Debates of March 22nd, 2001

Canada Post

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, multinational courier companies are attempting to impose postal policy reforms rejected by parliament and the Canadian public through the back of door of WTO trade negotiations and litigation.

The recent $230 million NAFTA lawsuit against Canada by UPS, the world's largest courier company, should be a wake up call, yet unfortunately Canada's WTO negotiators have exposed us to similar attacks under the GATS. U.S. based multinational courier companies are using the GATS negotiations to try to force Canada Post out of parcel delivery and other competitive services.

Restricting Canada Post to core letter mail services will doom the public postal system to gradual erosion. It is clear that foreign multinationals are seeking GATS enforceable rights to Canada Post's advantages without wanting to be encumbered by its public service obligations.

By covering courier services under the GATS, negotiators have exposed Canada Post to challenges under the GATS anti-monopoly—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Châteauguay.

Figure Skating

[Robert Lanctôt, Bloc, Châteauguay, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last evening, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, who is from Sayabec in the riding of Matapédia—Matane, won the pairs gold medal at the world figure skating championships in Vancouver.

It was a stunning victory, which held us spellbound right to the end. After so many years of training and sacrifice, our two champions may now reap the glory they so deserve.

Well done, you two. You have proven that amateur sport is exciting, heart stopping and high calibre.

On behalf of all of us in the Bloc Quebecois, and more specifically, my colleague from Matapédia—Matane, I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming challenges, the ultimate being the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

Your dreams have become reality. Well done, and keep on dazzling us.

Governor General

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

Mr. Speaker, most Canadians are shut out of a job competition in the Governor General's office. The Governor General has a job opening for a program and policy officer, but most Canadians who may be qualified for this job will never be given an opportunity to apply for it because the competition is restricted to those who live in certain postal codes in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

This is blatant job discrimination. Here is a well paying job for a Canadian with the proper academic work and language skills in the office of the Governor General, of all Canadians, yet the competition, with the exception of those in a small geographical area around the national capital, shuts out every qualified person from B.C. to Newfoundland.

The Prime Minister's government must stop its discriminatory hiring rules. The federal government, which is facing a massive job skills shortage in the public service as baby boomers retire, must search for the best and the brightest across the entire country, not just around the national capital.

Tourisme Amiante

[Gérard Binet, Liberal, Frontenac—Mégantic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday at the Gala des Grands Prix du tourisme, a tourism awards gala held at l'Islet-sur-Mer, the first prize in the tourist services category for the Chaudière-Appalaches region went to Tourisme Amiante.

I congratulate them on their dynamic efforts to find winning formulas for showcasing this region which is located in the heart of the Appalachian region at Thetford Mines.

This is but the latest in a number of accomplishments over the years to fully exploit the potential of this most beautiful region with its wide variety of tourist attractions.

Congratulations, Tourisme Amiante.

Figure Skating

[Scott Reid, Canadian Alliance, Lanark—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Vancouver, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier were crowned world pairs figure skating champions.

This inspiring example of perseverance and determination shows what a fellow from Quebec and a girl from Red Deer, Alberta, can accomplish when they decide to work together.

I have but one comment: Congratulations.

Indeed last night the figure skating duo of Salé and Pelletier beat the Russian and Chinese teams to become the world figure skating champions.

They showed Canada and the world what great things can be accomplished when people from Quebec and people from Red Deer, Alberta, get together and work hard toward their goals.

I congratulate them in the name of all Canadians and tell them that they have done well and we are proud of them.

The Environment

[Julian Reed, Liberal, Halton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, established in 1988, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides objective, scientific, technical and economic assessments about climate change.

The IPCC's working groups have released three reports that must not be ignored. These groups have concluded that the planet is moving faster than scientists first imagined toward a troubling new climate era and that the impact which climate change will have on everything from crop yields to rising sea levels will result in dire consequences for the global population.

The IPCC's reports are not all doom and gloom. In fact they report that the world possesses effective and affordable means to combat the threat of global warming but that we lack the political will to implement these measures.

I have confidence that during the government's mandate we will prove that Canada has the political will to implement the necessary changes.

Ethics Counsellor

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, for two years the Prime Minister has been saying that he sold his shares in the Grand-Mère Golf Club long before he started pressuring a crown corporation to give money to the hotel next door.

Just two days ago the golf club's lawyers wrote that the transfer of shares was only approved but not that it actually ever took place. Just yesterday golf club spokesmen said that they never knew who owned the shares. I will quote. They said “From 1993 on we did not know exactly who it was”. My question is for the Prime Minister. Who owned those shares?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the ethics counsellor looked into this issue. He saw all the documents and confirmed clearly that I had sold my shares on the November 1, 1993. It was very clear.

I sold my shares to a company that was owned by Mr. Prince. All the documents have been seen by the ethics counsellor. For me it is clear. I have always said the same thing and repeated it. Eventually Mr. Prince's company paid me and my company.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, they can weakly applaud that weak response but section 50 of the Canada Business Corporations Act requires the golf club to maintain a record of the names of each shareholder and the date and details of every transaction.

Now the golf club's lawyer and spokesperson have said that Mr. Prince's name was never entered on the corporate records. He can talk all he wants about Mr. Prince or the records. This is new information. He cannot refer to what the ethics counsellor said earlier.

Based on this new information not previously known to the ethics counsellor, will the Minister of Industry do the right thing and—

[The Speaker]

I urge hon. members to bear in mind the time constraints.

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I assure my hon. friend and the House that industry officials are working with the company to ensure that it has complied with all registration requirements.

It is clear from every inquiry made into this matter that what the Prime Minister has said just now and earlier is absolutely correct. He did not own those shares after he became Prime Minister.

[Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is one thing to say but it will be another thing to prove. We will watch that.

For two years the Prime Minister has also been saying that his holding company which owned the golf club shares was held in a blind trust, but we know the Prime Minister called the ethics counsellor in January 1996 about the shares. Yesterday, after two years, the Prime Minister finally admitted that he was aware of and involved in the negotiations to resell those shares.

How could the Prime Minister say his investments were in a blind trust when he now admits that he knew the details of the shares and the deals?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I explained in the House of Commons yesterday very clearly from my seat that after 1993 I had only one interest. It was to be paid the debt that was owed to myself. Eventually the debt was paid.

I never had anything to do with these shares since November 1, 1993.

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Industry Canada officials were supposed to go to the Grand-Mère to inspect the golf club's books.

Would the Minister of Industry tell the House if they did so and if the company was in compliance with all laws, including section 50 of the Canada Business Corporations Act?

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do not have a report yet from the industry officials. I will endeavour to get one as soon as possible and inform my hon. friend.

However it gives me the opportunity to say again that the House and the country should note what the Prime Minister just said, that after he became Prime Minister he did not own the shares in question.

[Charlie Penson, Canadian Alliance, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I think we are all looking forward to that report from Industry Canada to see what it finds out. With regard to what the Deputy Prime Minister just said, the golf club spokesmen said that the Prime Minister's name was taken off its records, however, Mr. Prince's name was never added.

The lawyer for the golf club said that Mr. Prince never signed the unanimous shareholder agreement, even though the company continued to report it had one in place. These are clear violations of the law.

Would the Minister of Industry or somebody in the government stand and investigate the actions of the Prime Minister and his business partners to ensure that nobody in the country is above the law?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that from November 1, I did not have any shares in that company. They can make insinuations. They are the ones who have a leader who because of his foot in mouth disease the taxpayers of Alberta had to pay $700,000.

They are the ones who promised a member of parliament $50,000 to quit his seat, and he never received the money. They cannot talk about ethics.

L`Auberge Grand-Mère

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

Mr. Speaker, a serious appearance of conflict of interest is hanging over the Prime Minister in the golf course and Auberge Grand-Mère affair. Yesterday, the Prime Minister admitted that he was determined to be paid for his shares in the golf course, and we know that he intervened personally so that the hotel would receive grants.

Will the Prime Minister admit that it is much easier for him to get paid for his shares in the golf course if the neighbouring hotel is not bankrupt, but in good financial health, thanks to the grants he himself went after?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were owed money, and we were entitled to it. It was money owing us.

The company sold the hotel in the spring of 1993. On November 1, 1993, I sold my shares to Mr. Prince, who eventually paid me.

My only objective was to be paid the money owing me, and this was later done.

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

Mr. Speaker, the money owing was paid because the hotel received grants. That is the fact of the matter.

The annual reports of company 161341 Inc. do not list Jonas Prince, the individual to whom the Prime Minister says he sold his shares, among the shareholders in 1993 or in 1996, when the Prime Minister intervened in the negotiations.

Since Jonas Prince was not a shareholder, not having bought the shares, will the Prime Minister admit that his entire defence has just fallen apart and that there is indeed an appearance of conflict of interest between the money owing him and his effort to arrange matters so that the situation would allow him—

[The Speaker]

The Right Hon. Prime Minister.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, how many times must I repeat myself? I am pleased to say, he claims there was an appearance of conflict of interest. There was not any appearance, not even anything remotely one. And the reason is that, after November 1, I no longer owned the shares. All that I could expect to receive was the money Mr. Prince owed my company.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on March 23, 1999, the Prime Minister said in the House, “I sold the shares of that company in 1993. After that I had nothing to do with — the hotel”.

Not only did the Prime Minister meet the promoter of the Auberge, but he personally intervened to have a loan and grants given to the Auberge Grand-Mère after 1993.

Do these facts not totally contradict the remarks he made in the House in March 1999?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely not. The Auberge was sold in April 1993, six months before the election.

At one point, the Auberge wanted to expand and add another 20 positions to the company. The government helped it, the firm got a loan in 1997. Four years later, it is still in business. There are an additional 20 positions, and they are making their payments to the bank every month, I imagine.

So, from 1993 to 2001, there is quite a gap and—