, Mozambique was hit again last week by a cyclone leaving 65,000 people homeless.

I am proud to say that Canada has responded to this natural disaster by providing the people of Mozambique with $1.6 million in assistance. This money will provide food, blankets, medicine, clean water and urgently needed air support.

In the latest budget Canada has increased bilateral international assistance to $435 million over the next three years. This means Canada can continue to help other countries like Mozambique that face catastrophic natural disasters.

This budget demonstrates that Canada continues to be a generous and fair country.

Fuel Prices

[Gerald Keddy, Progressive Conservative, South Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, fuel prices are exorbitant and yesterday crude oil hit a record high of over $31 a barrel. The impact this is having on the trucking industry is beginning to affect all consumers as blockades are preventing supplies from getting to retailers. Truckers feel this is their only option to get the government's attention, but so far they have been ignored.

The federal government collects significant amounts of tax dollars from the excise tax on fuel. Unless there is some assistance provided to truckers, many of them who have contacted my office have suggested that they may be forced to sell their trucks and may even face bankruptcy.

Other people are dependent on fuel too. Seniors on fixed incomes are dependent on fuel. Students who travel to university are dependent on fuel. Everyday ordinary Canadians who travel to work are dependent on fuel. It is a federal and a provincial responsibility. So far the federal has been ignoring its responsibility.

The Budget

[Antoine Dubé, Bloc, Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the National Council of Welfare, a federal lead social policy agency, was very critical of the finance minister's budget at a press conference.

Its vice-president, Armand Brun, recalled that the government had promised a budget for children. “Where is that budget?”, did he ask. He went even further, saying “It is the people who do not vote in an election who have been ignored”.

And he is right. The Liberal Party chose to ignore the poor and to be generous to those who are better off. For example, the Minister of Finance preferred to lower the tax rate on capital gains, thus allowing investors to save $135 million in 2001 and $230 million in 2002.

This is the compassion shown by this Liberal government, which would rather provide new tax shelters to its rich friends than put bread and butter on the table for those who do without.

Export Development Corporation

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this year's budget calls for taxpayers to hand over about $160 billion of our money to the government and taxpayers expect those dollars to be used wisely.

Earth Canada is a company that lost millions of dollars over the last four years but all of a sudden, despite its losing record, it gets a $10 million line of credit from the Export Development Corporation. Why would a company with a losing track record like that qualify for $10 million of federal government aid and support?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the opposition leader for his question. I will look into the precise file that he has raised with me and with the House. I will give him a full answer when I can really look into the particular case that he is raising here today.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the former minister of human resources development is about as enlightening on this subject as the current minister.

I wonder if there is not a better explanation for the sudden improvement in the fortunes of Earth Canada. Last year Earth Canada added to its board of directors none other than René Fugère of illegal lobbying fame and Gilles Champagne of illegal trust fund fame, the cronies of the Prime Minister. Is it the close connection between these people and the Prime Minister that got them this reception from the minister's agent?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister for International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I will look into the file of Earth Canada that the member raises. I know that EDC has very strict criteria when it deals with businesses. We will look into it and I will refer back.

The Leader of the Opposition did not warn us that he would raise a particular company so that we could check it ahead of time.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Earth Canada has a track record of doing nothing but losing money. A fiscally responsible government agency would laugh them out of the office if they came there looking for $10 million of support, but not this government. It does not ask about the track record. It asks if Mr. Fugère or Mr. Champagne is on the board.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Why is it that every time we turn over a rock one of the Prime Minister's cronies crawls out from underneath it?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's insinuations do not resonate with Canadians. If he were serious about what is going on in Canada he would ask questions about the budget.

Once again, by his baseless insinuations, by his questions which are full of rocks, he is giving a wonderful endorsement to the overall budget of the hon. Minister of Finance and this Liberal government.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the Deputy Prime Minister that this is the budget. If millions and millions of Canadian taxpayers dollars are not part of the budget, I do not know what is.

This scandal is spreading from the HRD minister. Now it is through international trade. The Prime Minister himself is involved in it. We know that. It is amazing how much money you can shake loose when you have friends in high places.

Fugère and Champagne have a long history of delivering cash. Now they have secured Earth Canada a $10 million line of credit, and I doubt if it was an accident. How is it that the very mention of their names turns on the taps?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member is making an accusation. She is creating an innuendo and an insinuation but she has given no facts to back them up. Let the record show there is no factual basis for her question in the text of that question.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Edmonton North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, let us just go through a few facts. The 1995 net loss, $800,000; the 1996 net loss, $500,000; the 1997 net loss, $260,000. Are there any more facts that we need?

Miraculously Fugère and Champagne came on the board and they were given a $10 million line of credit. Now these are the facts and they speak for themselves. Why is it that Fugère and Champagne have such an amazing command over the public purse?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has not demonstrated in any way, shape or form in her question a connection between these individuals and the decision on the grant.

If she had given notice beforehand to me or the minister, we would have got the facts faster and replied to her question. If she were serious she would have given us notice. As she has not given us notice, that shows what is missing in the hon. member's approach, especially in her question.

Human Resources Development

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

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister is asking for facts. Surely he must have a few. There are nine investigations involving Human Resources Development Canada, three of them in the Prime Minister's riding alone. I imagine that there were facts for there to have been investigations.

Since 30,000 projects are involved, the picture will not become clear overnight if we take it one investigation at a time.

Does the minister not think it is high time there was an independent, public inquiry into all the projects? We want a clear picture.

Let us make it clear, as she says.

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

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member mentioned, we are talking about tens of thousands of grants and contributions. They are found in the ridings of all members of parliament. I would encourage members of parliament to take the information we have provided to them and go and visit these projects to see their money at work.

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

Mr. Speaker, the deeper we dig, the more the Liberal Party and the government look like the family compact.

I have here a list of transitional job fund projects dated November 29. There are two troubling discrepancies. First, six projects received $1,618,970 but it is not known whether any jobs were created. Twenty-five other projects, which received a total of $11,969,497, created no jobs at all.

Does this not warrant an inquiry? When is she going to wake up?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us review some of the facts. Again, if the hon. member wants to provide the details on those particular projects, I will find the information for him, and remember, Mr. Speaker, in all the transitional jobs fund projects the Government of Quebec had to concur before moneys flowed.

Again we are talking about a program that created opportunities for Canadians where there were none before, and from our point of view that is a good role for the Government of Canada to play.

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

Mr. Speaker, on top of the administrative boondoggle, there have been a number of partisan deals going on, involving friends of the government.

We have learned from Mr. Vallerand that the person at the centre of the CITEC affair is Paul Lemire, a person who has been found guilty of tax evasion.

Is the minister going to again deny the evidence that, on top of the administrative boondoggles going on within her department, it is also rife with partisan bias, particularly in the riding of Saint-Maurice?

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

Mr. Speaker, I categorically reject the allegation made by the hon. member. With regard to that particular project, he knows full well that it is before the RCMP and I will say no more at this time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister cannot use the RCMP investigation as justification for her refusal to reply. The argument of its being before the courts does not apply, because it is in fact not yet before the courts.

Given the way that this affair is expanding, particularly in the riding of Saint-Maurice, is the minister going to bow to the only possible conclusion and institute a public and independent inquiry?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there already is an independent investigation by the auditor general, an officer of this House. Is the hon. member now saying that he does not have faith in the auditor general?