House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1997, with 54% of the vote.
Indian Affairs March 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, this process is a must which will allow us to consult the various groups concerned and to hear their suggestions before setting policy.
This process will enable us to set policies which are more sensitive to the people who will eventually have to implement them, and it is a process which we will finish as quickly as possible.
Indian Affairs March 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I will take the question under advisement and we will reply in due course.
Land Claim March 17th, 1995
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Land Claim March 17th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I will take the question under advisement. This is a very specific question where a proper answer is needed. We will get the details for the hon. member and give them to him as soon as they are available.
Funding For Cdecs March 17th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, we indicated in our budget that we would review various programs to make them more productive.
We also indicated that we would apply federalism by the book, and spend our money in areas that fall squarely under the federal government's jurisdiction. Furthermore, we have created tens of thousands of jobs in Montreal and Quebec over the past year. We will continue to support policies which brought us such success in Quebec, and in the Montreal region in particular.
Labour March 15th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the work stoppage in west coast ports has dangerous implications for the economy of western Canada and therefore legislation is urgently required to reopen the ports.
Therefore I move, pursuant to Standing Order 53:
That the 48 hours notice be waived in order to permit the Minister of Labour immediately to introduce a bill entitled an act respecting the supervision of longshoring and related operations at west coast ports and,
That the House not adjourn this day except pursuant to a motion by a minister of the crown.
Employment March 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I do not give orders to directors of personnel. That is something deputy ministers in departments do.
The member opposite has to recognize that in this case we will apply the rules as we normally do.
Employment March 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it is very easy to indicate exactly what the facts are before questions are asked.
The newspaper quotes me verbatim as saying: "Mr. Massé said he had been assured workers' rights will be respected. The charter of rights indicate when you are doing a restructuring in industry you have to designate your surplus workers on totally objective reasons,' he said.You cannot use equity reasons of that type in order to designate them".
That indicates exactly what was said. It is totally in conformity with the charter of rights and with our policies.
Borrowing Authority Act, 1995-96 March 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, once again these are questions I am glad to answer. In my own campaign in Hull and Aylmer I indicated-the speeches and the transcripts are there for you see-the government would have to be downsized.
I was criticized by part of the electorate but in the end this was not hypocritical, this was the truth. It was told government had to downsize. Knowing the truth, it elected me with more than 53 per cent of the vote in the area. It knew what it was facing and agreed this had to be done.
On the second question, we have here two objectives that have to be realized. The first one is that equity in its largest sense has to be satisfied. There is no doubt that we have to apply equity when we do any move in government, including restructuring government.
However, it is quite clear, and this is what I indicated to the Sun yesterday, when we make an exercise like that in a government, the managers who have the responsibility to manage that department will make the choices according to merit and ability that will keep with them the best civil servants.
There is no doubt also that whatever the categories of people, by sex or creed or colour, merit is distributed very equally in the population and that heads of personnel will come to a result that I am sure will conform to the principles of equity.
Borrowing Authority Act, 1995-96 March 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that opposition members have asked me these questions, because they will give me the opportunity to set the record straight. Over the years, Canadian budgets may have resulted in a large deficit but, at the same time, they have produced what the UN calls the best country in the world, with one of the highest rates of income per capita in the world, a country that enjoys considerable peace and harmony compared with other nations, a country where life is good and incomes are high. That is what successive Canadian budgets have given us.
During the quiet revolution that took place in Quebec in the sixties, we as Quebecers managed to change our structures, values and policies within the federation as it was back then. This gave us the country we now have and want to keep, because it served us well. Speaking of the last budget, 433,000 jobs were created in 1994, including 116,000 in Quebec. What are the factors involved in creating jobs in a country?
Most jobs are not created directly by governments, whether it is Ontario, Quebec or the federal government. However, government policies produce a climate allowing the private sector to create jobs. Clearly, the confidence generated and the policies adopted by the Liberal government last year allowed the economy to create over 400,000 jobs, including more than 100,000 in Quebec. That is what our government has accomplished.
I am so pleased that the hon. member has brought up the matter of Saint-Jean, a community where we had reached with the former Liberal government in Quebec an agreement that the local population found acceptable, which would have kept the college open and continued to create jobs, which was, in fact, a hope for the future. When the new government, of which our Bloc colleagues, under the direction of their leader, are a mere extension, arrived on the scene, it decided, for its own ideological reasons, that it wanted no part of any agreement. These ideological reasons were disclosed by a minister, who has kept a pretty low profile since then.
In one month, we met with local representatives who know that the region needs the college and whose goal is not to promote their ideology but to create jobs and generate economic activity in the region. We agreed with these people to keep the college open and maintain the core that will eventually become a
dynamic institution that will continue to benefit the region. I am still very proud of what we did in Saint-Jean, despite the Parti Quebecois government and its ideology.
Third, I was asked if people in Hull agree. In fact, people in Hull think about what is happening in their community. They know how to evaluate the role of government, how to use it and how to enjoy one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the highest rates of income in Quebec. They have voted Liberal for decades because they know which party has best served their economic, political and social interests.