George Baker

[Human Resources Development, March 17th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the majority of the so-called 19 investigations concern ACOA. Four of them involve investigations when grants were given by the Tories when they were in power.

Three of them involve only provincial government shares in those particular grants. Only two of them involve money that was only from ACOA. In both those cases no money was disbursed. The question is in the application, so the opposition questions are full of sound and fury but the racket signifies nothing.

[Scotia Rainbow, March 15th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, as has been pointed out in the House before, the federal government has invested the least in this enterprise. The most was invested by the chartered banks, private investors, then the provincial government, and then way down is the federal government.

We have received support from all of the communities in Cape Breton Island and all of the newspaper editorials. The only people out of step are NDP members. When are they going to get in step with their own constituents?

[Scotia Rainbow, March 3rd, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I already have, in answer to another question put forward by the hon. member, made reference to an editorial in one of the Cape Breton newspapers asking that this member step down.

Here is another editorial in the Cape Breton Post that attacks the NDP and says:

Scotia Rainbow is regarded as an important employer, paying out $4.5 million last year in wages. These public dollars are necessary to get such ventures off the ground in Cape Breton Island.

When will the NDP start supporting employment in Cape Breton?

[Acoa, February 29th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, these are certainly times of rising expectations as far as ACOA is concerned.

I will tell the hon. member about the ACOA management. Prior to 1993 the auditor general and the public accounts showed some pretty bad investments. However, after 1993, according to the auditor general, now we have as good as or better a record than the chartered banks under the Liberal administration. That is thanks to the good management of the government.

[Scotia Rainbow, February 25th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, ACOA did put in a million dollar loan into this enterprise. HRDC put in $2 million. The provincial government put in double that amount of money. The investors put in double that amount of money. And by far, the largest amount of money was put in by the chartered banks.

To slam the federal government for this huge expenditure by the chartered banks and private individuals would be like blaming the boy scouts for the gulf war.

[Scotia Rainbow, February 24th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of opinions from the local community, yesterday's editorial in a local paper in Cape Breton said: “Now our NDP MP is condemning aid to a fish processing facility here. Many of the workers at that plant have traditionally made their living from the sea. The downturn in the fishery left them and their families destitute. When our elected representative openly condemns aid in this area, then it is time to ask that representative to step down”.

[Acoa, February 23rd, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, according to the auditor general and according to public accounts there were two years in which the Government of Canada made a lot of bad loans under ACOA. I admit that. Those were the years 1991 and 1992 when the Tories were in power.

[Human Resources Development, February 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, 250 permanent jobs in an area devastated by the downturn in the groundfish industry. The NDP always supported that kind of job creation. Perhaps it is because of their last convention. With their leader pulling to the right and their backbenchers pulling to the left neither of them know whether their membership is following them or chasing them.

[Human Resources Development, February 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, this was a combination of moneys from ACOA and HRDC.

The chambers of commerce praised this operation. The municipalities praised this operation in Cape Breton. The people of Cape Breton praised 250 permanent jobs in this area.

When is the NDP going to get in step with its own constituents?

[Merchant Navy Veterans, February 14th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the sensible question of the day.

It is exempt from taxation and it is a non-reportable item on income tax. I think the credit here belongs to two groups: first, the veterans themselves who came up with this plan and, second, our House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs that unanimously came up with the solution. To both these groups I say congratulations on a job well done.