Dennis Mills

[Supply, September 30th, 1997]

Pretty smooth.

[Speech From The Throne, September 25th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I am happy to be here in the House for the member's maiden speech. I have always had great respect for the member's work in the whole area of tax reform. I sincerely welcome his presence here in the House with the Reform Party because during the last Parliament, with the exception of Mr. Silye, very few of the members of the Reform Party really stuck with the whole issue of tax reform.

One of the reasons why they failed to stick with this issue was because they talk about the tax grants to social organizations, but the real tax grants in this country are the tax expenditures that are buried in the 1,500 pages of the tax act and most of those tax grants go to large multinational organizations. They are in the guise of saying they will give them this tax expenditure or this tax grant so they can stimulate jobs. No accountability.

I want to ask the member of Parliament for Calgary Southeast if he will undertake to make sure in this Parliament that he will champion eliminating all of those hidden unaccountable tax expenditures, especially those that go to the oil and gas industry in western Canada. I want him to make sure that he will stand in this House and champion that part of tax reform.

[Speech From The Throne, September 25th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this member of Parliament, who has just arrived here, as we all know, is one of the foremost experts in the country on the whole issue of tax reform. I wonder if we could have the unanimous consent of the House to extend this period of questioning for a few more minutes because we cannot let him off this easy.

[Speech From The Throne, September 25th, 1997]

And the source of funding?

[Speech From The Throne, September 25th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for Winnipeg North Centre for her maiden remarks in the House of Commons. As I listened to her I thought about the fact that many of the things she said today are things that, believe it or not, many of us on this side of the House believe in as well. In my riding 50 p. cent of the people who voted for me are New Democrats. It is not a question of us being ideologically different.

In this Parliament we must not throw ideas out in a general sense. We have to be a little more specific in how we get our ideas into play. For example, the member for Kamloops came up with the idea of cancelling tuition for post-secondary education. It is an interesting idea but I do not think we can table an idea like that on the floor of the House of Commons unless we can link some dollars to it. If our ideas are going to have credibility I share the member's son's view that we should try to make this place rock. We really should. This place is a stiff, dull place at the best of times.

If we are really going to have credibility we need to have numbers attached to some of these ideas. It is only through that approach that we will have a reasonable chance of getting some of these ideas into a debate with some credibility attached.

I would like to ask the member a specific question. Does she think it is a reasonable request for when New Democrats throw a specific idea on the floor? For example, I do not believe Bob Rae or Roy Romanow really wanted to close 100 hospitals over 18 months. I believe they had a fiscal dilemma on their hands. They are both good people. When we come back with ideas on how to correct it, I really think numbers should be attached. If the notion of forgetting about the fiscal framework of this country creeps back in, then we will have higher interest rates which will hurt us when we are trying to get jobs going. Could the member please respond to that?

[Speech From The Throne, September 25th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to the member's remarks. I think it is appropriate to remind the member that one of the greatest destabilizing factors to investment in the province of Quebec is the constant threat of separation especially when corporations think about expanding their plants.

Members will know that we are in an economy right now where things are very much on the rebound, people are being hired and plants are being expanded. Business looks for stability and business needs stability.

The member, a respected economist, knows full well that this constant irritant, constant threat of destroying this country is a disincentive to investment which is really hurting those constituents looking for jobs.

I think that when the member talks about the economy and caring and sharing, about those people who are most in need, as he did in his speech, those are the ones who are looking for work. And the best way for them to get work is to ensure that the businesses in Quebec that feel they want to expand feel they will be able to survive in a very healthy, stable marketplace and not one that is under a constant cloud of separation.

[Canada Marine Act, April 16th, 1997]

Madam Speaker, I acknowledged the work of my colleague from Thunder Bay-Nipigon not just in the last four years of government but over the last nine years we have served together in the Parliament of Canada.

He has worked passionately, diligently and carefully. He has listened to everybody who has come to him from coast to coast, from every region of the country. We are on the eve of an election and we never know. The people have to decide whether or not we come back. However I will always look back on the last nine years with my colleague from Thunder Bay-Nipigon as a positive constructive experience.

I want to build on a very important theme the member for Thunder Bay-Nipigon touched upon, the whole notion that the Chamber is about building Canada. It is about building a national infrastructure. It is about building national standards. It is about advantaged regions in the country looking out for disadvantaged regions.

That was what inspired me to work in this community. Some 18 years ago I had the privilege and the pleasure of working on the staff of the Right Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau. To this day I admire his vision and his passion for ensuring that we look at Canada from coast to coast. Those regions that have must look out for those that have not. We must ensure that this Chamber never forgets that we are here for that reason. Even though the member represents Thunder Bay-Nipigon and I represent downtown Toronto, we have to care about every part of the country. That is our responsibility in this Chamber.

We are here today to celebrate the commitment of the Government of Canada in ensuring that its presence in the port of Toronto is enshrined.

I want to thank the Minister of Transport and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport for listening to the Toronto caucus and the Toronto community and ensuring that Toronto had a port authority designation.

There is a bit of an emotional tie to this legislation in Toronto because the very first act encapsulating the port of Toronto was signed by Charles Parmalae. Today a press release was issued by the current chairman of the Toronto harbour commissioners: "This legislation reflects the Government of Canada's faith in the future of Toronto's port and Toronto's city centre airport operations as key business infrastructure for economic renewal of the Toronto area".

Charles Parmalae is the great-grandson of the Charles Parmalae who signed the original foundation legislation in the House many years ago. I salute the leadership of Charles Parmalae and his team member from the Toronto board of trade who has done so much over the last few years to ensure that the range of interests was covered. He and others are now saying it is time for us to head into the 21st century with a renewed thrust, with a renewed invigoration.

It is important before we enter this era of renewal, placing special emphasis on job creation, to acknowledge some of the things the Toronto Harbour Commission has done. I would like to mention three specific things which have happened over the last while.

The Toronto Harbour Commission has expanded waterfront lands by more than 2,000 acres by dredging and land reclamation. This includes 644 acres of the eastern port lands, 600 acres of the Toronto islands, nearly 200 acres of western Beaches and other reclaimed land along the shoreline between the Humber River and the foot of Bathurst Street. It includes 150 acres for the metropolitan Toronto and region conservation authority at Ashbridges Bay, Bluffer's Park and elsewhere in the eastern Beaches, and the 430 acres at the Leslie Street spit, the Tommy Thompson Park.

There are close to 15,000 people who live on the Toronto Harbour Commission lands. There is employment on these lands. There are recreational facilities on these lands, and on it goes.

We salute the Toronto Harbour Commission. We hope with this new legislation, which continues to ensure that the city of Toronto has a board member, that the province of Ontario and the users are all present. They are the people who create jobs. This port will be run in a business like manner. This port will be transparent.

A few hours ago in Toronto a certain member of council said: "This is a Government of Canada land grab that is greater than anything in Canadian history. It is bigger than when the white man came from eastern Europe and took over Canada". That statement is false. These lands are Government of Canada lands. It is not selling these lands. It is the Government of Canada presence being reinvigorated in the city of Toronto. It is not the Government of Canada on the eve of an election selling lands, terminals and other things. It is the reverse of that. It is the Government of Canada saying it is there to be a full partner in the economic renewal of the city of Toronto.

There are some people who would ask what capacity does the Toronto port authority have in the area of port responsibility. I think it is very important for people to realize that currently there are four overseas shipping lines calling at the port. The port is also linked to both CN and CP. There are actually many other ports in the marine act which do not have that capacity. The port is directly linked to two major freeways. The port handles bulk, break bulk and project cargo, and the port has the best heavy lift capacity of all the Great Lakes.

We are here today to celebrate a commitment that the government and the Prime Minister made almost four years ago. In his first visit to Toronto after we won the election the Prime Minister

said Toronto will be given support on economic renewal, support and attention the likes of which it has never seen.

Here we are on the eve of an election. We are saying in symbolism, and local employers have said, it is a fabulous thing for economic renewal. Many members beyond the local job creators and people who understand the notion of tourism infrastructure are saying it is great that the Government of Canada has taken an active role in setting up this port in a totally transparent way.

Again I want to say that this was done with the great co-operation of the Toronto Harbour Commission, the officials of the Department of Transport and the parliamentary secretary. As a measure of hope to get that economic engine of Toronto going again at full throttle, we think it is a great step in that direction.

[Canada Marine Act, April 14th, 1997]

moved:

Motion No. 126

That Bill C-44, in the Schedule, be amended by adding in alphabetical order the following:

"Toronto Port Authority Administration portuaire de Toronto"

[Canada Marine Act, April 14th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to give notice that I will be sharing my time with the member for Hamilton-Wentworth.

It gives me great pleasure to speak on this very important bill today. It is such a relevant bill for the city of Toronto. I want to go back to the Prime Minister's very first speech in Toronto after he was elected about four years ago. During that first speech in Toronto the Prime Minister said that Toronto would play a very

important part in the economic renewal of the country. Because the people of the greater Toronto area came on side with the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister during the last election said that instruments would be put in place to ensure that the economic revitalization of the city of Toronto, which is so important to the rest of the country, would happen. Today, thanks to the Minister of Transport, thanks to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, the hon. member for Hamilton West, the author of the Keyes report, we now have Toronto named as a Canada port authority in the new Canada marine act.

For those of us who have been working in the Toronto caucus over the last few years on economic revitalization through tourism, recreation and commerce, this bill, by recognizing Toronto as a port authority, will finally give the proper tools to those who understand our city and the importance of the presence of the Government of Canada in the overall economic renewal of the city of Toronto.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the leadership of Charles Parmalae of the Toronto Harbour Commission, the leadership of Harold Pereunboom, Howard Joy, Gary Reid, Bill Jackman and many others. I wish I had more than five minutes to deal with this very important legislation.

It is important to realize the work that was done in setting up the Toronto port authority, which will now have special Government of Canada status. The work which was done to make that happen is unimaginable. It has been a long arduous task, but today in the nation's boardroom we celebrate the fact that we finally have an all-party agreement to proceed with this designation. That, in itself, is a rare achievement in the House.

I know there are a number of people in Toronto who from time to time wonder about the commitment of the Government of Canada to that city. Sometimes they wonder whether the Toronto members of Parliament are giving full force to the economic renewal which is needed in that city.

It is no secret that many young people in Toronto are unemployed. One of the sectors of the economy that is counted on heavily to help support those unemployed Canadians is tourism. In the last four years Parliament has quadrupled the tourism marketing budget to ensure that the conventions, the trade shows, the entertainment industry, the hotel and restaurant industries of Toronto are provided all the necessary tools.

To be able to stand in the House on the eve of an election and say that the Government of Canada's presence through the Toronto port authority has once again been revitalized is a very meaningful opportunity for me. I want to thank the master of the Keyes report, the member for Hamilton West, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, for working with us on this very important instrument of economic renewal for the greater Toronto area. It is very important.

I wish I had more time to go into the various impacts this will have. It will allow the Government of Canada to once again become a full partner with the city of Toronto and with the province of Ontario. Together the three levels of government, including metro, will make sure that we do our part not only for the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario but all other regions of Canada. When we have a healthy, vibrant reinvigorated Toronto, it has a ripple effect throughout the whole country.

[Criminal Code, April 7th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the rash generalizations of members of the Reform Party of our disinterest in defending the rights of the victims are very unfair.

It is absolutely fair to have good constructive debate. I respect that the Reform Party has always made, along with the deficit campaign, the issue of law and order a pre-eminent piece of its platform.

The Minister of Justice has amended more justice legislation in the last four years than has been the case in the history of the country. Members opposite always use the words lack of balance. They indicate that we on this side of the House seem to be defending the criminal over the victim. I represent a downtown Toronto riding, Broadview-Greenwood. I have the Don jail in my riding, the largest city jail in the country.

Issues related to law and order, crime and young offenders are key issues in my community. We have made great strides in the last four years in these areas. To make a blanket statement that the

government is not concerned about issues related to law and order is not an accurate statement of fact. We will show in the upcoming election in detailed form a list of all legislation that has been amended.

Is it perfect legislation? I am not standing here saying it is perfect. I have never seen a piece of perfect legislation on any issue. We all have to compromise on certain issues, but there is absolutely no way the government is putting the rights of the criminal ahead of the rights of the victim.