David Collenette

[Grain Transportation, May 11th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the proposal I announced yesterday has to be seen as a complete package. I think the hon. member would have to admit that putting $178 million out there for the producers is a victory for western farmers. I challenge the Alliance to go anywhere in western Canada and to say otherwise.

This is a comprehensive package. This will allow a competitive system in western Canada for the first time, and the producers will get the benefit.

[Airline Industry, May 11th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate it has been unsettling not just for the employees of Canadian Regional but for all the employees at Canadian Airlines and at Air Canada during this very difficult period.

Under the terms of the deal of December 21, if Canadian Regional is sold all the service obligations, all the communities as of December 21 that Canadian Regional served, must be maintained for three years. One assumes therefore that all the employees will have to be retained to provide those services. Therefore if this sale goes through those jobs will be guaranteed.

[Airline Industry, May 11th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the question. The fact is that it has been very difficult to evaluate the true value of Canadian Regional because of the way it was inextricably linked to Canadian Airlines in terms of overlap of marketing, maintenance and all other functions.

However I am pleased that the Competition Bureau and Air Canada have agreed on a third party to evaluate the cost. I believe that process is just about nearing completion and Canadian Regional will be put on the market within a matter of weeks.

[Airline Industry, May 9th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the government has brought in a very tough bill that will regulate Air Canada and make sure consumer interests are truly looked after.

I am told by the chairman of the committee that clause by clause consideration will be completed this afternoon. There will be a special commissioner at the Canadian Transportation Agency to oversee all the complaints. That came from the members of the committee.

The Competition Bureau has brought in tougher amendments on predatory behaviour. These are things that parliament is doing to regulate the airline industry.

[Transport, May 5th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, it is unnecessary and that is why this morning in Cornwall I announced the termination of plans for an all Canadian seaway route.

The fact is that this was a negotiating tactic used by the former Liberal government headed very successfully by Mr. St. Laurent against the U.S. in the early 1950s to overcome Congressional objections to the building of the seaway. As a result, the seaway is working very efficiently today and we do not need all of the land for an all Canadian route. That is why I made the announcement today. Three hundred acres of land, some of it very beautiful along the shores of the St. Lawrence, will be returned to its natural state and will be used for the benefit of future generations of Canadians. It will enhance that beautiful city.

[Airline Industry, May 5th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the fact is that the agreement was negotiated between the competition commissioner and Air Canada pursuant to the Competition Act. The government accepted the agreement.

The alternative last December was to have the bankruptcy of Canadian Airlines within two days with 16,000 employees being thrown out of work and creating absolute chaos to the air system in the country. Yes, there have been problems. That has been acknowledged by Air Canada. The fact is the result we have today is much better than the result we would have had had we followed the hon. member's advice.

We have to get the bill through to give the competition commissioner power to protect the public—

[Grain Transportation, May 5th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the intention is to try to meet the deadlines for the crop year beginning August 1 and that will mean legislation brought into the House of Commons very shortly to deal with the issues raised in the Estey and Kroeger process, which have been the subject of many consultations across the country for the past two years.

Given the hon. member's enthusiasm for such changes toward a more competitive system, I hope that he and the members of his party will support that legislation expeditiously when it reaches the House.

[Official Languages, May 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, in the bill currently before the House, we have strengthened the provisions of the Official Languages Act.

I invite my colleague to read the bill. The provisions were strengthened, because this government believes in effectiveness and the right of all francophones to equal treatment across the country, even in the air industry.

[Airline Industry, May 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, because of the 10% rule and now the 15% rule Air Canada does not care whether or not it goes to 49%. In effect most of the shares will be owned by Canadians and control will not go to any one group larger than 15%.

What about those other airlines? I ask my hon. colleague to go to Air Transat, Royal Airlines and the charters and ask them if they want to have some U.S. investor come in and takeover those companies. I do not think they want that.

[Airline Industry, May 4th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly do not disagree with my hon. friend with respect to competition, and that is why we have taken the commissioner's advice. That was the basis of the report that he gave us last fall. It was incorporated into the deal with Air Canada which is being enshrined in the legislation.

We believe that there will be real competition as a result of this bill. We believe that the commissioner has the powers on predatory behaviour and predatory pricing. He will be able to hold Air Canada to account. We do not think it is necessary to surrender our sovereignty any further by raising the foreign ownership limit.