Sheila Copps

[Minister Of Canadian Heritage, April 16th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, it is ironic. I thought that in light of the fact that the member and his colleagues have not hestitated from associating themselves with any reception he might have hung his head in shame.

He made a reference yesterday to so-called MP junkets. I took the time to do a bit of research. The member who decried that we had approximately 20 young wheelchair athletes aged 14 and 15 at this reception is the same member who took a trip to Cambridge, England, Oslo, Norway, Tromso, Norway, Stockholm, Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark.

I checked today on the business class ticket price, which is $5,000.

[Taxation, April 15th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, in the course of the show of appreciation by the country for our Olympic and Paralympic athletes we have had three receptions: one for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes here on the Hill, another one in Atlanta, and there is going to be a third reception next week to honour the athletes from the Special Olympics.

I was thrilled that at the last event held on the floor of the House of Commons, all members from all sides of the House were thrilled to participate with Olympians. I happen to have a picture of the hon. member for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca who was very happy not only to go to the reception but to have his picture taken with the athletes.

I would say to members of the Reform Party that please, you can't have it both ways.

[Taxation, April 15th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the hon. member made certain claims about what he alleged to be a very exclusive reception.

The reason I answered about the reception in the House is because the reception I attended was the same kind of reception that we have held for Olympic athletes ever since we have been a country and entered the Olympics.

I have here a partial list of the over 600 Canadian athletes and their families who attended. From the province of New Brunswick selected by the provincial government, Lynsey Bartlett; from the province of Alberta, from Blairmore, Gail Bigcharles. We had 14-year-old wheelchair basketball athletes. We also had a team from the city of Montreal. They are so committed to the Olympic process that to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Olympics they cycled from Montreal to Atlanta. Yes, they too were invited to this very exclusive reception.

[Taxation, April 14th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I do not eat caviar and I certainly would not be paying for a reception of caviar.

[Bill C-216, April 9th, 1997]

Absolutely, Mr. Speaker.

[Northern Cross Ltd., March 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government has a bilateral treaty with respect to the calving ground. I am sure that any activity we would want to follow very closely.

We will take the request of the hon. member and pursue it to ensure that the calving ground area is not endangered.

[Radar Hill, March 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify, first of all, whether the member is speaking for the entire Reform Party when he announces the renaming of a Canadian monument in

respect of the Korean war service which was carried out by, among others, the Korean War Veterans Association of Canada, of which I happen to be an honorary member.

I know that Canadian Korean war veterans very much appreciate the attention of the Prime Minister to this issue. I am sure the Prime Minister and Parks Canada will do everything possible to ensure that everyone feels included.

I find it rather tragic that the member would decry respect for Korean war veterans, which was the intention of this monument.

[Linguistic Minorities, March 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out the lack of logic in the member's question. He claims the Government of Canada has no interest in having a country. How can he claim there will be two official languages if this country ceases to exist? The Government of Canada obviously cares about this issue, considering that, yesterday, it gave an $8 million subsidy to Collège Boréal, in Sudbury.

Similarly, if we support the efforts of those who are fighting to save the Montfort hospital, it is because we believe in the million francophones living outside Quebec, right across Canada.

What is so pitiful is that the same member of Parliament who compared francophones to paraplegics in wheelchairs now claims to be defending their rights, which is absolutely untrue. The only thing he is defending is the separatist cause, which would deprive francophones outside Quebec of their right to live in a truly bilingual country.

[Linguistic Minorities, March 21st, 1997]

These are the words of the member for Québec-Est, who himself learned to speak French fairly well in Penetanguishene, Ontario.

That being said, it is obvious that if Canada did not exist, there would be no official languages policy.

[Linguistic Minorities, March 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to know what the member from Témiscouata thinks of the comments made by the member for Québec-Est. How would you like to be called a paraplegic in a wheelchair?