House of Commons Hansard #113 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was park.

Topics

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister 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.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

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.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

The Speaker

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

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Reform

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?

Human Resources DevelopmentOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Brant Ontario

Liberal

Jane Stewart LiberalMinister 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.

BankingOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

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?

BankingOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalMinister 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.

BankingOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

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?

BankingOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance

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

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Reform

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?

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Edmonton West Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalMinister 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.

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Reform

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.

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

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

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Reform

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?

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

The Speaker

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

Gun RegistryOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Edmonton West Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalMinister 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 MontrealOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Bloc

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.

Port Of MontrealOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Don Valley East Ontario

Liberal

David Collenette LiberalMinister 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 EmploymentOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

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?

Youth EmploymentOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Western Arctic Northwest Territories

Liberal

Ethel Blondin-Andrew LiberalSecretary 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.

FirearmsOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Reform

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?

FirearmsOral Question Period

2:45 p.m.

Edmonton West Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalMinister 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.