House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1993, with 59% of the vote.
Bosnia May 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, my supplementary is also for the Prime Minister.
Given that everyone agrees that the peacekeepers' mandate should be redefined-although the Minister of National Defence was unable to do so yesterday-and that we are waiting for the United Nations' response, how does the Canadian government propose to redefine the UN mandate of Canadian peacekeepers?
Bosnia May 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.
The public is concerned about the fate of the 380 peacekeepers, including 10 Canadians, held hostage by the Bosnian Serbs as well as 45 other Canadian soldiers surrounded by the Serbs. The base in Valcartier has received 1,200 calls from relatives concerned about the safety of the soldiers deployed in the former Yugoslavia.
Given that the public worries about the fate of our peacekeepers in Bosnia and that negotiations to secure the release of the Canadian hostages have yet to produce concrete results, how can the government be so vague-like the Prime Minister's response-about its position on the current crisis in Bosnia, when France, Great Britain and the U.S. have already announced concrete actions? These soldiers' families want concrete actions and decisions.
Bosnia May 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, by his answer, the Prime Minister has shown once again that we should have a debate today, and not wait until tomorrow.
This morning, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Canada intended to step up its diplomatic efforts and that a military approach would be a disaster.
Are we to understand from this statement that the Canadian government is opposed not only to redefining the mandate of the UN troops, as proposed by France, but also to any new air strikes?
Bosnia May 29th, 1995
My question is for the Prime Minister. In the context of the mandate, the French Prime Minister set certain conditions on maintaining troops in the former Yugoslavia. First, that UN soldiers be regrouped in order to minimize the likehood of further hostage takings; second, that those soldiers be provided with heavy artillery and given permission to use it; and, third, that a standing response force under UN and NATO control be set up.
Can the Prime Minister tell us if he agrees with the French Prime Minister on redefining the mandate, which he just mentioned, for UN soldiers in the former Yugoslavia along these lines?
Bosnia May 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that it is important that the debate be held today since the meeting is to take place tomorrow morning. If we want the debate to be relevant, it must be held today.
Agusta May 10th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, at least the minister is consistent.
How can the minister justify continuing talks with Agusta without first investigating the actions of this company as demanded by the Minister of Human Resources Development in April 1993? Does his answer mean that the government is prepared to turn a blind eye and negotiate compensation payments that may be as much as several hundred million dollars? What is at the bottom of this?
Agusta May 10th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works.
In the matter of the cancellation of the contract to purchase EH-101 helicopters worth nearly $6 billion, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works confirmed in April that the government was now negotiating with Agusta the amount of compensation it would have to pay the E.H. Industries consortium.
Would the minister of public works agree that the government should stop all negotiations with Agusta and conduct a judicial investigation into the circumstances around the awarding of the EH-101 contract, considering the many serious charges of corruption and misappropriation of funds pending against Agusta in Europe?
National Defence May 8th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I fail to understand the President of the Treasury Board's reply. He is in favour of cuts, yet new positions are being created.
Does the President of the Treasury Board approve of the new deputy minister positions and the salary increases, which go totally against the recommendations of the auditor general, who decries bad habits and the creation of these positions? Does the President of the Treasury Board approve of this?
National Defence May 8th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board.
The auditor general's 1994 report virulently denounced the poor management performance of senior defence officials that is costing us, and I quote the auditor general, "hundreds of millions of dollars annually". However, despite the cuts made at National Defence, four new assistant deputy minister positions, with average salaries of over $100,000, were created over the past two years. Furthermore, the pay scales for the deputy minister and the chief of defence staff were increased by $20,000.
In this period of fiscal restraint, how can the minister justify these indecent salary hikes and the creation of four new costly senior positions at the Department of National Defence?
Peacekeepers May 5th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I hope that decision will not take as long as the setting up of a board of inquiry.
How does the Deputy Prime Minister reconcile this refusal to give access to information with the government's claim that it wants to shed light on the events which took place in Somalia? What is the government trying to hide by acting in this way?