Herb Gray

[Business Of The House, February 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, today the House will continue its consideration of the motion to establish a special joint committee on defence policy. On Friday the House will consider Bill C-5 regarding the customs tariff and Bill C-7 concerning certain controlled drugs.

Monday shall be an allotted day. On Tuesday the House will consider Bill C-11 regarding tobacco and, as we know already, at 5 p.m. the Minister of Finance will make his budget presentation. The budget debate will begin on Wednesday and continue on Thursday of next week.

The business for Friday, February 25, will be legislation to be determined later after some further discussion with the opposition House leaders. We also hope that later next week we will be able to discuss with them some of the business we will be calling once the House returns from its weeks break.

I want to make one further comment. While today I said that Monday shall be an allotted day-and I assume this will be understood by the Table to mean I am designating the day-I also want to say that if by chance I say that Monday or any other day of the week will be an allotted or is an allotted day then it means I am allotting it formally. I hope that will be understood by those concerned.

By the way I am not referring to my colleagues, the opposition party House leaders, but others who are charged with recording the business of the House.

[Organized Crime, February 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am dealing with reality, not like the Bloc that says that it asks questions that are only "close to the facts".

If the Bloc were serious it would ask questions based on facts because that is the kind of answer the government is giving. Our answers are based on facts, based on full support for the RCMP and its work everywhere in the country.

[Organized Crime, February 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the matter of money laundering the hon. member refers to is already under active investigation by the RCMP. It has the full support of the government in doing whatever it considers

necessary to put an end to the smuggling rings wherever they are in the country.

I wish that the RCMP had the same support from the Bloc.

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, February 16th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have already explained that the crimes of violence the hon. member is talking about are matters coming under the jurisdiction of the Mohawk police and the Ontario Provincial Police.

If the member had looked into the matter further he would have realized there has been a joint strike force involving the mounted police, the Ontario Provincial Police and other local police forces working in the area for several months. I wish he would recognize that before jumping to wrong conclusions from reading that newspaper article.

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, February 16th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the crimes that the hon. member is talking about are matters coming under the Criminal Code which is enforced by the police of local jurisdiction.

In this case, as the article points out, it is the Mohawk police supported by the Ontario Provincial Police. The mounted police will be happy to give them assistance but it is the primary responsibility of the local Mohawk police and the Ontario Provincial Police.

[Organized Crime, February 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition House leader must have been in a dream world the last week or so. If he had not been, he would have heard the leader of our party, the Prime Minister, and myself saying that the reason we have to act immediately after years of neglect, including the period when the Leader of the Opposition was in the Conservative cabinet, was that there were smuggling networks involved not only with tobacco but with alcohol, drugs and high powered military weapons.

We said that right in this House. That is why we have enhanced enforcement efforts all over the country. Rather than this type of approach by the Official Opposition, I would think it would express support for the efforts we are taking which go far beyond what was the case when the Leader of the Opposition was on this side of the House as a member of the Conservative cabinet.

[Organized Crime, February 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I want to say again that under this government there are no no-go zones.

I do not know what the situation was when the Leader of the Opposition was in the Conservative cabinet. He may want to tell us himself, but I can say there are no no-go zones right now. It is the intention of this government to have the law enforced everywhere in the country. Just because we do not see mounted police on television does not mean they are not at work on the reserves or anywhere in Canada where there is work to be done to enforce the law.

[Organized Crime, February 15th, 1994]

Thus, I can assure the leader of the Bloc Quebecois that there are no "no go" zones in this country, including aboriginal reserves. I cannot confirm the allegations made in the article by Mr. Vastel which appeared today, but I repeat that the government intends to ensure that people obey the law across

this country. And I hope I can count on the Leader of the Opposition to fully support our policy in this respect.

[Organized Crime, February 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Leader of the Bloc populaire, excuse me, the Bloc Quebecois-it is not very popular right now-

[Organized Crime, February 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, of course I cannot comment on the RCMP's operations. Does the Leader of the Bloc Quebecois want to jeopardize the outcome of these investigations with his questions? I wonder why he is asking me these questions today.