Jerry Pickard

[The Economy, October 1st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, under this Liberal government our economy has dramatically improved over the past three years.

Who would have believed in the early 1990s when interest rates were over 10 per cent that today they would be reduced to less than 6 per cent? Mortgage rates have declined 4 per cent putting $3,000 in the pockets of the average Canadian family. Interest rates have helped small businesses and the housing market show great improvements and move forward.

Our monetary policy allowed the dollar to drop from 90 cents to 73 cents. This shift, along with Team Canada trade missions, has

increased our foreign trade by 38 per cent, creating some 680,000 jobs in this country. Unemployment has dropped from 11.2 per cent to 9.4 nationally and under 9 per cent in my area of southwestern Ontario.

The government has and will continue to provide positive leadership.

[Criminal Code, September 23rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege today to participate in the debate on Bill C-45, a bill which addresses the concerns of Canadians, a bill which strengthens our justice system and will keep our streets and neighbourhoods safer for our families and our children.

I must first take issue with the motion by the members opposite that this bill be deferred for six months. I find it ridiculous that the Bloc would have put forth a motion that would delay the passage of this legislation. At this time when Canadians are expressing their concerns about safety, it would be totally unacceptable for us to put off the debate on this important legislation.

I assure you, Mr. Speaker, that I am speaking for the majority of members here when millions of Canadians are very anxious about what the government is doing to proceed on debate, passage and implementation of Bill C-45. We are anxious to do this because this bill will help law enforcement agencies to do their jobs. It will keep dangerous criminals off the streets and it will make our society a safer place.

We have as a government put in place a number of initiatives to address criminal and correctional law. Bill C-45 continues to fulfil our red book commitments to Canadians that we are serious about law and order and that we are taking this opportunity to address these issues. Bill C-45 addresses high risk offenders.

Several measures place controls over persons convicted of sex crimes and other violent offences. These measures aim to reduce the risk that persons previously convicted of sex offences and other violent offences commit further crimes. They also address public concerns about violent sexual offenders.

The dangerous offender provisions in the Criminal Code have proven to be useful mechanisms for sentencing serious offenders who pose a high risk of committing further violent offences. Through a special hearing, such offenders may be given an indeterminate sentence.

It is proposed that the Criminal Code be amended to make a number of improvements to benefit society.

Under the criminal law, a judge has discretion to sentence a dangerous offender to a fixed term. The task force on high risk violent offenders suggested that it makes little sense to go through an elaborate dangerous offender procedure only to obtain a definite sentence. Provinces have expressed support for this change.

Under the proposed changes the judge will no longer have the discretion but rather will be required to impose an indefinite sentence.

Currently a dangerous offender application must be made at trial. The crown will now have up to six months after conviction to bring a dangerous offender application.

Furthermore, the process has been streamlined. The number of psychiatrists required to testify at a hearing has been changed from two to one.

It is proposed that the initial parole review of a dangerous offender be moved from the third year of imprisonment to the

seventh year. This brings the initial review by the national parole board closer to parole eligibility calculations for many of the serious personal injury offences.

It is proposed that a new sentencing category to be called long term offender be added to the Criminal Code. The procedure would be similar to the process for dangerous offenders.

The long term offender procedure will apply to persons convicted of crimes such as sexual assault or weapons charges. Under the proposal a convicted criminal found at a special hearing to be a long term offender would be subject to an imprisonment sentence suited to the offence with an additional period for supervision of up to 10 years. A person who cannot be found to meet the narrow definition of dangerous offender could be found to be a long term offender provided the criteria were met.

It is proposed that a new judicial restraint provision be added to the Criminal Code. This procedure would focus on persons who pose the risk of committing a serious personal injury offence. The attorney general could bring an application where there are reasonable grounds to fear that an individual would commit a serious personal injury offence. These grounds would be examined at a hearing before a judge.

As one of the conditions the judge could order that the program of electronic monitoring be applied if such a program were available in the province. The judicial restraint would last up to one year. A breach of conditions would constitute a separate criminal offence.

As we can see from the foregoing comments, Bill C-45 deals directly with dangerous offenders, long term offenders and judicial restraint. These are safety issues which deserve debate in the House. These are measures which Canadians deserve in the law of this land.

The victims of violence, the families of victims and sadly, the survivors of victims have shown us the need for the type of measures that are outlined in the bill. Law enforcement agencies from across the country have asked us to give them the opportunity to tackle crime with the types of tools that are provided in the legislation.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the House to support Bill C-45. I urge them to do so now, for to wait six months or even six weeks does nothing to address the concerns which Canadians have and does nothing to keep dangerous offenders off the streets. Why would we want to do that? How could we possibly go back to our constituents and say that we will do it down the road sometime? Why wait? Let us do the right thing today. Let us show the leadership and conviction for those who have placed us in the role of legislators. Let us legislate what is right for Canadians and pass Bill C-45.

[Broadcasting Act, September 23rd, 1996]

I would like my vote recorded as nay.

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask our colleague why does the American government so strongly argue against the Canadian Wheat Board? Does the hon. member think the Americans are trying to protect Canadian grain producers or would it be possible they are trying to protect their own?

Does the hon. member also think that it is possible that if the Canadian Wheat Board was dismantled they would throw their borders open and allow grain to flow across that border without a problem or a challenge?

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party continually brings up this idea of the ability to sell and you can always get the highest price. That seems to be the question that they are really coming down on. How do you get the highest price?

I believe without question that there is a terrible difference between this idea of buying and selling. If one is a buyer and there is only one person selling a product and there are many buyers, then yes, the buyers will bid against each other. That is not the situation that we are talking about. It is just the opposite.

We are sellers and if we have many sellers they are going to be bidding against each other. What my hon. colleague suggested is that bidding process, one against another, will lower the price. Obviously everyone knows if we have 10 people selling and one person buying, the person who is buying is going to get the best deal. That is the difference between buy and sell.

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Wheat Board is structured so that it takes all of the product from all of our industry here in Canada.

We should look closely at the size of that industry and where these products are sold. The industry sells some 30 million tonnes of wheat around the world to markets in Japan, Asia and throughout the United States.

Sales to the United States are in the area of about $2 million. What I am hearing from some spot pricing at very specific times is in fact that little market in the United States, which represents only 7 per cent of the sales of Canadian grain into the United States, may blip up from time to time.

When the price in the United States goes up the Canadian Wheat Board gets that price. There is absolutely no question that the board picks up that spot price in the United States. It also picks up all the prices throughout the rest of the world. Not only will that two million tonnes be sold in the United States for a higher price when the spot price is high, but also the other 28 million tonnes that is sold in other regions of the world. As a result every farmer that sells wheat to the wheat pool gets the benefit of that high price and the average of all the other prices put together. That is how a pool works.

When we are talking about how that pooling system operates, we are talking about selling in. Each person does not get one price from the United States, a different price from Japan, but an average or pooling price. As a result, they get the best price because the wheat board keeps no profit. All of the profits go back to the growers, the producers. Some grain is sold at higher prices and other grains are sold at lower prices. The average is what the Canadian Wheat Board pays.

When we talk about the delivery system and because we have a huge inventory of product, we have large growers co-operating with the wheat board, we know very clearly that their reputation throughout the world has been fabulous. It has the best reputation of any grain selling operation anywhere in the world.

As a result the board has a reputation for being able to supply. There may be niche markets where at one point it could not supply product, but in general it is recognized around the world that the wheat board has enough product to supply the markets to which it is selling. It has done a very good job and has a super reputation with the product it is selling. The Canadian product is above all others.

When we look at that operation it is very clear that producers do get the best average price and they do sell at a pretty secure market throughout the world.

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am sharing my time with the member for Souris-Moose Mountain.

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to express my support for the Canadian Wheat Board.

Contrary to what some critics contend, the Canadian Wheat Board is not a monolithic dinosaur out of touch with Canadian producers. It is a viable, state of the art company that does an excellent job in marketing western Canadian wheat and barley for its customers, the men and women who work in the Canadian grain sector.

The board was set up in 1935 under pressure from farmers. It has become in the words of Dan Morgan in his study on trade,

"Merchants of Grain", the most powerful and prestigious marketing board in the world. The board has earned respect throughout the world for providing a quality product on time and as contracts specify. Its credibility in the world markets has been built over the years and it has delivered tremendous customer service.

The board is an example of an orderly marketing structure that best serves both Canadian farmers and Canadian grain customers. It markets all western Canadian wheat and barley products for export and domestically for human consumption. It costs the wheat board only 4.5 cents per bushel to market farmers' grain. All profits from the sales go to farmers. Because all western Canadian grain goes through a single desk, the Canadian Wheat Board can offer specific, consistent quality and supply to customers. As a result it can get the best price for western grain farmers.

The Canadian Wheat Board, like all organizations, is changing with the times. In an effort to maintain its competitive edge the Canadian Wheat Board commissioned the consulting firm of Deloitte and Touche Management Consultants in 1992 to take an outside independent critical look at the Canadian Wheat Board and how it operates. The fact that the Canadian Wheat Board took the initiative to do an in depth independent study proves the importance it places on proper management and accountability and its desire to strive to serve all customers' needs and to continue to be more efficient.

The study noted a number of areas for potential improvement. I am pleased to say that the board has implemented all the major recommendations handed down to it in the study. For example, the consulting firm noticed that the board needed to improve its long term planning. The board responded by developing a corporate vision, mission and a set of goals and strategic objectives. It has also streamlined and made improvements to its budgeting, management, planning and reporting system and has introduced a new performance evaluation system.

The Canadian Wheat Board's efforts have not stopped there. It is continually striving to make improvements in planning, management and operational aspects of its business. To ensure it operates efficiently, the Canadian Wheat Board also conducts an ongoing department by department audit of expenditures.

The level of service provided by the Canadian Wheat Board has greatly improved over the years. The Canadian Wheat Board has responded to demands for more market information beyond the annual report by providing a number of services and initiatives to keep its client producers well informed.

The board now issues regular pool return outlooks which give producers a good indication of where markets are heading. It also holds annual grain days meetings across the prairies where its staff meet producers to bring them new ideas and information and to listen their concerns.

The board is also using the tools of technology to become even more accessible to farmers. It has a 1-800 number and an electronic bulletin board. These initiatives show that the board has become proactive in its efforts to respond to customers' needs.

The board has also established price forecasting, undertaken new market development initiatives and developed enhanced risk management tools.

To help farmers tap into one of the most promising foreign markets, the board has opened a new office in Beijing. It also has a branch office in Tokyo and an excellent information network worldwide. This information network goes well beyond the scope of information available to individual grain producers or individual grain companies.

For all these reasons, the wheat board has proven that it is adapting to changing times and that it is providing a valuable service to farmers. This is not to suggest that everything is perfect. Everyone agrees that some changes are needed to continue to improve the grain marketing system.

That is why the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food set up the Western Grain Marketing Panel last summer. This panel will report very soon. The minister hopes to have legislation in place by the fall.

The panel worked hard for many months to provide a vast amount of very useful public information. It held 15 public town hall meetings across the prairies to provide information and to receive input and feedback from farmers and farm organizations.

The panel conducted three sets of formal hearings in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Regina. These hearings provided a formal opportunity for all those holding differing points of view to come forward with their best arguments, their best evidence to put the case for one system or another to be subject to examination and cross-examination to get all the facts on the table and a thorough analysis of all the pros and cons, all the benefits and all the consequences. The panel had that full, open, transparent hearing process so that everything could be examined in a calm, rational and intelligent way.

The panel is now in the final stages of finishing its report. We expect to have it at the beginning of July. Once we have that report from the panel, which consists of nine very well respected individuals that represent every shade of opinion on the subject, we will be in a much better position to make whatever decisions are necessary with respect to grain marketing.

I would encourage all members of this House to lend their support to that board. It is Canada's best marketing tool to help farmers compete in global markets and get the best prices for their products.

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate that and would like him to respond to my question. I will pose it directly.

A panel was put in place that had 13 round table discussions across the country. Three hearings were formal and allowed all people in the industry to comment. Why do you come forward with a motion at this time just before that panel reports to the government? Why are you not waiting for the results of that panel to hear what the industry has to say?

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the member for Lisgar-Marquette.

The debate today is about hundreds of thousands Canadian men and women who directly or indirectly depend upon the grain sector for their livelihood. Today's debate is not just about political politics and political party posturing. It is about a western organization that has built the country and has done a tremendous job in making the prairies a better place to live. It has built an economy that does not just stop in the prairies but goes on to grain shippers in Montreal and to bakers from Vancouver to Halifax. They all benefit from the system.

When I hear some of the comments being made I question if some Reform members really understand the implications and strengths of the Canadian Wheat Board and what it has done for the nation.

Experts make it very clear that the Canadian Wheat Board has been a vehicle by which we have become world renowned. We have become a very great nation, the bread basket of the world, as was quoted by the Reform Party earlier.

I see hundreds of thousands of Canadians who rely upon a very good system. As a matter of fact it is among the excellent of the world. I am concerned that for some cheap political points there are shots and attacks on the wheat board.

I do not believe for one minute that any of the claims made by the member a couple of moments ago have been substantiated. The RCMP looked at some of the questions he raised and has tried to investigate the claims that have been put forth. To my knowledge there has not been at any point during the investigation any concrete evidence of the claims that have been put forward.

The Canadian Wheat Board is a very important institution. It has served a great purpose. As we start debate on the wheat board or whether dual marketing is the direction to go, I do not believe we should at any time pre-empt a process that is in place.

The government has set a panel in place to listen the concerns of every group involved in the way the Canadian Wheat Board operates and in the way we market grains in the country, listening to all opposing and supporting points of view.

There is absolutely no question the panel is to make certain it hears from all sectors of the economy, every interested group, and reports back to the government. It is critical if we spend this much time listening to the people publicly on what the panel is attempt-

ing to achieve that we should allow the panel to report back to the minister and make certain all stakeholders are involved in the final decisions that are, made.

The minister will receive those comments from the panel at the end of this month.