Marcel Massé

[Industry, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the cost recovery policy has a very simple basis. It is that the people who get the benefits from certain services should be the ones to pay the costs for it.

We have dealt with the business community and have had discussions. They are now part of our stakeholders group. We continue to have discussions with them. I must say the policy has been quite well received.

[Public Service Of Canada, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we have offered the blue collar workers increases that are slightly higher than those which have been accepted by 85% of public sector employees.

They have broken the negotiations. What they are asking for now is not only almost impossible to meet, but at the same time it would force the taxpayers to pay much too much. In this case we must tell the blue collar workers that they have to be reasonable and accept rates which all other public servants have accepted.

[Public Service, March 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, negotiations are continuing with the blue collar workers.

The government has accepted the conciliation report. We are hoping that those currently on strike will accept it too and that we will find a solution quickly.

In this case, obviously, there was violence because people were not obeying the law. We hope, however, that negotiations will conclude soon.

[National Housing Act, March 11th, 1999]

moved that Bill C-66, an act to amend the National Housing Act and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act and to make consequential amendment to another act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Federal Public Service, March 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that over 85% of the public service has concluded collective agreements with the government.

We have agreed on salaries, working conditions, employee-related conditions and safety issues. The vast majority of public servants have said they are satisfied with what has gone on.

Not only is morale high, but we have only one small group of public servants with whom we are still negotiating, in the hope of reaching a speedy conclusion.

[Canada-Quebec Agreement On Manpower, March 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I reviewed carefully with the Minister of Human Resources Development the agreement signed and the accompanying letters and I must say that the explanation given by the Minister of Human Resources Development is perfectly correct, and that I was mistaken.

[The Public Service Of Canada, March 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately my colleague in her preamble stated things that are not in parallel with reality.

In fact it is the government itself that proposed to have joint management of the pension fund and it was ready to introduce a law to do this. However, the unions were not prepared to take the risk, to share the risk with the employer in a future pension fund and I have left on the table the possibility of having joint management of the pension fund with the unions.

[The Public Service Of Canada, March 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government was the first government to introduce a law which gave pay equity to women in 1979 and we have kept to it. We have already paid out over a billion dollars to make sure that pay equity was implemented in the federal system.

We have in our law extended pay equity to federally legislated enterprises. The federal government, and in particular the Liberal government, has always been favourable to women and it is trying to continue to create justice in the system.

[Supplementary Estimates (C), March 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Orders 81(5) and 81(6), I move:

That the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the year ending March 31, 1999, laid upon the table on March 5, 1999, be referred to the several standing committees of the House as follows:

Since the list is rather lengthy I would ask that it be printed in Hansard at this point without being read.

[Taxation, March 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we have done that review. There is a continuing review of all these agencies, boards and commissions.

Our purpose is to be able to give good government at the lowest possible cost. I think we showed it. We abolished hundreds of positions. We saved millions of dollars and we intend to continue to do so.