Debates of June 13th, 2000

Human Resources Development

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

Mr. Speaker, with regard to this particular project, I can say that it is under review.

In the context of the questions and commentary of members of that party opposite, it is clear that from their point of view they think it is a boondoggle for Canadians to invest in improving the literacy levels of Canadians. They think it is a boondoggle for Canadians to invest in ensuring that Canadians with disabilities can participate in the economy. They think it is a boondoggle for us to support aboriginal people in getting the training they need to participate in the economy.

After five months, that is the result of the discussions here.

[Jay Hill, Reform, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in this particular case, we think it is a boondoggle that taxpayers are buying people motorhomes. That is what we think.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. chief opposition whip may begin his question.

[Jay Hill, Reform, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian taxpayers deserve to know where all their money is being spent. The original proposal was approved for a $30,000 lease of a motorhome. The used RV was in fact purchased for $30,000 and subsequently registered in an individual's name. I do not think this needs to reviewed. I think it needs to be investigated properly by the RCMP.

Has the HRDC minister decided to make a gift of this RV, or has it been sold so taxpayers can recover at least part of their investment?

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

Mr. Speaker, I repeat that in this particular case a forensic audit is under way.

I want to make clear that hon. members opposite focus on isolated cases and bring to the attention of the Canadian people individual grants and contributions, while at the same time making it absolutely clear that from their point of view there is nothing that the Government of Canada can do to help those in need. That is the real message here, and I think it has become very clear to Canadians that this is the approach of that party.

Banking

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

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of Finance tell us where his bill mentions the conditions governing the ownership of up to 65% of National Bank shares by a single shareholder, the conditions on the maintenance of available services, the maintenance of professional positions or those requiring a particular expertise in Quebec, the benefits for the economy of Quebec and its technological development and the benefits for Quebec's financial sector?

Where in the bill did he provide for these assessment criteria?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if the member would care to look at clause 396, he will find there a list, which, following another determination, will tell him what is included in the public interest. As I have said to Mr. Landry, the public interest involves really all the issues he raised in his letter.

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

Mr. Speaker, can the minister tell us who will decide whether it is in the public interest and in the interest of Quebecers? Who will decide which conditions will be met? What evaluation criteria and what sort of analysis will be used? Will he not be the one ultimately deciding? Is he not looking more and more like a minister in a banana republic?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Jacques Parizeau's puppet has to know that the Canadian government will decide.

Gun Registry

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

In 1995 the justice minister tabled a document titled “Financial Framework for Bill C-68” that projected a deficit of $2 million over five years for implementation of the gun registration scheme.

It is now five years later and the deficit is $320 million. That is 150 times larger than the deficit first projected.

What is responsible for this huge waste of money, the previous minister's ridiculous estimate or the current minister's mismanagement of the scheme?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I should think that most Canadians are now at a point where they believe it is time for the Canadian Alliance to realize that this is an issue about public safety. That is why the vast majority of Canadians support gun control and that is why we are able to reassure Canadians that this program is delivering safer communities and safer streets.

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I wish somebody would take the batteries out of the Liberal pink bunny that keeps spending, spending, spending.

One would think that a deficit 150 times larger than expected would cause the Liberals concern. Now we find out that everything is a mess at the gun registry headquarters and $129 million for this year is not enough.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. We all deserve to be able to hear the question. I ask members once again to please reserve their comments.

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, we do not even know what the latest advertizing and outreach blitz will cost, and only 5% of guns have been registered. If we reached this huge deficit with only a fraction of the guns being registered, how many more hundreds of millions will have to be spent, or is the justice minister trying to divert attention away from the HRDC minister with her own billion dollar boondoggle?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

Order, please. We have heard the question and I believe we owe it to ourselves to hear the answer.

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we do not spend a lot of time worrying about conspiracy theories that may float around in the minds of the Canadian Alliance members.

We on this side of the House are concerned about the safety of Canadians. That is why this government is committed to ensuring that we have a gun control program that works for all Canadians. Hon. members might be interested to know that, for example, 750 licence applications have been refused and 970 licences have been revoked from individuals who were deemed not eligible to have them. That is about public safety.

Port Of Montreal

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

The Port of Montreal's board of directors is meeting this evening to decide whether or not to sell the Bickerdike pier to the Technodôme group for a project worth $1.4 billion which has the support of the City of Montreal, the Government of Quebec and many leaders of Quebec's business community.

Since the only position not yet known to date is that of the Prime Minister, will he tell us where his government stands on this major project for Montreal involving 14,000 jobs? Not 14, but 14,000.

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the decision on the future of the Port of Montreal is in the hands of the authorities directing affairs at the Port of Montreal. There will be a meeting this evening and we await their decision.

Youth Employment

[Sophia Leung, Liberal, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every summer thousands of students find jobs, but others have a difficult time getting a summer job.

Can the Secretary of State for Children and Youth inform the House what initiatives she is taking to promote summer employment for students?

[Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, the government has a number of measures in place.

Overall this year we will spend $120 million in our attempts to hire students. Last year we hoped to achieve the hiring of 60,000 students. We exceeded that number by 10,000 last summer. We are hoping that employers who have not taken advantage of this program will do so and hire a student.

Firearms

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

Mr. Speaker, as of June 4 the Canadian Firearms Centre had issued only 183,353 personal licences and had a backlog of about 144,000 applications in process or awaiting attention.

At that rate, even using the justice department's lowball estimate of three million gun owners in Canada, it would take about 25 years to complete the licensing process.

I ask the justice minister, what is going to happen on the deadline date of December 31 of this year?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, in response let me simply suggest to the hon. member and others across the way that perhaps they should stop being pawns of the gun lobby and get concerned about the safety of the nation.