Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral

[Small Business Week, October 24th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as this is Small Business Week, I am pleased to recognize this sector's active contribution to our economy.

In the riding of Laval Centre, over 880 small businesses help provide work for 18,875 people. Their energy and their creativity are the keys to their vitality and success.

In this context, I am proud to pay tribute to the exceptional work of PBI experts-conseils Inc. Yesterday, this business from my riding received an award at the 30th gala of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada.

Under the leadership of its president, Paul Boyer, this small business employing five people developed state-of-the-art software which received high praise from Hydro-Québec and Quebec's Ministry of Environment and Wildlife.

This success story clearly shows that Quebec's know-how and knowledge are worth their weight in gold.

[The Late Rodrigue Bourdages, October 23rd, 1997]

Madam Speaker, on behalf of my Bloc Quebecois colleagues and myself, I would like to extend our condolences to the family of Rodrigue Bourdages, who died on October 12.

Born in Halifax, Rodrigue Bourdages settled in Quebec and first got actively involved in the development of Laval-des-Rapides, one of the 16 municipalities on l'Île Jésus, and later, after 1965, in the development of the city of Laval.

As a building contractor in the 1950s, he pioneered the development of the city on the basis of urban planning standards and helped set up the Laval-des-Rapides police department, later to become the Laval police department as we know it.

Between 1958 and 1962, he served his fellow citizens as the federal member of Parliament for l'Île Jésus, then became the administrator of the Montreal courthouse and the manager of the Société immobilière du Québec. The man who passed away last week was more than a former parliamentarian, he was also one of the builders of Laval, the second largest city in Quebec.

On behalf of the Bloc Quebecois, in my capacity as MP for Laval Centre, I want to acknowledge his contribution to the development of the Laval community. He served his fellow citizens with conviction and sincerity. He will always be a symbol of pride for his family, his relatives and every member of the Laval community.

[The Late Fred McCain, October 23rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the Bloc Quebecois to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Fred McCain, who passed away recently.

For 34 years, Fred McCain took up the difficult challenge of representing part of the population of New Brunswick both in the New Brunswick legislature in Fredericton and here in the House of Commons. He had decided to devote the best part of his career to serving his fellow citizens. His only promise, he said, was to do his very best to serve those who voted for him. This vision of political accountability does him credit.

As parliamentarians, we know how demanding political life is, requiring both commitment and generosity. That is why we want to recognize the outstanding professionalism of Fred McCain in his political career. His family and relatives have every reason to be proud of him and of what he achieved for his fellow citizens.

[The Late Gilles Boulet, October 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday night, Gilles Boulet passed away. He was one of the bulwarks of Quebec's education system. We will remember him as a man who had a major impact on the people of Quebec.

In 1960, Mr. Boulet founded the Centre des études de Trois-Rivières, which became the Université du Québec in 1978. He supported the extension of university training to the regions by encouraging the establishment of the Université du Québec in Hull and in Abitibi—Témiscamingue. He also oversaw the fortunes of the Université du Québec for a decade.

Known both at home and abroad, he was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 1985 and received the Légion d'honneur in 1988. He became an officer of the Ordre national du Québec in

On behalf of myself and the Bloc Quebecois, I extend my sincere sympathies to the family of Mr. Boulet and express our gratitude for his great gift to Quebec society.

[Supply, October 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I will answer very quickly. It is very clear that if a large company—I mentioned Nesbitt Burns—telephoned my office and they had really made a very large contribution to the financing of my party, I can tell you that I would take the call very quickly if I were the Prime Minister.

And I am certain that, since the Prime Minister is a very efficient man, as is well known, he would pick it up very quickly, as though it were a red phone.

[Supply, October 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, if I understand correctly what my hon. colleague from Gatineau said, I have every reason to believe that he will very strongly support the motion put forward by the Bloc Quebecois today.

I think the government should take the time to take a good long look at party financing. Nothing is perfect. It is quite obvious that the very poor opinion voters in general have of party financing comes in part from the ease with which, at the federal level, companies can finance the government party and the various parties that may take office some day.

I count on the hon. member for Gatineau, of course, to convince his colleagues to vote in favour of the opposition's motion. In doing so, he would clearly demonstrate his sincerity and the importance he gives to intelligent, logical and reasonable party financing.

[Supply, October 9th, 1997]

Madam Speaker, with your permission, I will share my time with the member for Lévis.

I am pleased to rise today in the context of the first opposition day of the Bloc Quebecois in the 36th legislature.

As this is my first speech here since the House reconvened, I would like to thank the voters of the riding of Laval Centre for re-electing me to represent them in the federal Parliament. The Bloc Quebecois has the majority of Quebec members in this House. Together with the other 43 members of the Bloc Quebecois, I will defend the interests of Quebeckers, and especially those of my constituents in Laval Centre, with pride and determination.

I rise today on the motion tabled earlier by the leader of the Bloc Quebecois and amended by my colleague for Laurentides, which reads:

That this House condemns the attitude of the Government, which refuses to introduce in-depth reform of the legislation on the financing of federal political parties even though the existing legislation allows for a wide range of abuses.

With allegations of influence peddling within the Liberal Party and the government appearing in the headlines for over a week now, everyone in Quebec will recognize the importance of this motion.

If I may, to begin with, I will briefly review the facts. Last October 1, following up on a question asked in the House, the Solicitor General of Canada, the minister responsible for the RCMP, stated that he was not aware of an RCMP investigation concerning the fundraising practices in Quebec of the Liberal party of Canada. The Minister of Human Resources Development had to admit publicly, a few minutes later, that he himself had informed the RCMP of the allegations of influence peddling, and that this had been prior to the election call.

In the days that followed, we learned that the Prime Minister, his executive assistant, the President of Treasury Board and the Minister of Public Works were all aware as well of allegations involving a Liberal Party of Canada staffer and an assistant to the President of Treasury Board. In the next few days, will there be anyone left in the Liberal Party and in the government who will not be implicated in this dark story of Liberal Party of Canada fundraising?

We get the impression that we are watching a rerun of what happened to the Conservative Party in connection with influence peddling. Everyone will remember all the influence peddling scandals that surrounded the Conservatives when they were in power. At that time, the Liberals took delight in denouncing them. Now the Liberals find themselves in a similar situation, one that is equally uncomfortable and the morality of which is dubious and then some. Proof of that, the Prime Minister is not embarrassed to admit that his famous, still secret and rather nebulous code of ethics does not apply in this case of alleged influence peddling. This is corroborated by the hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, who is himself responsible for organizing the Liberal Party in Quebec. The latter has even stated that the only code respected by the Liberal Party was the Criminal Code. That is at least some reassurance.

If the government cleaned up the rules regarding the financing of federal political parties, such a situation could not occur. In this House, only the Bloc Quebecois adheres to clear rules for financing, for it has chosen to respect the wishes of Quebeckers on the democratic financing of political parties.

This is the spirit in which the Bloc Quebecois abides by the Quebec Act to govern the financing of political parties. You will recall that the Quebec National Assembly passed this act during the first mandate of the Lévesque government.

According to many observers of the political scene in Quebec, it contributed to cleaning up the financing of political parties and as a result reduced considerably the influence of big corporations on political parties and governments.

Since its arrival in the federal arena, on several occasions the Bloc Quebecois has defended the principle of democratic financing of political parties. Already in 1994, my colleague for Richelieu moved a motion to the effect that only voters be allowed to contribute to political parties. We raised the issue again during the debate on Bill C-63, an act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the federal Referendum Act. It was a good opportunity, you might say a golden opportunity, to review the way federal political parties are financed.

However, every single amendment moved by the Bloc Quebecois in this regard was defeated by the Liberals as well as the Reformers.

I would like to give you some data to illustrate the fundamental difference an act such as the one in Quebec can make. Any given year between 1983 and 1990, 40% of the 500 biggest corporations in Canada and 35% of the 155 biggest financial institutions in Canada made a financial contribution to a federal political party.

Between 1974 and 1990, less than 2% of voters saw fit to contribute to a federal political organization in any one of those years. No need for an extensive analysis to see that, unlike individuals, businesses are very interested in funding federal political parties who flirt with power.

We can easily imagine that the influence of big corporations on the government far exceeds that of citizens. Nobody in this House will be surprised to learn that in 1995, not so long ago, the Liberal Party of Canada collected $7.51 million from businesses: for example, Nesbitt-Burns gave $88,424, Bombardier contributed $62,884 and the Toronto Dominion Bank, who was more restrained, gave a mere $40,234.

Bloc Quebecois members respect the rules prevailing in Quebec. Our party is funded by voters. In 1996 for example, the Bloc Quebecois received $1,159,685 from 17,030 voters; that means an average contribution of $68.08 for my colleagues from the other side who like accuracy so much. In my riding, Laval Centre, 345 individuals gave $19,141.25, for an average contribution of $55.50.

Today, it is with great pride that I thank these men and women who believe in the Bloc Quebecois and who democratically contribute to our party because they believe in democracy. These men and women financially support a party which expresses their hopes and not one which promises proximity to power in exchange for a contribution.

It is easy to see that the Quebec legislation makes place for the citizens by keeping corporations away from political party financing. This contributes highly to a more democratic political life and ensures healthier political practices than those we have seen at the federal level, particularly over the last few weeks.

I am sure you will agree with me: political virginity is very fragile. However, it seems this government is not even interested in restoring its own image. It is too difficult a task evidently. Secrecy has become an institution, with the approval of those who should be protecting democracy.

I regret to say that Canada, this marvellous country, is in very bad shape.

[Petitions, April 24th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, it is with emotion and hope that I lay before this House today a petition signed by more than 37,000 people from Quebec.

This petition strikes a chord with everyone, since it concerns the sexual abuse of children. The petitioners ask Parliament among other things to review and assess the treatments offered to abusers serving their sentences, and to ensure that support is available to sexually abused children and their families.

Violence against children is certainly a significant indication of how healthy society is. We must give ourselves all the tools we need to provide adequate assistance to the victims and their families, and to promote the rehabilitation of those convicted of sexually abusing children. The challenge is as huge as the problem. I think that, by making wise decisions, this Parliament can help reduce violence and its devastating consequences.

[National Organ Donor Week, April 23rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, on February 19, the Act Respecting a National Organ Donor Week in Canada received royal assent.

In this first national week, I would like to honour the families of donors, who, at a particularly distressing time in their lives, agree to give someone they do not know the life that remains after death has struck down someone they hold dear.

I would today like to honour the courage of Hélène Rouleau-Verville of Laval. On the death of her son Alexis at 4 years, 2 months, she had the courage and generosity to rise above her sorrow and anger and give five children a new life.

Hélène, your gesture speaks eloquently and forcefully of your courage.

On behalf of all parents, I thank you.

[Committees Of The House, March 19th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, members of the official opposition would like to vote on the motion.