House of Commons Hansard #122 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was animal.
Stockwell Day Canadian AllianceLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to be transfixed with my record and I am excited about that. There is another record we need to talk about.
It is estimated by the Council on Business Issues that the Canadian government lost approximately $350 million in revenues as a result of brain drain. If the Prime Minister will not reduce taxes to keep young Canadians at home, will he at least reduce taxes to keep his own revenues at home?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I have replied to that. We are very active in making sure that young Canadians have opportunities in Canada. It is why we created the Canada Foundation for Innovation which is helping people in research and development. We have created the chairs of excellence which are a model to the world.
We are making a lot of effort. I could go on and on about other initiatives of the government. It is a very simplistic notion that a tax cut would cure all the ills of the nation. It is very naive.
Deborah Grey Reform Edmonton North, AB
Mr. Speaker, it would certainly be a great start, that is for sure. Let us look at the government's tax record and the Prime Minister's record on letting his government backbenchers vote freely.
The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis said that he and his colleagues are “typecast as if we are all stupid—we are just supposed to be voting machines”. That is from a government member.
The vote on the gas tax is tonight. I would like to know from the Prime Minister, honestly, if he is going to make his caucus feel stupid again.
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, talking about a free vote, I remember a person in the House by the name of Jan Brown and another by the name of Jim Silye who were kicked out. The hon. member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca was demoted after he disagreed with his party's position on Bosnia. We can ask the hon. member for Langley—Abbotsford who disagreed with his leader.
John Nunziata Independent York South—Weston, ON
Did you forget about me?
Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC
I would like to say that some are very much in favour of reform in the House. In 1993 the Leader of the Opposition chaired the Special Select Committee on Parliamentary Reform in Alberta—
TaxationOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member for Edmonton North.
Deborah Grey Reform Edmonton North, AB
Mr. Speaker, I hear echoes in the back of the Chamber from the hon. member to York South—Weston.
Let us look at hepatitis C. Let us look at child pornography. Let us look at the GST. There is a long list of what is—
TaxationOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member for Edmonton North.
Deborah Grey Reform Edmonton North, AB
It is noisy, Mr. Speaker. Let us look at hepatitis C. Let us look at child pornography. Let us look at the GST and the pathetic record of the government when these issues have come on the floor of the House of Commons in the past.
The Prime Minister has forced his backbenchers to vote his way, even when it meant facing their constituents and themselves in shame. The vote is tonight. What will it be? Freedom or shame?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, some are for reform of the institution. The chairman of the committee in Alberta in 1993 recommended this. Listen to this. Perhaps we should have this here. He recommended that committees should not be allowed to issue minority reports.
In the House last week he was challenged by the Minister of Finance to permit his party to vote for the amendment of the hon. member for Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge and he did not give freedom to his members to vote for this motion.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice has said 17 times in this House that her young offenders bill guaranteed the flexibility needed to enable Quebec to act on its choices.
Does she still maintain that her bill has the flexibility to enable Quebec to continue operating as it has done in the past?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Yes, Mr. Speaker, in fact I do.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, if the minister's claims are true, how does she explain the fact that she had to amend clause 60.1 of the bill with respect to crimes of violence for young people aged 14 or 15 other than to give Quebec greater latitude?
In other words, will she admit that without this amendment Quebec would not have the flexibility it needs to apply the law in accordance with its own objectives? She had to amend it because there was no flexibility. She ought to do likewise with the rest.
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the government has listened to the many witnesses who appeared before the committee in relation to Bill C-3.
In response to that we introduced a number of amendments. Let me reassure the hon. leader of the third party that those amendments have three purposes: to decrease complexity in the legislation, to increase clarity, and to increase flexibility to all provinces and territories that choose to use it.
Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice continues, as always, to claim that her bill allows Quebec all possible flexibility to continue to apply the Young Offenders Act.
If this is true, why does the minister not agree to include a real right to opt out in her Bill C-3, so as to allow Quebec to continue to apply the Young Offenders Act, rather than absolutely forcing Quebec to use the repressive approach of Bill C-3?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, because in fact that which the hon. member suggested is not necessary. Within Bill C-3 there is all necessary flexibility for the province of Quebec to continue to deal with youth justice issues in the way it does presently.
Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, no one in Quebec shares the minister's opinion on this.
How can she maintain a position which makes it impossible to solve the young offender problem in less than 30 minutes in this Chamber, particularly when she is being asked to put down in writing, in black and white, as part of her Bill C-3, what she has been telling us here in the House for the past 28 months, and what she has repeated 17 times in response to a question asked of her in this House?
Anne McLellan LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, in fact our youth justice legislation applies in all provinces and territories. As I have said before, there is sufficient flexibility in the legislation to ensure that the province of Quebec can continue to do that which it is presently doing in relation to youth justice.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the federal Liberals are hiding out on water quality issues. On Toronto's insane proposal to cart its garbage to Kirkland Lake, they had an opportunity to launch a full federal environmental assessment but they took a pass.
Why did the federal government refuse to stand up for safe drinking water? Is it Quebec's drinking water it does not care about? Is it Ontario's? Is it first nations' drinking water it does not care about, or does the federal Liberal government just not care, period?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the province of Ontario carried out an extensive environmental assessment of the proposal of the Adams mine.
The federal government has recently received petitions asking that this be looked into. In accordance with the law, I have given the task to the Environmental Assessment Office to look at the questions raised and report back to me so that again in accordance with the law I can make a decision as to whether or not to proceed.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, speaking of garbage, the minister's answer is pure garbage. It is bureaucratic crap. What is the minister—
The EnvironmentOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. We are moving to very strong language. I ask the hon. leader to please be very judicious in her choice of words.