House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2004, with 41% of the vote.
Economic Development February 26th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, Technobase will finalize the review of its current files. Then, Canada Economic Development will examine requests.
Mr. Joly is not getting the money mentioned by the other side. It is the accounting firm that was hired, as is usually the case, that gets paid at the prevailing market rate.
Economic Development February 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, Canada Economic Development has already decided to end its contribution to the Technobase's operations and will continue to work with the fund.
Economic Development February 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, Canada Economic Development will now be managing the fund and you have proof of all of the work that is being done in Quebec to continue to support economic development in the region.
Economic Development February 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, Canada Economic Development is now working with Technobase to review the projects that will be proposed. There are $3 million left in the envelope and we will continue to support economic development.
Economic Development February 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, with its two funds of $7 million, Technobase has created over 600 jobs and there is $3 million still available.
CED, Canada Economic Development, will continue to do the necessary work to help the region's economic development.
Competition Act December 10th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in the debate on third reading of Bill C-23, an act to amend the Competition Act and the Competition Tribunal Act. It is important, I believe, to underscore the main amendments contained in the bill as introduced today.
The purpose of the first set of amendments is to prohibit deceptive prize notices. They will prevent unscrupulous promoters from deceiving people, often seniors, with phony mailings suggesting they have won a prize without disclosing the real costs relating to it. The amendments set out clear rules that will enable honest businesses to continue their legitimate activities.
A second set of amendments is for the purpose of facilitating international co-operation with respect to civil cases involving competition. The proposed changes will make it possible to collect evidence in other countries relating to investigations of civil fraud cases, taking a similar approach to what is already in place for criminal cases.
It is also noteworthy that the proposed approach pays particular attention to protecting the confidentiality of information already in the possession of the commissioner, as well as information volunteered by the parties. This new investigational tool will ensure that enforcement decisions relating to competition will be taken right here in Canada.
The third set of amendments will, under certain circumstances, allow the competition tribunal to award costs, make summary dispositions and determine references.
The fourth set of amendments extends the powers of the competition tribunal with respect to interim orders. The proposed amendments will enable the tribunal to issue interim orders, when certain conditions have been met, to put an end to an anti-competitive practice at the commissioner's investigation stage.
The maximum duration of an interim order will be 80 days, with a possibility of extension if the commissioner has not succeeded in obtaining the necessary information to complete his investigation and thus to determine whether an application will be made to the competition tribunal.
Five, the amendments will include providing private parties with limited access to the competition tribunal. The balanced solution presented by the committee will allow competitors to go before the competition tribunal to settle disputes covered by sections 75 and 77 of the Competition Act, namely, refusal to deal, exclusive dealing, tied selling, and market restriction.
Private parties must obtain prior authorization from the tribunal to file an application for order. Furthermore, supplementary protection measures have been included to avoid strategic proceedings. Some of these measures include the tribunal's determining fees, guarantees to avoid two proceedings regarding the same case, the fact that the tribunal may not award damages, and a liability period for all requests.
Six, there are amendments to provide extra protection for competition in the Canadian airline industry.
The first amendment extends an interim order beyond 80 days if the commissioner has not received all the information necessary to allow him to determine whether or not grounds exist to make an application to the tribunal. The commissioner must make a request to the tribunal to obtain such an extension.
The purpose of the second amendment under this heading is to encourage the dominant carrier to respect the Competition Act. It allows the tribunal to impose administrative monetary penalties of up to $15 million, in addition to the cease and desist order set out in section 79 on the abuse of dominant position.
The purpose of this bill is to maintain an efficient, innovative and competitive market in a rapidly changing economy. I believe that we have fulfilled this purpose with Bill C-23.
Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the committee, the competition commissioner and all the stakeholders that provided their comments for the monumental work that was done in order to ensure that the Competition Act remains effective and up to date.
Nelson Mandela November 19th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I take great pleasure in drawing to the attention of the House the fact that Nelson Mandela was this morning proclaimed an honorary citizen of Canada. The former president of South Africa fought doggedly to abolish apartheid.
Today, he is focusing his efforts on raising funds for the children of Africa. A staunch defender of human rights and freedoms and the rule of law, his accomplishments are a source of inspiration for all of us who defend those same rights.
Like many other Canadian men and women, I salute the important contribution Mr. Mandela has made to world history.
We are proud to welcome him to Canada, where from now on he can feel at home.
Welcome home, Mr. Mandela.
Contraventions Act November 7th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I simply wanted to mention, as I said earlier, that there are applications which are currently being considered, but it is too early to be able to quantify or assess their value. However, the program is functioning. It is being examined and we hope to make an announcement as soon as possible and that Davie Industries will be able to benefit from it.
We have seen that workers from Davie Industries have taken things into their own hands, and are talking about forming a co-operative. This is an effective way to find solutions to resume activities at the Lévis shipyard. People can be sure that the Government of Canada will be there.
Contraventions Act November 7th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague, the hon. member for Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière has said, this is a very important matter, one that affects his riding and mine, and a number of others across Canada. I am pleased to respond to the hon. member.
As the hon. member has said, on June 19 the hon. Minister of Industry announced the launching of the new policy framework on shipbuilding and industrial marine industries.
The culmination of a lengthy process of consultation with Canadians, this new policy framework focuses on opportunity, growth and innovation in niche markets where Canada can compete. This policy is designed expressly to help the industry capture domestic opportunities, look globally, use innovation as a key to competitiveness, find financing and build stronger partnerships.
The new policy framework includes 24 measures to support new works with a value of between $200 million and $300 million, which is double the current production. The structured financing facility now in operation is a key element of this framework.
The purpose of this facility is to stimulate the demand for new Canadian ships in existing Canadian shipyards, by offering financial benefits to Canadian and foreign buyers and lessees.
This facility includes two main elements: the first one is the interest rate, which can provide a reduction of up to 10% of the purchase price of a Canadian built vessel, while the second one is a credit insurance that insures part of a loan or lease to buy ships built in Canada.
The structured financing facility will help the Canadian shipbuilding and industrial marine industry to seize new opportunities by allowing for the setting of competitive prices for buyers and lessees of high quality ships built in Canada.
I am pleased to inform the House that this initiative is well underway and that we are currently receiving applications for assistance under the structured financing facility.
Even before the program was introduced, however, the federal government already provided assistance to the industry in the following forms: accelerated capital cost allowance for Canadian-built ships; a 25% tariff on most non-NAFTA ship imports; domestic procurement by the federal government; Export Development Corporation financing for commercially viable transactions; and a very favourable research and development tax credit system. These important elements of the federal policy continue to help the shipbuilding industry.
The reality of the private sector means that all companies have their share of troubles. The shipbuilding and industrial marine industry, and a company such as Davie in particular, are no exception.
The federal government is continuing to monitor the situation closely and the Minister of Industry met with representatives of Davie on September 20 to discuss the current financial situation. He also met with Mrs. Marois, Quebec's minister of finance, to discuss Davie's request for financial assistance. Although the government of Quebec indicated that it could not support the projects proposed at the time because it found them unrealistic, the federal government remains prepared to work with the government of Quebec and all other stakeholders to help them find a solution.
The new policy framework represents a serious commitment on the part of the federal government to continue to help the industry. The policy benefits from the support of a new organization, within Industry Canada, responsible for the energy and marine sectors.
Aluminum Industry November 2nd, 2001
Mr. Speaker, the first aluminum was cast in Canada 100 years ago.
The first aluminum smelter was built in Shawinigan. Since then, the aluminum industry has grown considerably. It is based primarily in Quebec.
Canada does not have any deposits of bauxite, which is the primary raw material used in the production of aluminum. However, it has large hydroelectric installations which are favourable to the development of this industry, in addition to skilled labour and modern infrastructures.
Canada is one of the world's largest producers of aluminum. Clearly, this industry contributes to the economic wealth of our country. In addition to a large volume of exports, it provides over 15,000 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs.
In commemoration of this anniversary, the Prime Minister took part yesterday in the inauguration of Place Alcan and the unveiling of the wall of employees' signatures in Shawinigan. I join with him in congratulating the entire aluminum industry.