Mr. Speaker, indeed Mr. Budreo was released this morning after serving his full sentence. However, I could tell the hon. member that all police forces-federal, provincial and municipal-have been informed of his presence in Ontario.
[English]
Lost his last election, in 1997, with 41% of the vote.
Dangerous Offenders November 18th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, indeed Mr. Budreo was released this morning after serving his full sentence. However, I could tell the hon. member that all police forces-federal, provincial and municipal-have been informed of his presence in Ontario.
[English]
McSc Elections November 17th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, Le Soleil reported recently that the Leader of the Official Opposition denied that his party was trying to infiltrate the Montreal Catholic School Commission. He said that they were not trying to infiltrate any school board or municipal council in any way.
How can the leader of the Bloc limit himself to such a simple explanation for the bias his members have shown for a particular school board party, when two of his members have made public statements flatly contradicting him.
The Canadian press reported a Bloc member as saying, "I am not necessarily talking about infiltration, but I am asking you to be there in large numbers". We ask the Leader of the Opposition to restore discipline in his caucus and thus ensure that Montrealers will have free and democratic school elections, not shameless ideological infiltration for the separatist cause.
Communications Security Establishment November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the hon. member that the Minister of Justice is continuing to address the concerns of those who have criticized the s.690 process by improving its procedures.
Several steps have been taken to this effect. The minister's decision in the application regarding Colin Thatcher was published to make the public aware of how the process works and what principles apply to govern the use of the s.690 powers.
The department has also published a fact sheet that describes the criteria for applying, who can apply, how and where to apply and what information applicants need to complete their applications.
The published information also describes how applications are assessed. This information shows that a great deal of work goes into the assessment of an s.690 application. To do a conscientious and thorough job takes time. Sometimes applicants submit additional grounds to be considered for their s.690 review. When such submissions are received months or even years after the initial application this extends the amount of time needed to investigate and assess cases.
I can assure the hon. member work is currently under way to reduce the inventory of applications and to process applications more swiftly.
Those who say that the process is not independent ignore the fact that the vast majority of s.690 applicants were prosecuted by provincial attorneys general. Thus, there are very few instances in which the Attorney General of Canada must consider a case that was prosecuted by his agent. When that happens from outside the department counsel are retained to assess the application and advise the minister.
It is the duty of those who assess the applications to examine them conscientiously and thoroughly as it is the minister's duty imposed upon him by Parliament to review the applications and make the necessary decisions.
Supply November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, again, we were talking about VIA Rail and CN. In Quebec VIA Rail provides 1,600 jobs, or 45 per cent of all jobs with VIA Rail. What does the opposition suggest? I really do not understand. They talk about a national, integrated transportation system, and then they tell me: If we have a national, integrated transportation system, we first need independence, in other words, sovereignty.
Let us put this into perspective. I ask the opposition to say yes to the Canadian federation, yes we can work together, yes we want to keep the 8,000 or 10,000 jobs that depend on CN and VIA Rail in Quebec. After all, Montreal is the linchpin of the industry, and I think they will put these jobs at risk if they insist on pursuing a line of reasoning that does nothing to help the future of those employed in an industry that is so important to Quebec.
Supply November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, once again, we hear nothing but demagoguery from the opposition. It says that everything will turn out all right provided that Quebec becomes an independent country. But we must still recognize the following in the railway situation and the jobs that it represents for Quebec.
For instance, CN pays more than $500 million in salaries and benefits in Quebec. There are more than $300 million in purchases, more than $100 million in taxes, more than $100 million in pensions and benefits. Also, we should not forget that CN maintains almost 8,000 jobs in Quebec and that 30 per cent of all CN employees are in Quebec.
It is a fact that 68 or 70 per cent of senior executives are in the province of Quebec. To talk about the Constitution and tell us that Quebec's sovereignty is the only way for Quebec to pull through, particularly in rail transportation, is really giving a strange spin to the debate. I have asked the hon. member to advise his headquarters that we are ready to negotiate, to work as a true federation.
I must remind the member that the Canadian federation is a resounding success. You should explore this issue with a little more thoroughness and honesty, and try to back away from separatist and sovereignist partisanship, which does nothing to help the future of CN and transportation in Canada, particularly in Quebec.
Supply November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has drawn a rather accurate picture of the situation in the regions, especially where people depend on a railway system and where such a system is not only a guarantee, but also a tool for the economic development of remote areas, like the Gaspé Peninsula, large regions in Northern Quebec, the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean area, and many more, I am sure.
I have a question for the hon. member, because I heard that the opposition could be interested in a national integrated policy on transportation. If this is true, then Quebec would have to agree to meet with the federal government and its provincial counterparts to come up with a common position and a real transportation strategy that would include rail, road and air transport.
I think we need to reach a consensus, a bit like what is done in other countries, like the United States, and even within the European Economic Community. Why does the Parti Quebecois, the political party in office in Quebec, not ask to meet with us in order to draft a national policy?
As Quebec members in particular know full well, road conditions in the province of Quebec are rather appalling. Repair costs are very high. It does entail significant expenses for Quebec, but if Quebec and the other provinces were to meet with us to elaborate a national integrated policy on transportation, I am convinced that we could not only guarantee the vital link which the rail system represents for remote areas in Quebec, but also maintain and reduce the expenses incurred to upgrade the road system in la belle province.
Supply November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the hon. member's comments. We are discussing a national policy, but the previous speaker talked about converting Quebec's railway system to electric power.
I find it hard to see how we could ensure national co-ordination if electricity is used in Quebec but not in the rest of Canada. I would really like to know what would be the costs of an independent service in Quebec, as proposed by the opposition, and I wonder if the hon. member can provide an answer to this very legitimate question.
Supply November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, it is true that the hon. member comes from Europe. There is no doubt that when we are talking about the EEC, the historical context is very different in the case of this association of European countries. Let us not forget that a war had just ended in Europe; in spite of that, there was a common desire to regroup.
I should mention for the benefit of those who are listening to us that the EEC started with the Group of Six, followed later by the Group of Twelve, before eventually becoming a larger body with more member countries. Canada does have an advantage however in that it already has national policies which are almost the envy of Europe, with respect to the way we treat our provinces and communities.
Once again, I would really like to know how Quebec's transportation industry could benefit from separation. Everything would have to be renegotiated and I think the member opposite will admit that there might be some hesitation on the part of the other provinces, and even the United States, to negotiate with an independent country.
The member should tell us how Quebec could renegotiate a national transportation policy in the event of a break-up of the country and a tougher stand by Quebec itself or by the other provinces.
Supply November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the presentation made by the hon. member opposite and I think that he made very important points on some issues, particularly the importance of the environmental impact of emissions, a common problem related to heavy trucking in Quebec and all of Canada of course. He also touched on sustainable development. His transportation costs analysis was very interesting and I wish to take this opportunity to commend his work on this.
This leads me to the following question. The hon. member claims to be extremely sensitive to all these issues and talks about a corporate national transportation policy. The problem I have with this is that a national policy would, of course, be applied across Canada. So, I wonder how he would make such a plan work if Quebec were to become independent and separate from the rest of Canada. Also, in the present context, what role
would he see Quebec and the other provinces play with regard to road taxes? Could they possibly be reduced?
He must have more frequent dealings with his Quebec counterparts than I do. What is Quebec's position on this issue? How can road taxes be reduced? How could Quebec be made a part of the Canadian family in relation to a national transportation policy? I would like to hear what the hon. member has to say on this issue.
Supply November 15th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, this is an interesting question from the Opposition. No, I did not have the privilege of taking the high-speed train between Paris and Lille because I did not have any money at the time. I was only a backpacking student. I think I hitch-hiked. However, I had the privilege of taking the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka a few years ago. Believe me, the service was very good, except that Japan Rail has been privatized. It is not a profitable operation.
Talking about rail service, I would be the first one in my riding to be interested. As a member of Parliament, I feel that I am the legitimate spokesman for the riding of Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine. If the hon. member opposite is interested in that riding, he should run against me in three or four years, if he really wants to become familiar with the issues.
Of course, there is not only the Port-Daniel cement plant but also Stone Consolidated, Abitibi Price and Tembec. Railways are used to the tune of $10 million to $20 million in that region but, again, we are still talking about the cement plant. Like any socio-economic regional development project, this one relies on rail service. To reassure the hon. member opposite, who sounds like he would like to represent the riding of Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, this project requires a great deal of study. Several steps must be taken. There are the environmental standards set by the Quebec government. I met with one of the developers.
I come from that area. My father was born in Port-Daniel; my family comes from there. Believe me, I am following this project with a great deal of interest. True, maintaining commercial rail service is important to any medium- or long-term economic development project in the Gaspé peninsula.