Maurice Dumas

[The Perley Bridge, October 2nd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, when the construction work on the new Perley Bridge between Grenville, Quebec, and Hawkesbury, Ontario, was begun this past June 10, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services indicated that 50 per cent of the workers would come from Quebec, and 50 per cent from Ontario. Yet, on the construction site, the majority of workers are from Ontario.

Dufferin Construction apparently hired its workers through the Hawkesbury Employment Centre. Unfortunately, the Lachute employment centre does not offer the same service as its Ontario counterpart. In Quebec, workers have to contact the Commission de la construction du Québec, the CCQ. The only problem is that the employer, in this case Dufferin Construction, has not contacted the CCQ for a list of potential workers.

I am therefore asking the minister of public works to intervene so as to ensure that Quebec workers may enjoy the same opportunities as their Ontario colleagues, as promised by the Minister last June.

[Income Tax Act, September 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address Private Members' Motion No. 30. The motion reads as follows:

That, in the opinion of this House, the government should consider amending the Income Tax Act to provide a Care-Giver Tax Credit for those who provide care in the home for pre-school children, the disabled, the chronically-ill or the aged.

The purpose of this motion is to help people who greatly need to be helped. The disability tax credit is a tax measure that exists at the provincial level, at least in Quebec, and at the federal level. It is a non-refundable tax credit.

In 1994, this credit amounted to $4,233. It is to be noted that it was originally established to help those who became disabled during the war. In order to be eligible for the credit, the applicant must submit, with his income tax return, a Revenue Canada form duly completed by a doctor or an optometrist.

There are currently a number of tax measures designed to help families that take care of elderly or disabled people. However, we believe these measures are not enough.

The numerous flaws of the current taxation system make me quite angry at times. How can this government turn a deaf ear to such a motion, while seeking to smother the scandal of family trust assets transferred tax free to the United States? Two billion dollars left the country tax free, while ordinary taxpayers are being taxed to the hilt.

My colleague, the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot and official opposition finance critic, mentioned recently that Liberals question the qualifications of the Auditor General and his team by refusing to answer his questions, and suggesting that Mr. Desautels has stepped outside his terms of reference.

Liberal members of the finance committee are trying to demean an institution whose main goal is to make sure the government is held accountable.

I am also quite sensitive to the treatment of older people, in my capacity as the official opposition representative for seniors organizations. I have taken the floor many times in the House to uphold the rights of seniors. We should not forget the Canadian population is growing older.

A 1991 survey on aging and self care has shown that nearly one third of Canadians were 45 or older in 1991, with 19 per cent being between 45 and 64 and 11 per cent 65 or older. As the baby boomers grow older, we can expect a rapid increase in the number of seniors.

Projections over the 1991-2001 period tell us that the population growth in the 45 plus group will be almost three times faster than in the general population, that is 32 and 13 per cent respectively.

The well-being of the aged, as measured by their health, their revenue and their degree of integration in society, seems to be strongly related to the quality of housing and the ability to move around in their community. Seniors and the disabled very often prefer to stay in their community with the assistance of a member of their immediate family or another relative.

It appears quite reasonable to give a tax credit to a taxpayer who can work full time and give appropriate care to a dependent person. People who do not have to move into residences run by strangers experience a better quality of life.

Seniors are often seen as a burden in our communities. They are socially dead. But if they remain in their own community, these people can be part of their community and feel more secure, financially or otherwise.

I also rose in this House to have a grandparents' day celebrated every year and also have a grandparents' year designated, to recognize the role these people play in the family unit, especially in child rearing.

These people are often the link between the past, the present and the future. Therefore, you will understand why Motion No. 30 is of particular concern to me and why its implementation raises several questions in my mind.

Today's edition of Le Devoir includes highlights of the report of the Auditor General of Canada, Denis Desautels. It says that Revenue Canada has laid itself open to fraud by not sufficiently controlling or assessing the GST credit program and the child tax benefits, which combined and replaced the old family allowance and child tax credit. These programs cost $8 billion every year.

It adds that among the issues that were raised was the fact that Revenue Canada does not require a birth certificate before granting the tax benefit. The assessment of the applications for disability benefits paid by the Canada Pension Plan is inadequate. The total amount of these benefits has tripled in the last 10 years, increasing from $841 million to $3 billion. In comparison, disability benefits paid by the Régime des rentes du Québec have remained almost stable during the same period.

The report also concluded that a general improvement of government phone services was in order. Too often, the lines are overloaded and the information given by the operators is incorrect. Revenue Canada has a particularly poor performance, in this regard.

How can we not worry about potential fraud, since there are people who abuse the system, unfortunately.

Moreover, if the government gives the tax credit to people who stay at home and take care of preschool children or handicapped, chronically ill or senior members of the family, it could be tempted to reduce benefits, in particular the old age security or the child tax benefit.

To conclude, Motion M-30 brought forward by my colleague for Mississauga-South is valid in principle, but it would require increased vigilance to avoid potential fraud.

[Papineau Family, September 25th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the history of my riding has been marked by the Papineau family, whose most illustrious member, Louis-Joseph Papineau, died 125 years ago this year.

This great man and patriot, who owned the Petite-Nation seigneury, occupies an important place in Quebec history, as his main vocation was to defend the rights of Quebecers. To serve this cause, he became a member of Parliament.

The town of Papineauville in my riding was named in honour of his brother Denis-Benjamin Papineau.

Henri Bourassa, Louis-Joseph Papineau's grandson and the founder of Le Devoir , was the first mayor of Papineauville, which celebrates this year its 100th anniversary.

We are proud of this rich history. The people of Petite-Nation have inherited these great figures' love for their region. Although they died many years ago, Louis-Joseph Papineau, Denis-Benjamin Papineau and Henri Bourassa are still present in the lives of the people of the Petite-Nation region.

[Supply, June 13th, 1996]

Madam Speaker, I will simply say to the member that the reason I spoke about the period from 1930 to 1940 was because the situation seems to be going back to what it was during those years. This is because of the many immigrants arriving in Montreal, who usually tend to adopt the English language and culture. I think that is how I could answer him, given that you are telling me my time is up.

[Supply, June 13th, 1996]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to answer the member's question, especially since I lived in Montreal in the years 1935-1940. I lived in the western part of Montreal, where it was impossible then to be served in French.

If Quebec does not achieve sovereignty, it may very well meet with the same fate as Louisiana did. I am sorry that minorities are in difficulty. But the fate that awaits minorities outside Quebec is the same fate that awaits Quebec.

I think premier Lévesque, at one time, talked about a reciprocal agreement if Quebec ever became independent, saying that if the rest of Canada protected francophone minorities, Quebec would do the same for the anglophone minority. That is why I do not think Quebec sovereignty will jeopardize minorities in the rest of Canada.

[Supply, June 13th, 1996]

Madam Speaker, listening to the member for Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, I thought he would continue right to the end of the debate.

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and yet the rate of assimilation of francophones there is 30 per cent. I think we have to stop denying the problem and take some action to stop the disappearance of francophones outside Quebec.

Before I give you the figures on the assimilation of francophones in Ottawa-Carleton and Vanier, it is important to give you a brief background on Canada's capital and its founding.

The city is located on the Ottawa River, on the eastern side of the border between Ontario and Quebec, some 160 kilometres from Montreal. I believe the word Ottawa comes from the name of a tribe and means perhaps "do business". In 1827, the town, already of some size, was known as Bytown and the City of Hull was known as Wrightstown.

On the last day of 1857, officials in the colonial office announced that the city of Ottawa would be the national capital. Construction of the Parliament buildings began in 1859 and was completed in 1866. The city became the capital of the new Dominion in 1867.

In 1949, the federal government was the principal employer. For some 30 years, the federal public service grew by leaps and bounds. Until quite recently, government services were concentrated essentially in Ottawa, which became a tourist centre making tourism today its second largest industry. Annually, Ottawa welcomes some 2.5 million visitors.

Generally speaking, the Protestant and English community settled in Upper Town while the Catholic and French community settled in Lower Town. It went the same way for religious establishments, that is churches, schools, hospitals, as well as for ethnic groups and even political organizations.

Ottawa, at the end of the 19th century, became the centre of Catholic and Protestant Orangemen activism. Being the Franco-Ontarian capital, it was at the very heart of the language conflict. In 1927, the secret order of Jacques Cartier, to counter the Orangemen's influence and promote advancement of francophones in the civil service, was founded.

There was a time when francophones could stay inside their community in Lower Town, since they had their own French schools, cultural life and economy.

Today, the assimilation rate is the following: the proportion of French speaking residents in Ottawa-Carleton dropped to 16 per cent in 1991, compared with 19 per cent in 1981. In Vanier, a town with a French majority, French speaking residents went down to 52 per cent in 1991 from 63 per cent in 1981. Now, only 47 per cent of Vanier residents still speak French at home. In Lower Town, the francophone stronghold, 60 per cent of residents described French as their mother language in 1981, but there were only 40 per cent of them in 1991.

The fact that the community was decreasing this way led to the closure of five schools: Guigues, Duhamel, Routhier, Brébeuf and Bolton. Sainte-Anne's school had a one year reprieve thanks to the support of my colleague for Québec-Est. In the whole of Ottawa, the proportion of people having French as their mother language dropped from 19 to 16 per cent, while those who still speak French at home account for only 11 per cent.

Ottawa is Canada's capital. This city should reflect the linguistic duality. Given the fact that English is the official working language, the federal government becomes an assimilation agent for francophones and has a direct impact on the assimilation of the francophone communities of Ottawa-Carleton-Vanier.

In a press conference given on October 17, 1995, my colleague, the member for Rimouski-Témiscouata who was the critic of the official opposition for Canadian heritage at that time, criticized the governments of the anglophone provinces and the federal government.

She accused them of enforcing linguistic policies that did nothing to slow down the assimilation of francophones outside Quebec and have led to the erosion of Quebec's cultural specificity.

She concluded by reaffirming the support of the Bloc Quebecois for the francophone and Acadian communities. She also mentioned that her party had made specific commitments with respect to them and approved the proposal of the Partenaires pour la souveraineté advocating the creation of a commission, whose mandate it is to investigate and make recommendations concerning the promotion of rights, as well as the preservation of the culture of francophone and Acadian communities in Canada, and that of the anglophone community in Quebec.

The federal government has the gall to describe Ottawa as a bilingual city based on the size of its francophone population. In 1968, the Canadian government passed the Official Languages Act. The City of Ottawa only became bilingual in 1970.

Even if the Ontario government claimed to offer more and more services in French during the ensuing years, Franco-Ontarians always found them insufficient.

In 1976, a movement called "C'est le temps" came into being. Hundreds of motorists in Ottawa refused to renew their licence plates because the forms were only in English. Twenty-seven francophones spent a few hours behind bars for refusing to pay a fine. The government finally came out with bilingual forms.

In 1986, Ontario passed Bill 8 dealing with services in French. This Act grants francophones an important right. They can receive from the provincial government services in French in the Ottawa region and in 21 other French-speaking regions in Ontario.

I want to congratulate all the francophones outside Quebec who have been fighting for their culture. I admire the tenacity and courage with which they are trying to slow down the ever increasing threat of assimilation.

Unfortunately, reality is different. In spite of the continuous fight put up by francophones in Ottawa and elsewhere, Ottawa, the nation's capital, is far from bilingual. Journalist Michel Vastel wrote an article for L'Actualité entitled ``The capital, bilingual? Only the walls speak French there''.

He described, among other things, the situation of the movie industry in Ottawa, saying that in Vanier, a small francophone municipality of 18,000 people living in the very heart of the capital, there were eight theatres of the Cineplex Odeon chain and they all presented movies in English most of the time. In Gloucester, where one third of the population is French speaking, Famous Players made a commitment to present French movies in order to obtain its licence, but in its six theatres, movies are in English all the time.

Madam Speaker, since you are saying I must conclude, I will just say that clearly the national capital is not bilingual, in spite of what members of the federal government and the Reform Party claim. The Bloc Quebecois wants to counter the growing assimilation of Acadians and francophones outside Quebec. The motion by my colleague, the member for Québec-Est, depicts reality as it is and must be agreed to.

[Child Labour, June 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, in a recent study released by the UN on social issues, we learned that no fewer than 73 million children are used as cheap labour. Ranging in age from 10 to 14, these children represent 13 per cent of the young people in the age grouping studied. They are exploited in agriculture, domestic services, the carpet and textile industry, and, shamefully, in the sex trade.

On June 11 in Geneva, labour ministers from 173 countries met to look at ways of eliminating child labour, especially forced labour, slavery, exposure to toxic products and child prostitution.

The government must play a leadership role in this issue and must adopt strict measures to keep goods produced by child labour out of Canada. Canada has a duty to demonstrate clearly the regard in which human rights are held by the people of Canada and of Quebec.

[Supply, June 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, fifty years ago I had the pleasure of travelling through the western provinces with my father, who had a folk group known as Omer Dumas and his minstrel singers.

I visited villages with names like Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Pierre-Joli, Otterburne and Saint-Claude. There was Prud'homme, Plamondon and Bonnyville, the home of the Campagne family that has formed the group known as Hart Rouge. There was Beaumont, in Alberta. There was also St. Boniface, which unfortunately no longer exists. St-Boniface, which was the centre of life in Manitoba, has been merged with Winnipeg.

In those days, we had the pleasure of meeting the parish priests, since the shows my father put on always took place in parish halls and often in churches. He did not just tour in the west; he took his show all through Quebec and New Brunswick too.

Parents we met said great efforts were made to preserve the French language in the west, but the big problem was that more and more the children would use English in speaking to each other.

My question to the member for St. Boniface, whose French is excellent by the way, is the following: What language do 20-year olds, the children of francophone parents, use?

[Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act, June 4th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to address representation at this time, since my hon. colleague opposite raised the issue. We complained earlier about the fact that there were no representatives from Quebec on Nav Canada. I am now making the same complaint about ADM, or Aéroports de Montréal, including Dorval and Mirabel airports. On ADM's board, all members but one are from the Montreal business community, the only exception being a businessman from the Lower Laurentians region. That is why we are afraid that, when the time will come for these individuals to make a decision and choose one airport over another, it would only make sense that they would not go for Mirabel, the one in the Lower Laurentians.

At the time Mirabel was built, the intent was in fact to eventually all but close down Dorval. But then, in the 1980s, as a result of a certain lobby gaining great influence, flights were never transferred from Dorval to Mirabel, as originally planned, although Mirabel had been built for that very reason, after many West Island residents complained about the noise and pollution created around Dorval airport.

[Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act, June 4th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I will conclude on this. We must also ask ourselves questions about Nav Canada's goals. I would like to reiterate my position, and that of the Bloc Quebecois, which is that Bill C-20 should be defeated, as the sole purpose of establishing Nav Canada is profit and not public security.