Martin Cauchon

[Ice Storm Assistance, March 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I think that Bloc Quebecois members should wake up and smell the coffee.

I will be in the affected area on Friday. I will have an opportunity to meet with my partners, those with whom we worked to put this program together for the very reason that they asked us to help, because the Government of Quebec wanted to politicize this issue, which is critical to the business community.

So, on Friday, if there are any changes, it will be because my partners have requested them, so that the program can be tailored to the reality of the situation, and not at the behest of the Bloc Quebecois, which unfortunately is once again trying to politicize an issue.

[Ice Storm Assistance, March 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the House will recall that, when we announced the ice storm assistance program, it was in response to a request from the business community.

The program was put together with the help of representatives of chambers of commerce. If members visit the affected areas right now, the business people will confirm that covering fixed costs would meet the greater part of the business community's needs.

The important thing to realize is that there is a shortfall of 50% for this program, and that this 50% must come from the Government of Quebec, which is still refusing to take part in a program worked out with the business community.

[Assistance To Businesses Affected By Ice Storm, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to listen to my colleague, because things are going smoothly with respect to the disaster assistance program to which the Canadian government contributes up to 90%.

We are, however, asking for a 50% contribution from the Government of Quebec for our program of assistance to SMBs. It still refuses to take action and that is where pressure is required. My colleague should devote his energy to putting pressure on the Government of Quebec for that 50%.

[Assistance To Businesses Affected By Ice Storm, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the House will recall that the reason my colleague, the President of the Treasury Board, and I were forced to take unilateral action was because the Government of Quebec refused to take action and to co-operate. They wanted to drag things out and use the issue for political ends, but we would not go along.

I am proud to say today that, with the assistance of chamber of commerce representatives, we put together a program that meets their demands, which is to say it covers fixed costs. It is an innovative program delivered by 3,200 points of service and I will be giving an update on this program next Friday.

[Air Transportation, March 16th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, concerning Mirabel Airport, a commission has indeed been set up.

What we have said in this connection is that the Government of Canada would participate when information or documents were requested. Although the Government of Canada is not a presence as far as a seat on the commission is concerned, it will participate when information is requested.

That said, it must also be understood that Aéroports de Montréal has worked toward the creation of a development plan for the Montreal airports, Mirabel in particular. The plan in question addressed freight, vacation charters and also focusses on—

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

Madam Speaker, what is interesting about the members of the Bloc Quebecois is that, when they are told the truth in a very rational way, they themselves become irrational. You just saw my colleague opposite; he really seemed to be at a loss for words.

In fact, that is typical of the reaction members of the Bloc have each time my colleague, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, speaks very calmly and very rationally about fundamental issues. Unable to respond to these sound arguments, the members opposite become completely irrational.

However, the member made an interesting point. I want all Canadians to understand, particularly in Quebec, that the Canadian government is indeed involved in the areas of post-secondary education, health, assistance to student and welfare through the Canada health and social transfer, which was reformed when we came to power in 1993. This transfer allows us to maintain a good standard of living everywhere in Canada.

Furthermore, it is interesting to see that, the more we tell the truth, the more the members opposite raise their voices. It is also important to note that, when we were re-elected last year, one of the first things we did was to increase the CHST, to increase transfers to the provinces following a request that was made to that effect.

We have been hearing nasty things from the opposition. If the members of the Bloc are serious and they are really making this a jurisdictional battle, based on what I said earlier, the foundation could be expected to use the channels already put in place by the province of Quebec for student loans—which means that it would respect Quebec's jurisdiction.

Why then are they so upset? Only because they do not want to have a federal presence in Quebec. When people see the benefits of the federal presence in Quebec, it threatens the Bloc's wonderful dream of separation, which is not shared by all Quebeckers.

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

No, thank God, it is not contagious. It is not a contagious disease in the sense that the type of nationalism they have developed is not shared by everyone in the province of Quebec. Theirs is basically a doctrinaire nationalism intent on getting Quebec to break away.

This nationalism is ultimately designed to divide, divide the country and divide the Quebec people among themselves, which is an aberration. On the other hand, the type of nationalism that we on our side advocate is one which includes all Quebeckers and is designed to ensure that it can have an impact both domestically, within the Canadian federation, and internationally.

I will conclude, as I can see that time is quickly running out. The issue of national testing was raised. There again, I think they cannot distinguish between facts and their dreams, aspirations and even fantasies. All they are trying to do is to make sure the system does not work. The Canadian government is blamed left and right for all that is going wrong in the world.

In education, regarding national testing, we do not want to establish national tests. That is a totally false statement. We want to accentuate co-operation between the provinces in developing tools of comparison, which will contribute not to standardizing but to adjusting their education systems, ultimately to provide better education for their students, who are the next generations.

In closing, I think that, with respect to the Canada millennium scholarship fund in particular, the Canadian government has done an outstanding job. The work accomplished by my colleague, the Minister of Human Resources Development, who is meeting today with his provincial counterparts, is also praiseworthy as it is designed to strengthen the Canadian social union, and this is a fine effort.

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

The answer is very simple.

Earlier, someone spoke about a contagious disease spreading on this side of the House. I must say that, across the aisle, in particular amongst Bloc members, an illness is also spreading—

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to mention to the House that the agency of which I am responsible is no longer known as the Federal Office of Regional Development—Quebec, but as the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions Agency.

I am pleased to rise today to speak to the motion brought forward by our colleagues from the Bloc, a motion which, once again, if one analyses it—and it need not be a thorough analysis—is designed essentially to deceive the people of Quebec and to launch a constitutional debate on a fundamental issue. Moreover, the Bloc wants to do that at the expense of future generations, of students who, tomorrow, will form the Canadian society that we are building today.

This motion talks about the Canadian millennium scholarship fund as well as national testing in education. Let us begin with the Canadian millennium scholarship fund.

I think that not only is the government making a noble effort, but its vision is also extremely noble. On the eve of the next millennium, we had the opportunity to invest in infrastructure projects, which are strictly brick and mortar projects. It is not that these projects are not important, but we also had the opportunity to invest in future generations to ensure that Canada can enter the 21st century with pride, knowing that our young people are well equipped to face the new challenges that lie ahead.

These challenges are legion. First of all, we have to prepare our young people and give them the tools they need to compete in the knowledge based economy. Secondly, there is the issue of globalization. Obviously, this is no longer a utopian concept, no longer hypothetical. Globalization has come to our society, to all of our communities. Whether we live in the regions or in large urban centres, we must all position ourselves to face the new realities.

When we talk about the millennium scholarship fund, we talk basically about a vision, about giving our young people the tools they need to deal with the new realities of the 21st century.

Similarly, the strategy outlined in the budget of my colleague, the Minister of Finance, is aimed at giving all Canadians equal opportunities and access to continuing education.

We are taking measures to support the provinces. As we know, education is a provincial jurisdiction and the budget measures are intended to support the provinces in areas related to education but which also come under the responsibility of the federal government. We want all Canadians to benefit from the educational resources made available to them by all the provinces, including Quebec.

Members across the way say that the millennium scholarship fund is an intrusion in an area of provincial jurisdiction. Let us take a closer look at this fund.

The purpose of the fund, which amounts to $2.5 billion over 10 years, is to enhance learning opportunities. Each year, some 100,000 Canadians will benefit from this fund and enjoy better access to post-secondary education.

An equally important aspect is the fact that the government has set up the fund so as to promote co-operation with the provinces and avoid any form of duplication. What does that mean? It means that basically we have created an independent foundation based on partnership. The members of this foundation will come from all walks of life. The mandate given to them by the government is to hold consultations.

They will, of course, consult the private sector, the academic community and above all the student population, which is the most directly concerned.

Members who say that the foundation will be encroaching on provincial jurisdictions do not know what they are talking about, for, at this time, the plans call for a foundation whose board of directors will hold consultations and establish procedures based on rules which have yet to be defined.

Another important fact is that the mandate of the foundation gives it enough flexibility to conclude agreements with the provinces. This means that ultimately the foundation could use all the channels put in place by the provinces.

Let us take Quebec, for example. If memory serves, the province opted out in 1964 and implemented its own scholarships program. Since then, it has added a process for analyzing students' needs.

The way the foundation is set up, it could use the channels put in place by Quebec to avoid any duplication.

My question is very simple. If, as a Bloc member just mentioned, they do not mind seeing Canadian flags in Quebec, I wonder why they are making such a fuss about the fund, given that its operation will fully respect Quebec's jurisdiction, particularly if it uses the existing channels.

[Regional Development, March 11th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, as you are well aware, this government plays a role in regional economic development. It does so through Canada Economic Development, with the emphasis on assistance to small and medium-size businesses. It helps regions take advantage of the era of globalization.

The question raised by the opposition member has to do with the acquisition of businesses or essentially transactions in which the government cannot intervene, particularly through Canada Economic Development.

Obviously, we are concerned about the situation, but the fact remains that Canada Economic Development cannot intervene. We will, however, be following developments closely.