Lucien Bouchard

[Taxation, February 10th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, according to the daily newspaper La Presse , the Minister of Finance told the Conseil du patronat du Québec about the government's budgetary about-face in favour of a tax increase. This means the minister has given up on the need to reduce government spending.

Are we to understand that, instead of showing it had the guts to reduce government spending and plug tax loopholes for the wealthy, the government has decided to reduce the deficit at the expense of the middle class already infuriated by successive tax increases in recent years?

[Bosnia, February 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, this means there has been a major change in Canada's position regarding airstrikes, because I understand that until now, Canada had accepted the principle of airstrikes at close range only for self-defence, to guarantee the safety of its peacekeepers. I understand that in this case, the government has decided to support the principle of an airstrike against a belli-gerent force in order to lift the siege of Sarajevo.

In that case, I would like to ask the Prime Minister what guarantees he obtained to ensure that Canadian peacekeepers would not be adversely affected as a result of the ultimatum.

[Bosnia, February 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I see that it is not quite clear what steps were taken by the Serbs following this ultimatum.

May we ask the Prime Minister what the terms of the ultimatum are? Exactly what will happen to the Serbs should the ultimatum be rejected?

[Bosnia, February 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister. Five days after the massacre at Sarajevo's central market, the 16 members of the NATO council are meeting today in Brussels to examine an American proposal that would force the siege of Sarajevo to be lifted within ten days. Just now there was a news release announcing: "Today NATO member countries agreed to send an ultimatum to the Bosnian Serbs, threatening them with airstrikes if they fail to withdraw their heavy artillery from the region around Sarajevo within the next 10 days".

I want to ask the Prime Minister whether this information is correct. And also, since these decisions must be made unanimously, whether Canada supported sending an ultimatum to the Serbs.

[Bosnia, February 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Prime Minister whether he can promise that his government will not approve airstrikes without guarantees for the safety of Canadian peacekeepers in Bosnia.

[Bosnia, February 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, an emergency NATO meeting on the matter was scheduled today, at the request of France and Belgium. What position did the Prime Minister instruct his representatives to take on behalf of Canada at this meeting?

[Bosnia, February 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister.

Saturday, another barbaric act was committed in Sarajevo, where a mortar shell that hit the central market killed 68 people and wounded over 200. Following this tragedy, UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali asked NATO for authority to proceed with airstrikes against the Serbian artillery positions which hold Sarajevo under siege.

I want to ask the Prime Minister whether he could indicate the Canadian government's official position on this request from the UN Secretary-General which favours airstrikes to free Sarajevo.

[Cigarette Smuggling, February 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, if the Government of Ontario persists in its refusal to reduce its own taxes, does the federal government intend to go ahead with its own reduction of federal taxes, given the fact that the Prime Minister said that some time ago?

[Cigarette Smuggling, February 3rd, 1994]

I want to ask the Prime Minister whether he can confirm that the government's action plan against cigarette smuggling includes a federal tax reduction of $6 a carton, as the CBC reported last night?

[Cigarette Smuggling, February 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, every question we ask now is answered with a litany of calls, talks and intentions but never with action. We are starting to wonder whether there is a government in the House.