Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais

[National Unity, October 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, Quebecers have spoken. Yesterday, they democratically chose to stay in Canada.

This referendum, the second in 15 years, clearly shows that Canada is still Quebecers' first choice. Obviously, given the numbers, there is no reason for anyone to go around bragging. Nevertheless, yesterday's vote is confirmation that Quebec does not want to separate from Canada.

In the coming weeks and months, people from all over the country, and particularly from Quebec, will ask for a Canada that better reflects who we are.

Last Sunday, in Hull, the Prime Minister said that we must never take our country for granted. We took heed of that message and we are determined to do everything to ensure the best possible future for our country.

[National Unity, October 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my statement today is that of millions of Canadians across this country. It is as follows:

O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

[Tourism Industry, October 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of Industry briefly mention the main initiatives he has undertaken, since the announcement, last February, of the establishment of the Canadian tourism commission, and could he also give us some details on the impact that these initiatives have, and will have, on the tourism industry and on the Canadian economy?

[Referendum Campaign, October 26th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, in his address to the nation yesterday, the Prime Minister of Canada reiterated his commitment to bring about the changes Quebecers want.

He said, and I quote: "We must recognize that Quebec's language, its culture and institutions make it a distinct society. And no constitutional change that affects the powers of Quebec should ever be made without the consent of Quebecers".

This commitment by the Prime Minister of Canada is consistent with the No side's desire to be open and to effect change. This is a serious commitment, which opens up the most challenging prospects for Quebec and Canada the day after a No vote.

[Agriculture And Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act, October 26th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am indeed delighted to have the opportunity to address this House on the subject of Bill C-61, as I represent a region where agriculture is fundamental, where it is one of the underlying sectors of the economy.

I would first like to congratulate the minister and all the members of the House standing committee, who studied the bill and have proposed amendments.

I think Bill C-61 is further proof that our government has paid heed, throughout this 35th Parliament, to all that Canadians from coast to coast have said about the need for the various levels of government and the different departments to manage time and money more effectively.

When producers have less bureaucracy to deal with and less of an investment in time to make the result is a lower product cost; the financial benefits they reap are passed on to food product consumers. In the end, less bureaucracy and less time invested for producers means a lower product cost, which consumers also enjoy.

However, when we look at Bill C-61, we note that all the measures to protect Canadian consumers are still there, along with the added protection afforded by the effective action of departmental officials.

This additional protection for all those who violate the various agriculture-related bills will make it possible to adjust their penalties immediately.

And I also think we will save money if we transfer all these penalties with the possibility of an appeal before a quasi-judicial tribunal. In this way we are saving both time and the taxpayers' money the federal government would otherwise spend to bring all these violators before the courts. The violators themselves may not have to appear in court, but we all know about legal fees and what it costs to be represented in court. What is particularly important in this bill, as in other bills and measures initiated by our government in the past two years, is that it will make our economy, our bureaucracy and our judicial system more efficient.

I think that is what I see as the central focus of all bills on agriculture, because that is what Canadians from coast to coast have asked us to do, and we acted accordingly. We did this in a number of departments. I want to commend the Minister of Agriculture for having the foresight to make changes in these bills so that we can be more efficient.

According to the text of the bill and the proposed amendments, the bill will allow the imposition of penalties through an administrative process, in addition to the criminal sentences authorized by law. The department's officials will be able to set penalties of up to $15,000, based on various criteria provided in the form of tables in the regulations.

It is also worth mentioning that all consultations with the agricultural sector were held before the bill was prepared. When a governments acts in good faith, all the people involved in the bill appreciate the various consultation mechanisms we set up and support the various options we provide. The bill also provides for a reduction of the penalty when the offender pays it within the time limit without challenging it or demanding a hearing to reduce it.

This is another measure that will allow all stakeholders, including governments, producers and those who market agri-food products across the country, to become more effective and efficient and to benefit from large scale savings.

In fact, the industry supports the consulting process and the work done by the standing committee on this bill because we indeed have the effective enforcement of Canadian standards, especially with respect to imported products.

Regarding the importation of agri-food products into our country and the time required to process offenders through the judicial system, we can take measures on site to discipline these offenders

under the threat of monetary penalties. We can provide even greater, almost immediate protection for Canadian consumers.

When I look at the various aspects of this bill and of some amendments put forward by the standing committee, I think that our government has taken a giant step in assuming its responsibilities toward our agricultural industry and toward Canadian consumers. I have no hesitation in supporting this bill and the amendments proposed by the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

[Small Business Loans Act, October 25th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks. Bill C-99 is obviously another example of the way our country is constantly changing. The government cannot create employment as such, but we have a responsibility to create a suitable environment for the development of small and medium size business in Canada, right across the country, from Atlantic to Pacific.

I consider the bill to be a responsible way to meet our obligations to the people of Canada, including the people of Quebec.

[English]

[Small Business Loans Act, October 25th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased with the question put forward by the hon. member. Notice that the question is consistent with the third party policy of double talk. I have been here for the last two years and I have listened to the hon. member and his colleagues from the third party in this House talk about the fact that businesses in Atlantic Canada were receiving grants here, there and everywhere.

I am talking today about the federal government taking its responsibility toward the small and medium size businesses throughout this country. We are making sure that as responsible politicians, as a responsible government, we can provide the right environment and opportunities from coast to coast to coast for small businesses to create jobs, to look forward to competition and to make sure they can get ahead and increase exports. The member is saying that we do not know what we are doing.

On the one hand Reform Party members are saying to cut grants, cut everything, to even cut health care. Now they rise in this House to say it is not proper for us to make sure there is security for small businesses to have access to capital and on the same wavelength to have access to exporting their technology.

For nine years I have heard political questions in the New Brunswick legislature and in the House of Commons, but I have never heard double talk to this measure from an hon. member.

[Small Business Loans Act, October 25th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to speak to the House today regarding Bill C-99, an act to amend the Small Business Loans Act.

This is a very important bill, because the program administered under the Small Business Loans Act has an impact on the Canadian economy. The amendments before the House today, which are part of an ongoing process aimed at reinforcing the Small Business Loans Program and making it sustainable, will help improve the climate in a sector that today generates the strongest economic growth and increase in employment in Canada, and I am referring to small business.

It is common knowledge that small businesses have become a major moving force in the Canadian economy. During the past 20 years, we have seen a remarkable increase in the number of new small businesses in Canada. That small businesses are so important is borne out by the fact that in 1991 Canada had, if we include self-employed workers, more than two million small businesses with fewer than 100 employees, an increase of 50 per cent over 1981.

Small businesses today, many of which are dynamic innovators, will help to define the future development of the Canadian economy. In fact, according to the statistics, Canada increasingly relies on the growth of small businesses to create jobs, diversify economic activities and compete effectively on global markets.

Small business has a profound impact on the Canadian economy and will remain the main source of economic growth and job creation.

That is why the present government's main priorities include ensuring that the small business sector is healthy and prosperous.

Take, for instance, the issue of access to adequate financing. As the government was told repeatedly by members of the industry committee, the ability to obtain financing by contracting loans is extremely important for small businesses. Lack of adequate financing will restrict the growth of small businesses and jeopardize the future prosperity of this country. That is why the government passed a bill that will enable the Federal Business Development Bank, once it has been restructured, to improve its response to the needs of small businesses. As a result of changes introduced by the government, the bank will be in a better position to finance innovative small businesses in the new economy.

The amendments to the Small Business Loans Act before us today were drafted in the same spirit as the changes giving a new impetus to the Business Development Bank of Canada. In both

cases, the underlying motive is the same: providing an appropriate policy framework that supports the development and prosperity of Canadian small businesses from coast to coast.

Given its broad scope for action and implementation under the act, the small business loan guarantee program plays a large role in the launching of small businesses and in other aspects of their operations across Canada. It also has an impact on similar Canadian programs.

The difficulties experienced by small businesses in securing loans on reasonable terms have been described in great detail in recent years. The extensive consultations held with representatives of both borrowers and lenders during the drafting of Bill C-99 showed that most stakeholders are concerned mainly about access to financing and not so much about its cost. As far as access to financing is concerned, both borrowers and lenders confirmed the usefulness of the small business loan program as administered under the act.

They recognized that the program was especially helpful in times of economic slowdown. With the exception of farms, religious businesses and charities, Canadian based businesses with annual revenues of $5 million or less may apply for loans under this act.

Almost every small business operating in Canada can now get a loan under the program. Loans made under the act are approved by private sector lenders and guaranteed by the Government of Canada. Loans can be as high as $250,000 but in the past most loans were for less than $50,000.

The small business loans program is an important tool to encourage lenders to provide access to debt financing for high risk small businesses, including those which find themselves in one of the following situations: they wish to borrow a small amount or obtain a start up loan; the goods that they must provide as collateral are inadequate or insufficient; they wish to obtain funds to buy new technologies or specialized material; they are active in sectors which are generally considered more risky, such as tourism, retail sales or services; they are not located in urban centres, or they are in regions which are not major economic activity centres.

Clearly, the small business loans program is important to small businesses. Since 1961, when the act came into effect, over 420,000 loans amounting to more than $15.5 billion were extended to small businesses.

Given the importance of the loan program run under the act, it was a real concern when its annual deficit increased to the point where it might have exceeded $100 billion per year. Some measures had to be taken, and they were taken. Again, this shows how the program has constantly evolved, thanks to the Canadian government's ability to implement the necessary changes.

Two major changes were made to the program on April 1, 1995. An annual fee of 1.25 per cent is now collected from each lender, on the average outstanding balance of loans granted after March 31, 1995. The maximum yearly rate which a lender can set under the program was increased by 1.25 per cent, making it equivalent to the prime rate plus 3 per cent for floating rate loans, and equivalent to the residential mortgage rate plus 3 per cent for fixed rate loans. Thanks to these changes, which will be followed by those proposed in the bill before the House, the program will be completely self financing and can therefore be maintained.

Future access to the loan program by small businesses is now basically guaranteed, but the changes included in Bill C-99 are necessary to complete the process. The bill will make it possible to complete the transition to full cost recovery and to improve the mechanisms of the program relating to borrowers and institutions making small loans.

Among other things, the bill will accelerate the coming into force of the reduction from 90 per cent to 85 per cent in the amount of the state's loan guarantee under the act; authorize the making of regulations for setting processing fees; authorize the making of a regulation on the release of securities and personal guarantees accepted by lenders against repayment of small business loans under the act.

It will also serve to improve the situation of institutions making small loans, from the point of view of applications involving guarantees; to ensure that the small businesses loans program can be adapted more promptly to changes in the program and in the economy, by allowing readjustments in the proportions of the guarantee via regulation rather than legislation.

The government is clear in its intent to support small business, which it considers the motor of Canada's economic growth. It has been pointed out to the government on numerous occasions that the best way of helping business, whether small or big, was to control the deficit. The modifications to the Small Business Loans Act are obviously proposed with this in mind.

Thanks to the introduction of a mechanism for users' fees, this program will no longer add to the federal deficit. I would like to take this opportunity to again point out the particularly pleasing fact that transition to full cost recovery has received unanimous support from all interested parties consulted during the drafting of Bill C-99, lenders and borrowers alike.

Bill C-99 will be the end point in a process which will allow a program that is already a nationwide success to continue that success. The amendments will ensure that the Small Business Loans Act remains an important mechanism for implementing government policy in order to foster the growth of small business across this great land of Canada. These amendments merit the full assent of the House of Commons.

[National Unity, October 25th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the No side held a very important rally in Verdun. A large number of people came to hear the leaders of the No side talk about Canada's future after the referendum.

These thousands of Quebecers were elated to hear their leaders reaffirm their profound attachment to Canada, as well as their confidence regarding our country's future.

Canada is in constant evolution. Voting No in the referendum will allow that evolution to continue in light of what Quebec and the other provinces are calling for. However, voting Yes would mean the breakup and the end of Canada. But Quebecers do not want that and they will vote No.

[Quebec Referendum, October 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, with the referendum coming very soon, I want to quote a statement which, in my opinion, reflects what a majority of Quebecers think of Canada.

The quote is as follows: "I am among those who believe that Canada is not exclusively about failures. We did not live together for 125 years only to make mistakes. One of the great Canadian achievements is that we have cared about the poor and that we have tried to share our wealth. We set up social programs which are among the best in the world, and that must be preserved".

That very pro-federalist statement was made by none other than the Bloc Quebecois leader, on June 18, 1993.

Quebecers are well aware of the merits and benefits of Canada. On October 30, they will choose to remain a part of that country by voting no.