Elsie Wayne

[Canada Transportation Act, March 22nd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, a point of order. After discussions with the House leaders and the party whips yesterday, I believe you will find that I have unanimous consent for my motion No. 25 to be included in group 1 for debate today.

[Employment Insurance, March 21st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House of Commons with regard to Bill C-12, the legislation establishing the employment insurance program.

I appeal to the minister to listen to the people. People in New Brunswick are really afraid. They want their dignity. They want work. They want jobs. They really do not want to be on UI but they need something if the jobs are not there.

There have been amendments put forth in the past week by members of the Liberal Party. I ask that the hon. minister to please listen to his own members and make adjustments to the bill so that people can continue to live in dignity.

[The Irish In Canada, March 14th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada's most Irish city, we are celebrating our Irish heritage.

Last year we started three years of commemorative activities for the official observance of the 150th anniversary of the great Irish famine. More than 150,000 Irish immigrants arrived in Saint John between 1815 and 1880. Many of these immigrants were quarantined at Partridge Island, which is now a national historic site.

Today I want to pay tribute to the Irish community in Saint John and all of Canada.

I also invite everyone here to mark their calendars for June 27 to July 3, 1997, for the major public commemoration of the great Irish famine in Saint John, New Brunswick.

When Irish hearts are laughing, all the world is bright and gay, and when Irish eyes are smiling they will steal your heart away.

After listening to the debate in this House I wish we were all Irish.

[Fisheries, March 6th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to the attention of this House the deep concerns of many fishermen across the Scotia-Fundy area. I have been meeting with the fishermen in this area and on Monday I attended the round table in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with the fishermen and officials from DFO.

For decades the fishing industry has been the backbone of many local communities in Atlantic Canada. The new fishing policies such as licence fee increases, a new professional core fishery, ITQs, and Bills C-98 and C-115 have threatened the very survival of the hand-line fishery. Serious flaws in the Oceans Act as well as the Fisheries Act must be addressed.

I call on this government before it proceeds any further to allow the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans to travel from coast to coast so that fishermen can be heard and changes implemented before a way of life is destroyed.

[Unemployment Insurance, February 28th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, after hitting Atlantic Canada the hardest in the last two budgets, the government proposed UI cuts near the end of the last Parliament that will tear the heart out of Atlantic Canada.

The Atlantic Canadian economy has a seasonal nature. We want the region's economy to grow and diversify. I also support programs that help Atlantic Canadian workers gain the skills they need to meet the challenges of the labour market.

Canadians across the country are worried about their jobs or the lack thereof. They want to be able to feed, clothe and shelter their families.

Even the premier of the province of New Brunswick said that he believes the government's proposed reforms will merely push people from UI to welfare.

I urge the government to reconsider. Do not put in place measures that discriminate against seasonal workers. People should not be punished for something they have no control over. We should be giving people a hand up so that they can help themselves. We do not need measures that drive more Canadians into poverty and take away their dignity.

[Goods And Services Tax, December 8th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.

In the infamous red book there is a promise by those who were running for government that they would eliminate the GST. The Prime Minister last summer stated that in the February 1996 budget the government would outline a replacement for the GST. No mention was made on Wednesday by the Minister of Finance of GST reform in his finance minister's economic and fiscal update.

Is it still the intent of the Minister of Finance to tell the people of Canada how he is going to recommend eliminating the GST?

[Food And Drugs Act, December 7th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to address a reply to my question from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence. It is about how the government plans on tendering moving contracts in the future.

Currently, only the four major Canadian van lines can bid on moving projects with DND. The others are given a chance to match the lowest bid. The successful bidder receives a volume bonus. Work is then farmed out to companies across the country.

The government proposed to change this system, so that any company from any country would be allowed to bid and the lowest bidder would get all the work. That meant that DND would move toward a one bidder take all system that would create a monopoly in the moving business. It would destroy an industry of over 800 companies across this nation and put thousands of people out of work.

Now the government, thankfully, has changed its mind and is proposing another plan, where a moving company with the lowest bid will receive 40 per cent of the government's business. The next three lowest bidders will receive proportionately less as long as they match the lowest price.

The government currently works with something called GLAC, the government list of approved carriers. If you are not on that list, you are not eligible for government moving contracts. Under the new proposal, that list would be scrapped.

The hundreds of independently owned and family owned moving companies that make up the moving industry provide quality service. They are on that GLAC list. They own the warehouses and the moving vans. They have invested millions of their own dollars in infrastructure.

Last week, Randy Hoyt, president of the Hoyt's Group of Companies from Atlantic Canada, told the public accounts committee that the volume of government business available to each of the GLAC carriers has varied according to their track record. For poor quality, movers are removed from the list or suspended.

This system is serving Canadian taxpayers well and is good for government employees and independent movers. Because they were assured a share of the volume, movers have invested in facilities and trained staff at locations in Canada where service would otherwise not be available. Atlantic Canada is a case in point. There are many towns where these companies have operations and so the public gets competitive quotes when they move.

The government's new proposal will destroy this system and the benefits that go with it. It will also result in thousands of job losses.

Ontario businessman Pat Baird told the public accounts committee that he wants to bid under the proposed new system. Mr. Baird has no trucks, no warehouses, no infrastructure. He has two to three employees and has no financial investment. He made misleading statements to the committee. He told the committee that if he wins the bid, he wants to use rail lines to move government employees. He forgot that we do not have rail lines in many parts of Atlantic Canada. He said that he has a joint venture with CN Rail and CN will be building 300 to 400 new 53-foot containers made up as moving vans. He also said that CN's investment was going to be $26 million.

I have spoken to CN and according to CN it has a verbal agreement with Mr. Baird. If the bid is successful it is prepared to modify, not build new, but modify some old 48-foot containers, not build new 53-foot ones, as Mr. Baird said, at a cost of $4,000 to $5,000 each. According to CN, its commitment will only be $1.3 million maximum, not $26 million as Mr. Baird has stated.

These inaccuracies in Mr. Baird's testimony should serve as a warning. The proposed new tender process should be put on hold. I appeal to the parliamentary secretary and the minister to review this matter. It is a serious matter. All I ask is to put it on hold and look at it because of these discrepancies and inaccuracies.

[Status Of Women, December 6th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, today on the national day of remembrance and action to end violence against women I rise to extend the sympathies of my party to victims of violence across the country.

Six years ago 14 young women were brutally murdered at l'École Polytechnique in Montreal. That act of violence reverberated across the country. Its pure senselessness shocked us profoundly. It made us question the direction Canadian society was taking. It prompted the federal government to take action to deal with this issue at home and internationally.

As a society we must be committed to stopping violence against women both in and outside the home. We have to address the root causes of violence. As members of the House we must pass laws which will do that. Progress is being made on this front, but only continuing efforts involving each and every one of us on both sides of the House will change the attitudes which perpetuate violence.

To the families of the 14 young women whose lives were so brutally cut short six years ago today and to all those who have suffered because of violence, they are in our thoughts and in our prayers. It is not enough to have a policy of zero tolerance against violence. As legislators we must take concrete action so that women, indeed all Canadians, can lead their lives free from the fear of violence. We must try to find out what has happened in our society and what has changed in our society which brings about these brutal acts.

[Status Of Women, December 6th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I also would like the opportunity to speak on this subject.

[Pornography, December 6th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to the attention of the House the deep concerns of many of my constituents regarding pornography.

The local chapter of the Saint John Catholic Women's League has sent me several little ribbons in recognition of White Ribbons Against Pornography or WRAP week. The CWL took part in WRAP activities from October 22 to 29.

The members of the CWL and their parishioners wore the ribbons, wrote their names on the backs of them and sent them to me to show their opposition to pornography in any form. We need stronger laws to protect us from this destructive menace in our society.

Today we remember the 14 young women who were brutally and tragically murdered at École Polytechnique in Montreal five years ago. As we honour their memories let us remember that pornography contributes to the type of violent act that took their lives.

I commend my constituents for their efforts and I wholeheartedly agree with them. I urge the government to stand up for Canadians and pass stronger anti-pornography laws.