Debates of Sept. 26th, 2005

Automobile Industry

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I really find it difficult to live with this kind of foolishness. The auto sector all over the world and all over North America is going through wrenching adjustments.

Here in Canada, the auto sector is actually doing relatively well. In fact, the Canadian Auto Workers have increased by 28,000 workers over the last few years. We have put $355 million into attracting assembly plants here in Ontario and we have levered that into over $4.5 billion in investment, so the member is all wet.

Older Workers

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when I was touring the regions of Quebec this summer, all the workers I met were expecting the government to take the necessary steps to follow up on the unanimous vote by the members of this House to implement income support measures for older workers who have been subject to mass lay-offs.

What explanation does the government have for not yet acting on the unanimous decision taken by the House of Commons this past June 14 as the result of a vote?

[Belinda Stronach, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal]

Mr. Speaker, there has been follow-up. The department is working with the province of Quebec in particular and with other provinces and numerous departments to develop a strategy for older workers. That includes temporary income support measures.

Fisheries

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the shrimp fishery of Newfoundland and Labrador is very important to my constituents and to the men, women and families who depend on it for a livelihood, but European tariffs on shrimp continue to harm this vital industry. Will the Minister of International Trade tell the House what actions the government has taken against these tariffs?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I would very much like to thank the member from Labrador for his important question. I commend him and his colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador for making this a priority issue.

Since December 2004 I have raised this issue repeatedly with the EU trade commissioner and our EU counterparts. I have met with the shrimp industry in Newfoundland. My officials have ongoing meetings with the Fisheries Council of Canada and the Association of Seafood Producers. In addition, I have instructed our EU trade commissioners to make it a priority issue to get those shrimp into Europe.

In the WTO, we are working through the NAMA provisions on a sectoral basis to try to create free trade in fisheries. I spoke with an EU official this morning and I will be meeting with the premier and the fisheries minister this afternoon.

Child Care

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government reached an agreement on child care with six provinces, but it is still dragging its feet with regard to Quebec, by seeking to subject it to Canada-wide standards.

Quebec's minister for intergovernmental affairs, Benoît Pelletier, was extremely clear when he said, “This is not negotiable; we will not budge one iota”.

Yet, the Prime Minister had said, in the last election, that Quebec would be able to get its cheque with no strings attached. What explanation does the Prime Minister have for the fact that he is now reneging on his election promise?

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, Minister of Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the House many times before, we have been very respectful of the jurisdiction of all the provinces, including the province of Quebec. We have been very respectful of the position it holds in terms of childcare in this country and also in terms of Quebec being an inspiration for the program that has been introduced. Our negotiations are ongoing.

What the hon. member should know is that the money has flowed for this first year through a trust fund, so the people of Quebec and the government of Quebec are receiving their money even in advance of any deal that would be signed.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament, Somali Republic.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker]

I would also like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Excellency K. Natwar Singh, External Affairs Minister of the Republic of India.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Hon. James Jerome

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we were all saddened this summer by the passing of the former Speaker of the House of Commons, the Hon. James Jerome.

Mr. Jerome was an exceptional MP and Speaker of the House and an inspiration to Canadians.

Mr. Jerome was first elected to the House of Commons for the electoral district of Sudbury in the general election of 1968. He was re-elected in 1972, 1974 and 1979. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Privy Council and as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons from 1970 to 1972.

During the minority Parliament elected in 1972, he served as chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, a position in which he distinguished himself as a fair and impartial arbiter in a difficult and contentious committee.

Following the 1974 election, he was a natural and a popular choice to be chosen Speaker of the House. He was returned as Speaker following the election of 1979, becoming the first Speaker in history to be chosen from the opposition side of the House.

As Speaker, Mr. Jerome was responsible for a number of important innovations. First and foremost, it fell to him to preside over the introduction of the televising of the proceedings of the House. His pioneering guidance became the standard on which many other legislatures based their subsequent introduction of broadcasting, including the United States Congress and the British House of Commons.

Mr. Speaker Jerome also initiated the modernization of the administration of the House of Commons. Among his most enduring contributions was the development of the House of Commons page program.

Following the dissolution of Parliament in 1979, Mr. Jerome was appointed Associate Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada, where he served with distinction until his retirement.

Mr. Jerome is fondly remembered, not only for his wisdom and impartiality, but also for his warmth and unfailing good humour, good humour which contributed greatly to making Parliament more effective and, perhaps more importantly, more civil.

To his wife Barry and his children and grandchildren, we offer our sympathies on their loss and our thanks for sharing him with us.

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

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada and my leader, I would also like to pay tribute to the Hon. James Jerome who passed away this summer.

Mr. Jerome was born in Kingston in 1933 and studied law at Osgoode Hall in Toronto. He later opened a legal practice in Sudbury where he served on that city's council.

Mr. Jerome served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1974 to 1979. The House of Commons at the time obviously felt then, as it does today, that a lawyer born in Kingston would make a pretty good Speaker.

I never met Mr. Jerome although as a House leader I have come to know former Speakers through their various rulings which are very important to the evolution of the rules of the House of Commons.

Mr. Jerome was the first Speaker to serve during the reign of two governments of different political stripes and the first opposition member to preside over the House. This reflected his reputation as an impartial chair, a reputation that was cut at the committee level when he was chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. The committee dealt with highly controversial bills, including abolition of capital punishment and wiretap legislation. He managed to keep the respect of all parties as he stickhandled his way through procedural disputes.

When Prime Minister Trudeau asked James Jerome to become Speaker in 1974, he neglected to consult the leader of the opposition before making his nomination. As a result, the official opposition refused to second the nomination. Mr. Stanfield emphasized, however, his quarrel was with the government and not with the Speaker who he said had his party's full support.

Here we have another similarity to the other Speaker from Kingston. As you may recall, Mr. Speaker, one of your appointments as chair occupant was opposed by the opposition as well. In fact, the government was forced to invoke closure. As with Mr. Jerome, the opposition's quarrel was with the government and not the deputy speaker who also enjoyed their full support.

Mr. Jerome's most significant change to the House of Commons, as we just heard, was bringing in television coverage in 1978, something most of us today take for granted. He had to establish rules for broadcasting and eventually they were copied by other parliaments around the world.

While very few of us get the privilege of presiding over this House, there is one privilege we can all share with Mr. Jerome and that is the privilege of serving our constituents.

Mr. Jerome represented the people of Sudbury, first elected as their member in 1968 and re-elected in subsequent elections, his political career only ending when he decided not to run in 1980.

He went on to be appointed in 1980 to the post of Associate Chief Justice and Head of the Trial Division of the Federal Court where he served for some 18 years.

Mr. Jerome served this House with competence and impartiality. He served his constituents with dedication and his country with commitment.

Mr. Jerome's contributions to the House will be remembered and appreciated for many years to come.

On behalf of the Conservative Party, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Mr. Jerome's family and his many friends.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is always a very touching moment when we honour someone who has sat here, in this House, and who has devoted much of his life and professional career to the service of his fellow citizens.

Not only was Mr. Jerome a former member of this House but he also had an impressive legal career. He was seen by everyone as impartial when he sat in the chair that you now occupy, Mr. Speaker.

He was in fact remarkably impartial. This is a trait that everyone here respects in the Speaker of the House of Commons.

He was evidently a fair and impartial man. He was someone who had the courage, in 1973, when he was just the chair of a committee, to turn down an amendment that was proposed with government support but that was contrary to the laws and regulations in effect and would have limited the role of a parliamentary committee.

For this act alone, an act of courage if there ever was one, I think that Speaker Jerome will be remembered as a great Speaker and a fair-minded person. We will remember him not only as a jurist, judge, member of Parliament serving his fellow citizens, and Speaker of this House but also as an impartial human being, the father of a family and a husband who made a very positive mark.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to pay my respects to the members of his family, his friends, and all those who knew him and had the good fortune to work with him.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the NDP caucus, I am pleased to join with my colleagues from other parties in giving thanks for the life and work of the former Speaker of the House, James Jerome.

We pay particular tribute to his contribution to this House and to his distinguished ability as Speaker.

As one of the few left who sat in the House while Speaker Jerome was in the chair, I can certainly attest to his capacities in that role and to the respect which he enjoyed on both sides of the chamber from those who had longer experiences of his leadership in the House. Thanks to the peculiar dynamics of the minority Parliament of 1979, I had a short-lived experience of Speaker Jerome. I certainly remember my first question. I asked it of a future Speaker of the House, John Fraser. When I got what actually passed for an answer from the minister, I was denied a supplementary.

I say this by way of harkening back to a parliamentary culture, symbolized by Speaker Jerome who was the last Speaker to enjoy the benefits of such a culture, in which the Speaker felt free to exercise more discretion and individual judgment over who was to be recognized and who was not and in what context. Speaker Jerome certainly exercised that judgment with much wisdom, humour and discernment. In doing so, he served Canadian democracy and the institution of Parliament with great distinction.

We hope that the memory of the esteem in which he was held will be comfort to his family and we express our sincere condolences to them.

[The Speaker]

I wish to advise hon. members that I had the honour of representing this House at the funeral of the hon. James Jerome during the summer. I had the opportunity to meet with some members of the family on that occasion.

I am delighted that members have chosen to have this tribute to such a distinguished Canadian. I now invite hon. members to rise for a moment of silence out of respect for our former Speaker.

Business of Supply

[The Speaker]

As hon. members know, the Standing Orders set out the number of supply days in each supply period. The Standing Orders also set out for the Speaker a formula for calculating the addition of supply days when the House sits on days it is not scheduled to sit and another formula for subtracting supply days when the House does not sit on days when it is scheduled to.

We find ourselves in the unusual situation where both formulae could be applied.

Since the end of the last supply period , that is June 23, the House has sat two additional days, namely June 27 and 28.

Similarly, the House, in resuming its sittings today, did so five sitting days later than usual.

The Chair has decided to view this as a net reduction of three sitting days for this supply period. According to the formula contained in paragraph (b) of Standing Order 81(10), a reduction of three sitting days is insufficient to cause a reduction in the number of supply days.

Accordingly it is my duty to inform the House that pursuant to Standing Order 81(10) a total of seven days will be allotted for the supply period ending December 10, 2005.

Report of Chief Electoral Officer

[The Speaker]

I have the honour to lay upon the table the report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on the administration of the Labrador byelection held on May 24, 2005.

This document is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

Government Response to Petitions

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to three petitions.

Committees of the House

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 45th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, concerning the work of the Subcommittee on Private Members' Business.

Pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2), this report contains the list of items added to the order of precedence under private members' business on June 17 that should not be designated non-votable.

[The Speaker]

Pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2), this report is deemed concurred in.

Criminal Code

[Bill Graham, Liberal, for the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women]

moved for leave to introduce Bill S-37, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Cultural Property Export and Import Act.

(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)

Spirit Drinks Trade Act

[David Emerson, Liberal, for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)]

moved for leave to introduce Bill S-38, An Act respecting the implementation of international trade commitments by Canada regarding spirit drinks of foreign countries.

(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)

Petitions

[Carol Skelton, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this petition is presented on behalf of the many concerned citizens in Biggar and surrounding communities who are deeply troubled about the proposed closure of the Biggar CN terminal by Canadian National Railways.

The increase in shift times, travel times and deadline pressure on train crews is especially troubling. Moving the terminal to Saskatoon would remove the safe rest location and increase the likelihood of fatigue related accidents. After CN's disastrous accident prone summer, this is a terrible move.

Once again, CN's respect for rural Canadian communities and its employees is being blatantly shown. I totally support the affected communities and the CN employees. Therefore, I present this petition on their behalf.

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Viking, Alberta on marriage.

The petitioners acknowledge that marriage is the best foundation for families and for the raising of children and that the institution of marriage as being between a man and a woman is being challenged. They acknowledge that the House decided in 1999 that marriage should remain a union between a man and a woman.

They therefore petition Parliament to reinstate marriage as the union of one man and one woman.