Robert Bertrand

[Exhibition Of Military Art, November 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, in order to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War I, the Canadian War Museum, in co-operation with the Senate and the House of Commons, is presenting an exhibition of Canadian military art in the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block.

The 19 works by Canadian and foreign artists feature various themes from the two world wars, and depict such things as the actual fighting or the war effort in Canada.

It is entirely appropriate that these treasures from the Canadian War Museum grace the walls in the Hall of Honour, which is itself a tribute to the courageous men and women who gave their lives for peace and freedom.

The Minister of Canadian Heritage invites all members to visit the exhibit, which was officially opened today in the Hall of Honour.

[Quebec Election Campaign, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois must not feel like the odd man out any more. Indeed, over the weekend his colleague from Rimouski—Mitis also stated that a vote for the PQ was a vote for a referendum, but she specified the timeframe.

As for the Quebec Premier, he made himself very clear this weekend when he said anyone who does not share his views does not love Quebec. On November 30, Quebeckers will have an opportunity to let everyone know how much they love Quebec by voting in favour of keeping Quebec within Canada, that is by voting Liberal.

[Election Campaign In Quebec, October 30th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, as the election campaign gets in gear in Quebec, the issues are becoming clearer.

And the leader of the Bloc Quebecois has been a great help in clarifying that a vote for the Parti Quebecois is a vote for a referendum. This probably explains why Parti Quebecois leader Lucien Bouchard raised the sovereignty issue again before a university audience yesterday.

But we think he should know that there are definite benefits to Canadian unity, as compared to the scenarios or tricks to achieve Quebec's independence.

We are also asking him to tell Quebeckers what they should expect the day after Quebec separates from the rest of Canada.

We want him to speak the truth to the people of Quebec. The leader of the Bloc Quebecois recently told us that a vote for the Parti Quebecois is a vote for a referendum.

Either Lucien Bouchard repudiates the Bloc leader and sets the record straight or he tells us the truth about what to expect if Quebec ever separates from the rest of Canada.

Fortunately, Quebec can count on a dynamic Liberal team—

[National Defence, October 29th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the government's position has always been to have a very competent army that was combat capable. That is what we want and that is what we will continue to strive for.

[National Defence, October 29th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, something is not right here. The Leader of the Official Opposition, the hon. member's boss said on February 25, 1998 that Reform's alternative budget plan calls for holding the line on government spending for three years while dedicating the entire budget surplus to lowering the debt and tax relief. Which is it going to be?

[National Defence, October 29th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, in the report tabled yesterday in the House, we made a lot of recommendations in order to improve the living conditions of our armed forces.

What I do not understand with the Reform Party is that, in their famous report, they wanted to cut $1 billion from the national defence budget and here they are today telling us to increase spending.

[National Defence, October 29th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I do not understand the comments from the member across the way. Everybody knows we tabled our report yesterday in the House of Commons. The—

[National Defence, October 29th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Department of National Defence, like all other government departments, has experienced significant budget reductions throughout this decade as a result of the government's commitment to fiscal restraint.

These reductions have had an impact on all budgets within the department, including that of land forces. This has meant that all elements of the Canadian forces and the department have faced significant funding pressures and have been required to reduce expenditures to match available funding.

As part of the overall resource planning process within the department, we aim to achieve a better balance between programs and resources.

[National Defence, October 29th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, even if the cause of the crash is not known, there is no positive evidence to support a finding of any systematic failure in the Labrador fleet.

The responsibility to provide Canadians with effective search and rescue and the need for our air crews to maintain their skills is at a safe level.

[National Defence, October 29th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of our aircraft and our crews as well as the safety of Canadians is our utmost concern.

We will not fly unsafe aircraft. Air crews will not be forced to fly the Labrador. We are sensitive to their concerns. If personnel are not comfortable with flying the Labrador helicopters, they will not be forced to do so.

We are developing plans to bring in substitute crews if necessary to conduct the missions of any search and rescue squadrons whose crews are anxious about flying the Labrador.