Ronald J. Duhamel

[Speech From The Throne, February 29th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question. My colleague's solution is simplistic. Let business take care of the country. Let business pocket the profits. One does not have to care about one's fellow Canadians. Just stuff more and more in and it will all resolve itself.

I am sorry but those simplistic solutions to complex problems have never worked and they will not work in this instance either. The corporate sector has a responsibility to its fellow Canadians. If it is going to make money, let it make darn sure that Canadians are employed. It is those Canadians who are employed who help them make more money.

[Speech From The Throne, February 29th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, there were several points to be made about the little speech we just heard.

The first is on quotations. My colleague says that 75 per cent of the headlines are against the government and 25 per cent are for the government. It would then appear that I only read from the 25 per cent in support of the government. It is not true at all. The hon. member should prove what he claims. I do not believe him. I am not trying to impugn his motives, but I think he is having trouble with figures this morning for some reason. Maybe it is because of the other questions he asked.

Earlier, he asked what we were doing to create jobs. First of all, we have to ensure that our financial house is in order. The hon. member knows full well that the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada have seen to it. We are gradually making progress, and the problem will be solved. But there is more. Everyone knows that we set up an infrastructure program, which created more than 100,000 jobs. And it is not over yet. Everyone knows that more than 500,000 jobs have been created since 1993. Not by ourselves, but with some help. Everyone knows about the major challenge issued in the throne speech, whereby the private sector is asked to get involved and to help us create jobs.

On the issue of partition, my colleague knows very well what the government's position is. It is very clear and it continues to evolve, as it should.

[Speech From The Throne, February 29th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to stand in the House today to make a number of comments with respect to the speech from the throne.

Recognizing that as a member of the government I might be tempted to be somewhat generous in my commentary, I decided to approach it in a unique way. I have looked at what a number of newspapers have said. I have selected excerpts from various articles. I have some from almost 20 newspapers across the nation.

The first is from the Guardian in Prince Edward Island. It refers to the speech from the throne as a ``take charge throne speech''.

What did Le Soleil say? ``A government which governs follows the quality criteria expected in such a message at mid-term. It gives, in a surprisingly clear and precise way, the objectives the government will follow, but it keeps practical details for the future. Jean Chrétien decided to show a Canada that works''.

And Le Devoir , what did it say? Will give priority to children's rights''. <em>Le Droit</em> :Good speech and ambitious program''.

The Gazette : ``Ottawa outlines a promising unity plan. Throne speech promises to end illusions''.

The Toronto Star : Chrétien program should rally nation''.Welcome words. The Liberal government hit all the right notes in the throne speech: promises to strengthen the economy, maintain social programs and promote national unity''.

The Financial Post : ``Economy key in throne speech''.

The Globe and Mail : The throne speech promised the government will work with the private sector and provinces to make the collective investment required to produce hope, growth and jobs. But it will also be compassionate toward the losers''. It goes on to say:Spend on jobs, Prime Minister tells business.'' We have heard a bit about that.

The Ottawa Citizen : In the main, this is the best course to re-establish Canadian unity: improve the governing of the federation, confront the separatists head on and avoid futile arguments about constitutional amendment''. Again:Liberals tackle reform of pension system.'' And again: ``shows the government is aware that Canadians are worried about finding a job, getting a pension and continuing to live in a united country-the government promises to tackle these problems''.

The Winnipeg Free Press : ``Liberals face child poverty''.

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix : Premier Romanow says the throne speech is positive''.The federal government is giving up powers to the provinces to keep the country together, but will play hardball if there is another Quebec referendum''.

The Regina Leader Post : ``Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow-saying Chrétien seems to see Confederation as a true partnership''.

The Edmonton Journal : ``Government willing to give up powers but vows to get tough if separatists force another vote''.

The Calgary Herald : ``Throne speech puts Canadian youth first''.

The Calgary Sun : ``Unity message delivered''.

The Province in Vancouver: ``The feds vowed yesterday to play less of a role in several areas in an effort to beef up provincial responsibilities and national unity''.

The Vancouver Sun says: Promises for the future at home and abroad''.A helping hand and an era of co-operation are promised in throne speech.'' ``The federal government's continuing commitment to deficit reduction is essential and most welcome.''

I did not say that, nor did my colleagues on the government side. Those are excerpts and headlines from various articles which appeared across this nation in response to the speech from the throne.

This is what people without any connection with the government said.

As we can see, their messages are quite different from the one we get from the people opposite.

Now I would like to review briefly some of the subjects, some of the themes which were identified by the government. First of all a strong economy. The government will work with the private sector and the provinces to make collective investments to create hope, growth and jobs.

Youth is another theme. The government will challenge the provinces and the private sector to enter into a domestic Team Canada-like partnership to foster hope, create opportunities and create jobs for our young people.

With respect to business involvement in national economic rejuvenation it goes on to say the government has issued a call to the business community to join with the government to create jobs for Canadians. Profitable firms are challenged to channel some of

their revenues into job creation. Jobs for all Canadians and in particular firms are challenged to help create job opportunities for youth. Jobs for all Canadians and in particular for youth.

We are simply asking the business community to respond to some of the polling data which shows that over 90 per cent of Canadians worry about the problems young people have entering the labour market. We believe that the private sector can make a significant contribution. The government is acting on its part by creating a positive economic environment and doubling the funds for youth summer jobs.

Perhaps I can summarize this issue best by quoting today's Winnipeg Free Press : ``But the most compelling bit was the direct challenge to corporate Canada to put its profits to work, to reinvest in the people who generate those profits and to take a more active role in creating jobs for Canadians. Private sector leaders cannot ignore the challenge. They have been silent about jobs for too long. It is time their voices, and their pocketbooks, were heard''.

As I just mentioned, business plays a vital role in stimulating the economy is vital. We must create jobs for all Canadians. In particular, we must focus on young people who are unemployed, but who are well qualified, who have a number of diplomas and all sorts of skills, but who cannot reach their full potential.

That is what we must do and we are only asking the business community to respond to what Canadians have said. Canadians want the private sector to get more involved. It is fine to make profits, but these profits must be used for the well-being of Canada and its citizens. That is the role the private sector must play; it cannot and must not overlook it.

Science and technology is another important theme. We all know that research and development is the key to success. It is the key to success in terms of jobs. It is the key to success in terms of getting the edge on the competition, on being competitive. It is the key to success to being in the forefront, to being leaders rather than followers.

The government is undertaking a number of initiatives. It will launch a Canadian technology network to facilitate our growth in that area. It will continue to expand access to SchoolNet and community access programs. Those are but two of the initiatives in that area.

As I just mentioned, science and technology is a key to creating jobs and ensuring that we are leaders rather than followers.

We should also identify another theme, trade. You certainly know that the Prime Minister of Canada, with a number of premiers from the provinces and territories, travelled outside the country to promote Canada, to sell our services and products. It has to be realized that for every billion dollars of exports, we create 11,000 jobs. Every billion dollars of exports means 11,000 jobs.

When we look at what the Prime Minister and Team Canada have done, we realize that almost $20 billion in contracts were signed. Some pessimists will say: "What good will a signature do?" I guarantee that most of these contracts will materialize. Do not forget that for every billion dollars of contracts, 11,000 jobs are created for Canadians.

There will be other Team Canada missions. There will be others, and they will yield roughly the same results, perhaps even better results.

There is also the necessity to create a climate for economic growth and job creation. My colleagues across the way who are concerned about the deficit and the debt will no doubt recognize that we have made some significant progress. Of course we have not made as much as we would have liked, but we have made some progress. What offends me and offends Canadians is that they are unwilling to accept that. Of course they are unwilling to accept that because if they were to accept it, their very existence which has been put into question several times would absolutely come to an end.

So what has happened? In the 1996 budget we expect to reduce the deficit to 2 per cent of the GDP by 1997-98 and we will. We are currently having discussions to try to ensure that the GST is harmonized with other taxes and that will be realized. Here again people will ask for miracles. People will say we should snap our fingers and it ought to be done. That is what the Reform Party philosophy is all about: simplistic solutions to complex problems.

As for the security of Canadians, the gouvernment will ensure that the Canadian health system remains viable and accessible. It will ensure the survival of a public pension plan and ensure that Canadians are secure in their homes and in their communities.

We want a secure social safety net and we will work toward that end with a great deal of enthusiasm and energy.

I do wish I had more time because I can tell that my colleagues across the way would have loved to have heard what I had to say in the area of personal security. We are going to focus on high risk offenders.

[Finance, December 14th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, first off, I wanted to wish you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues a merry Christmas and a happy New Year on behalf of my constituents.

The people from St. Boniface wish everyone a merry Christmas, a happy New Year and the best of the holiday season.

As the member for St. Boniface, I am pleased to speak on this prebudget consultation initiated by the Minister of Finance. This is something new, it has worked for quite a while now and it yields results.

I met business people in my riding to ask them questions and get their opinions and viewpoints. Groups of advisers, young people, women, adults also keep me informed on such matters. I will share a number of their observations with you and my colleagues this afternoon.

Before I begin, I would perhaps briefly describe the political context we find ourselves in at the moment. In one corner, we have the official opposition, the Bloc Quebecois, which is trying to separate Quebec from Canada. This is their grand mandate, their top priority. In the same corner, however, and this is part of the political context, we have the Reform Party, often described as Darth Vader's party.

It is described as the Darth Vader party, the slash and burn, the fear, the gloom and doom party. I would like to attend one of its Christmas lunches. I expect its members would be talking about what they do in New Zealand. They would be telling their grandchildren that they had better enjoy the turkey on the table as there may not be one later as a result of the debt. It must be quite a get-together.

This is the same party that is lusting for power. It wants power so badly that it is prepared to do virtually anything to get it. I would suggest it is losing. Why? It was in the same corner as the Bloc on the national unity question. It is the first time in the history of Canada that a supposed federalist party has not co-operated with the government. Why? It is quite simple.

Reformers thought that was it. They thought there was no other way to go in terms of their own personal objectives than to try to be seen as a viable party. Therefore they abandoned the people of Canada. That is really very unfortunate.

The finance minister has hit every target he has set and has gone beyond. Have they ever admitted it? No, of course not. Why not? It is because it is a desperate party. The most recent poll shows the Liberals have over 50 per cent popularity in the polls. The Progressive Conservatives are next at 15 per cent. Then the Reform and the Bloc are tied. The Bloc in Quebec has the same percentage of support from Canadians as does the Reform Party. That is why it is a desperate party.

We have talked about new politics. In one article the leader of the third party referred to the Prime Minister as having a screw loose. That is the new politics. Rather than talking about creating jobs, national unity or the deficit and debt, they asked several questions in the House of Commons about the coat of arms because we added a ribbon that enhanced it. Those are the kinds of priorities they have set.

This is the kind of political context within which we find ourselves as the Minister of Finance prepares to bring forth the budget. When the Minister of Human Resources Development brought forth a policy and a meaningful initiative in terms of child care, what did they do? About 10 days ago they thought it was a great idea. Today they tried to score political points and it was not a good idea.

I have a final example of this contexte politique of which I speak. Some 11 members of the Reform Party voted for a veto for British Columbia. The others did not want it for British Columbia. However they did not vote for the veto in the main amendment. That party is having some real difficulties getting its act together.

When I talked to the people in my constituency most of them talked about a lot of taxes. Many felt that they were overtaxed. There is not much surprise there. Virtually everyone believed that a wealthy person could avoid paying his or her fair share and wanted me to bring that to Parliament. Most felt that rich Canadians should not be allowed to pay little or no tax. That comment was made

frequently. Most felt that rich corporations should not be allowed to pay little or no tax. There were many comments about banks, from their perspective, not paying their fair share. If banks are paying their fair share, they had better get out there and do some work because very few people I met thought that was so.

There was little agreement with respect to what was meant by a rich person. I indicated that they felt that rich corporations and rich people should pay their fair share and they indicated perhaps those with an income in the neighbourhood of $55,000. They did not define that with respect to corporations but are in the process of doing so.

There was a unanimous feeling that people earning profits on their investments in Canada could avoid all or some Canadian taxes. They wanted that perception brought to the House of Commons.

Over 75 per cent of the people who responded to my question felt that those who had student loans and were now working but had not paid back the loans should be pursued by every single means available to the government. This was a point which really grated on them. They felt strongly that if someone owes the government money and is in a position to pay it back, then they should.

They were pleased with some of the actions the government has taken with respect to family trusts. They want to make sure that continues, that there is no way for those who have a lot to be shielded from fair taxation and that they contribute to the Canadian economy.

All participants believed that there is a significant black market economy in Canada that should be stamped out. Some people thought it was probably large enough that if those people started to pay taxes according to the rules then we would not need further tax increases and we might be able to have tax decreases and at the same time eliminate the deficit. That is how strongly they felt. I understand this is a contentious issue. I also accept and appreciate that it is poorly quantified and we are not sure of how large it is.

They were concerned as well that elected representatives receive a just remuneration, but that it be just and not overly generous. They feel it is time for everyone to tighten their belts.

Another interesting point is that they wondered whether or not inheritance taxes were something the government should take a look at. Again, I share what they said with the House.

The auditor general has a great deal of credibility. Therefore whenever the auditor general raises any issue with respect to wastage or other similar matters they believe that governments must follow that up very carefully.

I would now like to share with you another point they have often made, the whole issue of the GST.

During the election campaign, the government promised major changes. The people I spoke to clearly indicated that they wanted these changes to be made. Some of them agree with the chartered accountants, who favour a single national sales tax. According to them and to my constituents, there would still be significant advantages. They claim, for example, that Canadian businesses would save at least $400 million a year on regulatory compliance costs. They also maintain that provincial governments would save $100 million a year on administration costs. That is a lot of money.

They mention other benefits as well. They feel that the time has come to implement a national sales tax because, and I quote: "The federal government is committed to replacing the GST; several provincial governments have come out in favour of harmonizing the sales tax so that they can reduce their own costs-the business community, in particular small and medium size businesses, would benefit from a much simpler tax system; and the public wants governments to eliminate overlap and duplication".

This organization made these comments, which are supported, I must add, by my constituents.

I have some final remarks.

My advisers, the people with whom I talked, pointed out that large organizations no longer are involved in growth in terms of employment. They believe that small and medium size businesses create jobs and that therefore they have to be favoured.

They claim that "the system" is promoting job cuts because there is no incentive to keep those who are working. They think that exemptions and tax reductions are required perhaps mostly in the early days of a venture, when setting up a business. They think that incentives-not so much tax incentives as grants, because these are supposedly more practical and easier to manage-are needed.

They add that research and development ventures should be encouraged because they promote the development and production of unique products sold not only in Canada but also abroad. They argue that this activity should be facilitated through tax measures. They would want us to cut through government red tape-too much paperwork, too many forms to fill out. They want us to promote the idea that it is a good thing to create your own job.

They talked about grow bonds and asked: What about mentors for entrepreneurs? Do banks lend enough to small and medium size businesses? They pointed out that in service to entrepreneurs those kinds of programs that are available are not always the most relevant or the best. They asked whether or not cuts in training, if they were to occur, would hurt the Canadian economy. They made the same point with respect to research and development.

They want to make sure that we protect the current successful businesses. They want to make sure that they are able to transfer their businesses to their families without significant loss or difficulty. They point out that the U.S. and other countries are providing great tax breaks to Canadian companies that want to go there.

Finally, they want us to talk to influential people in the business sectors that are creating jobs, to see how they are doing it, so that we can do it.

I could speak about this for hours because my constituents gave me a lot of good advice but unfortunately, I have to share my time.

Mr. Speaker, I wish you the very best of the holiday season.

[Voyageur Festival, December 11th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, like every year, I would like to invite all my colleagues to attend the Voyageur Festival in St. Boniface next February. This festival celebrates the history, traditions and culture of the French and Metis people.

We offer an impressive line-up of activities such as exhibitions, dancing, singing, music and theatre, all in French. Thousands of people from all over the world come to the festival to witness this joie de vivre. This year, the Voyageur Festival was voted one of the best 100 tourist destinations by the American Bus Association. It is the second time that the largest winterfest in western Canada has received this honour. The Voyageur Festival was also awarded three prizes by the international association of festivals and events.

I therefore invite you, Mr. Speaker and all my colleagues, to be our guests at this festival showcasing the tenacity and richness of the French and Metis cultures.

[Petitions, December 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, this petition is from petitioners who are movers or those who are involved with that industry.

They want the government to examine very carefully its policy with regard to household goods removal services. They obviously want to ensure that there is a good deal for Canadian taxpayers. At the same time, they want a solution that will not be destabilize their industry, their involvement, their small businesses.

[Protection Of Personal Information Obtained By Certain Corporations Act, November 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I realize that this is a particularly touchy subject for my colleague and for those affected by this problem, of course.

I recognize this is a very difficult issue for those Canadians, including Bell pensioners, who had investments in Confederation Life. There are several factors that should serve to diminish the

adverse consequences of the failure of Confederation Life on Bell pensioners.

First, the funds at issue were part of a supplemental savings plan that were intended to augment pension income for Bell pensioners. Bell's principal pension plan is separately managed and was not affected by the failure of Confederation Life.

Second, I am informed by the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Compensation Corporation, CompCorp, that the group RRSP in question is guaranteed by CompCorp to a maximum of $60,000, including principal and interest. Amounts over $60,000 will be recoverable through the liquidation process.

Finally, a hardship committee has been established by the liquidator to review requests in cases of unusual financial hardship. The intention is to ensure that funds are immediately available to those most in need.

Regarding whether anything can be done to speed up the liquidation, responsibility for the liquidation of Confederation Life is a matter for the liquidator under the supervision of the court. As such it would be inappropriate to intervene.

[Protection Of Personal Information Obtained By Certain Corporations Act, November 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, on November 24, the member for Jonquière asked the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs a question on the federal government's intentions regarding Quebec.

The Minister responded, quoting the Prime Minister, who had said the following:

To ensure the change and modernization of Canada, no change is excluded.

The Prime Minister promised he would act on the matter of a distinct society and the matter of a veto. He acted on these two promises very quickly, and Quebecers have seen that the Prime Minister is a man of his word, who keeps the promises he makes.

The committee discussed the matters of a distinct society and a right of veto, and we have already seen the initial results, which the Prime Minister announced Monday. The distinct society clause is one Quebec has long sought.

The Prime Minister of Canada's resolution finally accords Quebec Canada's full recognition, because Parliament is the only place representing all Canadians from all regions.

The Prime Minister had promised during the last week of the campaign that he would act to reinstate the right of veto that René Lévesque had lost. We will reinstate it, and this is a big step toward resolving Canada's problems.

The changes required can and must be made within Canada. This is the message sent to all Canadians, including the members of the official opposition, by the October 30 vote.

As the minister said yesterday in the House, his committee is currently studying other questions, including rationalizing powers among the provinces and Canada, and will submit recommendations to the Prime Minister when they are ready.

Our aim is not to destroy Canada, but to build it. This is what the majority of Canadians and Quebecers have asked us to do, and, because we believe in democracy, we will try to continue to build Canada.

[Protection Of Personal Information Obtained By Certain Corporations Act, November 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak on this bill. I must start off by saying that I applaud this initiative on the part of my colleague and can see the good intentions behind it. I do, however, also believe, having seen the criticisms of it, that it contains certain weaknesses which I would like to point out. At the same time, I would like to review the entire matter, propose some potential solutions, and point out why it will be very difficult to proceed with such a bill.

As I have said, this is a well intentioned bill but one with a number of weaknesses which have already been described by a number of my party colleagues and by at least one member of the opposition.

I believe that if we were to send this bill to committee and try to correct it we might lose some significant time trying to redirect an approach which some people would believe is too narrow to address all of the concerns Canadians continue to express about the protection of their privacy. That is not for me to decide by myself. Let me share with the House why.

Every time we open a newspaper we see another story about the abuse of personal information with the potential that new technology has to invade our privacy and provide surveillance of our every movement. Even the chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates, in an article which appeared in the Ottawa Sun on September 20 of this year pointed out the need for government action and indeed legislation to protect privacy in the face of new technologies which he would be well placed to understand.

He used the example of software programs which would replace human travel agents and track customers' tastes and preferences to give the best possible service.

He states in the last two paragraphs of that article: "The marketplace may be able to resolve some of these issues. For example, customers may learn to avoid travel agencies that don't share personal profiles, or that share them too freely".

"But the marketplace won't resolve every privacy issue. Neither will technology. What's needed is a great deal of unrushed debate, leading to intelligent public policies".

I doubt that these new automated travel agents would be covered by Bill C-315 and we need to consider how serious a problem this might be.

I applaud the hon. member for bringing the issue of privacy protection to the attention of Parliament. I believe that he has done what he ought to do. I believe that we could follow Mr. Gates' advice and start a process of unrushed debate leading to intelligent, profound public discussion on a policy that will meet the needs of today's society, not necessarily by accepting this bill and fixing it but by building on the work that has been done in Canada where we have among other initiatives the first data protection legislation in North America to cover the private sector. I refer to Bill 68 in the province of Quebec.

We need a far more comprehensive approach to these problems. The government has been doing the groundwork necessary to provide greater privacy protection. I would like to talk a bit about

this work and about a better way perhaps to address the hon. member's concerns.

My first point is that the Canadian Standards Association model privacy code provides a basis for a broad based approach to privacy protection.

The Information Highway Advisory Council has recommended to the government that it bring in flexible framework legislation based on this code and that it work with the provinces to find a way to get a standard of fair information practices incorporated in the areas where it does not have jurisdiction.

On October 3 the Canadian Direct Marketing Association echoed this, calling on my colleague, the Minister of Industry, as minister responsible for consumer affairs, to table framework privacy legislation in the House of Commons. The CDMA has been a key player in the development of this national standard for the protection of privacy under the aegis of the Canadian Standards Association. I applaud not only its efforts in helping to develop this code but the leadership that it has shown in recognizing the merits of the legislation.

The House will recognize that it is not often that industry calls for more legislation. I think this action underlines the importance of privacy in the minds of consumers and the need for us to look at it carefully in all of its aspects. In particular, I believe that we must respect both the rights of the citizen and the information needs of industry when we think of legislation.

There are legitimate needs for personal information gathering in each sector. Banks need to gather information to assess credit risk, medical researchers need to conduct long term health studies to determine the effects of drugs, environmental concerns and health practices. Direct marketers do not want to send special offers for lawn mowers to folks who live in apartment buildings. Market research helps us as a society to tailor product innovations to the needs of consumers. These are good uses of personal information and we do not want to shut down the use of personal information.

Bill C-315 could shut down federally incorporated businesses doing direct marketing through the use of lists because while the bill speaks of obtaining the consent of each consumer, which sounds to be a reasonable enough option, the administrative burden and liability involved in this process would cause businesses to drop the activity altogether in a number of cases.

This may or may not be the goal of the hon. member but I believe both consumers and Canadian business deserve a more careful approach to the problem and one in which they can actually participate.

The Information Highway Advisory Council made a number of other recommendations concerning the protection of personal information, including the use of technologies which protect privacy. It called for the banning of scanning devices which monitor cellular transmissions. It called on the federal government to form a federal-provincial-territorial working group to start a dialogue about some of these important issues and work together for harmonized solutions. It called for the CSA to continue its work and for the consensus group which crafted the model privacy code to work together to develop meaningful oversight.

These are all thoughtful suggestions from a group of experts who took the time to study the issue in some significant depth. I believe that we should wait for the government response to these recommendations before we jump the gun and attempt to start legislating privacy protection.

As I come to the end of my remarks, I would like to share with the House a letter which was given to me that I think speaks to the issue. It is as follows:

Please share the following message with government MPs who will be speaking today on Bill C-315.

Members of the Canadian Direct Marketing Association agree that a legislated comprehensive set of privacy principles is needed to guide business in their activities to respect the rights of the individual. There is an excellent model to accomplish this in the 10 principles of the new code for the protection of personal information of the Canadian Standards Association.

The current bill before Parliament, Bill C-315, while formatted with the best of intentions, is so fundamentally flawed that it cannot be saved by any amendments. The bill would not accomplish the fundamental purpose of protecting personal privacy; would seriously limit an individuals' freedom of choice and would be an unnecessary and destructive interference in the marketplace.

CDMA is very concerned that if this bill is allowed to proceed to committee, the consensus among business, consumer groups and government which produced the CSA code after two years of hard work and compromise, will entirely collapse.

It is signed, John Gustavson, President and Chief Executive Officer.

It is up to the members now to decide how to proceed.

[Constitutional Amendments Act, November 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to answer the hon. member's question.

It was certainly not my intention to add to the confusion, and I apologize if I did. I thought I was clear when I said that, for example, provinces currently have a veto. All the provinces have a veto over certain issues. I also said that, as regards other issues, the support of seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the country's overall population was required. I added that this bill would be used to see if we could activate that 7-50 formula.

The member who just accused me of adding to the confusion is fully aware of the situation. This is what is annoying and, if it were not also funny, I would really be upset.

The member is the one adding to the confusion, because he claims that what I said is inaccurate. I invite him to check my notes, to look at Hansard and to rise in this House to publicly refute my comments if he thinks they are contradictory. There is no contradiction. It is the constitutional status quo. There is a new mechanism to ensure that some elements of the Constitution are used in a certain way. It is wrong to claim that this will not increase the power of Quebec, Ontario and the other provinces. The member knows that.

I also want to point out that he did not allude to the distinct society concept. I suppose he will again accuse me of adding to the confusion. There is no confusion. We recognize Quebec as a distinct society, because of its language, culture, and unique institutions. There is nothing complicated in that and it is absolutely fair.

If the member is willing to co-operate, I am prepared to do the same and to clarify our terms. It is unfair and wrong to use a term such as English Canada. There is no such thing as an English Canada. We live in a country called Canada, which includes a number of provinces and territories, and the member knows that as well as I do.

In making such a comment, he tries to put in the minds of Quebecers the notion that French is spoken in only one part of the country. I, for one, am proud to speak French. Some people back home, and west of it, speak it better than I do. There are quite a few of them. As the hon. member knows, there is also quite a large number of people in Atlantic Canada who speak French and who are proud to do so.

It is misleading to use the expression English Canada, as the hon. member did, because it is both inaccurate and wrong. I must say that he is not the only one to do so. I would appreciate it if he and his colleagues made a commitment to stop using that expression.