Sheila Copps

[Federal Grants, February 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, they can claim all they want that the leader of the Leader of the Opposition was not in office exactly at the time of the Oka crisis, but in an article from the Saturday edition of Le Soleil , the president of the police association, Mr. Jocelyn Turcotte, is reported as stating that the smuggling problem on native reserves started in 1988, when the Leader of the Opposition was a member of the Mulroney cabinet.

If we go back as we did 100 days from today, it is obvious that this government is addressing a problem that has gone unaddressed for four years by our friend the Leader of the Opposition.

[Budget, February 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the finance critic for the Bloc Quebecois would not, for instance, want us to touch the tax shelters available to the Fonds de solidarité. I believe there are a number of government instruments that are very important for economic development.

The member says we should review these tax shelters to deal with the problem, and of course we all agree that the tax burden should be shared. We cannot put the whole burden on only 2 per cent of the population because that is not going to solve the problem. We must all be prepared to do our share. I would like to see the opposition be part of this process, which will not be easy

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but which is necessary to guarantee our fiscal health and jobs for Canadians.

[Budget, February 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the government is not being hypocritical, but speaking of hypocrisy, on the weekend I heard the opposition's finance critic say we had to deal with our financial problems and do our best to take care of Canadian taxpayers, but we could not touch any programs that benefit the middle class or the government's tax programs or RRSPs. I have a question for the finance critic: How would he meet his commitment to balance Canada's budget?

[Government Expenditures, February 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the best legislated spending control that we are going to have is the budget that will be tabled tomorrow.

[Government Expenditures, February 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is not waiting for sunsets to control spending. We are constantly reviewing the necessity for every program because we realize that the responsibility we have received from the taxpayers is to spend their dollars wisely every day, every month and every year.

[Government Expenditures, February 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader has already laid out his plans for making Parliament not only more accountable but more responsible to the needs of the taxpayers.

When the estimates are tabled, as they will be this week, I am sure the hon. member and his friends in the Reform Party will be as scrupulous and as active as are members of the government in ensuring that the taxpayers' dollars are well spent in every department.

[Oldman Dam, February 18th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for advance notice of his question. I have already been in touch with my colleague, the minister of fisheries, to ensure that the requirements of the environmental assessment review panel are respected.

I am very happy to hear environmental concerns about the Oldman dam expressed by the members of the Reform Party also.

[Canada Post Corporation, February 18th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Public Works had been able to make his comments yesterday, he would have told you that the decision only applies to post offices that are not now closed.

[Pedophilia, February 18th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Justice is already aware of these very difficult and repugnant issues. I am confident that once he has considered what steps the Canadian government can take to prevent the growth of this kind of tourism-and I hesitate even to call this tourism because it involves disgusting acts-the Minister of Justice will do his utmost to ensure that these kinds of things do not happen here in Canada or anywhere else in the world.

[Pedophilia, February 18th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, of course we take this request from the Junior Bar Association of Montreal very seriously. Pedophilia is repugnant, regardless of where it happens. If Canadian tourists are travelling abroad to take advantage of pedophile networks, as is the case in certain countries, then clearly the Minister of Justice will be looking into the matter raised by the hon. member. I can already tell her that the Liberal caucus has brought this matter to the minister's attention and I am confident that he will deal with it as soon as possible.