Mark Muise

[Fisheries And Oceans, April 23rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, last summer during a visit to my riding the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans promised that local DFO officers would be receiving two new jet boats to help them in their fight against illegal lobster poaching operations in St. Mary's Bay.

Could the minister tell us when we can expect these vessels to arrive?

[Government Infrastructure, April 23rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, when the Canadian Coast Guard decides to decommission a lighthouse, Public Works Canada must offer the structure first to another federal government department, followed by the provincial and then municipal governments, before it is opened to public tender.

My question is for the minister. Could non-profit organizations interested in lighthouse preservation be offered these abandoned structures prior to their being opened to public tender?

[Acadian Village In West Pubnico, April 23rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate the people in West Pubnico who, for the past nine years, have been working very hard to recreate a 17th century Acadian village.

The village, which should be opened to the public this year, is located on the very spot where the first Acadian settlers probably settled.

During the first stage of the project, four old buildings will be moved from West Pubnico to the village. Two houses, a blacksmith shop and a fish shed will be carefully restored.

Visitors will have the opportunity to take part in various activities such as cooking a typical Acadian meal, tending to livestock, salting fish and much more.

The Acadian village will be an authentic representation of a culture that has survived the 1755 deportation and the many English influences surrounding us.

I am proud of my Acadian heritage and happy to see people in Pubnico West take the initiative of celebrating our past, thus helping to preserve our future.

[Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Act, April 23rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise before the House to debate Bill C-64 at second reading, the Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Act.

Ever since the Liberal government discontinued its cost sharing insurance arrangements with our Canadian museums, curators across the country have been struggling with the high cost of insurance premiums on travelling exhibitions.

Depending on the quality of the exhibition in question, insurance premiums can cost thousands of dollars. These high costs are a serious deterrent to our museums which are striving to provide Canadians with the broadest possible collections of art and artefacts. Without these exhibits Canadians throughout the country will be losing out on a very important aspect of our cultural heritage.

One of the main shortcomings of our education system is that it does not make full use of our museums as a teaching tool for our children. Reading history or art books cannot replace the immediate joy that comes from being in direct contact with objects or works of art from the past.

It is especially important for young Canadians to be able to see what life was like for those who worked hard to build this great country of ours so we can reap the benefits today. Children must understand what life was like before this era of high technology to better understand the supreme efforts everyone must make to be successful in this complex world in which we live.

What is indemnification for travelling exhibitions? In essence it means that the Canadian government will assume financial risk for damages to contents contained within travelling exhibitions. This means that the government will pay for loss or damage to objects in these exhibitions.

Not only will this indemnification program relieve some of the financial burden that is affecting most of Canada's museums. It will also help them negotiate the loan of other prestigious foreign exhibitions. Having Canada's financial resources to back up foreign exhibitions should make it a lot easier to access some of the major cultural exhibits from other nations.

As I mentioned previously, the federal government withdrew its support for cost sharing of insurance in 1995. In the 10 years prior to 1995 the federal government invested approximately $6 million in premiums for commercial insurance.

By creating a government sponsored indemnification program Canada will join 14 other industrialized countries that presently offer such a program to their respective museums. Countries like the U.S., Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia and France have recognized the advantages that such a program has for the enhancement of one of their major cultural industries. The eligibility requirements to receive the indemnification program will be determined by the value of the individual exhibitions.

At present the bill requires that the total value of objects must exceed $500,000 to qualify for coverage. I am concerned that by establishing a benchmark of $500,000 for qualification, many of the smaller museums in the country will not be able to access this funding and will miss out on the intended benefits of the program. I would suggest that we revisit this figure to see if we could not arrive at a more reasonable figure that will benefit both our small and large museums alike.

The total coverage allotted within the bill would be limited to $450 million for exhibitions. Perhaps this figure could also be re-examined when the bill comes before committee.

For years our Canadian museum representatives have been lobbying government to implement an effective government based indemnification program. During meetings in Ottawa of the Canadian heritage committee we have had the occasion to meet with a number of very distinguished individuals from across the country representing our museums, libraries and public archives. It was during these hearings that I heard firsthand of the significance that such an indemnification program would have on our museums. Subsequently this message was repeated on many other occasions as our committee crossed the country to meet directly with interested groups and organizations.

Mr. François Lachapelle, directeur general corporation du Musée régional de Rimouski, was the first to focus my attention on this issue as he discussed possible government initiatives that would be very beneficial for our museums. Allow me to quote Mr. Lachapelle:

You will understand that moving a national treasure from one province to another or to another country is going to be extremely costly in terms of insurance because of its great value or of the high risk involved in transportation, etc. Therefore, the premiums charged by insurance companies will be extremely high. That is why this program is very important so exhibitions can travel outside Canada.

This sentiment was further supported by Ms. Candace Stevenson, executive director of Nova Scotia Museum. She represents the 25 provincial museums in my home province. Ms. Stevenson believes this indemnification program will be a tremendous boost for many of our institutions, although it is questionable whether any of Nova Scotia's museums will actually be able to benefit from it.

It does not take away from the benefits the program, however, will have on Canadian museums in general.

Although the government seems to be responding to the concerns expressed by our museums, let us not forget that it is the government itself that put Canadian museums in a critical situation by making significant cuts to their budgets over the last few years.

In 1972 the initial budget for museum assistance programs hovered around $8 million per year. By the early 1990s their budget was increased to a maximum of $15 million despite a Canadian Museum Association recommendation for a budget of $25 million per year. Last year the Liberal government reduced this amount to a paltry $6.5 million, leaving the museum industry reeling to try to find alternative financial resources.

The Minister of Canadian Heritage has since announced subsequent increases to the MAP of $2 million and $1 million respectively, putting the 1999 budget at $9.4 million. This amount does not come close to responding to the grave concerns expressed by our museum representatives.

As it stands now our museum directors barely have the resources necessary to maintain their present exhibits, no less try to expand their collections. Not only must a museum be concerned with preserving valuable artefacts, in many instances they must invest enormous resources in maintaining their buildings themselves, which are often historical landmarks.

Each time we neglect archaeological finds for lack of funding, we lose an important part of our country's history. Artefacts are impossible to replace once they are lost. It is high time we started focusing our energy on the preservation of our cultural heritage for future generations.

[Youth Criminal Justice Act, April 21st, 1999]

Madam Speaker, would my hon. colleague not think that instead of all the millions wasted on the old Bill C-68 from the previous parliament, that those millions of dollars could be better spent on this type of bill?

[Municipality Of Clare, April 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to congratulate the residents of the municipality of Clare for their generous efforts.

These people had long awaited the construction of a multi purpose building, which would house only a curling rink and accommodate trade exhibitions, farmers' markets, craft shows and such.

The dream is now a reality through the work of a group of volunteers who generously gave their time and energy to this project. Under the leadership of Charles Surette, these people mobilized the rest of the community and the Yarmouth HDRC and set to work providing 2,000 hours of volunteer labour, so that soon life will be better for the residents of Clare.

It appears that in the municipality of Clare civic pride and the willingness to volunteer are alive and well.

[Red Cross, March 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, over the past year the Red Cross has experienced many changes. However, its fundamental commitment toward helping relieve human suffering remains the same.

During last year's ice storm the Canadian Red Cross mobilized some 3,300 staff and volunteers to help those affected by the disaster. Last September it assisted with the Swissair crash off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.

In addition to programs such as water safety, emergency services and first aid, the Red Cross offers programs from homecare support to abuse and suicide prevention programs.

Overseas the Canadian Red Cross is part of a network of 175 Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and has sent relief workers on many humanitarian missions.

The Canadian Red Cross would like to thank the Canadian public which generously donated $6 million to its hurricane Mitch relief fund.

I ask all hon. members to join me in proclaiming March as Red Cross month.

[Committees Of The House, March 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I sit considerably farther from my colleague in the Reform Party and I am having absolutely no trouble, using my earphone, understanding what the hon. member is saying.

[Fisheries, March 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, fishers throughout the Atlantic region have expressed their anxiety over the possibility of major government cutbacks within the Canadian Coast Guard budget.

With the safety of both our Sea King and Labrador helicopters in question, will the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans commit to maintaining and even enhancing coast guard services so our fishers can feel more secure in the event of an emergency?

[Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, March 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the Nova Scotia economy has been devastated by the serious downturn in the fishery, the financial crisis within the agricultural sector, and most recently by the closing of Cape Breton's Devco mines. The Liberal government's response has been to reduce funding for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency by $40 million.

Could the minister responsible for ACOA explain why the government is turning its back on Atlantic Canadians?