Michel Gauthier

[Atlantic Groundfish Strategy, June 11th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, regarding the issue of fisheries and the Atlantic groundfish strategy, the Minister of Human Resources Development accused us earlier of wanting to keep fishers in a state of dependency because we are asking the government to help them.

Such comments from the minister are worrisome, because the last time he discussed the issue, he decided to exclude 60% of all unemployed people from the program.

Are we to expect that, under the pretext of implementing active measures, the minister will deny 60% of workers in the fishing industry any government assistance, as he did with the unemployed?

[Atlantic Groundfish Strategy, June 10th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, what kind of game is the Minister of Human Resources Development playing, while an unprecedented human tragedy is taking place in eastern Quebec, the Gaspé, the Magdalen Islands and eastern Canada?

What is he up to telling us his officials are holding talks with provincial officials? Does he not get it? He is being called upon as a member of the government by fishery workers in need of the government's assistance.

[Atlantic Groundfish Strategy, June 10th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, with the situation deteriorating in eastern Quebec, Quebec's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Guy Julien, has just told the press that he has received no proposal from the federal government for a solution to the TAGS problem, and that there are no discussions under way right now.

How could the Minister of Human Resources Development tell the House yesterday that he was working with the provinces to find a solution, when he has just been formally contradicted by his colleague from Quebec?

[Health, June 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I see that the Minister of Health has been muzzled after yesterday's performance. Now we have the Minister of Finance fielding health questions.

At the last Liberal convention, the Minister of Health said “This government's greatest responsibility is restoring Canadians' confidence in the health system”.

Will he not admit today that he was badly mistaken? He misled Canadians.

[Health, June 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, an Angus Reid poll revealed that the 61% of Canadians who thought we had a good health system has dropped to 37% as a result of this government's cuts.

I ask the Minister of Health if he is still saying that it is because of the poor decisions made by Jean Rochon that only 37% of Canadians now think we have a decent health care system?

[Health, June 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it must impress hospital patients to hear the Minister of Finance telling them how things stand, but omitting a few details.

An Angus Reid poll published by the Canadian Healthcare Association—

[Health, June 8th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, this Minister of Health has no compassion.

Does he realize that the cuts the government imposes every year on Quebec in the area of health represent double the budget of all the CLSCs in Quebec combined?

[Health, June 8th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has just told two giant whoppers.

The first is that health was a shared jurisdiction. As far as I know, it has always come exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. The second is that the federal government never cut transfer payments. He has just said it increased them.

How does the Minister of Health expect to maintain any credibility with such nonsense, when transfer payments, which were $678 per person—

[Air Transport, June 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the more the Minister intervenes to keep Canadian alive, on artificial live support more or less, the more Canadians must pass through American airports to get to Europe. This is simple enough and the minister ought to understand it.

Will the minister admit that his policy for saving two Canadian carriers in Canada, which is in some ways hindering the development of Air Canada, is also doing harm to the Montreal airport, which is ending up as a satellite for U.S. airports?

[Air Transport, June 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.

The Minister of Transport refuses to grant Air Canada any direct international links, so as not to have it compete with Canadian. As a result, more and more Canadian passengers must transit through the United States.

By blocking Air Canada's direct access to major international destinations, does the Minister not understand that he is forcing Canadian passengers, more often than not, to use American carriers?