House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1997, with 54% of the vote.
Public Service Of Canada November 25th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that as a result of program review the government will be downsized. It will be downsized for reasons that have been clear to the opposition and to ourselves for quite a while.
There is also no doubt that this will create a problem in terms of workforce reduction. We intend to apply the best possible measures including, as I mentioned, a modified workforce adjustment directive or other options as they become available.
Public Service Of Canada November 25th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I understood the President of the Treasury Board this week indicated that he was having negotiations with the unions on the possibility of changing the directive. However, I understood him to also indicate that other options were being considered. I think the work on this is continuing. Obviously we will have more than one option when the time comes to make the decisions.
Auditor General's Report November 23rd, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I met the mayor of Saint-Jean today at noon to discuss his proposal. We agreed on the two main proposals: first, that CMR should be converted to civilian use, and second, that a period of transition is necessary to make CMR a post-secondary institution.
Having agreed on the principles, we concluded that the same principles formed the basis for the July 19 agreement. We both urge the Government of Quebec to accept the July 19 agreement
signed by the Quebec government, in order to put an end to the present uncertainty in the region.
Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean November 22nd, 1994
Mr. Speaker, again, I rely on the opinion of defence department experts. The commandant himself is not an expert on the costs of converting such an institution.
The experts are very clear. The federal government's position of concentrating all its teaching operations in Kingston is justified and the only problem still to be solved is to have the
Quebec government respect and ratify the agreement signed on July 19.
Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean November 22nd, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I checked again with defence department experts and with the defence minister himself. They confirmed for me that once all the costs of converting the college in Kingston are taken into account, the federal government would save $23 million a year net by putting all these military facilities there.
What must be done now is to implement the July 19 agreement so that the college in Saint-Jean can remain a post-secondary educational institution.
Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean November 21st, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the government of Quebec keeps playing with the lives of members of the community in Saint-Jean and with those of the teachers.
We have an agreement in hand, an agreement signed by both levels of government, ensuring that the college in Saint-Jean can survive, while the community continues to prosper. There are no hidden costs. All costs are in the open and there are substantial savings to be made by concentrating our military college operations in Kingston. The situation remains unchanged. All I am asking from the Quebec government is that it honour its signature on this document, which constitutes an agreement in due form between the governments of Quebec and Canada.
Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean November 17th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member seems to forget that there are already bilingual classes as well as francophone teachers and students in Kingston. In fact, 17 per cent of Kingston's student population is French-speaking, all courses will be offered in both official languages this year, and all teachers will be bilingual within a few years. As a result, there is no problem in transferring military activities to Kingston with respect to bilingualism and the accommodation capacity.
Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean November 17th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the proposal made by the mayor of Saint-Jean contains two elements we agree with. First, it is essential to demilitarize the college in Saint-Jean and turn it into a co-ed institution. Second, we need a transition period.
We now have an agreement providing for a five-year transition period, a military presence of between 100 and 200 students who will take language training during the five-year period and $5 million a year for a total of $25 million over the five-year transition period.
We therefore believe that, although some of the arguments put forward by the mayor of Saint-Jean are valid, the agreement signed on July 19 by the governments of Quebec and Canada provides for a more appropriate transition period and better meets the needs of the Saint-Jean community and of keeping the college open.
Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean November 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, this is an exaggeration, to put it mildly. For months we have known that by closing the Collège de Saint-Jean, we would achieve very substantial savings, because due to military downsizing, we will no longer need as many cadets as we did before.
We now have an agreement that provides for maintaining the Collège de Saint-Jean with a military and a civilian component. We have a compromise solution. We reached a compromise and have an agreement that was signed by the Government of Quebec, under which the objectives of both parties can be met.
Those who want to break this agreement are the people who will be responsible for the college being closed.
Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean November 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the mayor's proposal contains some very useful clauses which I looked at a few hours ago, and I will certainly give them some thought.
However, it is wrong to say that the proposal meets the conditions set by the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada. From the financial point of view, in particular, the mayor's proposal would mean that the federal government would have to spend an additional $23 million over three years to maintain the moratorium, while at the present time we have a compromise solution reached by the Government of Quebec and the federal government, a solution that ensures the survival of the college, maintains a military presence at the college and provides for the transition from a military college to a co-ed civilian university over the next few years.
The present solution, an agreement signed by the Government of Quebec and the federal government, is a far more successful response to the conditions set by the Government of Quebec and by the federal government. Those who want to-