Michel Gauthier

[Manpower Training, October 5th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely incredible to see the Minister of Human Resources Development talk about the Quebec government's refusal to co-operate on manpower issues when at this very moment, he has a bill in which he assumes powers he never had before, which constitute an incredible and unprecedented invasion of the jurisdiction of the Government of Quebec over manpower. So much so that it was even criticized by hard core federalists in Quebec. You can only go so far.

Would the Minister of Human Resources Development agree that this bill marks the first time the federal government acquires the legal authority to go directly over the head of the Government of Quebec? Will he admit it?

[Industry Canada, October 4th, 1995]

In a democratic society such as ours, how can the Prime Minister find it normal and try to tell the House that a group of officials in the federal government's special operations unit, connected with his office, is systematically violating the charter of rights and freedoms by classifying the heads of Quebec businesses according to their political affiliation?

[Industry Canada, October 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister would like to talk research and development, he should take note and acknowledge before the cameras and before this House that the document prepared by his officials confirms the figures quoted by the official opposition last week to the effect that only 17 per cent of all research and development is done in Quebec, when the figure should be much higher than that. It should be at least 30 per cent.

Indeed, Mr. Speaker, it is not desperation when we call for candour and a clear statement from the Prime Minister, an admission he should be making.

[Industry Canada, October 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is distressing to note that the Prime Minister is prepared to use every means to ensure his truth wins, including standing behind documents that advocate blackmailing business.

The Prime Minister persists in claiming this is perfectly normal. Imagine, it is perfectly normal for Industry Canada to keep the political opinions of the heads of Quebec business on file. The Prime Minister thinks it is perfectly normal for a government document to describe ways to armtwist Quebec businesses into voting the way the Prime Minister wants them to.

When the Industry Canada document identifies the political affiliation of a number of heads of Quebec businesses, when it lists the subsidies granted them, when funding cuts to Spar, Pratt & Whitney or Canadian Marconi are threatened, how can this still be claimed to be a simple matter of economics and not a political matter for the special unit of the Prime Minister's office?

[Industry Canada, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's conclusion and the conclusions of his document are not even the same. He has not read it. True, this document was requested by the Prime Minister.

When the minister states that these are unfounded allegations, I would like him to explain, to us and to all Quebecers, the following. While the Operation Unity centre was literally collecting secret information contained in Department of Industry documents for the purposes of bringing pressure to bear during the referendum, why would it have deprived itself of information held by other organizations and departments other than Industry on thousands of Quebecers and Quebec organizations? Why would it not have done so when it has collected similar information from Industry in such a shameful manner?

[Industry Canada, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, we were well aware of how strongly allergic the Prime Minister was to the competitive bidding process in the Power DirecTv case involving his son-in-law. It will be remembered that he appeared to be extremely allergic in that instance. But it is completely normal for the government of Quebec to use a competitive bidding process.

It is also important for Quebecers to know the true colours of the federal government right before making a decision. The Privy Council's Operation Unity centre has taken the trouble to collect information on Quebec businesses, their directors, their past and future contracts and grants, so as to be able to pressure them to be on the No side of the referendum. We know that a number of federal government bodies and departments possess confidential information on a number of Canadians and Canadian organizations.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Can he tell us whether some of the information in the hands of other federal bodies or departments has been acquired by the Operation Unity centre to create other files to be used for the same purposes as the first?

[Research And Development, October 2nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian prime ministers have been promising for decades to remedy the situation. Yet, no corrective action has ever been taken.

How can the defence minister explain the statement he made about this contract on Radio-Canada's television program Enjeux , that the federal government cannot afford to be fair to Quebec? How does he justify making such a statement?

[Research And Development, October 2nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, what an extraordinary leap of logic.

The federal government is about to sign with GM, in Ontario, a major contract worth as much as $2 billion for the acquisition of armoured vehicles. Despite the intergovernmental affairs minister's attempt to reassure Oerlikon in Quebec, a GM spokesperson clearly indicated that Oerlikon was not a contender for the armoured turrets subcontract, in spite of the fact that Oerlikon is the Canadian center of excellence for this kind of work.

Given that, in the past 15 years, Quebec has been shortchanged by at least $10 billion in the distribution of federal military expenditures, why would the Prime Minister not give Quebecers the assurance that they will get their fair share of the economic and technological benefits associated with the generous contract which was awarded to General Motors instead of Oerlikon?

[Quebec Referendum, September 29th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, does the Prime Minister not agree that Mr. Parizeau, the Premier of Quebec, wants to speak with the real boss, the one who can provide answers on cuts in social programs, on the proposal that he is now hiding but that we know he has in mind? Does the Prime Minister not agree that he should participate in this debate because he will be the one shaping tomorrow's country if Quebecers dare to vote No?

[Quebec Referendum, September 29th, 1995]

Since the Prime Minister used all kinds of tricks to avoid answering the question directly, I will go back to the same issue.

I will go back to the same issue and ask him, quite sincerely and honestly, on behalf of the people of Quebec, on behalf of those who want to know what he has to offer the people of Quebec when he is asking them to vote No, would the Prime Minister be willing to take part in a debate with his boss, the leader of the No forces, and the leader of the Yes side, the Premier of Quebec, as the Leader of the Opposition offered him? Will he agree to explain his own proposal to the people of Quebec?