John Manley

[Canadian Space Agency, December 3rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, this is simply not true. A letter did refer to the fact that a secretary had destroyed some documents. Do these documents no longer exist? No, these are handwritten notes she had taken down and later typed and filed. They still exist. It is only a typewritten draft that was destroyed.

I should also point out to the hon. member that these false accusations fly in the face of the outstanding job the space agency's chairman did for the Government of Canada with the agency, which is located in the hon. member's riding.

[Copyright, December 2nd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is participating in the international copyright negotiations that are going on in Geneva under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organization. This is normal. I am sure the hon. member would not expect that we would do other than participate in these discussions.

I am sure he is also aware that in the case of many of these agreements, Canada does not necessarily sign on. For that matter, if agreements were entered into at an international level that required obligations on the part of Canada which were inconsistent with the provisions of our copyright law and to which we wished to subscribe, then of course we would present the appropriate legislation to Parliament.

[Points Of Order, November 29th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, in the course of question period in a rather heated exchange, a serious allegation was made of the president of the Canadian Space Agency. I referred to a document. I would like to

table the letter from the Information Commissioner of Canada so that members may see it.

I must say that in the heat of the moment after the exchange, I may have been heard by the stenographers to have referred to the hon. member as a "menteur". Out of respect for the traditions and rules of the House I would wish to withdraw that comment.

[Canadian Space Agency, November 29th, 1996]

They do not want to hear the truth on the other side. Since Mr. Evans has been at the head of the space agency, we can say that some pretty terrific things have been done, not only for Canada, but also for Quebec, in terms of francophone representation within the agency.

I can quote statistics. When Mr. Evans joined the agency, three of the 14 members on the executive committee were French speaking. There are now eight. In addition, we are negotiating a major contract for Phase II of RADARSAT. Discussions are under way with a consortium led by Quebec companies.

I repeat, Mr. Evans is doing an outstanding job.

[Canadian Space Agency, November 29th, 1996]

It does not say that Mr. Evans destroyed documents. Why would he want to destroy the reputation of a man who has served Canada well? It is outrageous to see how irresponsible the people across the way are.

I can table the letter, Mr. Speaker.

[Canadian Space Agency, November 29th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the source of the allegations referred to by the hon. member is Michel Vastel, a journalist, not the commissioner of information. I have his letter in my hand.

[Canadian Space Agency, November 29th, 1996]

Mr.

Speaker, I have in my hand a letter from the information commissioner of Canada. The hon. member's allegations are false. The letter does not say that Mr. Evans destroyed documents, and Mr. Evans has clearly denied destroying any documents.

Second, I can tell the hon. member that, upon joining the Canadian Space Agency, Mr. Evans immediately renegotiated the arrangements between the agency and the U.S. He helped me by preparing the agency's long term space plan. He has done an outstanding job. As a result of his efforts, the space agency is respected worldwide.

[Canadian Airlines, November 29th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm for the member that a tax rebate is not a subsidy according to NAFTA.

[Canadian Airlines, November 29th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, this government has taken a great deal of interest in the

case of Canadian Airlines, because many of the company's employees and clients have been deeply affected by the events of the last few weeks.

I would point out to the member that 1,273 employees of Canadian Airlines International live in Quebec. I think it important for everyone that a bit of interest be shown in finding solutions to these problems.

It was therefore necessary for airline management, creditors, governments and employees to draw up together a plan that could work. This step has almost been completed. Since the Prime Minister's departure, all groups have tried to work together, except for one union. Now all the interested parties have come together with a common plan.

[Employment, November 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether we can identify any inherent strengths in the female gender that make them successful as entrepreneurs but I can say that the statistics are correct.

Women have demonstrated extraordinary success as entrepreneurs. They are appearing as entrepreneurs and are starting businesses in record numbers. As recently as this past January, Statistics Canada reported that the percentage of women who are members of Canada's entrepreneurial class has increased significantly. At the same time 11 per cent of Canadian employed women are now self-employed as entrepreneurs.

We have tried to overcome some of the obstacles that continue to inhibit the ability of women to succeed as entrepreneurs largely through mentoring programs, assistance programs, ACOA, the Business Development Bank of Canada and western economic diversification. These are attempts to give women the tools they need to create jobs for themselves and others and they have proven they can succeed at it.