Jean Chrétien

[Industry Canada, October 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, everyone has a right to express his opinions, including heads of companies. And they have an obligation to tell their employees-

[Industry Canada, October 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is the duty of the government to make sure everybody understands what this is all about. This is all about a party dedicated to destroying Canada. You do not break up a country that easily anywhere in the world.

Our preoccupation is very simple. We want to keep the country together. We can have industries in Quebec, we can have industries in Ontario and the rest of Canada that can compete in the world. It is our duty to tell that to Quebecers, because if they vote yes and there is a separatist government there can be no guarantee they will be able to have the same types of operations in Quebec.

The leaders of the unions can talk, but the owners of a company do not know what they talk about.

What does Mr. Beaudoin want? He wants to maintain the number of jobs Quebecers have with Bombardier in Quebec. That is his concern. He is doing this first of all for the sake of the workers, their salaries and the shareholders, and it is his responsibility to do so.

If we can help people tell workers in Quebec that they are taking a risk by voting Yes, it is our duty to tell them that, in their own interests and those of their families, they should vote to stay in the best country in the world: Canada.

[Industry Canada, October 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government has a responsibility to ensure that jobs are created in Canada and that jobs are kept. That is our responsibility. And as politicians it is very important for us to know what we are doing for businesses in Quebec, because the important thing is to keep those salaries and jobs in Quebec.

I was once Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce, and that was quite a few years ago. When Canadair was closing its doors, which would have had a disastrous impact on Spar Industries, we managed to save Canadair. When General Dynamics was leaving Canada, as Minister of Industry I took action, and today, Canadair is the best company in Quebec. And Canadair buys services from Spar. We want those jobs to be kept. This is very important.

In fact, the workers themselves admitted as much, because when I left politics, members of the Canadair employees' union asked me to work for them, and they told me: "You are aware of our needs. When we needed you, you were there. We want you to keep working for us". I am concerned about workers' wages, about high tech jobs for Quebec and ensuring that the markets will still be there, not only in Canada but throughout the world, for the benefit of the economy and the people of Quebec, especially in the Montreal region.

[Operation Unity Centre, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I find it is quite normal to ask for other people's input when writing a speech. Information can be sought under the Access to Information Act. Any citizen can request information from government departments.

So, when a citizen contacts a department and says: "I have a speech to make. Can you provide me with some information?" and that information is available, it is in keeping with our government's policy of openness to provide as much information as possible to all citizens, and Quebecers in particular at this time when they are about to make a decision that will affect their future for many years to come. In order to make the right choice, they must be fully aware of what the Government of Canada does for Quebec's industries, greatly helping them to develop and break into new markets so that jobs can be created for Quebecers within Canada.

[Industry Canada, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the allegation is totally false, and everyone knows that this industry is dependent on a Canadian government contract. That is the way it is. This industry has been in existence since the end of the second world war, since the war.

Of course, if the Canadian government does not buy ammunition from an ammunition producer, I wonder who will.

It is quite normal for us to know this. If, in analyzing Quebec industries, the minister realizes that a business is completely dependent on the Canadian defence budget, I think it is quite normal for him to know this so that we can find out exactly what role the Canadian government plays in Quebec. In this case, it is fundamental.

Without the Canadian government, without a defence department that buys ammunition from this industry, it would have to close its doors. But, since there is a Canadian government that has Quebecers' interests at heart, we continue to buy ammunition from this business.

[Industry Canada, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, ever since I became a member of cabinet and even a member of Parliament, the Canadian aerospace industry has always relied on federal assistance for its development.

I myself was Minister of Industry many years ago. When Canadair was shut down by the American company General Dynamics, the Canadian government took it over to put it back on its feet. It has now become Quebec's largest industry and biggest employer. The Canadian government wants to ensure that Canadair can go ahead with its aircraft development project.

The development of regional aircraft by Canadair has been a government concern for many years, and we are trying to help this industry. In fact, in the past twelve months, we had the opportunity to help it start producing this aircraft which I feel is destined to have a great future, thanks to the aeronautics policies put in place by the Canadian government, which does a great deal for workers in that sector of Quebec's economy. That is why they will want to remain in Canada.

[Industry Canada, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am of course glad to see the Leader of the Opposition has conceded that the No side will win and the Yes side will lose. If he felt confident, he would have said that all this did not matter and that on October 30 they would no longer have dealings with the Canadian government and businessmen would no longer have to deal with the Canadian government. I wonder why he is so scared; is it because he realizes he will lose?

However, I think it is rather surprising that the leader of the Bloc Quebecois should criticize us, when his leader, the leader of the Parti Quebecois, fired every single official representing the Quebec government abroad who did not swear an oath of allegiance to the cause of separation.

When we see the kind of threats they make against people who are now speaking out in favour of the No side, as in the case of the chief executive of an insurance company who has been told he may lose his contracts because he is a federalist, I think the Leader of the Opposition is hardly in a position to criticize us for trying to find out who receives subsidies and in what sector, so that members and people on the No side can go to the ridings and explain to people that the Canadian government provides a good service to all Quebecers.

[Industry Canada, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I think it only makes sense for a minister to want to know what is going on in his department. Members rise in the House every day to ask questions, and if a minister has the misfortune to say he does not know exactly what is going on in his department, he is accused of incompetence. I am not going to rise in the House now and tell my Minister of Industry that he is incompetent, when he is making sure that we have all the information relevant to the referendum debate in Quebec.

Quebecers ought to know that what we can offer them now is something concrete, but the Bloc Quebecois and the Parti Quebecois are trying to make people believe in a hypothetical situation it will be impossible to realize. We are telling Quebecers in concrete terms what we are doing for them, and they are very glad to know about it.

[Industry Canada, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is entirely normal that government officials should be able to inform ministers and the government of economic activities in Quebec that receive assistance from the Canadian government. That is all part of the basic argument. The purpose is not to blackmail anyone at all, in fact quite the opposite. It is so we can tell people that they can get ahead in Canada and that many industries in Quebec need the central government, to access its funding programs as well as to find markets abroad.

I think it is perfectly normal that the Minister of Industry should know what is going on in the industrial sector in the province of Quebec at a time when a referendum is to be held, so that he can tell the Prime Minister, the ministers, members of Parliament and the public what the Canadian government is doing for Quebecers.

[Research And Development, October 2nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources clearly showed a few minutes ago that she was not at all mixed up.

In Canada, we always try for a balance in all areas possible, but it is mathematically impossible for the proportions to be the same in each area for each province. Some provinces are smaller, some are bigger. It depends on circumstances. On the whole, however, the distribution of laboratories, research and development in Canada has been very fair. When I visit Quebec, I realize some sectors have benefited enormously from research and development in Canada. Aeronautics, as I said earlier, is concentrated in Quebec. In the Montreal region, Canadair is expanding considerably. Pratt & Whitney is another of the major specialty firms. It has gained a reputation for manufacturing engines not only in Canada, but throughout America.

So we do a lot and we will do even more in the future, that is certain, because once the situation in Canada becomes extremely stable, as it will on October 31, Canada will enjoy a new period of prosperity, and we will be able to share even more.