House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Churchill Falls Hydro Project September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, if one is issued payment that is the law of this House, of Parliament. I have no choice. It has been voted that there will be equalization payments and there is a formula that applies according to revenues of provinces. The leader of the third party is asking the Prime Minister of Canada not to respect the law. I am not that kind of Prime Minister.
Churchill Falls Hydro Project September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, if I am to comment on every proposition about that type of question, there will be no end. We are a government here and we are responsible for the actions of the government.
I replied to the question before: It is a debate between the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and the premier of Quebec. They have already talked about the question and I hope that they will still talk about it because both have an interest in having a good relationship. There is a lot of potential at the border between the two and they have to make sure that the atmosphere is the best possible so it will be conducive to more progress.
It is not my role at this moment to say to one or the other to respect it or not to respect it. We have courts to settle the question of legality. I am happy that both said they intend to respect the law of the land.
Churchill Falls Hydro Project September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I have nothing to add to what the minister said. There is a contract and there is a dispute. I believe Mr. Bouchard and Mr. Tobin previously discussed the contract and are making their cases.
There is no doubt that the rule of law exists for everybody in Canada, but sometimes, when circumstances change, people sit down and review the complex problem they face and try to find a solution.
The minister has said that there is a contract at this time and we must respect the contract which is the rule of law in Canada. This is not a new issue. It was debated a long time ago. I believe the minister gave a very good answer today and yesterday.
Veteran Benefits September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, this is the same member who said two minutes ago that General Baril had done something positive. In his supplementary, it is no longer a good thing.
I suggest we let the generals, who are far more experienced than the hon. member, do their job and take care of the situation in the armed forces, and that we wait for the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Somalia. It is as simple as that.
Veteran Benefits September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, this is very good news. This is the same General Baril who said last week on the French network of the CBC that he had complete confidence in General Boyle.
Together they are introducing the necessary reforms. Today, General Baril announced the creation of this new position to ensure that members of the armed forces can present their grievances to this new officer, who will have the specific task of ensuring that all authorities are advised of their content.
This new position is intended to help improve relations among the lowest ranks right on up to the highest echelons of the army.
Veteran Benefits September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I answered the question earlier. The Minister of National Defence has been questioned on this a number of times before this House, and he has answered all questions from the House of Commons.
After seven days of sittings already they have nothing to talk about, and so they are going back to questions from six or seven months ago. Very soon they will talk about the last election.
Veteran Benefits September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence was asked questions for many months about that situation and he gave an explanation for the work this gentleman had to do for the minister and the department of defence with the veterans.
He replied many months ago to my satisfaction and I guess to the satisfaction of most members of the House of Commons.
Canadian Armed Forces September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that the leader of the third party is mentioning General Baril. I heard General Baril last week on French TV supporting General Boyle and asking the people of Canada to let General Boyle do his job.
I agree that General Baril is competent, and he is on the inside. He is an outspoken person. He was not ashamed to say last week that he has confidence in General Boyle and that he should stay in his job.
Canadian Armed Forces September 24th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, of course, like a lot of people, I respect very much Major-General MacKenzie. I know him personally. But the reality is there is an inquiry going on at this moment on what happened in Somalia. Let the inquiry do its job.
In terms of the operation of the armed forces, today they made a decision to have a new function established to make sure that grievances from troops will go straight to the highest level possible in the army. That is the way to solve problems. Just shuffling people around does not solve problems. We are trying to reform an institution that is going through a very difficult time.
We had to close bases. We had to reduce the number of generals from 120 to below 80. It is very difficult for the people who operate in that situation to understand that it is difficult for everybody, not only for the soldiers who have to live with that and the managers of the department, but it is tough for us too. We do not make these cuts and readjustments just for the pleasure of doing them. It is because they are needed to make sure that the finances of the nation will be in proper shape.
The Somalia Commission September 19th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, General Boyle has finished his testimony, and now the commission is continuing its work. We hope the commission will be able to finish its business as soon as possible, so that we can bring the necessary remedies to the present situation.
We should all let the commission go ahead with what it is supposed to do, which is to do its job so that the necessary reforms can be implemented as soon as possible.