Elsie Wayne

[Justice, February 18th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, today it was my pleasure to meet with members of various police forces from

my home province of New Brunswick. They are here in Ottawa representing the Canadian Police Association.

The men I met with are concerned because of the government's long delay in bringing forth legislation providing for DNA data banks. Fingerprints are kept in a bank. Why is DNA treated differently? Setting up a DNA data bank would allow police forces across the country access to a wealth of information which could help them conclude unsolved violent crimes. The government really has to get its priorities straight. It does not want a criminal's genetic fingerprint on file, but it does want all law-abiding gun owners on file.

To the many men and women representing our police forces I say, continue your fight. To the government I say, let us do what is right and get this legislation passed in the House.

[Petitions, February 17th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present a petition which was presented to me by the people of my riding.

As there are over 30,000 nuclear weapons on this earth, the petitioners call on Parliament to support the immediate initiation and conclusion by the year 2000 of an international convention which will set out a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

[The Budget, February 17th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are congratulating themselves and expecting applause because tomorrow's budget, they say, contains no major new spending cuts. What hypocrisy!

The real story is that in the fiscal year starting April 1, there are $11.9 billion in new spending cuts by federal departments, all announced in the 1995 budget.

For example, when the Minister of National Defence appeared on CTV with Mike Duffy this past Sunday, he said defence funding has stabilized. Some stability: beginning April 1, 1997, $1 billion in further cuts will be inflicted on national defence. This will bring the total cuts at DND over the three-year period to $1.9 billion. The list goes on.

All these cuts do not include the cutbacks to the federal cash transfers to the provinces for health and education.

[Health Care, February 12th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, health care in this country and specifically in my province of New Brunswick has seen major cutbacks in funding from the federal government. This Liberal government cut the Canada health and social transfer by $2.5 billion last year and is scheduled to cut $4.5 billion this year.

What has happened in the province of New Brunswick? Premier McKenna has now told our seniors that if they have to go into a nursing home and they own their home, he is going to take their home and all of their assets and he is going to sell them to cover the cost of putting them in a nursing home. They have lost their dignity.

Enough is enough. The cuts have gone too far. The measure of a country is in the treatment it extends to its vulnerable citizens: the young, the old, the sick and the poor. On all of these accounts this Liberal government has failed.

[Supply, February 11th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the PC member will be voting yes.

[Supply, February 11th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the member for the PC party will be voting yea.

[Excise Tax Act, February 11th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member and I concur with his statements. However, I want to ask him if he is aware of what just happened in New Brunswick.

Is the member or anyone in the House aware that those who own restaurants and pubs in Saint John and the rest of the province of New Brunswick who buy their beer and wine at the wholesalers have been told that there will be an 11 per cent surcharge added on? They thought they were going to get a bargain with the HST because it was coming down from 18 per cent to 15 per cent.

That is why I say that when you hide it we are in trouble because that is just the beginning. It could not be put on the HST because two premiers have to agree to increase it and to decrease it all three premiers have to agree. However, it will be hidden another way and we have it already.

I have to say that those restaurant, pub and tavern owners in my city are absolutely furious about this. This is a serious situation and I wonder if hon. members had heard anything about it. The people have talked to me.

[Excise Tax Act, February 11th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of questions for the hon. member.

Just today I received a number of phone calls in my office here in Ottawa from people in Saint John, New Brunswick about the HST. The one that I received prior to coming to question period was that this gentleman, Mr. Phillips, had received a bill already for his HST on his safety deposit box which he never had to pay before.

I would like to know from the hon. member how the government can justify charging this when the bill has not been passed in the House, when the premier of the province of New Brunswick has not agreed. They have not reached an agreement and yet even with having not reached an agreement with our premier they have already given to him X number of millions of dollars. That was done a long time ago and the auditor general said that this is not proper, this is not right and this should not have been done. Yet we are still doing it.

I would like to know from the hon. member if he is aware of the anger that exists. The hon. member referred to anger about the GST. Is he aware of the anger that exists? Is the hon. member aware that people are very upset in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland?

I could buy a fur coat cheaper today because of this bill that will be passed probably tonight but a mother who is having a difficult time and a mum and a dad who have to buy the little snowsuit for the child will pay more. This is what is happening and people are really hurting.

I do not know if the hon. member is aware that insurance companies which sell segregated funds, like mutual funds, and if they are headquartered in those three provinces, the fund management service will be subject to HST for the very first time in those three provinces. The cost in the first year is estimated to be $350,000. In subsequent years the cost will be $100,000 more. We are hearing from everyone that anyone who is now looking for mutual funds will go outside the three provinces.

I do not know if the hon. member is aware that my board of trade, my business people in Saint John, who are real responsible people, have gone to the province. They have gone all over the province talking to the other boards of trade members because they are so concerned.

Is this member aware of what was done when the last government was in power, when the House of Commons finance committee looked at the proposed GST in November 1989? The Liberals said in this House: "Since it would be easier for the government to raise the GST rate in the future, if Canadians were not aware of how much tax they were paying at the moment, it is imperative that the GST be visible. The Liberal members cannot support a hidden tax". Then they stated: "Canadian taxpayers have a right to know what taxes they are paying. Any reform of the tax system should be designed to help Canadians understand how much and to which level of government they are paying their taxes".

They stated: "The sign of the times is that so long as we have a tax that is hidden from the consumer we are going to have problems that are a lot more serious than we understand".

This is all in Hansard . Can the hon. member tell us how he can justify standing up and supporting it when his colleagues who were then in opposition opposed a hidden tax at all times?

[Petitions, February 11th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by 332 people from the province of New Brunswick.

The petitioners feel that education and literacy are critical to the development of our country and call on the House to urge all levels of government to eliminate the sales tax, including the GST, on all reading materials.

[Petitions, February 11th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise pursuant to Standing Order 36 to present two petitions.

The first petition is signed by 84 people from my riding. The petitioners call on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with the provincial governments to make a national highway system upgrading possible beginning in 1997.