Werner Schmidt

[Wine Industry, February 20th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, last April owners of a British Columbia winery from the Okanagan joined the Canada West trade mission to Dallas to explore the potential of the wine market in Texas. The trade mission however turned sour when it was learned that the selection of wines to be showcased at the government's luncheon and dinner receptions were mainly from California and France, not British Columbia.

The Canadian government cannot justify spending Canadian tax dollars to showcase wines from other countries when some of the best wines in the world are made right here in Canada.

On behalf of the B.C. winemaking industry I urge the government to adopt the policy that Canadian wines be served at Canadian government functions. Let us help our award winning vintners to join the potential new markets. Better yet, let us give the rest of the world the satisfaction of drinking some of this Kelowna wine, particularly that which is made in the Okanagan Valley.

[Member for Calgary Southwest, January 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand before the House on behalf of the Canadian Alliance caucus to bid adieu to the member for Calgary Southwest as he takes leave of parliament today.

The member for Calgary Southwest has a long political legacy beginning at the feet of his father, the late Ernest C. Manning, premier of Alberta, who believed that the strength of Canada rested in the honest representation of all its people.

On this principle, perhaps some might say in defence of this nation, he emerged as a politician who was prepared to state what others would not admit: that Canada's system of governance was failing Canadians. From his distinctly western perspective he knew that people west of the Manitoba border felt shut out. Yet he and many others believed that the solution lay not in mere protest or separation, but in developing a list of short and constructive changes to the Canadian federal system. If Canada's governance was to serve the people as it should, it must undergo reform.

Along with words like prairie populism and grassroots, the word reform became meaningful in the Canadian political vocabulary. Not only would it materialize into one of the fastest growing political parties in Canada, the Reform Party, but it would become synonymous with fiscal responsibility and constitutional and parliamentary reform, ideas that would drive the political agenda for the next decade and beyond.

In him, Canadians across the country found a man who not only understood their frustration but was willing to do what was needed. He persisted in the face of incredible odds. The media denied him any success and insisted that there was no possibility he would achieve any meaningful accomplishments on the federal political scene. Today as I stand here as a member of the official opposition, we know that is not true. I believe the history books will characterize him as a member of parliament who had an extraordinary impact on Canada and its government.

Political colleagues and foes alike know that in the member for Calgary Southwest, Canadian politics took on a newfound integrity.

From the first time I met him I was struck by his extraordinary abilities: his knowledge and understanding of Canadian history and politics; his passion for good governance; his vision and ability to see further than others see; his tremendous patience; his determination and his energy, all the while maintaining a sense of perspective and humour. Most important, he is a man with a deep faith in the common sense of the common people.

As we in the House of Commons say farewell to the member for Calgary Southwest, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the support and sacrifice of his wife Sandra and their children. Despite the long hours spent on his work, he is a deeply committed family man. Thank you Sandra, Andrea, Avryll, Mary, Nathan and David.

While we are bringing to a close the public life of the member for Calgary Southwest today, we take comfort in knowing that we are delivering him back to his family and a private life. The thought of him enjoying some of his favourite pastimes, fly fishing Alberta's legendary trout streams and trail riding with Sandra in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, brings us pleasure.

In the days and years to come, Canadians will understand what politics and parliament are losing today, a man of deep faith with a profound belief in this country.

In closing, on behalf of the Canadian Alliance, we wish the member for Calgary Southwest great success in his future endeavours. He has served his constituents and the country well. We know he will continue to make a significant contribution to the politics of the country.

Preston, please accept our most heartfelt thanks.

[The Budget, January 29th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that question. It is a good question because it epitomizes a lot of things that are happening. The Income Tax Act itself has another anomaly which the hon. member did not mention. I am sure he is aware that the income tax is taxed on an individual basis, yet when it comes to qualifying for the guaranteed income supplement it is done on a family income basis. There is an anomaly there which is very significant. It puts certain people in a position where they do not qualify, whereas otherwise they would. That is one anomaly.

The other anomaly is that approximately 250,000 people who are not getting the GIS may qualify. There are different estimates of that. One researcher out of Toronto who did this in a very serious way put the estimate at 330,000 people. There is a discrepancy, but we will stay with the 250,000 to be on the conservative side of the ledger.

The hon. member asked whether it should it be automatic? I am not sure it should be automatic. However, I completely agree with the hon. member that the revenue people should share the information with HRDC. The application form should be automatically made available to seniors so that they know this is something they have received. After all, if they qualify for CPP or old age security those applications are given out six months before the 65th birthday. Why would this not be possible under the guaranteed income supplement? It makes no sense to me at all. Why not be consistent?

The privacy commissioner appeared before the HRDC committee and assured us that it would not be an invasion of privacy. The real issue is why are we depriving people who are legitimately qualified from getting the income that should be theirs?

[The Budget, January 29th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled that my hon. colleague was not asked any questions. Obviously, everyone was so enamored by what he said and recognized the importance of his message that they did not have any questions. I want to move on from that and talk about the budget.

First, I decry the fact that it took so long to get a budget last fall, two years away from when we had the last budget. A lot of things have changed that had to change. A lot of things could have been addressed and should have been addressed long before this budget came about.

I want to focus on a couple of the things that were not addressed in the budget. I think that is very significant. Sometimes it is what is not said and what is not in the budget that is more important than what is in the budget. I want to refer in particular to the lack of attention given to seniors' issues in this budget .

I think we all know there will be a major shift in the composition of our population. An increasing proportion of our population are seniors. What is happening these days is really interesting. This morning I picked up a number of news articles on seniors' issues. One of them mentioned the fact that old is cool is sort of the new situation. It used two very good examples, which I think all of us know. It spoke, for example, of Regis Philbin, the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host, who is 69 years old. Barbara Walters, who is probably one of the world's great interviewers, is 70 years old and sought after by all the networks. Therefore, old is cool. It is a very interesting world that is out there. I think we are all getting there at exactly the same rate and this is what will happen.

The interesting thing about seniors is that they are a very knowledgeable group. It has been my responsibility for the last little while to concentrate on this issue. I have travelled across Canada and met with various constituents in various cities across Canada. I have discovered that seniors are very knowledgeable and very capable people. There is hardly anything that happens in our economy or in our society that they do not have an interest in or that they do not have considerable knowledge of and experience in.

I have made a list of some of the issues that they consider to be the most important. The way we conducted some of these meetings was simply to ask them what major issues were of concern to them. Health care came up right at the top.

What were some of the things that they were really concerned about? One was the portability of medicare between provinces. Another was the five principles of the Canada Health Act that the Minister of Health has just pontificated upon and assured us are all there. In every case where we met with these people they told us that although those principles are in the Canada Health Act they do not see them in operation. That is part of the big problem here.

I think it is like what my hon. colleague just had to say regarding tax cuts: we have not seen them yet and we have not experienced them.

This is what is happening. Health care is a major issue.

Another issue was taxes. The hon. member has talked already about the fact that taxes are too high. Also there is a cascading effect. A lot of these seniors are on fixed incomes. As a consequence, as the cost of these various articles and services they must buy increases, they are at an increasing disadvantage because of that.

Care facilities is another big issue that seniors are concerned about. They were talking about institutional care. There are a variety of institutions that look after our seniors. First, there is a shortage in the number of such available institutions. Then there is a problem developing the standards in these institutions and maintaining them. None of this even comes close to being addressed in the budget.

There was some talk about perhaps cutting some taxes a bit but not enough. Therefore, the seniors are still at a disadvantage. I will refer to a number of these a little later.

Home care is another issue. Seniors prefer to be looked after in their home if they are not well. It is less costly, more effective and more efficient. Yet that is not an issue that is a priority with the federal government.

Smart Houses are now getting to the point where they can actually monitor what is happening to those who are chronically ill and should not go to an active treatment place but could be monitored at home through Smart House installations.

Those kinds of things ought to have been given attention but they were not.

Another issue is with regard to economic matters and that has a much broader scope. I want to talk a bit about interest rates. During the last little while we have seen interest rates drop and this has been a tremendous advantage to those individuals who are borrowing money. The cost of mortgages has gone down and interest rates are at a 41 year low. This however has also reduced the amount of interest paid on GICs.

In Ontario for example, senior tenants are being hit this year with a 3.9% rental increase. A five year GIC is currently paying a return of 3.65%. If this GIC was being held outside of an RRSP and taxed under the income tax regime, this 3.9% rental increase for seniors becomes a very serious issue. This is a major issue for people who are in the senior age bracket. The president of the 55 plus group says that many seniors are shorting themselves on the purchase of food in order to pay their rent.

I want to move on to the issue of the declining dollar and its effect on seniors. Our dollar does not allow them to buy as much as they would like to buy. I owe Michael Walker of the Fraser Institute a major debt of thanks because he capsulized this in a very significant way. He wrote the following in yesterday's National Post :

The level of the dollar only matters if Canadians want to travel outside Canada, purchase products from foreigners, ensure our capital assets are being sold at a price which reflects their value, avoid the pernicious dynamics of the peso effect, provide a stable environment for business and retirement planning and ensure our internal policy choices regarding taxation, labour market regulations and redistribution meet the test of international best practice. Otherwise, the value of the dollar doesn't matter.

What is not affected by the value of the Canadian dollar? He beautifully summarized the situation with our weak Canadian dollar. When the Prime Minister said that the Canadian dollar is good for Canadians, he was taking a very short sighted view of the situation. The governor of the Bank of Canada, the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister have all said that the Canadian dollar should have a higher value than is being accorded to it in the marketplace. These are empty words. They talk about economics and use a lot of words, but where is the action? Yesterday the value of the dollar rose slightly but it is still on the downside. This is a blip which I am sure will reverse shortly.

I would like to move into the area of pensions. The budget did not deal with this in any appreciable way whatsoever. The guaranteed income supplement is available for those seniors who are particularly short of income. The department's own officials said that a minimum of 250,000 seniors qualify for the guaranteed income supplement but do not get it.

We need to make changes that provide those types of things to people who legitimately qualify. We must make changes that allow them easy access to these programs. We must do it in an economic climate that provides them with a standard of living that remains constant. However that is not the case. All of us have experienced a drop in our standard of living, but the standard of living for seniors has dropped to a greater degree than others. There was a grave deficiency in the budget and I wished to register that fact.

[Transportation Services, December 10th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my hon. colleague on introducing the motion. I thank the hon. member from the NDP who just spoke for being so articulate in his particular bias at the same time. He accused the Alliance of being biased. I suggest that he is biased as well. There is not an unbiased person in the House except you, Mr. Speaker. You are about the only person who is unbiased because you have to be absolutely neutral on everything. The rest of us are all biased.

I remind the hon. member who just spoke that perhaps he should have read the motion. It states very clearly:

That, in the opinion of this House, the government should introduce amendments to Part I of the Canada Labour Code to ensure that during a strike or a lockout an employer operating a freight or passenger service between North Sydney, Nova Scotia--

It is precisely the recognition that employers and employees do have and should have the right to negotiate their salaries and working conditions. They should have the right under certain conditions to become powerful and demonstrate how strongly they feel about particular issues. Perhaps the hon. member misread the motion. I encourage him to read it more accurately.

I would like to discuss labour and management relations. Our whole economy depends upon the ability of people to offer their services in the production of goods and services. It is just as important that management co-ordinate and operate these things. In certain quadrants of the country there seems to be some divergence of purpose. Somehow an organization exists either for management or for employees and it seems as if these two groups are at variance with one another. This is utterly false.

Nothing will get done unless management and employees work together. That is the whole point. Strikes and lockouts cause serious disruption in the service that is being provided and in the function of the particular organization. They disrupt actual relationships between people that were quite strong at one time. Sometimes it takes years. I have known of instances where they are never brought back together again. They frustrate the competitiveness and efficiency of business. They also frustrate the efficiency of both management and workers.

These are analytical differences, but when it comes right down to it we need a coming together in common purpose to achieve a goal for the benefit of all society.

Here we have a situation where the only transportation facility that exists is a ferry. It provides transportation and it is limited to that aspect. Will we say that it is perfectly all right for one group or another to stop the service because they cannot get along with each other and there is a disagreement about things? That should not be right on either part. A whole host of third parties would suffer as a consequence of one group unilaterally deciding to terminate the service. That is not reasonable.

How strongly would we feel if somebody put a blockade across the Trans-Canada Highway, for example? Would we or would we not feel strongly about that? We could take an airplane, a train or a car, but these poor people cannot do anything else other than take an airplane. They cannot drive. They have to take an airplane. Many things cannot be done by air that can be done by ferry. We need to recognize that this is a specific motion dealing with a particular case.

I would like to move the debate to a higher level by speaking to the whole business of relations between workers and management and the operational objectives of a particular organization. Unless there is harmony and goodwill it does not matter what kinds of laws exist. Things will not happen the way they ought to happen. The resolution of a strike or a lockout would help to provide better relations by using the final offer selection process.

It is not perfect. There has never been a perfect system and there is no perfect organization. Mr. Speaker, as competent as you are, there is probably no perfection in your office. You could probably become a little better than you are today but that applies to every one of us, and it applies here too.

I suggest that government members and the hon. member who just spoke recognize that this is a workable, practical and sensible solution which forces and encourages both management and labour to look realistically at a dispute that exists where both parties say they are right. It is probable that neither one of them is totally right. That is the whole issue of having negotiations and a mechanism in a dispute that allows it to be resolved. In the final analysis the conflict itself becomes clarified.

The hon. member from the NDP made some excellent points when he talked about some of the working conditions like day care centre operations. However he suggested that this did not have a monetary price attached to it. It is almost as if the only kind of thing that has money attached to it is salary. Talk about naïveté. That has to be the ultimate.

It does not matter what other working conditions there are. They all cost money. There is nothing wrong with their costing money provided there is a fair settlement for everybody, that the organization can move ahead and meet its goals, that productivity is competitive and can create a profit for the business, and that both management and labour can benefit from the profit. It is as if it is unilateral that profit always goes only to management and workers never get any part of it. That is utterly false. It does not work that way. We have to work together.

There are many things besides money that affect the working conditions of people. We know that. Any of us who have negotiated any kind of contract realize that there is a whole host of items that become elements for a dispute, disagreement, consideration or whatever the case might be. If one pushes any one of them to the extreme it becomes ridiculous and people begin to say they will never give in and they will go on strike on the issue. Why?

Let us be reasonable about these things. The whole idea behind negotiations and giving workers the right to negotiate is to find a way that is better so that both parties can function in a manner that is more co-operative and that meets the needs of both parties. That is the function of labour negotiations and that is what this is all about.

Labour organizations were created to recognize that there were things that were not being done that ought to have been done. There was a real strong case to be made. By getting together they could persuade management to do what was better for them. On the other hand management also had concerns about what was not happening. Both groups needed to get together and recognize the significance of settling their differences. It has worked.

We have all kinds of examples. We have them at the University of Alberta and on the west coast during the long shore dispute settlement. This process works. I emphasize that it is a mechanism that is used during a strike or lockout. It is not a predetermined situation. I believe that it should be there, should become law and should be made available as a tool. I encourage us to move on the motion and to vote on it.

[Parliament of Canada Act, December 6th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, it is indeed a delight to address this particular bill because I believe that poetry in many ways gives beauty to life. In this place many of our speeches are sometimes highly technical and sometimes perhaps even a little boring from time to time. Perhaps it is a good idea to lift our spirits a little higher, to encourage our imagination.

Poetry is very rhythmic and sometimes the rhythm is very regular, other times it is somewhat irregular, but rhythm there is. Rhythm reflects life probably better than anything else because where do we not have rhythm. We have rhythm in music, rhythm in life. We have the rhythm of day and night. We have the rhythm of pain and pleasure. Rhythm is there for all of us.

The poet laureate and the definition of the poet laureate is probably expressed best by the minister of culture in Great Britain. He put it together in a single sentence, which I like. He said:

The Poet Laureate is a voice for poetry and a voice for the nation through poetry.

It is wonderful that that kind of thing can happen. I want to commend the member who brought this forward as a motion to amend the Parliamentary Act so that we would have a poet laureate.

In tribute to poetry, I would like to read a couple of poems that might express some of this as far as Canada is concerned. I would like to begin by quoting a poem written by Robert Frost, which in British Columbia we find particularly meaningful because it has to do with logging.

It is entitled “Out, Out--”.

The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood, Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it. And from there those that lifted eyes could count Five mountain ranges one behind the other Under the sunset far into Vermont. And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled, As it ran light, or had to bear a load. And nothing happened: day was all but done. Call it a day, I wish they might have said To please the boy by giving him the half hour That a boy counts so much when saved from work. His sister stood beside them in her apron To tell the 'Supper.' At the word, the saw, As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, Leaped out at the boy's hand, or seemed to leap-- He must have given the hand. However it was, Neither refused the meeting. But the hand! The boy's first outcry was a rueful laugh, As he swung toward the holding up the hand Half in appeal, but half as if to keep The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all-- Since he was old enough to know, big boy Doing a man's work, though a child at heart-- He saw all spoiled. 'Don't let him cut my hand off-- The doctor, when he comes. Don't let him, sister!' So. But the hand was gone already. The doctor put him in the dark of ether. He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath. And then--the watcher at his pulse took fright. No one believed. They listened at his heart. Little--less--nothing!--and that ended it. No more to build on there. And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.

The soul, the experience, the life, the rhythm of a nation of working people, but there is a lot more than that to life. There are also the values that we hold and the relationships we have one to another as this boy had a family, a sister a father and a mother.

William Shakespeare wrote a sonnet which has been with me since I was in high school. It is one of those that I found extremely expressive of what I was going through and what I was thinking. It is Sonnet 116, probably the most formal form of poetry one can write. It is very difficult to do but Shakespeare was a master at it. I really like the sonnet and I would like to read it. I hope our poet laureates will write like this.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments; love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no, it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his heighth be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Would it not be great if our relationships were characterized that way. “Love is not love” but “it is an ever-fixed mark”. That is a beautiful image.

Canada gave an honorary citizenship to Nelson Mandela. When he was with the Prime Minister in the beautiful decor, I thought it would have been nice to have had a poet laureate present. At that time, I was unaware we had this bill coming up. I thought that would be the ideal place to have that.

I thought about the kind of poem I could refer to that would fit that kind of occasion. I looked at the words of Kahlil Gibran some time back. He writes some interesting material. He has written on giving, and I would like to read his words. Our nation gave to another person in honour of the freedom that he exemplified with his life and his dedication to sacrifice for freedom. The book, The Prophet , depicts giving. I would like to read his words into the record.

Then said a rich man, Speak to us of Giving. And he answered: You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow? And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city? And what is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when you well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable? There are those who give little of the much which they have--and they give for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome. And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty. There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism. And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth. It is well to give when asked, but is better to give unasked, through understanding; And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving. And is there aught you would withhold? All you have shall some day be given; Therefore give now, that the seasons of giving may be yours and not your inheritors'. You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.” The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights, is worthy of all else from you. And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream. And what desert greater shall there be, than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving? And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed? See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving.

That is what we did as a nation. We gave an honorary citizenship to Nelson Mandela.

Three different occasions in life have been expressed by three different poets in a very different form.

It would be wonderful if our nation could give its citizens and our colleagues here in the House the experience, at least once a year, of a poet laureate reading good, solid poetry that he or she has written and would like to demonstrate. It would lift the spirit of our nation a little higher. I support the bill.

[Health, November 26th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's systematic underfunding of health care is forcing a two tier health care system on the very people who can least afford it. It will only get worse unless health care funding is addressed in the next federal budget.

The premier of Ontario said that the federal Liberals are the single greatest threat to health care in Canada. Seniors are the frontline users of health care and are being forced to endure its deterioration. Shortages, lineups and increased costs, these deficiencies are leaving too many seniors vulnerable while forcing others to go elsewhere to get the medical attention they need.

For far too long the Liberal government has shirked its responsibility for health care funding. For far too long the Liberal government has denied two tier health care while creating the very environment which encourages it to grow.

On the eve of the next budget I urge the government to accept responsibility for the poor state of health care in the country and to make a strong and vigorous funding commitment. The health of seniors depends on it.

[Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 19th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I commend my hon. colleague for the way in which he analyzed the bill and the things he told the House.

There is one point that comes through loud and clear and I would like him to elaborate on it further. It has to do with the word balance, the balance between economic development and exploration of natural resources, in this case oil and gas, and the preservation of our ecology and our environment.

The hon. member opposite raised some very real questions that were similar to the ones I had. We do not want to destroy the environment. It is so easy to take the position and say that if one is opposed to Bill C-10, one is against the environment and one is against all that sort of thing. That is not the point at all, at least I do not think so, but I would like the hon. member to respond.

How does the hon. member bring about a balance and put that balance into legislation so that every possible step is taken to get that balance in place rather than to have the consultation going one way and the decision going the other way? The power then rests out here, which has nothing to do with the consultation in the first place. Would he care to comment on that?

[Nelson Mandela, November 19th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, today Canada bestowed honorary Canadian citizenship upon Nelson Mandela. The Nobel Peace Prize winner who ended apartheid and spent 27 years of his life imprisoned for his beliefs graciously accepted this honour.

They call him the lion of Africa. Everywhere he goes he is greeted with the cheers of gratitude of thousands who understand the great legacy this man leaves in his wake.

Mr. Mandela and his wife Madam Machel travel the world fighting poverty and HIV. He has the opportunity to speak with many of the world's most powerful people, but the most important by far are the thousands of children he meets in many countries during those journeys.

He imparts hope in these young hearts and minds. Into their young and agile hands he places the legacy he has paid such a high price to realize: that there is a place for all people, that simplicity and humility are the greatest values, and that ordinary people can change the world.

[Softwood Lumber, November 8th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of lumber workers in British Columbia and other provinces are losing their jobs through no fault of their own. They are paying the price for a unilateral U.S. decision imposing crippling duties.

The Bush administration wants the long running Canadian lumber dispute resolved before Christmas. So do lumber workers in B.C. The president appointed an envoy invested with power to negotiate a settlement. Our Prime Minister has the authority to appoint an envoy to negotiate for Canada.

Such a person would understand the industry, be an honest broker and stand for what is right regardless of the politics. Such a person would not let personal biases or political ambitions stand in the way of a balanced solution.

Does the Prime Minister have the political courage to appoint such an envoy? Does the Minister for International Trade have the strength of character to accept such an appointment? I sincerely hope they do.