Gurmant Grewal

[Canadian Sikhs, February 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The hon. member for Winnipeg—Transcona, who put Motion No. 32 before the House, asked for unanimous consent of the House to make it votable. I want to point out that members of the Canadian Alliance said yes, and it was Liberal members who said no.

[Canadian Sikhs, February 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, as a Sikh member of parliament and as the chief critic for multiculturalism for the official opposition of Canada, I am very pleased to speak in favour of Motion No. 32: that this House recognize the importance of April 13 to all Sikhs and the contributions that Canadian Sikhs have made to our country, and that this House also recognize the importance of the symbols of the Sikh religion called the five Ks, which I will be talking about later.

I congratulate and appreciate the efforts of the hon. member for Winnipeg—Transcona in tabling this motion. In 1999 the Manitoba legislature recognized a similar motion to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of khalsa , the pure Sikhs.

It is also important that one should respect all religions, irrespective of one's own faith. According to Sikhism, a Sikh should try to become a better Sikh, a Hindu a better Hindu, a Christian a better Christian, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Jew a better Jew and so on.

However, when the Prime Minister's office allegedly interfered with the services for the Swissair tragedy at Peggy's Cove by asking them not to refer to Jesus in the prayers in services, that was not fair. I stood up for my Christian brothers and sisters to oppose that interference by the Prime Minister's office.

Surrey Central, the largest constituency in Canada in population, has a large population of many ethnic communities, with a huge majority of Sikhs. In fact, the highest concentration of Sikhs in the world outside India's Punjab state live in Surrey.

The Sikhs are basically inhabitants of Punjab, which has about 3% of the area and 2.5% of the population of India. That state of Punjab produces over 70% of the food in the country. Sikhs participated in large numbers in the British and Indian armies. Their contribution in the great wars, World War I and World War II, has been recognized by the Queen. Of the total sacrifices made to get freedom for India, 97% were made by Sikhs. Their contribution to the Indian Olympic teams has also been very significant. Lastly, according to a recent congressional report in the U.S. senate, Punjabis have the highest per capita income and the highest per capita education level of any ethnic community in North America.

The history of Sikhs in Canada is about 100 years old. During this period, Sikhs have contributed in the making of railway tracks and in work in the sawmills and have made professional contributions in the fields of medicine, law, education, engineering, et cetera. Sikhs own big businesses and industries and of course contribute in politics, as we see by their contributions in the House.

Sikhs all over the world have been renowned for their hard work, great courage and enterprise, but a big scar in Canadian history is the Kamagatamaru ship incident, as the hon. member from the NDP mentioned. Most of the passengers on that ship were Sikhs who were fighting for human rights and freedom. Because of their country of origin and their race, the Liberal government did not allow them to land on Canadian soil. Upon the ship's return to India, most of the passengers were killed by the British army.

The history of Sikhs is about half a millennium old. It starts with the birth of the first guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who was born in 1469. On April 13, 1699, at a huge gathering, with a glittering sword in his hand, the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, gave a call for those who would protect the truth and live the faith even at the cost of their lives.

The first five who offered themselves to the guru were called panj pyaras , or the five beloved ones. They were baptized and then were requested by the guru to admit him into the panth by administering amrit to him, or baptizing him. About 20,000 persons took amrit and became members of the khalsa panth that day. This was the birth of Khalsa and the day is called Vaisakhi .

The amrit is partaken of after adopting the essential five external Sikh symbols, called the five Ks, which are a unique gift from the great Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. A Sikh is not supposed to part with any of these symbols.

To be a member of the khalsa panth , all individuals, even the guru, had to take amrit , adopt the five K uniform and have the name Singh for a male, which means lion, and Kaur for a female. Partaking of amrit is open to everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, race et cetera.

Now let me talk about the five Ks I referred to.

Out of the five K's, the first one is kes , or hair. Kes is a symbol of saintliness or holiness and is considered an important part of the human body. The hair of Khalsa creates a blessed appearance and outlook.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji said “ Khalsa is my special form. I live in the Khalsa ”. To keep hair intact and not meddle with hair is the first and foremost duty of a Sikh. Even the place where baptism of five beloved ones at Anadpur Sahib took place was named Kesh-Garh .

It is required of every Sikh to keep his or her head covered. Males do it by tying a turban while females keep a big scarf called a chunni or a smaller turban called a keski . The turban is a very important part of the Sikh religious tradition and also a matter of huge respect, pride and honour. This is why Sikhs cannot be asked to remove their turbans in any place under any circumstances.

In the past, oppressive Mughal emperors forcefully ordered Sikhs to cut their hair which resulted in Sikhs choosing to be beheaded rather than succumb to the orders of the oppressors.

The second K is for kangha , usually a small wooden comb. Khalsa combs the hair twice daily, ties the hair on the head in a topknot, sticks the kangha behind the knot and then ties the turban with pride.

The third K is kirpan , a stainless steel sword that is a symbol of power, dignity, courage, self-confidence and faith in the victory of good over evil. It is also called sri sahib . It is a weapon of defence and not offence. It is regarded as a scourge of the tyrant and the wicked. It is used to provide for the protection of a good or righteous cause. Sikhs keep the kirpan , the active symbol, in a sheath and wear it in a belt called gatra .

The Sikhs had to struggle to get concessions in regard to keeping these symbols intact as part and parcel of the *Khalsa code of conduct at all places, including the army, jails, flying or even on motorcycle rides.

In recognition of the loyal and distinguished services rendered by the Sikhs in the great wars to the Queen, in September 1920 Sikhs were allowed to wear the kirpan even in the army both in uniform and in plain clothes.

In the past, Singhs used the kirpan to free young Hindu ladies who were abducted and raped in the thousands by oppressive rulers and traded in the market. Sikhs freed them and returned them to their respective families safely.

The fourth K is kara , a stainless steel bracelet worn on the right wrist. It reminds the Sikhs of the vows of baptism. Thus it prevents Khalsa from doing anything evil that is unworthy of a Khalsa . Additionally, it serves the purpose of a shield to protect the arm while fighting with an enemy. Even those Sikhs who have not taken amrit wear kara .

The fifth K is kash or kashehra , which is underpants or drawers. It is so tailored that it covers the private parts well and does not restrict movements of the marshall Khalsa . It is a symbol of sexual restraint and moral purity. Khalsa has been known for not committing adultery.

On the day celebrated as Vaisakhi , the sangat founded by the first Guru Nanak Dev Ji was transformed into the Khalsa Panth . The mandate of the Khalsa is to spread righteousness, protect the human rights of truthful people and destroy tyranny.

The Vaisakhi brings the spirit of chardi kala , that is the high spirit to the Panth and reminds them of their great heritage, self-esteem and high character. To be a member of the Panth , one has to follow the life of Sewa-Simran and wish all humanity well.

During the 18th century becoming a Sikh was against the law of the land ruled by oppressive Mughal rulers who ordered that anyone who could find a Sikh could chop his head off and could exchange that head at any police station for about one year's wages.

Sikhs not only survived this elimination or genocide, but also before the turn of the century Sikhs became the formal rulers of the Punjab from Pishawar to Delhi. The Sikhs were famous for their pure conduct, bravery, love for humanity and the protection they provided the poor and helpless, even at the cost of their own lives.

The high character of Sikhs was so popular with the people that even a Muslim historian, Kazi Noor Mohammed, could not help recognizing it and recorded it on pages 156 to 159 in his book Jang Nama .

In conclusion, I congratulate the member for Winnipeg—Transcona for the motion and urge all members of the House to support it. Recognizing the importance of Vaisakhi , the Reform Party of Canada and now the Canadian Alliance, Her Majesty's Loyal Official Opposition of Canada, proudly celebrates Vaisakhi in parliament every year since 1998. This year's annual celebration of Vaisakhi will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 4, in Room 237-C, Centre Block, from 4 to 6 p.m. As always, I invite members of all parties and the public in general to join us in the celebration.

In 1998 the leader of the Reform Party was the first and only federal leader of any political party in Canada to visit the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs and the Durgiana Mander in Amritsar.

I would also like to say that I am a politician and not a religious leader in any way. Due to my limited knowledge, wisdom and time, I may have unknowingly made omissions or statements that may not have expressed the exact feelings or principles, for which I apologize.

However I am proud to end the speech with the Khalsa slogan, Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akaal and share the Guru's greetings, Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh .

[Canada Foundation For Sustainable Development Technology Act, February 19th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I highly appreciate the speech given by the hon. member for Winnipeg Centre. In fact, he worked hard on it and he has essential knowledge of the subject which I really admire.

He mentioned that Canada could have been a leader in sustainable development and technology. I agree with him. However, it is the lack of vision by the weak Liberal government that did not let it happen. For the seven or eight years since it has been in power, its abysmal record on environmental and sustainable development is quite evident.

Besides the point he mentioned in his speech about the technical part, we have to start the sustainable development somewhere or this initiative has to be implemented somehow. Would the hon. member agree that if patronage is taken out of the whole bill and also if the auditors, those who were appointed by the board of directors and report to the board of directors, and if there is a mechanism to restore accountability, transparency and clarity in the whole process, would he support the bill?

[Canada Foundation For Sustainable Development Technology Act, February 19th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the wonderful question. It is a very thoughtful question.

By the way, just to correct the record, I am from B.C., not Alberta, although that is nearly the same neighbourhood. From here in Ottawa or from the CN Tower, when we look past the Rocky Mountains things are not visible sometimes, but that is okay. I can understand that.

With regard to the funding, we are not debating the funding. I think every reasonable Canadian realizes that we have to do a lot of work in innovation, technology, research and development. Probably it is the initial funding that is stated in the budget. Funding is not an issue here.

The issues are these: how the bill is worded, what is missing in the bill, and what the modus operandi is of administering those funds. Is it clear? Is it transparent? Is accountability there? Those are the factors that are more important, of course, particularly with the rising costs of fuel and natural gas. It is becoming more important than ever before that we look for efficient, economical and cheap sources of energy in regard to fossil fuels, as the hon. member mentioned. Of course we want to develop efficient resources so that taxpaying Canadians and our children and grandchildren have enough resources to play with, to utilize in industry.

I very much agree with the hon. member that we have to invest in technology and research and development. That is why the topic of sustainable development is so important. However, we want to do the right thing in the right way. That is what we are asking the government: that it do the right thing in the right way.

[Canada Foundation For Sustainable Development Technology Act, February 19th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Surrey Central are pleased to have me participate in the debate today on Bill C-4 concerning the establishment of a foundation to fund sustainable development technology.

For the benefit of the folks who are watching, sustainable development means development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

In the 2000 federal budget, the Liberals announced that they would be creating a sustainable development technology foundation to administer these funds at arm's length from the government. Later on when we look at the bill we will find out that the length of the arm is too short. Perhaps their hands are in their pockets.

In that budget they earmarked $100 million as the amount of initial funding. It is to be operated as a not for profit organization. It will administer funding primarily to projects that will bring innovation and technology. The foundation will accept proposals from existing and new collaborative arrangements among technology developers, suppliers and users, universities, not for profit organizations, and other organizations, such as industrial associations and research institutes.

Clause 5 of Bill C-4 provides that the objects and purposes of the foundation are to provide funding to eligible recipients for eligible projects. That is a very vague definition. The foundation will dole out funds on a project by project basis. Clause 19 of the bill talks about eligible projects in a very vague way. It states:

The Foundation may provide funding to eligible recipients to be used by them solely for the purposes of eligible projects in accordance with any terms and conditions specified by the Foundation—

The minister mentioned that those who qualify for funding will be mentioned in specific funding agreements. What are those specific funding agreements? We will never see them.

Being the past co-chair of the scrutiny of regulations committee, I can share with the House that most bills give very little information about subject matter, the modus operandi or various other things that cover the whole bill or the scope of the bill. Most of the stuff comes through the back door in the form of regulations. We will never debate those regulations nor the terms and conditions of the stipulations. That is what will happen with the bill.

Where are the principles that will guide the allocation of funds? Will they be coming through the back door? We do not see transparency in the allocation of funds. I would like to see the regulations before the House in black and white so that we can debate them in the House.

The people of Surrey Central support the kind of initiatives that will create synergy and teamwork where people will work together to respond to new challenges by way of innovation. We appreciate the initiative to enhance innovation in technology and sustainable development as well as a clean and healthy environment, but we do not agree with the modus operandi as suggested in the bill. The bill is poorly worded. It lacks clarity, transparency, accountability and effectiveness.

I would venture to say that members of the official opposition would like Canada to create a balance of economic, social and environmental goals and challenges and thereafter reap the rewards from them. We want excellence in exploring efficient fuel sources. We want to explore various ways of harnessing energy, such as solar and wind power. We want to enhance oil and natural gas recovery technology and mobilize partners in industry, universities, research institutes and in businesses everywhere.

We want to protect the environment and work on projects related to greenhouse gas reduction and improving air and water quality. Our children certainly want that and we want our children and our grandchildren to have that.

Therefore, the Canadian Alliance policy supports sustainable development initiatives. Our policy states:

We are committed to protecting and preserving Canada's natural environment and endangered species, and to the sustainable development of our abundant natural resources for the use of current and future generations.

I heard someone from the Liberal side, perhaps the environmental minister, saying no. The Alliance policy goes on to state:

Therefore, we will strike a balance between environmental preservation and economic development. This includes creating partnerships with provincial governments, private industry, educational institutions and the public to promote meaningful progress in the area of environmental protection.

As a government, the Liberals have mismanaged our environment and failed to provide sustainable development. They have signed international treaties, including Kyoto, Beijing and Rio, with no intention whatsoever of carrying out these commitments.

They have made those commitments without consulting Canadians, parliament and the provinces. They have failed to provide commitments with the required scientific support. Rather, they have made political decisions about matters that require scientific decisions. These political decisions have amounted to nothing more than interference into scientific matters.

That in a word explains the fact that the government cannot meet the international commitments that it makes when it comes to protecting our environment. Perhaps it is too busy trying to garner votes and counter Canadian Alliance policies rather than allow scientific principles and evidence to drive the efforts to protect our environment.

This weak and arrogant Liberal government has allowed the endangered species legislation to die twice on the order paper. Since 1993 it has been promising Canadians that it will pass endangered species legislation. What do we have after seven or eight years? Another bill that it is promising to pass. The government is proposing an endangered species bill without consulting Canadians and the scientific community. In any event that is another story for another day.

This weak Liberal government lacks vision. It has done nothing since 1993 in terms of initiatives on our environment and sustainable development. Other countries have passed legislation and are way ahead. Even the United Nations has a sustainable development office. There is a worldwide race to reap the rewards of innovation and state of the art technology, but the Liberals allow Canada to be left behind.

The government expects the foundation to be in place by March 2001. The bill was originally introduced as a part of budget 2000, delivered almost a year ago today. It has been one year and the Liberals have still not passed the legislation. That goes to show Canadians just how serious the government is about sustainable development.

After a year of doing nothing following the Liberal government budget 2000 agenda and seven or eight years since red book one, the government would like the bill to be passed by the House, the Senate and receive royal assent by March 2001. That is when it would like the foundation to exist with $100 million to hand out.

After doing nothing for a year the government is giving us only a couple of weeks to work on the legislation. There will be no opportunity to have a fair debate in the House because there will be undemocratic time allocation to limit the debate. The committee hearings will be a farce. The witnesses before the committee will be set up and the opposition amendments virtually ignored. The half-baked bill will be rammed through because of the government's parliamentary majority and its arrogant attitude. It is unbelievable.

We on this side of the House want to make some amendments before we could support the bill. The amendments will not deal so much with the sustainable development aspects of the bill but with efficiency, accountability and transparency; in other words with the modus operandi of the bill.

According to the bill the Liberal government would appoint six directors and a chairman of the board of directors. These appointees would appoint another eight directors and the appointed board of directors would appoint the auditors.

The intent of the bill is to create and enhance innovation in technology and not patronage. The Liberals are developing innovations in how to make the best use of patronage. They are proposing to turn the sustainable development foundation into a Liberal patronage pork barrel for the friends of Liberals and defeated Liberal candidates. I see a hidden agenda. If the modus operandi is not corrected, that is what the bill would do.

Rather than creating and encouraging new and private funding for technology and innovation, taxpayers' money will go to the friends of the government and ultimately to a black hole, and we will one day see another boondoggle. We want this to be corrected. Let me again read for the Liberals a simple paragraph from Canadian Alliance policies:

We believe that a non-partisan civil service, an independent judiciary and competent leadership of government agencies, boards and commissions are vital in a democracy. We will therefore ensure appointments to these positions are made through an open and accountable process based on merit.

The appointments should not be based on patronage or defeated Liberal candidates or friends of Liberals or any Liberal connection. We want these appointments to be made based on merit.

The people of Surrey Central and I are dismayed. We are so disappointed that the government would take such a wonderful initiative of supporting projects related to greenhouse gas reductions and improving air quality and turn the effort into some kind of Liberal Party payoff.

When will the government stop behaving this way and doing these things? When will it evolve into the new millennium and put a stop to these kinds of 17th century old boys' club practices? When will it abandon the politics of exclusion? When will it stop implementing the systems of disenfranchisement? The patronage practices of the government are virtually fascist, in the strict political definition. The Canadian Alliance will put a stop to this sort of thing when it forms the next government.

The creation of a sustainable development foundation is something all Canadians have wanted for years and the Liberals are turning it into some kind of arena for political payoffs. It is a sham.

On the subject of auditing the foundation, while the foundation does provide an annual report each year to parliament, the foundation appoints its own auditor and has final approval on the financial reports before they are made public. Is that not convenient? While the legislation does set out rules as to who would be eligible to be the auditor, there is no mention of allowing the Auditor General of Canada access to the books of the foundation. Only those auditors appointed by the Liberals would have access to the auditing of the books. The Auditor General of Canada would be left aside. He would not have access to these audits.

It is no wonder that the government does not want the Office of the Auditor General of Canada involved. The Liberals have had a difficult ride with the outgoing auditor general. His report tabled early this month was probably the most scathing indictment yet of this government. Each auditor general's report on the mismanagement of the Liberal government is worse than the previous one.

The official opposition wants these issues, the questions of who will audit the foundation and how appointments will be made to the foundation, to be dealt with at the committee hearings on the bill, which will be held shortly. We will not allow these two concerns to be swept under the carpet by the Liberals. We want those issues to be addressed and properly addressed.

Unless there are amendments along these lines, we may have to oppose the bill and we do not want to have to do that. We want these amendments to be incorporated so that the official opposition members on this side of the House can support the bill.

Let me cite an example of sustainable development that I saw myself, an evolution of sustainable development taking place. I will cite the example of Taiwan as an example of strategic and sustainable development, where new and private money has been pouring into innovation and technology.

Taiwan is a small island the size of Vancouver Island, with a population of about 25 million people. Sometimes I wonder; if 25 million people lived on Vancouver Island it would probably sink. Taiwan is a small island with an unemployment rate of about 0.5%, not 5%, but half a percentage point. That is an admirable record. How did Taiwan do it? Taiwan has accomplished that in large part through their sustainable development strategy, with a special emphasis on technology and innovation that has led to business development, exports and economic growth while protecting their precious and rather limited resources.

In conclusion, once again we have the Liberals taking an initiative, one that everyone would want to support: the creation of a sustainable development foundation. However, what do they do? They leave so many terms undefined. The bill is vague. They turn it into a venue for patronage payoffs and they close the books to the auditor general. They want to control the $100 million they give to the foundation without anyone else finding out which Liberal Party donors receive the bulk of the $100 million.

It would be amazing if it were not so sad. The people of Surrey Central, who want to support the creation of a sustainable development foundation, do not want to support this bill. Rather, we do not have to support this bill, because of the way the Liberals are playing politics with it. If the Liberals are prepared to fix the flaws and the corruption they have written into the bill, then we would be glad to support it.

We are giving the government the opportunity to have a fair debate, to listen to the amendments, to consult Canadians through parliament and to incorporate those amendments so that all parties can support this wonderful initiative.

[Agriculture, February 13th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Since the minister is still in the House, before he leaves the Chamber could I have unanimous consent of the House for 10 minutes of questions and comments with the minister?

[Financial Consumer Agency Of Canada Act, February 12th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, congratulations on your new appointment as Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Richmond who is about to make his maiden speech.

I rise on behalf of the people of Surrey Central to participate in the debate on Bill C-8, an act to establish the financial consumer agency of Canada and to amend certain acts in relation to financial institutions.

I am proud to do this because the financial services sector is the largest sector in the British Columbia economy. Our largest banks employ about 26,000 people in British Columbia. Banks in Canada employ about a quarter million people directly and contribute approximately $80 million a year to charities in Canada and about $4.5 billion annually in taxes to our provincial and federal governments.

Despite the contributions that the banks and other financial institutions make, they are a sound foundation as the backbone of our economy. Our banks, trust companies, credit unions, mutual funds, insurance companies and others are very important to our economy.

The bill proposes to address the calls to modernize Canada's financial services industry. Canadian consumers of financial services have demanded a more competitive environment while our banks have been seeking approval to merge and to have more flexibility in the way they structure their operations.

The bill is an attempt to catch up to other countries that have made changes long ago to their financial services industry. The Liberal government has been dragging its feet on this matter for about seven years. This is too bad because our financial institutions must have the ability to make long term plans for the future. Once it is passed into law, we hope the bill will give our banks the opportunity they need to perform long term planning. I doubt that will happen because of the five year sunset clause in the bill.

My colleague from Prince George—Bulkley Valley has a great deal of experience and has been of great assistance to the official opposition working on our financial services policy group. The official opposition wrote a banking report in November 1998 entitled “Competition: Choice You Can Bank On”. The report forms the backbone of our financial services policy. It is a very good and detailed report.

The bill addresses some of the changes we on this side of the House have been pressing the government to enact. The official opposition has been carrying the flashlight to show the Liberals their darkness. After ridiculing our policies they have been stealing them from time to time. We encourage them to steal more of our policies, but unfortunately they do not get them right.

I understand that my colleague on the Canadian Alliance financial services policy group will be pursuing the government with amendments to the bill at committee stage. We hope the government will show some respect for what we propose.

We recognize that a strong financial services industry is essential to Canada's economic well-being. This means we need strong banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions. We need to create an environment for our financial institutions to flourish domestically and have the ability to take advantage of opportunities in the global economy.

Canada has one of the safest financial services systems in the world. We urge the government to ensure that these consumer benefits continue and not be changed or lost.

Outside the House critics of the bill are saying that in the past five years there have been many changes to the world financial system. The bill has been left behind. The bill used to be Bill C-38 which died on the order paper. It does not go far enough to bring our banks up to date with what is going on in the world.

International changes since 1996 are not reflected in the bill that is largely the same as what the Liberals introduced in 1996 but allowed to die on the order paper. They have been trying to pass the bill for far too long. It is out of date in many ways.

There are some who say that the bill is too little too late for our banks and that it will not help to strengthen the performance and competitiveness of our banks at home and abroad. They have already lost ground and they will not be able to make up those lost yards.

Other countries are well ahead of Canada. The United States has allowed its banks to merge with insurance companies. The Liberals insist on leaving it to their finance minister to decide what mergers can go ahead and which cannot.

By lowering the amount of money required to open a bank, we hope that the legislation will allow more banks to be set up in rural areas of Canada. The smaller the capital the more encouragement for institutions to jump into it..

The bill should enhance consumer choice by allowing insurance companies and mutual fund firms to use bank cheque clearing systems. If the banks take over the auto leasing and insurance industries they may hurt our economy since a significant amount of jobs are created by small businesses like car dealerships and independent insurance companies. The further entry of banks into the insurance and auto leasing markets should only be allowed if major auto financing and insurance companies have access to the Canadian Payments Association which they have been requesting. Banks must not have a competitive advantage over auto leasing and insurance companies. There must be a level playing field for all competitors within a given market.

The Canadian Alliance supports the creation of a holding company structure where banks will be able to remove some of their non-banking operations, such as credit card businesses from bank regulations, by establishing separately regulated holding companies. This new structure would allow our banks to compete more effectively against foreign non-bank competitors.

We support increased access to the payments system so that life insurance companies, money market mutual funds and securities dealers will be allowed access to increases in consumer choice.

We support expanding the role of credit unions. I can say that because for about three years, before becoming a member of parliament, I was a director of the second largest credit union in Canada. I saw the environment from the inside. I know that the credit unions are not getting the same support as the financial institutions. They are not only consumer and community oriented, but they also have a good network of branches that help people at the community level.

We are disappointed that this measure is not included in Bill C-8 despite the recommendation in the MacKay report to allow for it. We believe that the government has failed consumers since this measure was seen to be a key point in increasing competition and benefiting consumers of retail banking, that is by the credit unions.

We are concerned about the measures in the bill that would regulate access to financial services. We are concerned about regulating branch closures. This kind of initiative by the Liberals is unnecessary red tape. The banking industry already considers it good business practice to properly justify any bank closures and to give fair warning to the communities or their customers.

The bill also proposes a financial consumer agency responsible to the finance minister. These bureaucratic positions would be filled with Liberal appointments, like Mr. Lou Sekora, just as many other failed Liberal candidates have been given patronage plum jobs by the Liberals. We would support an independent ombudsman selected by the House with penalty enforcement powers and the ability to make binding directives when necessary.

In conclusion, we hope the Liberals will pay considerable attention and take our amendments seriously. We hope they will listen to the witnesses who will be appearing before the committee. We will support the bill with amendments, particularly in the areas of credit unions establishing co-operatively held banks; the tremendous power given to the Minister of Finance; the bureaucracy created by the new commissioner of the FCAC; and the regulation that demands banks to provide money losing personal accounts.

[Speech From The Throne, February 7th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member who is a very hard working member of parliament and represents the beautiful constituency of Elk Island. His dedication is highly appreciated.

It is the moral responsibility of members that when we are sent by our constituents to this great House of honour where we have the honour and privilege of representing them, that first and foremost we understand why we are here.

We are here to represent our constituents, not to represent Ottawa in our constituencies. That is what our constituents expect of us. That is why they sent us to this place. It is always important that we bring forward to the House the issues and concerns that our constituents have so that they can be addressed. Similarly I have brought forward concerns today about the whole region of my riding, to give a bigger picture.

However, certain things definitely need to happen before our issues can be addressed. There should be free votes in the House. The House should work more in a democratic fashion. The committees should work. We highlighted all these things that should work in parliamentary reform.

Since my time does not allow me to elaborate on that I give the blanket, bigger picture that parliamentary reform is the first and foremost important thing that should be happening in the House.

[Speech From The Throne, February 7th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his excellent question and wish him good luck in the House. This is also an opportunity for me to welcome all of my other colleagues and members from all parties who have joined us with enthusiasm and excitement.

The alienation of different regions in Canada is a very important issue, particularly so because the federal Liberal government since 1993 has failed to apply the glue which would bind all the provinces and regions together to make a stronger Canada. If we put all our excitement together and address fairly the issues and problems of different regions, the federation will work.

The government's arrogant and ignorant attitude and its failure to listen to and address the problems are the root causes of the problems. The Prime Minister goes more to Florida to play golf and do other things than to western Canada or other regions to address issues and listen to people. We only see the Prime Minister in British Columbia when he is attending a fundraiser. That is ridiculous. That is the root cause of the problem that is causing this fire of alienation.

Rather than fan the fire of alienation by not listening to the concerns of the various regions, the government should hold a firehose and put out the flames so it can address the issues. The government should address the issues and keep the glue in place that is binding various regions together.

[Speech From The Throne, February 7th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the people of Surrey Central to respond to the Speech from the Throne. I thank the constituents of Surrey Central for re-electing me as their MP with triple the margin of the last election. I shall try my best to represent them and address their concerns.

I congratulate you on your election as Speaker of the House. I am sure you will receive the co-operation of the House all the time.

In my reply to the Speech from the Throne, I will address some of the issues brought forward by my colleague from Portage—Lisgar. The throne speech is supposed to be the illustration of vision by the government.

Traditionally members of parliament are invited to the Senate chamber where the speech is read. Members of parliament are not allowed to sit down to listen to the speech. Rather, they stand outside the Senate chamber, crammed in the hallway and scramble to listen to the speech.

Many of those who are seated inside have no business or role to play in implementing the contents of the speech. Frankly it would be more appropriate for members of parliament to sit in front of a TV set rather than march off to the other chamber.

Let me read a quote from my colleague, the former leader of the Reform Party, who said:

The TV cameras panning the audience focus not on the innovative entrepreneurs or scientists of the new economy, but the TV cameras focus on political fossils, former senators, staunch resistors of change and defenders of the status quo.

What a great quote. What a great observation of the dinosaur government that fights change.

There are important omissions and inconsistencies in the empty throne speech. I will list some of them very quickly. The first is the concrete plan that reduces taxes and pay debt. There is a renewed need for the tabling of a budget as soon as possible, particularly in light of a substantive tax reduction in the U.S. and a sluggish economy, which is quite likely on the verge of affecting Canada.

In the last election we saw the lowest voter turnout. It signalled a warning to the Liberals. Despite this, there is no meaningful commitment to parliamentary reform. Western Canadians feel alienated like every other region in Canada. Since their concerns are not being addressed, the Liberals are fanning the fire of alienation instead of using the firehose to put out the flames by addressing the needs of Canada's regions.

The arrogance of the Prime Minister and the Liberals was evident even during the election when the Prime Minister made his infamous comments about his preference for dealing with eastern Canadians rather than with western Canadians.

Since 1993 the Liberals have failed to address these concerns despite the new west being the fastest growing region in Canada with a lot of potential. Here is a quick list of points worth listening to.

The Liberals have been hurting the B.C. salmon fishery, mining industry, softwood lumber industry and tourism industry. For years the Liberals have failed to negotiate a Pacific salmon treaty with the United States. They are killing jobs in British Columbia. They closed CFB Chilliwack and left British Columbia without emergency preparedness.

The Liberals believe British Columbia is under-represented both in the Senate and in the House. They will not let B.C. elect senators. They do not give B.C. a fair share of government contracts and other resources.

Another issue deals with transit levies. The federal government raked in $700 million in fuel taxes from B.C. and returned only $35 million in the repair and maintenance of roads and highways. British Columbia is the only province in Canada that does not have four lane freeways.

It was the Liberals who cut transfer payments which affected British Columbia's education and health services. While the Liberals continue to ignore British Columbians, there are many reasons why British Columbians ignore the Liberals. They turned off Pacific lighthouses. They ripped the heart out of the Pacific coast guard and so on. The list is long enough and it goes on.

It was pathetic watching the Liberal finance minister being given a tour by helicopter of my constituency of Surrey Central during the last federal election. His handlers could not dare to have him listen to the concerns of the residents. It was a vain attempt to give him a tour of the city by air. Perhaps he saw more geese than people.

The finance minister was actually quoted in our local media as admitting how naive he was to the needs of Surrey. Following the helicopter ride he admitted that he was totally unaware of the transportation problem in Surrey. During six years in office the Liberals have not listened to the needs of Surrey, but at election time a cabinet minister appeared from the sky, out of the blue.

We all know that the Prime Minister spent more time in Florida than in the west. Mostly he comes to B.C. to rake in money from fundraisers, as if westerners are not already paying enough into the federal coffers.

On another important issue, the offices of members of parliament are overloaded with immigration case loads. That work should be done by the immigration department, but the Liberals keep our immigration system clogged with backlogs.

Why is the federal immigration department not able to work efficiently and effectively? That remains a big question. The people caught in the system are suffering and are victims of the government's mismanagement. Even refugee cases are taking too long to resolve.

Visitor visas present a different kind of problem. Politicians should not be allowed to interfere with the process, but the Liberals allowed their candidates during the election campaign to interfere in obtaining visitor visas for those who had been refused, even after repeated interventions by their members of parliament. The system should be so effective that genuine visitors should get visitor visas without political interference and without hassles.

I have already had corruption investigations initiated in our embassies abroad, and they produced successful results.

On another note, there is nothing in the throne speech concerning the federal taxes on fuel and our transportation problem. In B.C. the federal government takes over 10 cents per litre in excise tax. It charges GST on top of the excise tax and then puts GST on top of the PST. There are taxes on taxes.

Only $35 million of the $700 million from the gas taxes being taken from B.C. is reinvested in transportation and infrastructure in B.C. That is only 5%. These kinds of injustices are at the root of regional concerns throughout Canada.

I should like to comment on the Liberal government's lack of concern for British Columbia's emergency preparedness. There is nothing about this in the Speech from the Throne, even though we have recently seen terrible earthquakes in India, El Salvador, Turkey and Taiwan.

We know that scientists predict that British Columbia's lower mainland will have an earthquake. The government refuses to dispatch the Vancouver search and rescue team to areas around the world that have been struck by earthquakes. We should not be waiting to be asked. We should be immediately sending our rescue team that is always ready at a moment's notice so that it can get experience that is needed at home.

The biggest threat Canada faces is from organized crime. As usual, there is nothing except a promise in the throne speech. The same is true regarding the RCMP. There is nothing which gives the RCMP contingent in Surrey, for example, which is the largest in Canada, the tools, resources, legislation and personnel for it to do its job.

I commend the Liberals for having listened to my cry to do something about recognizing foreign academic credentials. However the Speech from the Throne has not mentioned anything about standardizing the national academic standard.

The Liberal government is increasingly out of touch with Canadians regarding regional differences, particularly those of B.C. and western Canada. However the Canadian Alliance, the government in waiting, is here to continuously remind the government about these injustices just as I have done. The ball is in its court.