Jane Stewart

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the democratic process allows citizens to make contributions to any political party, our party or even their party. In fact, if they would look at the record they would find that transitional jobs fund grants have gone to private undertakings that even supported that party.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that on this file the department is working with the Council of Canadian Unity to address the needs of this particular program.

We on this side of the House believe that it is an important undertaking to provide opportunities for young Canadians in any part of this country to be able to travel to another part to get work experience and experience about their country.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I believe the hon. member is talking about a program called Experience Canada. Yes, indeed it is a very important undertaking that encourages young people across the country to find employment opportunities in another part of the country so that they can enjoy and understand other cultures. I can see why this hon. member would not like that approach.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member makes reference to the 3,000 jobs and that would have been the investment from the government of $8.1 million. When we discovered, due to certain complications, that not many jobs had been created, the investment from the Government of Canada was reduced to $5.9 million.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, what I can say is that in the case of Iris Hosiery, 1,440 employees are now working there who probably would not be without this relationship that includes Government of Canada money, private sector money and, again, the acceptance of the Government of Quebec.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on a number of occasions about the trust funds that the hon. member is making reference to. In fact I agreed that it was not administratively correct for the employee in question to have created those trust funds. But the employee of the department did it in all good faith to try to assist people getting jobs.

If the hon. member wants to suggest that the trust funds were created and that someone gained personally from them, then let her bring that fact and that information to the floor and we will deal with it that way.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Let us recognize what the hon. member for Edmonton North said. Yesterday she was talking about girls. Today she is calling me honey. To quote a dear friend of mine, I am certainly not your honey.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, again I reject the accusations of the hon. member.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party just continues with Reform mythology. First of all Reformers told Canadians that $3 billion was missing. That is not true. Why do they not admit that? Then they said $1 billion was missing. That is not true. Why do they not say that?

What is true is that a department looked at itself, found that it could improve its administrative practices and is doing just that.

[Human Resources Development, March 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is referring to draft documents. Yesterday they were talking about questions and answers that were prepared by the department's communications officials. They were hypothetical questions that were never asked. They were hypothetical answers that were never given.

The employees in the Department of Human Resources Development have never been instructed not to uphold the law.