John Manley

[Canada Foundation For Innovation, March 31st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to say that not only is the foundation established and functioning but it is receiving applications for the first competitive set of grants. We expect the first announcements to be made by early summer.

This will be a major incentive to universities and teaching and research hospitals across Canada to not only take advantage of the foundation for innovation and its assistance in upgrading and building research infrastructure but also to make use of the $400 million that has been made available to the university research granting councils to further support the performance of international quality research in this country.

[Copyright Board, March 31st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, up to now it was not necessary. It is true that with the passage of the Copyright Act there are new responsibilities and we will consider appointing a judge to chair the board.

[Copyright Board, March 31st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, this is a quasi judicial independent board, which has a very good record in copyright matters. We have faith in it.

[Multimedia Industry, March 25th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and myself are working together to try to help this very important sector of the economy, not only in the Montreal region, but everywhere in Canada.

[Industry, March 19th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the effort to attract a major semi-conductor manufacturing facility to Canada continues to be a top priority of investment partnerships Canada. It is working together between my department and that of the Minister for International Trade in partnership with the provincial governments in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, as well as the private sector and many representatives from various universities and colleges across Canada.

I am convinced, based on the information we have gleaned, that we remain a very competitive site for the location of such a facility. I am determined that Canada will win such a facility in the near future.

[Racism, March 19th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, again this is an important issue. For that reason Canada is hosting a number of international meetings that will touch on it.

There will be a meeting of the OECD in October in Ottawa which will deal with electronic commerce and other aspects of the information highway. As well, there will be an international conference held in Canada that will raise the very issues the hon. member has raised.

It is complex from a legal point of view. However, I believe it is key to understand that nothing distinguishes electronic communication from other forms of communication. All aspects of the Canadian law with respect to pornography and hate mongering apply equally.

[Racism, March 19th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important question. It is an issue that concerns all of us who are both encouraged by the prospects and opportunities that new technology creates and mindful of the downside.

All the criminal laws that apply to hate or pornography in other forms of publication apply with equal force to the electronic media. We will ensure they are enforced as stringently as possible.

[Division No. 105, March 17th, 1998]

moved that the bill be concurred in.

[National Defence, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to say that through the efforts both of technology and the partnerships Canada program as well as the Export Development Corporation, a number of Canadian corporations have been very successful in winning aerospace and defence contracts internationally.

This includes recently Spar Aerospace, which won a $91.5 million contract with NASA; CAL Corporation, which has sold innovative tracking systems in France; Bristol Aerospace, which has won a $98 million contract with Boeing Corporation; and Computing Devices of Canada Limited in Calgary which has successfully sold into the U.S. market.

This is a very successful sector of the Canadian economy. We are moving from sixth to fourth in the world.

[Year 2000, March 16th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member asks a very important question. In fact, we did take action to establish the year 2000 task force to provide a central point of information and motivation for the private sector.

Jean Monty, the chairman of Task Force 2000, together with his group have taken the initiative with the government to support us in our efforts to call attention from coast to coast to the very serious problem that Canadian businesses face. Action was taken as well by the Minister of Finance in the recent budget to ensure that the tax treatment is clear for action that is taken by companies which need to comply with year 2000. Our hope is that efforts such as those the member has cited will—