Robert Bertrand

[Bloc Quebecois, February 12th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Bloc Quebecois falsely claimed that the federal government has been unfairly collecting taxes in Quebec since 1986, to the tune of 75 to 100 million dollars per year.

The Bloc's claim was based on an old federal-provincial agreement concerning a tax abatement and a 3 per cent surtax that Quebec taxpayers had to pay when calculating the provincial tax abatement.

This alleged new injustice to Quebec by the Canadian government never took place. In fact, it is the Bloc members' little cousins in the PQ government who set the record straight for them.

Now that the truth has come out regarding this issue, the authors of the phoney report should explain to the public why, six days after that gross mistake was uncovered, they have yet to make a public apology.

[Liberal Party Of Canada, February 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Denis Coderre was officially nominated as the Liberal candidate for the riding of Bourassa in the next federal election.

With the vast majority of the social and cultural associations in his riding behind him, the new Liberal candidate for Bourassa can also count on the formal support of the three provincial Liberal members from his riding.

Joining him on the stage, Yvon Charbonneau, Jean-Claude Gobé and Marcel Parent made a strong plea for unity within Liberal ranks.

Mr. Charbonneau said that the provincial Liberals were fighting the same battle as the federal Liberals to get rid of the Bloc Quebecois.

Our pre-election campaign is under way in Quebec, and we will wage a relentless battle against those who have nothing better to propose than the separation of Quebec and the breakup of Canada.

[Supply, February 7th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I was saying that, on this side of the House, we are anxiously awaiting the final report of the inquiry in order to implement its conclusions.

[Supply, February 7th, 1997]

It is a comment, Mr. Speaker.

[Supply, February 7th, 1997]

Exactly, I listened, and I understood.

If I may, I would like to make a few comments. It is true that the Somalia inquiry is looking into a very complex matter, the events that occurred in Somalia, what happened before the troops were sent over, and what happened afterward, of course.

We have always respected the inquiry's independence, and the government has never commented on what ought to be looked into by the Somalia inquiry, nor on the testimony given to it. Its mandate was extended until the end of June 1997, which means that it will have sat more than two years.

If, for internal reasons, the commission wants to hear testimony which reflects the opposition's concerns, it is free to do so. We are anxiously awaiting the final report in order to-

[Supply, February 7th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened to my colleague, the hon. member for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, with great interest.

[Microcredit, February 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Cooperation and Francophonie.

Last weekend, a microcredit summit was held in Washington. Could the minister explain what Canada is doing in this respect and how microcredit can help developing countries?

[Violence Against Women, December 6th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, every year, the memories of the death of the Polytechnique students remind us of how blind and insidious violence is. Every year, the memory of their deaths reminds us that we are all both victims and accomplices to such violence.

Victims, because violence is beginning to rule our lives and shape our behaviour. Accomplices, because of our silence, our lack of courage to speak out against it, and our reluctance to take steps to fight it.

More than ever before, we must join together against this violence. On behalf of the victims and their families, I am making an urgent appeal to Conservative and Reform members to give up their pro-firearm lobbying and to support our gun control bill.

[Statistics Canada, December 2nd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada is in the process of changing the data collection program it uses to prepare its monthly unemployment figures.

The existing procedure has not been changed in over 20 years and no longer provides a true picture of the new labour market reality. As we all know, the labour market has undergone significant changes in recent years. New categories of employment and employees were created, and these major transformations are thought to be just the beginning.

The decision made by Statistics Canada will have a very positive impact on all Canadian workers. The various categories of unemployed people will be better defined and more precise. The various levels of government and other stakeholders in the labour sector will be better equipped to develop more focused services and strategies.

[Candu Reactors, November 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's efforts during Team Canada's Asian trip in 1994 have finally enabled Canada to sell two Candu nuclear reactors to China.

Would the Secretary of State responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec tell us what economic benefits Quebec can expect from the signing of this major contract?