Marcel Gagnon

[International Day of Peace, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, this Sunday, September 21, is International Day of Peace. Yet, in Iraq, Colombia, Afghanistan, Liberia, Israel and Algeria, violence is a part of daily life.

There is still so much to be done to achieve peace and it is sad to see, still today, countries bombing people in the name of peace. To watch the news and read the papers, one wonders what motivates our leaders, or at least some of them.

At a time when roughly 300,000 children are fighting in armed conflicts around the world, the international community must, now more than ever, stand up to the combatants of the world so that, one day, these children can exchange their guns for toys and stop giving up their lives.

[Supply, September 18th, 2003]

Madam Speaker, I, too, want to congratulate the member for Trois-Rivières for his excellent speech that showed the human side of this issue. The member showed us to what extent the pursuit of wealth can create an incredible imbalance in the world. He himself has worked closely with African countries. When he talks about this, he does it with conviction and great knowledge.

He also showed us how people in this country are treated unfairly. He mentioned the amounts of money that have been taken from the poorest in our society, and I am thinking of course about the elderly. There is always hope for those who are poor and young, but hope fades fast for those who are poor, old and sick.

We have a finance minister who, for the last five years, has deprived the poorest seniors of the guaranteed income supplement. I would like my colleague to elaborate on that. He probably knows that 270,000 Canadians, including 68,000 Quebeckers, among the poorest and the neediest, have been deprived of essential benefits from the guaranteed income supplement while other people have deprived the government of essential revenues through the use of tax havens. I would like my colleague from Trois-Rivières to elaborate on that.

[Supply, September 18th, 2003]

Madam Speaker, just like you, I am listening today to a captivating debate on tax havens. We are learning some very interesting, albeit sometimes distressing things.

For example, we have learned from the members for Joliette, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot and Drummond that, while some of the richest families in the country are sending their fortunes to tax havens, here in Canada, 1.5 million children are living in poverty.

I would like to ask those members if there is a link between, for example, the tax dodging of the former finance minister with his corporations in Barbados and the $45 billion taken from the employment insurance fund and being used to run the country, and the $3 billion taken from seniors who did not receive the guaranteed income supplement they were entitled to?

We must also add to that the fact that a large shipping company like Canada Steamship Lines is contributing to the destruction of the shores of the St. Lawrence and is refusing to repair the damage, when the shores have been damaged because of its operations. Meanwhile, instead of paying taxes as it should, it is sending its profits to tax havens.

I would like to hear what the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot has to say about this.

[Maison Grandi Ose, June 10th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to draw the attention of the House to the contribution of a organization in my riding to the community.

The Maison Grandi Ose in greater Trois-Rivières, Cap-de-la-Madeleine sector, is a leader in providing assistance to families of handicapped children. In addition to providing a recreation centre to handicapped children and their families, this organization offers respite to families who need a break.

This charitable organization par excellence—and it is very community-minded—is the first of its kind in Quebec and Canada.

I want to pay tribute to Dorothée Leblanc and all her associates who give the word dedication its true meaning. Thanks to Ms. Leblanc and her generous team for the love they provide to those in need.

At a time when all we hear about is bad news and war, Ms. Leblanc is a breath of fresh air, and she makes the world a better place. I wish her and the Maison Grandi Ose all the best.

[Lobbyists Registration Act, June 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I savoured the last speech, because it hit the nail on the head. We saw the reaction of members opposite. Hitting the nail on the head produced this kind of reaction.

I would like my hon. colleague to go a little further. We referred to shipowners working to take away the St. Lawrence River pilots. I know that the hon. member is anticipating my question, and I am anxious to hear his answer. At present, ships sailing up the St. Lawrence River are for the most part refused entry into the U.S. These are poison ships. Do you know that these ships are a threat? They are not inspected upon entering the river. They are a threat but we have an insurance policy in that we have pilots who are familiar with the St. Lawrence River.

Imagine what is going to happen with these ships hauling dangerous cargo if these pilots who know the river so well are taken away. The St. Lawrence River is not an ocean. It runs down the middle of Quebec. It is the heart of Quebec. Let us consider for a moment what would happen if a ship sank on Lake Saint-Pierre. All of Quebec would be devastated for years to come.

Wanting to interfere with that is bad lobbying. I also want the hon. member to tell me what exactly he likes in the firearms lobby, for example.

I have a problem with Lake Saint-Pierre. We want it to be decontaminated, because there are 300,000 shells in it right now. This apparently happened just like that. Of these 300,000 shells, 10,000 are unexploded and continue to pose a threat at the bottom of the lake.

That is not all. The firearms lobby is so powerful that it is considering setting up north of La Tuque. Mr. Speaker, you who have practised sports have known Maurice Richard as I did. At the end of the hockey season, this great athlete used to say, “I am going north of La Tuque to enjoy the peace and quiet”. Now they want to have weapon experimentation ranges in that area. The lobby is pushing for that, arguing that it will protect the environment.

I would like my hon. colleague from Argenteuil—Papineau—Labelle to elaborate on these two aspects.

[Lobbyists Registration Act, June 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to the excellent comments made by my colleague, the member for Jonquière, who explained the problem of lobbying and our wish to regulate this important work.

However, people often have the impression that lobbyists have more power than members. I think that she explained that this may be more than simply an impression; it is often true.

We ask questions here in the House about issues that are important to the public. Take the issue of gasoline pricing, for example. We know, everyone knows, but the public is convinced—and rightly so—that there is an agreement and collusion between the oil companies. It is not possible that they all decide to increase the price of gas at the same time, at the same hour, without there being an agreement between the companies. The government tells us that there is no agreement and that investigations show that everything is above board.

I would like it if the member for Jonquière could tell me if there is not a danger in how lobbying is carried out and the government's lax attitude in tolerating things that should not be tolerated and that certainly do not benefit consumers. I would like to hear her thoughts on this and on gas pricing.

[Supply, May 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have just heard it said that the government changed its tactics on September 11, 2001, changed its policies and from that time on started thinking about a missile defence plan. If I understood the previous speaker correctly, I would like him to explain to me how a missile defence plan could have prevented the terrorist attacks on September 11.

I think that, if we want to prevent terrorist attacks throughout the world, if we really want to solve this problem, what we need to do is attack inequality, and seek to ensure that there is greater justice everywhere.

I would like the hon. member to explain to me how arming ourselves more heavily and creating a missile defence system can prevent terrorist attacks.

[Noëlla Champagne, May 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Noëlla Champagne, the new Parti Quebecois MNA for the provincial riding of Champlain, who is known as a determined, passionate, competent and efficient woman.

In recent weeks, everyone in Quebec has had a chance to get to know her because she ran in two back-to-back election campaigns, due to a tied vote on April 14 in the Quebec general election.

Voters in the riding of Champlain came to understand that it was better to have a member who is ready to defend their interests than a member who sits on the government benches.

I would like to pay tribute to this extraordinary woman, her dynamic team, and her party with solid roots in Quebec, which will one day lead the people of Quebec to achieving its full potential.

Congratulations, Noëlla Champagne.

[Softwood Lumber, May 16th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, there are over 300 workers without any income because of the government's inaction. Therefore, I ask him this: is he going to work to get the employment insurance rules relaxed so as to help these workers get through this difficult time?

[Softwood Lumber, May 16th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as in the Lac- Saint-Jean and North Shore regions, the shock wave from the softwood lumber crisis is being felt in Témiscamingue and in the Mauricie. The 27% surtax on softwood lumber is forcing the Crête mills, in my riding, to stop production for four weeks.

If the Minister for International Trade is so confident of victory before the WTO, why does he not suspend his negotiations with the Americans and immediately implement phase two of his aid package?