John Manley

[Interprovincial Trade, May 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I want to make very clear what the federal government's position has been throughout the negotiations last year on the internal trade agreement and as we bring forward the legislation which will implement that agreement with respect to the federal level.

We have entirely and totally pursued a process which is consensual. All 10 provinces signed the accord last July 18. The new Government of Quebec stressed at the one meeting which has been held since the most recent Quebec election that it is fully supportive of the internal trade agreement.

This has been a process in which some have criticized the federal government for not using powers which it is said we might have. The fact is we prefer to see the regulation of internal trade, interprovincial trade, affected by agreement among the partners to Confederation. That is why we signed an internal trade agreement. That is the policy of the government and there is no further clarification required.

[Interprovincial Trade, May 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I think the bill is quite clear. It concerns only the amendments required in federal jurisdictions to ensure that our statutes reflect our obligations under the agreement on internal trade.

If the Bloc wishes to propose amendments, it will be able to do so in the course of the parliamentary process.

[Interprovincial Trade, May 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I could go along with the hon. member's suggestion, but the answer is no.

[Gasoline Prices, May 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, of course it would be inappropriate to comment on the circumstances of a case that is before the courts at the present time.

What I do make clear again to the member is that first, as he knows, the government does not have the power to roll back prices. Second, I believe the most effective way to ensure the lowest possible prices is through real and sustained competition.

The purpose of the Competition Act is to achieve real competition. The director endeavours to enforce that. But we do live in a system of law, and it does require proof when somebody alleges an offence.

It is easy for the hon. member to stand in the House of Commons and say: "Look, the prices are all the same; there is an offence". I suggest to him that it is somewhat more challenging to get a conviction in the courts. I prefer to see people convicted in the courts on the basis of evidence.

[Film Distributors, May 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is good to have the hon. member back in the House after a few days of consulting her constituents. She should be spending less time on firearms and more time on Investment Canada.

There is a process under way. We have required the investment to be reviewed. It is a process under review. There is no requirement on the government in any way to give the hon. member any information about the particulars of the review of the application under way. We will do so at the time our decision is announced. She will be one of the first to know the results.

[Film Distributors, May 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows full well, the issue is now in the hands of Investment Canada, following the government's decision to force Polygram and Turner to make an application before they are allowed to invest in Canada. An order in council was issued in this regard. The process is under way. We received an application which we will review. A decision will be made in the best interests of that industry in Canada.

[Small Business, May 2nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is nice to hear a question with a preamble I agree with.

First I would like to acknowledge the excellent work of the Standing Committee on Industry and members of the House of Commons who contributed to the work on small business. As well there are the committees chaired by Phil O'Brien and Brien Gray. They did excellent work in advising the government on small business.

I would like to mention that reform of the Federal Business Development Bank mandate and lending authorities is coming soon. We have extended and increased the limit under the Small Businesses Loans Act. We have maintained the small business deduction and the capital gains exemption for small business. We have increased the funding for CANARIE, in its efforts to bring the small business community on to the information highway. We have increased funding for tourism promotion, which is going to help small business across Canada. We have seen improvements in the-

[Telecommunications, May 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, this same question was put on Friday. There is no question of something being tabled. The Prime Minister made it clear in his only comment on this file in my hearing that he wanted nothing to do with it. He removed himself from cabinet when it was discussed at that time. There is really nothing there for the hon. member to ask for.

It is more important to ask what exactly this is all about. I think that is a complete bankruptcy of policy in both of the opposition parties, neither of which has the faintest idea what should be done with respect to satellite broadcasting policy in this country.

[Telecommunications, May 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I find it peculiar that opposition members seem to think there is something wrong here when they cannot point to anything wrong either with the report or its implementation.

I will restate that of course it is normal in important files that the Prime Minister's office would be informed of what was happening. However, I would also like to state as I have repeatedly that with respect to this file decisions were taken by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and myself. We were neither instructed nor requested either by the Prime Minister or by his principal secretary to do anything in particular on these files. The decisions we took were our own. As far as I am concerned, I have yet to hear any substantive criticism of any of them.

[Telecommunications, May 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to understand one thing. In pursuing the issue of how to move forward the satellite broadcasting file, the government has repeatedly restated its commitment to a competitive environment.

I do not understand. Last Thursday quite properly Mr. Rick Anderson disclosed on national television that he had an interest in Expressvu. I would like to know, and I think Canadians have a right to know, whether the senior political adviser for the leader of the Reform Party has played a role in deciding what strategy members of that party were going to follow in pursuing this file because they are against competition and they are against consumers in the way they are conducting this file.