John Manley

[Banking, February 7th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, one of the key recommendations was the appointment of a financial institutions' ombudsman.

The member of Parliament for St. Catharines who posed the question has used his office in an extremely effective way on behalf of his small business constituents, working effectively as an ombudsman to help solve their problems with the banks. He has set an example for other members of Parliament on how they can make a difference.

We are going to reply to the report of the industry committee in the required time. Since the committee reported, the Canadian banks have put out a code of conduct. They have also proposed an alternative dispute resolution system.

I would like the members of the industry committee to look at those proposals and to give us their views on how far they go in solving some of the important problems that small business has with the banks.

[Bausch And Lomb, December 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, first may I assure the member that I am very concerned with the published reports that were in the newspaper this week.

I have been advised that the Ontario College of Opticians is ensuring that their customers are aware of this. It is important that opticians make sure their customers see clearly the difference between these types of lenses and their cost.

The bureau of competition policy, which administers the laws with respect to misleading advertising, dealt with over 10,000 complaints of various sorts last year. As yet it has not received a complaint concerning this matter. They are very attentive to the situation and will deal with it accordingly.

[Crtc, December 8th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, as the member indicates, a number of groups have appealed the decision of the CRTC-9419. They petitioned the governor in council to review that decision.

It is under consideration by me. I will be making recommendations to cabinet in due course with full consciousness of the implications involved and the time that the decision will take effect.

[Shipbuilding, December 8th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that first, it is the government's policy where it does have shipbuilding requirements to meet them from Canadian yards. Second, as the Prime Minister himself has stated very clearly in this House and elsewhere, that should be done through a clear, transparent, open bidding process.

[Department Of Industry Act, December 7th, 1994]

moved that Bill C-46, an act to establish the Department of Industry and to amend and repeal certain other acts, be read the third time and passed.

[Department Of Industry Act, December 6th, 1994]

moved that the bill be concurred in.

[Small Businesses Loans Act, December 6th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, you do not need to be a brain scientist to know that if you are going to get a government program right you really ought to consult with the stakeholders that are using it.

The member raises a serious question. I want to assure him that I share his concerns as he has expressed them about what could be done with the program.

The hon. member should know that we did commission a study of this program by Professor Allan Riding of Carleton University. His study indicated that the changes that were brought into effect in 1993 have actually resulted in increased loans at least 60 per cent of which were incremental to what would otherwise have been out there and were directly related to job creation.

That is why we believe the first priority should be to raise the cap so that the program continues to be as useful as it was to

small business. We will make the changes. I understand what he is asking for. That is what we will endeavour to do in the changes. We do not want the program to be a subsidy to the banks.

[Small Businesses Loans Act, December 6th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, let us understand first of all the proposal we brought forward yesterday. It indicates clearly that in making the amendments to the Small Businesses Loans Act it is our intention to ensure that program is of no cost to the government.

In that sense the additional fees we proposed to charge and the cap on the interest rates will contribute to that. We have indicated we will work with all stakeholders to ensure that the changes we make continue to provide an effective program for small businesses to meet their needs and will not cost the taxpayers by way of calls on the loan guarantees.

I also want to emphasize for the hon. member that the reason we raised the limit is very simple. Over the course of the last 18 months the demand by small businesses for assistance under that program has caused it to reach its limit of $4 billion. That is how successful and popular the program is. I believe it contributed directly to the 400,000 jobs that have been created in this country in the last year.

[Mil Davie Shipyard, December 6th, 1994]

As always, Mr. Speaker, the Bloc engages in demagogy. Is the hon. member prepared to accept that yesterday, when the member for Roberval spoke about a process of rationalization, he had the facts wrong? He misrepresented them when he said that most of the rationalization was in Quebec.

Is the hon. member ready to accept, first, that the Government of Quebec, as MIL Davie's shareholder, is responsible for taking a position on the business plan? Does the Bloc think that the Government of Quebec is unable to solve the problems of its company, MIL Davie? If they think so, do they think that the Government of Quebec is unable to handle the business of the province of Quebec?

[Mil Davie Shipyard, December 6th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, as I explained several times here in the House, I think that the first thing is for MIL Davie to complete a business plan and have it accepted and supported by its shareholder, the Government of Quebec, and have it accepted by the employees of MIL Davie.

There are very difficult problems these days. We are prepared to discuss with the shareholder, the Government of Quebec, but there will still be several things to discuss. We are always ready to hold meetings like the one scheduled for tomorrow.