House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 45% of the vote.
The Volunteer Sector November 4th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Co-operation and Minister responsible for Francophonie.
Given the previous commitments made by the government, and in the context of budget cuts, what is the Canadian government doing to strengthen links with the volunteer sector?
Navcanada November 1st, 1996
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the exceptional spirit of partnership between representatives of private enterprise and labour, the air traffic navigation and control system is being handed over today to NavCanada.
This new private non-profit corporation, which owes its existence to our government, paid $1.5 billion to take over ownership of Canada's air traffic control system.
The appearance of NavCanada will make possible improved safety in air transportation, since the Department of Transport will now oversee the work of a private enterprise, instead of its own work, as was previously the case.
The 6,200 federal government employees will keep their jobs, but as of this morning are employed by the private sector. This is another fine example of the economic possibilities offered by partnership between private enterprise, workers and the government.
Bloc Quebecois Leader October 31st, 1996
Mr. Speaker, every year, Halloween brings us its procession of ghosts, witches and monsters. Yesterday, the separatist cemetery released a most troubling apparition: the former grand sorcerer Parizeau came back from the grave to haunt his successor, whom he accused of being too timid about promoting sovereignty.
As soon as he saw the ghost of his master appear on the horizon, the little goblin from Roberval, like a frightened child, rushed to point his finger at his ex-leader Lucien Bouchard, stating: "I am not the one who does not talk any more about sovereignty".
The Leader of the Bloc Quebecois would be hard pressed to hide his true colours now that we have seen through his disguise. At the next election, the leader of the Bloc will go back to sit on Jacques Parizeau's right, in the cemetery for defeated separatists.
The Senate October 30th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I think the motion submitted by my colleague, the member for Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup, should be rejected.
However, I will not criticize it too harshly because I would not want to curtail the new enthusiasm of the member for the renewal of our federation. I would like to tell the member that, even tough I cannot approve the substance of the motion, I agree wholeheartedly with the intention behind it.
I can easily understand why my colleague from the official opposition believes it is worthwhile to renew the country. I am happy that he would make such efforts to represent the majority of Quebecers who support the renewal of our federation.
A poll conducted last March for CBC and Radio-Canada showed that 60 per cent of Quebecers believe that premier Bouchard should work hand in hand with the federal government and the other provinces towards renewing the federation.
Why is it that a majority of Quebecers believe that Canada is worth renewing? Because, year after year, the United Nations rank Canada as the first country in the world as far as quality of life is concerned and fifth among advanced countries for per capita income.
For the past 30 years, from 1960 to 1990, Canada has been second among the G-7 countries in the area of economic growth.
For three years now, Canada has had the second lowest inflation rate among the G-7 countries. Our inflation rate is lower than those of France, Germany and the United States.
Since the election of the Liberal government in 1993, the overall unemployment rate has decreased and at least 650,000 new jobs have been created.
The GDP shows that Canada's financial situation is improving more rapidly than that of other G-7 countries. In 1997, Canada will have the lowest total deficit to GDP ratio of all the G-7 countries. It will be lower than the one in France, in the United States and in Germany.
Canada has the reputation internationally of being a tolerant and open country, which makes all of us very proud. Canadians are recognized all over the world for their commitment toward the values of justice, compassion and solidarity.
As the French Minister of Culture indicated last May: "Canada is an example of successful answers to questions that are being asked in each of our societies".
However, I do not mean by that that we should be complacent, far from it. In response to the desire expressed by Quebecers and other Canadians for the renewal and modernization of the federation, the Government of Canada has undertaken a wide series of initiatives. These initiatives will ensure us that the federal system will operate at its full capacity, thus allowing us to face the future challenges with much confidence.
We have a firm renewal plan for the country and we are on the right track regarding our plans.
Within the Liberal plan for the renewal of the federation, we are working toward a more effective balance of roles and responsibilities between the federal government and the provinces. At the premiers' meeting last June, our initiatives were well received by the great majority of provincial premiers and, in some cases, they were approved unanimously. Provincial premiers took action to follow up on these initiatives during the annual conference of provincial premiers in Jasper.
We proposed to transfer the responsibility of all active employment measures funded by the employment insurance fund to the provinces, which, in many cases, want a greater control over manpower development. This provides the provinces the opportunity to manage the some $2 billion that the federal government spends each year on employment assistance measures. This means that, if they so wish, the provinces will be free to implement their own programs in areas such as wage subsidies, job counselling and placement.
Our government is also willing to withdraw from mining and forestry development, thus allowing the provinces to develop their own programs in these sectors of activity, according to their priorities and to local needs. We also propose to transfer the administrative authority over social housing to the provinces, as well as the $1.9 billion used to fund this sector.
Last May, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, including the Quebec Minister, decided to work toward a detailed multilateral umbrella agreement between the government of Canada and the provincial ministers of the environment. That agreement was to ensure a healthier environment for Canadians. A better clarification of the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved would help to reduce the operational costs of the private sector. Lower costs for the companies would not only ensure better protection for our environment, but would also mean more money for these companies to create jobs.
We are not only focusing on national issues. We are also trying to meet the specific needs of each and every one of the provinces.
For instance, in the weeks following the conference of the first ministers, the federal government and the government of British Columbia signed an agreement on a very important issue for many residents of that province. Both governments agreed to a detailed bilateral review of the roles and responsibilities of the federal and provincial governments in the management of the Pacific salmon fishery. Recently, the premier of British Columbia said that significant progress had been made and that the Prime Minister of Canada was to be praised for his contribution to this issue.
All the initiatives I mentioned stem from our willingness to build a much more efficient federation. However, efficiency cannot in itself renew our federation. A modern federation needs to be flexible. And I am glad to say that we have also made progress in that direction.
The Canada health and social transfer is a good example. Provinces used to receive federal transfers for social assistance under the Canada Assistance Plan and funding for health and post-secondary education under Established Programs Financing. These programs were subject to complex rules that determined, for example, which expenditures were eligible to a share of public assistance. In summary, the whole system was quite cumbersome.
This is why, last April, the federal government replaced these two different types of transfer by a block fund called the Canada health and social transfer.
This fund will give more leeway to provinces in the design and implementation of their social programs.
Moreover, we have made a commitment to provide stable and predictable financing into the next century. The new transfer will help provinces plan health, welfare, and post-secondary education in an orderly fashion.
We are making these moves to renew the Canadian federation in order to meet the expectations of the vast majority of Quebecers and other Canadians who want their federal, provincial and local governments to work in a spirit of co-operation to meet the challenges of the next century.
With these comments, I congratulate the hon. member for Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup on his efforts to renew our federation. I hope his attitude will prove contagious with his colleagues in the official opposition.
Asbestos October 29th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources.
In July, France announced an almost total ban on asbestos, as of January 1, 1997. What does the government do to protect the jobs of workers in Quebec's asbestos mines?
Liberal Party October 28th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Liberal delegates from across the country met over the weekend to discuss their party's platform in the next election campaign.
They passed resolutions on job creation, youth, child poverty, health, social security, pensions, the environment, safety, aboriginal people, citizenship and immigration, to name but a few.
The federal Liberals have reaffirmed their deep commitment to the values of social solidarity, sharing and tolerance.
As the Prime Minister told the delegates in his speech at the convention, the Liberal Party is a party of the center. The Liberal vision of Canada is one of justice, equality and responsibility. And it is this positive and dynamic vision that we will be proposing to the voters in the next election.
The Leader Of The Bloc Quebecois October 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, as was to be expected, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois was quick to trot out his old separatist arguments in reaction to the speech delivered yesterday by our Prime Minister in Montreal.
The Bloc Quebecois has painted itself into such a tight ideological corner that it is losing sight of what is important, as was again brought home to us yesterday by the comments of its leader. Montreal, first and foremost, and Quebec as a whole are being crushed under the weight of the separatist threat. We all have a huge uphill battle ahead of us to put Montreal and Quebec back on the road to prosperity.
It is certainly not by blaming others for the political instability of Quebec that the leader of the Bloc Quebecois will help Lucien Bouchard, on the eve of the socio-economic summit, to convince his partners that sovereignists are acting in good faith.
High Technology October 4th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform you that the Canadian government has just announced the creation of a new service to encourage the economic development of Quebec in the high tech sector.
This was announced yesterday by the Minister of Industry. The partners for investment in Canada bureau will focus on identifying foreign investors and encouraging them to come to Canada and Quebec.
The categories of investment being sought by the members of this bureau will vary from province to province. We already know that pharmaceuticals, aerospace, biotechnology and telecommunications will be given priority in Quebec.
In announcing this new initiative, the Government of Canada is once again confirming its determination to actively encourage the creation of more jobs and a strong economy with development potential for the future of Canada and Quebec.
The Bloc Quebecois October 1st, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Quebec's history and political tradition have provided few opportunities for a consensus as strong as the one recently reached regarding the issues of employment and economic recovery.
All of Quebec's stakeholders in the socio-economic and political fields share these two objectives. All, except the Bloc Quebecois.
Believe it or not, the party's general council just adopted a plan of action which seeks two objectives: "To allow the Bouchard government to spend most of its energy on the economy", while the Bloc will "tend the flame of sovereignty".
The Bloc Quebecois has just demonstrated that it does not give a hoot about the economic problems of Quebecers. The only priorities of its members are to get re-elected and to achieve separation.
The Leader Of The Bloc Quebecois September 30th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, collectors of historical and precious statements will surely gobble up some of the comments made by the Bloc leader at the general assembly of his party this past weekend in the Quebec region.
In his speech on Saturday, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois accused the Prime Minister of having forced Canada back into the constitutional debate on five occasions during the past year.
How can the leader of the Bloc make such a claim with a straight face, when everyone on this earth knows that the constitutional debate was revived by the election of the PQ and the referendum it organized on Quebec independence?
Can someone here please tell us where the hon. member for Roberval has been these past 24 months?