Fred Mifflin

[Veterans, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset I would like to thank all those who were instrumental in helping Bill C-61 with very fast passage last week.

With respect to the merchant navy veterans and their situation, the hon. member is right. They will be coming before the parliamentary committee in the near future. I am delighted this is happening. I am delighted that parliamentary processes kicked in.

When the parliamentary committee is finished with its work, it will pass it on to us and we will treat it so that it will be reported to the House in due course.

[Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, March 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I would invite the hon. member to have a closer look at these figures.

Basically the ACOA program is made up of a core program and a non-core program. The money that he is talking about is essentially the sunsetting of some TAGS programs and other programs such as the infrastructure program. We have also saved over $3 million in running the organization. I think that is pretty good.

[Employment, March 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member made remarks about the textile industry in New Brunswick. He has to understand that while there are some hit and misses with the system, basically we have been very successful.

I have to tell the hon. member that in the province of New Brunswick in the last decade the textile industry has increased five times, going from $60 million to $300 million. That is a success.

[Veterans Affairs, February 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised at the hon. member's statement because after the announcement was made on December 11 I called some of the proponents who said they were delighted. They said it was not the money, that it was the principle of the thing.

Notwithstanding that, a few weeks ago when he was in Germany the Prime Minister, as a result of the initiative taken by this government to provide compensation to the Buchenwald veterans, discussed this with the Chancellor of Germany. Mr. Schroeder said that he would be looking into the issue to see what follow-up action could be taken.

[Shearwater Development Corporation, February 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, there is no need for an investigation. The money was spent to keep the airport open. As the delivery agency, ACOA accounted for the money. Due diligence was done. Everything was done properly. There is no need for an investigation. There will be no investigation.

[Shearwater Development Corporation, February 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as I said a week or so ago, the Shearwater Development Corporation was put together to ameliorate the effect of the downsizing of Shearwater. Cornwallis did very well by the way.

The question was, where did the money go. The money went to keep the airport operating. The airport was still operating and the assets are still there.

Regrettably Shearwater Development Corporation is not in business any more. The future of the property and indeed the airport is now between the Government of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada through public works and government services.

[Railway Safety Act, February 1st, 1999]

moved that Bill C-58, an act to amend the Railway Safety Act and to make a consequential amendment to another act, be read the third time and passed.

[Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, February 1st, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has his facts half right and half wrong.

What ACOA did was to ameliorate in Atlantic Canada areas in which the defence department reduced its infrastructure in Shearwater as well as in Cornwallis and other areas. ACOA took great interest in developing the management agency as it did in Argentia and in other parts of Atlantic Canada.

We worked with the management association, the management organization which is still in place and is still doing a good job in trying to ameliorate change in—

[Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, December 4th, 1998]

If you want to know the answer to the question, pay attention.

It is difficult for these companies to get funding from other areas. I would ask the hon. member to comment on some of the difficulties that were experienced by the 35,000 successful projects that have operated in Atlantic Canada for the last 10 years.

[Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, December 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the tone and the context of the hon. member's question do not at all indicate the work ACOA does. We take risks and in certain areas where high technology is involved the funding is very difficult to—