René Canuel

[Fisheries, April 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the reply, but it is no answer.

Since this legislation must be based on the broadest possible consensus, did the minister prepare it in secret, or did he make use of the input of the provinces and all segments of the industry?

[Fisheries, April 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Last December, the Secretary of State responsible for Fisheries and Oceans announced in this House that the new fisheries act would be introduced in February 1998. For the minister's information, I would like to remind him that today is April 24.

What is the minister waiting for, when this legislation is so indispensable to the entire fishing industry?

[Supply, April 23rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the government has really put its foot in it this time.

A terrible injustice has been done. I hope that the members of this government will understand that they have made a blatant error. I call upon them to recognize that error. Everyone makes mistakes, but they need to open their eyes to the injustice here. They need to say that it is not right for some people to receive compensation while others do not.

I ask my Reform colleague how they can be made to realize that they have committed an injustice and a mistake.

[Fisheries, April 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans harshly criticized the federal government's management of the entire industry. In the meantime, the people in the fishing industry are very anxious and concerned.

I ask the minister to tell us when and more importantly how he plans to decide what is surplus in the fishing industry.

[Coast Guard Radio Station, March 27th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has requested that the closing of the coast guard radio station in the Magdalen Islands scheduled for March 31 be postponed.

Given that no serious study has shown the closing to be justified, is the minister prepared to postpone this closing and take the time to consult with fishers and those who use the station?

[Income Tax Amendments Act, 1997, March 26th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague, who is a health professional. I was truly surprised to hear a health professional speak that way because, if there is one area in which all people should be equal, it is surely health. We cannot have two systems, one for the rich and one for the poor.

I remember a time when some people could not even go for treatment because it cost too much. The rich could go, but others did not and stayed home.

In Quebec, Mr. Rochon has, as it were, been forced to restructure the entire health system. Some people find this hard, and it is, but it had to be done. Even the former minister, Marc-Yvan Côté, congratulated Mr. Rochon on his courage.

I say that it is wonderful to invest in health. Cuts have to be made somewhere, as the money obviously does not come out of thin air. If anything has to be cut, let it be the Senate, the limousines, duplication, but there should not be cuts in transfers to the provinces. This has caused terrible harm.

Very often, people wonder why Mr. Rochon took a particular course of action. He did so because the federal government cut billions of dollars, leaving very little with which to manage.

I am going to ask my colleague a question. Can he tell us, in concrete terms, how the two systems he is proposing, a private one and a public one, could work?

[Agricultural Sector, March 26th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources Development is persecuting Quebec farmers, particularly those in eastern Quebec.

Each time family farm operators hire a son, daughter, spouse or relative, they are harassed by Revenue or Employment Canada officials.

They are practically treated like criminals. Officials almost automatically suspect them of trying to defraud the system. If a farming operation is recognized by Revenue Canada, why do HRDC officials hound its owner?

I find this attitude unacceptable and ask that the minister give the necessary instructions to put an immediate stop to this demoralizing practice.

[The Most Reverend Louis Lévesque, March 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, eastern Quebec, and particularly Saint-Léon-le-Grand in my riding, has just lost one of its sons.

The Most Reverend Louis Lévesque passed away, and his funeral was held on Monday. Ordained in 1932, Monsignor Lévesque studied in Rome, Jerusalem and Paris. He was a teacher at the Séminaire de Rimouski for several years before becoming Bishop of Hearst, Ontario.

Following the Vatican II council, Monsignor Lévesque, then Archbishop of Rimouski, instigated the Diocesan Synod, a vast effort to bring church authorities closer to the community.

He witnessed the great changes Quebec underwent in the 1960s. During this period, both the church and society evolved considerably. Throughout all these changes, he proved his mettle.

To this renowned Bible scholar, all of Quebec says thank you.

[Regional Development, March 12th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

In the matter of the Matane seafood plant, everything is in place. The only thing missing is the federal government. Does the minister understand that, to save 200 families which depend on this plant, the federal government has to do its share, and soon?

[Regional Development, March 11th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for regional development.

Two hundred employees of the seafood plant of eastern Quebec have worked long and hard finalizing plans to buy the plant. Only the federal government is dragging its feet.

Is the future of 200 families in Matane important to this minister and to this government? If so, let them give the go-ahead as quickly as possible.