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Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was quebec.

Last in Parliament October 2000, as Liberal MP for Hull—Aylmer (Québec)

Won his last election, in 1997, with 54% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Telecommunications May 11th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, as I just indicated, on the contrary, our decision will not be based on the fact that we have exclusive jurisdiction. Rather, we will consult with Quebec and make a decision based on efficiency. In other words, we will go for the sharing of responsibilities which best serves the interests of Quebecers and Canadians.

Telecommunications May 11th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, as I already indicated, we have no problem consulting with Quebec to see if some responsibilities in the communications sector could be delegated to that province. Our approach will not be based on jurisdiction, even though the Supreme Court clearly indicated, as did Quebec's Superior Court and Court of Appeal before it, that communications come under exclusive federal jurisdiction.

Under the circumstances, our approach is based on the principle of efficiency; in other words, it is a matter of determining who can provide the most efficient service. We will thoroughly review the decision, get the advice of our experts and negotiate with Mrs. Frulla-Hébert. Also, we will be particularly careful not to create overlapping in a field which comes under exclusive federal jurisdiction.

Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean May 5th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, I have already had the opportunity this week to discuss the future of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean with Minister Chagnon. Obviously we are going to proceed with the measures announced in the budget and reduce the number of military colleges to one. However, negotiations are continuing and I think they could prove to be productive and satisfactory to both parties.

Intergovernmental Affairs May 4th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question because it gives me an opportunity to put a number of issues discussed over the past few weeks into perspective. Within a federation, it is natural for conflicts to arise between the federal government and the provinces. I feel that this government has been relatively successful in recent months at resolving conflicts.

For example, not only do we have the infrastructure program which has been a success across the country, and particularly in Quebec, but we also have a number of agreements such as the St. Lawrence action plan which provided an additional $191 million to the $526 million infrastructure program. This extra money will be spent in Quebec. We have also negotiated agreements on the Sainte-Marguerite River, the Montreal Botanical Garden and, most important, on equalization payments.

Intergovernmental Affairs May 4th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, as far as I know, the previous government had not come to a final decision regarding the reimbursement of referendum expenses incurred in Quebec, and neither have we.

Manpower Training April 29th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, the answer is no.

Manpower Training April 29th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, since I have been involved in interprovincial relations for several dozens of years, I evidently do not have the same blood pressure as the hon. member when it comes to a problem such as manpower training, which has been going on for many years.

Our position in the negotiations is clearly not the same as the one of Quebec. We are pursuing our discussions with Quebec; it is possible that we will come to an agreement, but it is also possible that we will not come to an agreement on this issue at the present time. That is part of the way federal-provincial relations have been working for many years in this country, and there are not more problems today than there were at any other time in our history.

Action Plan For Young People April 19th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, I will simply repeat that the party currently in office is as intent as any other party on reducing overlap.

As far as our youth program is concerned, we have carried out extensive consultations and it is clear that our program meets the current needs of young people. And we do not intend to give up our right to help Canadians in need. In the case in point, there are Canadians in need who are not getting help from any provincial program. This is an area of shared jurisdiction and we have programs to implement in that area.

Action Plan For Young People April 19th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is at least as keen as any other government-and the Official Opposition-to eliminate duplication and overlap.

In the youth sector we have had federal programs that helped young people and will continue to do so. I said earlier that we have made every effort to avoid any duplication of programs that already exist in Quebec, especially the Jeunes volontaires , when setting up programs in that province.

It is also true that the youth unemployment problem is so serious that both governments must try to find appropriate solutions. They keep repeating that program overlap costs money. Of course it does, but probably not to that extent. Studies indicate that the costs of overlap is quite different from the figures that were mentioned. Of course, overlap can be reduced more readily in some areas than in others-

Action Plan For Young People April 19th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out, this is not another intrusion in an area under provincial jurisdiction. Our programs are not like that. The two programs I mentioned, the youth program and the apprenticeship program, are about promoting youth employment and not about education, strictly speaking. Furthermore, they complement provincial programs.

Constitutionally speaking, when a problem is national in scope, like the problem of funding jobs for youth, the federal government shares and will continue to share jurisdiction with the provinces in dealing with this kind of problem.