Michel Gauthier

[Indian Affairs, June 1st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, regarding the situation in Kanesatake, the minister of Indian affairs indicated that he had no intention of paying the three million dollars asked by chief Jerry Peltier as a precondition to negotiating. It appears that, instead, the minister is about to acquire some land from the Oka municipality which he will then give to allow for the expansion of the cemetery.

Will the minister confirm that the government is about to acquire that land from the Oka municipality, and can he tell us how much it will cost?

[Indian Affairs, May 31st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, Chief Jerry Peltier made payment of the $3 million demanded from the government by his group in December 1993 a precondition of any discussion with the government's negotiator.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Does the government intend to respond positively to this demand for $3 million, since its negotiator has referred the matter directly to it?

[Indian Affairs, May 31st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, work was continuing this morning in "The Pines" in Oka, in spite of the fact that this action had been declared illegal by Minister Sirros of the Quebec government. Tension has just risen one notch in Oka.

Can the Prime Minister tell us whether the government has instructed lawyer Michel Robert to make the stopping of illegal work in The Pines a precondition to any negotiations?

[Point Of Order, May 30th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my second point of order is to the effect that, during Question Period, we all clearly heard the Minister of Transport call the Leader of the Opposition a liar, whereas what I just said proves beyond any doubt that the Leader of the Opposition was absolutely right.

Mr. Speaker, not only was the Leader of the Opposition right, but on top of that, the word "liar" is unparliamentary.

[Point Of Order, May 30th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have two points of order. The first one concerns my political party.

During Question Period, the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned that the Bloc Quebecois had voted in this House against a motion to entrench the equality of both language communities in New Brunswick.

According to the Votes and Proceedings of this House, Bloc members voted for the motion, and their votes are duly recorded; only the Reform Party, that is Miss Grey, and Mr. Nowlan voted against it.

[Indian Affairs, May 30th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my second question is still for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Can she tell us if the federal negotiator will make stopping the work now going on in the pine grove a precondition for resuming negotiations?

Does the federal government agree that it must act quickly to forestall any escalation in Oka? Does the federal government agree on that?

[Indian Affairs, May 30th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Despite appeals from the Government of Quebec, the Kanesatake Band Council has continued the work to expand the Indian cemetery. In a letter to his federal counterpart, the Quebec Minister of Native Affairs, Mr. Sirros, asks the federal government to begin negotiations quickly with the Kanesatake Band Council.

As trustee, did the federal government intervene directly with the Kanesatake Band Council to convince it to stop the work and to return to the negotiating table or are we to understand instead that Chief Jerry Peltier still refuses to return to the negotiating table?

[Business Of The House, May 26th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the leader of the government in the House to inform us of the order of business for the next few days.

[Collège Militaire Royal In Saint-Jean, May 26th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, instead of blathering on, does the minister not agree that the problem he is facing right now is the stubborn refusal of his colleague, the Minister of National Defence, to let it be business as usual at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, as requested by the Quebec government?

[Collège Militaire Royal In Saint-Jean, May 26th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. Last week, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs announced that an agreement had been reached with the Quebec government concerning the College in Saint-Jean, which was proof, he said, that federalism was alive and well.

Last Tuesday, the minister stated before this House, and I quote:

We clearly had a meeting of the minds on a number of items that will be part of the final round of negotiations. But, as I indicated last week, the final agreement is not ready yet.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Quebec Minister of Education, with whom the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is negotiating, told the National Assembly: "As we speak, I have yet to receive what I have requested, namely a written federal proposal to use as a basis for our discussions and negotiations".

How can the minister expect us to believe that an agreement is about to be reached with Quebec when his colleague admits to not even having received the document required to start negotiations?