Sheila Copps

[Ethics, March 23rd, 1995]

But I can tell you one thing, Mr. Speaker. I am convinced that the CNTU, among others, supports the right of public servants to give political opinions, in the same way that it is doing concerning the referendum.

[Ethics, March 23rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am not surprised to see the Bloc Quebecois fishing for other problems, since it is experiencing problems back home.

I might add that, to make a decision in that regard, we have not found it necessary to hire American lobbyists, as the Parti Quebecois is doing, to explain the referendum project.

[Environmental Assessments, March 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member has taken the time to read the documents, she will have seen that the federal government requires payment for those under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal environment service. Those under the BAPE will be covered by provincial laws.

The Speaker: I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Mr. Stavros Kambelis, General Secretary for the Island of Crete, Greece.

[Environment, March 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, first of all the preface to the hon. member's question is absolutely false.

In fact the panel that was struck specifically relating to the ski hill in question was called by the minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

[Department Of The Environment, March 16th, 1995]

I can assure the hon. member that, when I answered that question, we had informed the band in question that, after the end of the calendar year, we would not pay them one penny more. And our position on this issue is firm.

[Irving Whale, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, following the requests by members who have made a number of unfounded accusations up to now, it was I who provided her yesterday with the results of the three-day study.

I am not a scientist, but I have much greater faith in the Geological Survey of Canada than in the politics of the hon. member across the floor, who, to date, has not read any report or accepted any analysis and has even refused to read the documents I provided the House on this matter last year.

[Irving Whale, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, with the agreement of the House, I would like to table the Irving Whale sidescan sonar survey which was conducted between the June 12 and 15, 1994.

Yesterday the member claimed that no survey had been done. In fact, last night at 5.30 we sent a copy of the survey to her office. I would like to read a portion of the survey to her.

The sidescan sonar portion of the survey was performed by the Environmental Marine Geology Subdivision of the Atlantic Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of Canada using a Simrad MS992 dual frequency (120 and 330 kHz) sidescan sonar; and a GeoAcoustics SE880-

[Advisory Council On The Status Of Women, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, what the government decided to do was to abolish the order in council positions that are traditionally characterized as patronage positions.

As the hon. member will know, the Advisory Council on the Status of Women named people by order in council. There was a question put by women's groups across the country to which we responded. That question was: How can a person on the advisory council be at arm's length from the government when they are in fact appointed by the government?

It is for that reason we have taken the research funds and the funds that were previously paid to finance the order in council appointments and have ploughed that money back into research, which will be made available to women's groups across the country so that they can set their priorities instead of having them set by order in council appointees.

[Advisory Council On The Status Of Women, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, women's councils across the country were telling us that they were in a better position to do political analyses than people appointed by order in council.

We hear the Parti Quebecois and the Bloc Quebecois say that the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, which was appointed by the government, is less objective than organizations such as FRAPPE or other organizations not working directly under an order in council. This is why we changed the system.

[Privilege, March 15th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, given the gravity of the accusations of the hon. member, I would have thought he would at least have had the courtesy of serving me notice. Had he served me notice, I would have advised him as I did yesterday, as I did several months ago when I actually gave a copy of that particular report to the House. Unfortunately, his caucus I suppose did not advise him of it.

In fact, the Brander-Smith report to which I referred yesterday in the House was initiated by the Right Hon. Brian Mulroney when the hon. Leader of the Opposition was Minister of the Environment. There were several public hearings held while he was Minister of the Environment, including a public hearing that was held in Halifax, another public hearing that was held in Saint John and another public hearing held in Prince Edward Island, which specifically called on the Minister of the Environment in 1989 to act.

In fact, the minister did not act. He did not act; his predecessors did not act; his successors did not act. We acted within 100 days of coming to government.

I would have thought that rather than dragging out the issue-

-rather that resorting to petty politics, the Bloc Quebecois would have done better to recognize the fact that we have made a decision, a decision that neither the former environment minister, his predecessor, nor his successor made.

I will repeat in French so that he understands clearly. When he was environment minister, in 1989, three public hearings were held at which the refloating of the Irving Whale was advocated, and he did not respond. That is what I said in the House yesterday.

I will put my word on the line against his word any time.