Lost his last election, in 2006, with 40% of the vote.
Contraventions Act December 7th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. Presently there is no effective enforcement for people who misuse our waterways and endanger the lives of other Canadians. The Contraventions Act, passed in 1992, would fix this situation but has never been proclaimed into law.
Will the minister tell the House how he intends to ensure boating regulations are enforced and Canadian lives are protected on our lakes and rivers?
Tourism December 1st, 1995
Mr. Speaker, in the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka, as well as in many other areas of the country, constituents depend on tourism. The weather this week has reminded us that tourism is not just a summer business but a year round business.
Tourism is a very important industry in the country. It contributes about $26 billion to our gross domestic product. It is estimated that every new $1 million of tourism expenditure results in 39 person years of employment. In my riding almost one of every two jobs is dependent on this industry.
When it snows, and has it ever snowed, the small businessmen and women in my riding look forward to a good winter season. We have some of the best trail systems in Canada. We attract those who cross-country ski, snowshoe or snowmobile.
If November's record snowfall is any indication, it will be a great season for all winter activities. I invite all Canadians to share in the experience of the great Canadian winter in my riding and across the country.
Protection Of Personal Information Obtained By Certain Corporations Act November 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, following on my question to the Secretary of State for Financial Institutions, I wish to emphasize that many of my constituents in the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka have had their retirement savings jeopardized by the collapse of Confederation Life. They have come to ask for assistance because as every day passes they are suffering financial uncertainty as a result of the collapse of this financial institution.
Obviously what has happened as a result of the collapse of Confederation Life has affected each and every one of them, but some are paying a higher price for the collapse because of their own personal financial circumstances. It is for these people that I urge a speedy dissolution of the assets of Confederation Life, an expedited liquidation process, so that all Canadians affected by the collapse receive their money as quickly as possible.
Not long ago I presented a petition in the House with over 500 signatures on behalf of a group of Bell Canada pensioners who were frustrated not only with the collapse of Confederation Life but also with their inability to convince their employer, Bell Canada, that it had an added responsibility to the company's pensioners. These pensioners believe that because Bell Canada not only chose Confederation Life as the administrator of its group RRSP but also encouraged its employees to participate in the plan, it must now take responsibility for those actions.
The petition I presented calls upon Parliament to initiate an investigation into the collapse of Confederation Life with particular reference to Bell Canada's responsibility toward its employees' funds. I too would like to see this matter resolved expeditiously.
Unfortunately, this whole matter is essentially in the hands of the liquidator and the government's ability to intervene is somewhat limited as a result. We know that when a financial institution goes into liquidation it ceases to be a regulated financial institution and responsibility for the distribution of the estate passes to the liquidator under the court's supervision.
My concern right now is with the length of time it is taking to get through this liquidation process. One of the greatest priorities is to recover as much per dollar as is possible by getting the best price on the sale of assets. That is a given. It is my hope this process can be hastened in the interests of those who have been affected by the collapse. We need to get those funds that are guaranteed paid back to the investors, the men and women in this country who put their faith in this company, Confederation Life.
Retirees with the Bell group RRSP investments below the CompCorp limit will eventually be fully compensated for the time value of their money. The failure of Confederation Life did not affect Bell's principal pension plan, but in the case of amounts above the $60,000 CompCorp limit, until the liquidation process is completed it is impossible to determine the proportion of benefits that will eventually be paid.
Granted, in the two previous liquidations of life insurance companies in Canada, policyholders received a significant portion of the benefits owed by the companies, but this is small comfort to those whose life savings are now in jeopardy. These funds are of significant concern to my constituents and many other Canadians. I appreciate their difficulties and I want to do all I can to help resolve this issue and to encourage Bell Canada to accept the fact that it has an obligation to work with its employees and former employees to come to some kind of understanding or compromise.
It is my sincere hope that Bell Canada will address this issue with its present and past employees and will work judiciously to resolve what has become a contentious matter.
Protection Of Personal Information Obtained By Certain Corporations Act November 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to Bill C-315. I should begin my complimenting the hon. member for having put the bill before the House. I believe that its intent is good and that the idea of trying to protect consumers and ensure that the personal information we supply as individuals to corporations and other entities is not just used willy-nilly in whatever fashion somebody other than an individual may decide.
It no doubt is disconcerting for consumers to go to large institutions and buy a product or get a service of some sort and all of a sudden appearing in their mailboxes the next month, and oftentimes for the next decade, are solicitations of one sort or
another. Obviously consumers are not anxious to see that happen. They are not anxious to have that practice continue to the extent it obviously is. In that respect, I want to compliment the hon. member for putting together a private member's bill to deal with that.
The bill and the process of correcting the problem needs to go beyond the recommendations that are in front of us here today. We need to continue a process that has already been undertaken by the government. There is a consultative process that many of my colleagues have talked about previously in the House, where the industry department is working on this issue and in coming up with the solution is trying to be as comprehensive as possible to deal with this problem in a way that finds a good workable solution and finds a solution in a way that is not going to by itself create a burden for the consumer, is not going to create new government bureaucracy, is not going to result in a situation where adherence to the new rules will be so expensive that invariably and inevitably that kind of increased expense would be passed on to the consumer.
In reviewing the bill, there are a couple of places where I think we need to step back and ensure the problem is dealt with more comprehensively. As has been mentioned by a number of government speakers previously, one of the concerns with the bill in the format it is being presented to the House is that the definition of personal information is too narrow. We want to make sure that when we address the issue of privacy and confidentiality we do it in as broad a manner as possible and capture as many of the situations that are occurring out there as possible. We do not want to deal with this piecemeal, where we deal with one aspect of the problem and then have to come back and deal with others. We want to make sure that the definition of personal information is indeed as broad as possible.
We also want to make sure that in solving the problem we do not create a new problem. I know the hon. members of the third party would agree with me that the last thing we want to do is create a new regulatory regime, a new regulatory infrastructure that places an enormous burden on businesses. The way this bill is drawn up and the amount of consultation and notification that would have to take place when we are trying to delete specific information would create an enormous burden for individual businesses. There is probably a more efficient way to do it, a way that would not create quite as much of a workload and create such additional burdens on the private sector.
In coming up with the solution for the problem in this particular bill, it is going to call for a whole new amount of direct mailing as you ask for permission from the consumer to use their particular name. If the list is being sold then people have to write to the consumer and ask for their permission and then they have to write back. That seems like a very difficult and cumbersome type of situation.
There is a concern about capturing a very narrow portion of the market, those corporations that are federally incorporated. Obviously there are a lot of other entities that exchange and use information, right from an individual through partnerships, provincially incorporated entities.
It is important we ensure we have as broad a scope as possible in the bill. As I mentioned earlier, we have to ensure we address as vast a range as possible of consumer privacy concerns. I really believe we have to deal with this problem in as comprehensive a manner as we possibly can, making sure all of the issue is dealt with.
As I said in my opening remarks, obviously the intent of the bill, the desire to ensure consumer protection, is excellent. It is one the constituents in my riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka and I am sure all Canadians want to have addressed. They are genuinely concerned, particularly in these days of computerization. Information can be transferred electronically and in great amounts from one institution to another. They are concerned in that kind of environment that their privacy be protected.
As the hon. member who introduced the bill knows, it is important that the consumer receive protection in this respect. That is why I believe it is important to broaden this initiative. When we address the problem we must ensure that we address it in the fullest possible way. When we have done our work we must ensure we have covered as much ground as possible in order to protect the greatest number of consumers we possibly can.
Constitutional Amendments Act November 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I will be brief but I will not be able to address everything the member raised.
This is a time in Canada when we need to put the nation first. It is possible to be regionalistic in an approach. It is possible to put the interests of our region first. However it is not appropriate in this case. In this case Canada has to come first. Canadians have to come first. That is what we ought to do.
This plan will work. These measures will work. There is a time when it might need to be constitutionalized, but we are not talking about the Constitution today. We do not want to get into a long
series of where we were in the late 1980s and the 1990s. We have an economy to deal with. We have jobs to create. Let us get this done. Let us do it quickly and do it in the interest of Canada.
Constitutional Amendments Act November 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the hon. member, I will answer very plainly.
If the Bloc Quebecois really believes that Quebec is a distinct society, if it really believes that Quebec should have a veto, if it really believes in the decentralization and the turning over of manpower training to the provinces, then Bloc members can prove it very simply and very clearly: vote for the resolution, vote for Bill C-110 and do what they say.
When the hon. member talks as he just has, all he is doing is listing a series of excuses of why Bloc members will not do what they said all along they wanted to have happen. It is all political double-talk. If they want Quebec to be a distinct society, then they should vote for the resolution. If they want Quebec to have a veto, then they should vote for Bill C-110. If you want control over manpower training, then vote for Mr. Axworthy's reforms when he brings those forward. It is fairly straightforward.
Constitutional Amendments Act November 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure today to speak in favour of the actions being undertaken by our government to further the process of ensuring a united Canada. Our actions will recognize the reality of Quebec as a distinct society, increase veto power, and move to eliminate duplication in the area of training.
Prior to the victory for national unity in the recent referendum in Quebec, Canadians from all provinces told us they wanted Quebec to stay in Canada. They told us they understood Quebec's frustration, understood that we must make changes to address the needs of our fellow Canadians in Quebec. They told us they recognize the depth of the emotion and they understand its source.
We promised Quebec and the rest of Canada we would deliver change to them. We promised them this was not just lip service, but an actual desire, willingness and commitment to achieve change for lasting unity in Canada.
I contrast that to the actions of the third party, whose solution to this problem is to pit region against region, one part of Canada against another part of Canada, and whose view of this nation is one in which national standards are gutted so that the right become richer and the poor are abandoned.
We in the Liberal Party believe in Canada, a Canada that includes our historic First Nations, the founding European people, both French and English, and the many who have come since who have added to the diversity of this great country.
We believe in a Canada in which its citizens collectively have accepted a social responsibility to maintain a social safety net, including health care, education, security for seniors and income support for the unemployed. Most of all, we believe in a Canada built on compassion and inclusion, not the hate and the division preached by some in this country.
Part of the action we are undertaking addresses one of the issues of foremost importance to Quebec. It recognizes that Quebec is a distinct society within Canada. It recognizes those items that make Quebec distinct: a French speaking majority, a unique culture, and a tradition of civil law. These distinctions are not new. They do not
exist at the expense of other parts of the country. It is time that Canada officially recognized this reality.
Our initiative to recognize Quebec's distinct society within Canada is part of our overall commitment to change. That includes the concepts in Bill C-110 which gives all of the regions of Canada, including Quebec, a veto in matters of constitutional change.
As a result of this bill, we will require the consent of Quebec, Ontario and the Atlantic and western regions before any constitutional amendments will be accepted by the Parliament of Canada. This will ensure that all provinces will be active participants in any evolution of the Canadian Constitution. It will protect the regions of Canada against amendments that could potentially diminish their powers, rights and privileges.
We are also introducing measures to give the provinces jurisdiction over training to eliminate program overlap and to give all provinces the flexibility they need to deliver training effectively. These are strong first steps toward refining our relationship with Quebec and building a stronger Canada. These are part of our commitment to Canada and to all Canadians.
We live in the greatest country in the world. All members and our constituents, we are Canada. What we do in the House affects all Canadians. Our goal is to preserve all that is great about Canada and to change that which needs to be changed. These are the reasons we will achieve lasting unity in this country. By working together, by listening to each other, by honouring our commitment to change, we demonstrate our commitment to each other and to this country. That will be our legacy to future generations of Canadians.
I think we are on the right track. Members of the third party think we have gone too far. Members of the official opposition think we have not gone far enough. I believe both of these parties have not thought this through. They are fighting to gain control for their own self-serving purposes while our government is fighting for Canadians and for Canada. That is what is important now. Our actions speak louder than their words.
Several weeks ago I was on a bus that came from my riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka. It was filled with constituents who wanted to be at the giant national unity rally in Montreal to show Quebecers they were committed to a united Canada and to making change so that Canada works better for all of its citizens.
As parliamentarians, we are now charged with the responsibility and the privilege of following through with our promises, of living up to the faith and the trust that Quebecers and Canadians placed in our hands following the referendum. We will not let our country down. We will proceed logically and practically to build on Canada's strength to work for conciliation and to better the lives of all our citizens.
These measures are both important and meaningful. What is more significant, they are achievable in the short term. We can simply recognize the reality that Quebec is a distinct society, that all regions of Canada want to have a say in constitutional change and we are doing that quickly and expeditiously.
The action can later be entrenched in our Constitution if we so desire, providing Quebec indicates its desire to do so. Granted, if the Leader of the Opposition becomes the next premier of Quebec he has already indicated that he certainly does not want Quebec's distinctiveness to be entered into the Constitution.
The member for Lac-Saint-Jean talks from both sides of his mouth, as they say. He demands change for Quebec but when it is offered, even before the details are known, he rejects not the proposal but the very fact that it is offered. He does not appear to care about trying to make Quebec a better place in which to live. He certainly does not care about Canada as he constantly ignores the oath he took when he came to this place as he tries to destroy this country. He cares only for power and his place in the sun.
I believe in my country. I believe in a united Canada from coast to coast to coast. As proud Canadians, we will not soon forget the overwhelming show of support we saw for national unity across Canada leading up to the referendum in Quebec. We will not forget that historic moment on October 30 when Quebecers voted to remain in Canada.
I am very pleased to add my support to my government's pledge for lasting national unity. I am pleased we will achieve our goals quickly and that we will soon return to our task of building an economy in which jobs and growth occur.
I pledge my continued support for this great country, Canada. All of us in this place are here for what will be a blink in Canada's history. In that short time I have a sacred duty and an obligation to my children and my children's children not to let the forces attempting to destroy this country succeed. The people of Canada will stand united and the Government of Canada will ensure that together we remain one strong nation both proud and free.
Committees Of The House November 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the tenth report of the Standing Committee on Industry, on Bill C-99, an act to amend the Small Business Loans Act, with amendments.
Small Business November 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, recently the industry committee and Canada's major banks agreed to a set of small business lending standards that will benefit all Canadians. This represents progress for the small business men and women in this country. It is an example of what can be accomplished when industry officials and federal politicians work together to achieve change.
Small business constituents can now insist their lenders adhere to a code of conduct. They can take advantage of an alternative dispute resolution system. They can take complaints to an internal ombudsman, and if they are still not satisfied they will now have access to an independent industry-wide ombudsman as well. Finally, every three months parliamentarians will see the banks' small business borrowing statistics. These standardized statistics will be our tool to monitor progress.
To paraphrase a famous quote, this is not the end of ensuring that the banks will live up to their responsibilities. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning. There is much to be accomplished.
Confederation Life Insurance Company November 23rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Financial Institutions.
The pensions and other savings of many present and former Bell Canada employees and many other Canadians have been jeopardized by the collapse of Confederation Life. Could the minister tell us what can be done to help speed up the liquidation process so that these Canadians receive their moneys as quickly as possible?