Bernard Patry

[Overfishing, June 14th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during his visit to the European Parliament, Quebec's deputy premier openly condemned Canada for its action against Spain in the turbot dispute. This new change of direction by Mr. Landry goes against the support expressed by his leader, Mr. Parizeau, regarding our intervention, as well as by the Bloc Quebecois.

My question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Can the minister assure Canadian fishermen, particularly those in Quebec, that Mr. Landry's change of direction will have little impact on the issue of overfishing off Canada's coasts?

[Supply, June 1st, 1995]

Through you, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask this of the hon. member: If you have architects, if you have a plan, why wait? I would like to know when the Quebec government will decide to call a referendum with a simple and clear question.

[Supply, June 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. In her speech, the hon. member said that there was anger among Quebecers. She said that she felt that anger, and I agree with her, it is true that there is anger among Quebecers, but I would simply like to point out to the hon. member that that anger, and it does exist, comes from a great disappointment vis-à-vis the present Quebec government. The other way to govern of that government, which is a branch of the Bloc Quebecois, scares Quebecers.

We even saw sovereignist central labour bodies question their allegiance to sovereignty. Just consider the cuts in health care, which is a provincial jurisdiction. So, yes, there is anger. Since you also talked about your plan, about the architects, I will ask you a very simple question: Since you have a plan-

[Parti Quebecois, June 1st, 1995]

This appointment came after his predecessor, whose term was supposed to run until next September, was relieved of his duties.

With this latest appointment, Marcel Masse joins a select group of people who directly benefit from the separatist obsessions of the PQ.

If it fails to convince Quebecers to vote for separation, the PQ will at least have helped to create jobs for the new supporters of "profitable separatism".

[Parti Quebecois, June 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the PQ government has again shown how loyal and generous it is to those who pledge allegiance to the separatist cause.

Yesterday, we heard that Marcel Masse, former minister in the Union nationale government and former Conservative minister, had been appointed president of the Conseil de la langue française du Québec.

[Bovine Somatotropin, May 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the seven person working group appointed by the Government of Canada to study the safety of recombinant bovine somatotropin for animal and human health should release its report very soon, that is, before the moratorium

imposed by the government on manufacturers expires on July 1st.

At present, this hormone provides only financial and economic benefits and may be prejudicial to the health of all Canadians.

I am therefore asking the authorities concerned, and especially the Minister of Health, to ensure that all necessary studies, including the one on insulin growth factor-1, a hormone that may in some cases be linked to excessive limb and chin development, are conducted.

If these studies do not prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that BST is safe, the Minister of Health should seek an indefinite extension of the moratorium.

[Interprovincial Trade, May 18th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and its Quebec counterpart issued a study concluding that Quebec benefits greatly from interprovincial trade. It shows that in Quebec, 470,000 jobs depend directly on interprovincial trade. Given these findings, it is disconcerting to see that the Bloc Quebecois and the PQ are still adamantly pursuing Quebec's separation, regardless of the huge economic impact such a course of action might have.

Canada is financially advantageous not only for Quebec, but also for all the other provinces. The recent signing of an interprovincial trade agreement by the ten premiers opens new opportunities for this important sector of Quebec economy. The Canadian economic union already exists and it has proven to be extremely advantageous for Quebec. There is no need to jeopardize everything for the sake of satisfying the sovereignist aspirations of the Bloc and the PQ.

[Montreal Economy, May 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Quebec minister responsible for restructuring released the findings of a study on the impact that separation would have on companies with head offices in Quebec.

The main finding is that 5,000 jobs currently located in these head offices could be moved out of the province if Quebec became independent. Once again, Montreal would be the hardest hit, since most corporate head offices are located in that region.

As the study shows, Quebec's independence would be extremely costly to Montreal's economy. Quebecers are fed up with these studies, these tricks and these U-turns.

The Pequiste government must stop causing this job drain with its obsession to achieve independence, and instead help us revitalize the economy.

[Supply, April 27th, 1995]

I thank the hon. member of the Reform Party for his question.

I will answer the second part of his question first. There is no way that government will ever grant the Reform Party its wish for a two-tier health system, with one system for the rich and another for the poor. That is out of the question.

Extra billing and private clinics lead to a two tier system: one for the rich and another for the poor. The government in office in Ottawa will do no such thing because it is against its principles.

As for the first part of his question, I think that it is up to the provinces; they can and must cut their costs, which have become astronomical. There are certain things that must be looked at, costs, hospitals, provinces and even physicians, and I am one myself. Therefore, it is within the medical and social service community that the solution should be sought, and not in terms of the accessibility per se of the services.

[Supply, April 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member of the Bloc Quebecois for his question. I am very pleased to hear him say that he came to the same conclusion as I did, in that he agrees with the five principles I listed earlier.

There is a real problem with underfunding but it lies in the fact that social and health programs are provincially administered in Canada. Every province made its own choices. It is now up to these provinces to make new choices to cut their costs within the health system as we know it.

In certain parts of the country, provinces have allowed non- essential services to be provided to their citizens. I think that the ball is in the court of the provinces now.