Elsie Wayne

[Air-India Disaster, May 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to pursue a question I asked the Minister of Transport in this House last week about the port of Belledune in New Brunswick.

I asked the minister to explain to this House how he justified giving a $5.8 million grant to the port of Belledune after saying that he was "not prepared to put a cent into Belledune as far as a grant or anything like that is concerned, any more than I would put into the port of Saint John or anywhere else".

The minister gave an answer but it was not to my question. I was pleased to hear him say that he would consider forgiving the loan to the port of Saint John, but not surprisingly he flip-flopped on that promise once the cameras were off.

It is not just troubling that the minister continually goes back on his word but that he gave the port of Belledune almost $6 million when we have yet to see a plan on how the port intends to pay back its $20 million loan it has received.

Furthermore, the minister has failed to explain why the government is spending over $25 million on new berthage and cargo sheds in a town bordering the minister's home riding when there is excess capacity at the port of Saint John and the port of Dalhousie which is only 32 kilometres away. As the minister has stated, once the port of Belledune and the expansion takes place, the port of Dalhousie is out of business.

The House will understand my questioning the minister's motivations for this grant to Belledune in light of some of the decisions made by this government.

Just recently there have been hearings on the privatization of the pilotage authority of our harbour pilots. I ask again, is this because the port of Belledune does not need the harbour pilots and the port of Saint John does?

For example, in February we learned of a decision by public works to borrow $12 million to build a new office complex in the riding of the Indian affairs minister, even though the office building vacancy rate is 18.2 per cent in Sault Ste. Marie and despite the fact that a less expensive option of buying and retrofitting existing office space could save $5 to $6.5 million for the taxpayers of Canada.

Now the minister of public works and the Nova Scotia transportation minister have inexplicably diverted $26 million of the federal strategic highway improvement program, known

as SHIP, funds designated for Nova Scotia highway 104, death valley, toward the fleur-de-lis tourist trail in their ridings.

The SHIP agreement states that projects undertaken are to be part of the national highway system. The fleur-de-lis does not meet this criterion and everyone knows it. Death valley is an example, just as Belledune is an example, of blatant, unapologetic, pork barrelling with no thought to fiscal responsibility.

The Saint John Port Corporation told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport on March 16, 1995 that "there is an overcapacity in Canadian ports with too much underutilization of infrastructure and the federal government as the shareholder of the port is competing against itself".

Once again I ask the Minister of Transport to explain why he is pouring millions of dollars into expanding the port of Belledune when existing ports in New Brunswick are underutilized.

[Highways, May 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, some controversy has arisen relative to the diversion of public funds originally slated for the development of Nova Scotia highway 104.

This funding has now been redirected to a tourist trail in the riding of the minister of public works. In lieu of the original federal-provincial funding agreement for the upgrading of route 104, a toll funded highway is now being envisaged.

This is unacceptable. There have been 40 tragic deaths since 1986 in death valley. People's lives are far more important than developing a tourist trail.

Yesterday in this House the Minister of Transport told us that his government had permitted this diversion of public funds at the request of the Government of Nova Scotia.

Given that the highway improvement program calls for a written agreement in these cases, I call on the Minister of Transport to table all correspondence and documents relative to this backroom deal.

[Infrastructure, May 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. Three weeks ago the Minister of Transport stated that he was not prepared to put a cent into the port of Belledune as far as a grant was concerned any more than he would put grant money into the port of Saint John or anywhere else.

This week we have discovered that a $5.8 million grant was transferred from the federal government to the port of Belledune.

How can the minister justify giving a $5.8 million grant to the port of Belledune when a loan of $20 million has already been authorized to develop the port of Belledune and it has received almost $6 million from the provincial government as well?

Would the Minister of Transport please tell us how he can justify this when it is against his policy as stated by him three weeks ago?

[Code Of Conduct, May 2nd, 1995]

Madam Speaker, I think I am the deputy leader. I do not know what I am, but I vote nay.

(The House divided on the amendment, which was negatived on the following division:)

[Supply, May 2nd, 1995]

Madam Speaker, as a member of the PC party and the whip or whatever I will be voting nay.

(The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

[Firefighters, May 2nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, exposure to infectious disease is a major reason why firefighting is one of the world's most dangerous professions.

Firefighters routinely provide emergency medical treatment in unsanitary field conditions and are exposed to infectious disease.

I would like to know why the Minister of Health has failed to commit to a national protocol regarding infectious disease notification. Will the minister commit to a national system for the safety of our firefighters, their families and the rest of society?

[Holocaust Memorial Day, April 27th, 1995]

Madam Speaker, I want to join with my colleagues in the House in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. We must never forget the millions who were murdered at the hands of the heinous Nazi regime.

I also want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the many Canadians who fought so that the future generations could live in peace and freedom.

I shall never forget as a little girl, when I was only five years old, when my brothers came in to tell my mother and my father that they had signed up to go overseas. They were overseas in France, Germany, and Italy. I will never forget the prayers and the hard times my mother had, hoping and praying she would hear from them. And I will never forget when I was a little girl and we went to the train station to greet them when they returned safe and sound.

If there was ever a war that needed to be won, it was the second world war. It hardly needs saying that the world would be a dark and different place today if the allies had not achieved victory.

We must never forget the unspeakable horror the death camps brought forth. They are a symbol of what can result from hatred and racism.

Today we witness the suffering of innocents around the world who are the victims of ethnically motivated conflict. Let us remember what such hatreds can lead to and be ever vigilant in our efforts to make sure it is not allowed to happen again.

Yes, Canada will remember.

[Manitoba Election, April 26th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure today to stand and congratulate Premier Gary Filmon of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party on his third decisive victory last night. Premier Filmon captured 33 seats, the New Democrats 22 and the Liberals only 3.

The Manitoba provincial Liberals campaigned on a platform using a copycat provincial Liberal red book. I am proud to say that the general electorate discovered the reality of the provincial red book and sent them a strong message saying that they wanted no part of it.

We have discovered the reality of the federal Liberal red book which is amounting to broken promises. This is a message to the

Liberal Party that it should heed that what happened in Manitoba is about to happen in the next federal election.

The PC party is back, alive and well. I welcome everyone to come to Hull this weekend to see our 1,500 delegates in action.

[Questions Passed As Orders For Returns, April 6th, 1995]

For each federal riding, what has been the total amount of financial assistance provided by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency from November 4, 1993 to date?

Return tabled.

[Questions On The Order Paper, April 5th, 1995]

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 39, I placed question

No. 91 on the Order Paper on October 4, 1994. That was 186 days ago.

Last week, on the same point of order, the hon. parliamentary secretary to the House leader said that: "The Minister of Supply and Services has been working diligently", and that he would be in a position to answer my question soon.

It is my understanding that on all Order Paper questions the government does try to meet the 45-day period. One hundred and eighty-six days is an unacceptable length of time to respond to my question.

Would the hon. member please define what he means by "soon" and advise me as to when I will receive an answer to the question I asked six months ago?