Jean Chrétien

[Government Appointments, March 21st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know about an attack like that. Mr. Fowler has been a great bureaucrat. He has been in foreign affairs for almost all of his career. He is a very competent person. He was a very good choice to be named as ambassador after the great service he has given Parliament and this country throughout different governments.

[Ethics, March 21st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is because he is the counsellor to the Prime Minister.

[Rail Transport, March 21st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, all the means available to the government had been used earlier to try to settle this conflict amicably and now we are confronted with a national strike of all the railways in Canada. The government had to face up to its responsibilities and present a bill to settle the matter.

I realize the press is creating the impression that it is only the Bloc Quebecois, but the NDP opposed unanimous consent too. Western farmers know that we are thinking of their best interests in settling this strike rapidly.

[Rail Transport, March 21st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I can understand the frustration of the opposition, which is trying to make up for the mistake it made yesterday. This government's priority is job creation. We must ensure that there is a rail transportation system to deliver the goods produced by Canadian workers to the markets, so that we can have more jobs in Canada, not fewer because of a strike that is against national interest.

[Rail Transport, March 21st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his offer. I think that the best solution is to pass the legislation immediately. Otherwise, if we wait 60 days, we will end up with the same problem. We will have lost a whole week, and will still end up with the same problem in 60 days.

I think that public opinion in Canada at this time is clearly that these problems must be resolved quickly. I have received telegrams from Quebec aluminum plants, for example, some of which are located in the riding represented by the Leader of the Opposition, which have been forced to cut production. It is the same thing for Kruger Inc. in the Mauricie region and for the

lumber industry in the northern part of my riding, in Parent, and so on.

That is why we decided that, under the circumstances, the quickest way-and I give the hon. member the opportunity to co-operate by withdrawing his objection so that the bill can be passed this afternoon.

[Medicare, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, if these four sculptures, as he called them, had waited

until this morning, they would not have had to hold a press conference because I stated very clearly that medicare will remain as it is.

[Stay In School Program, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources Development has just left the House. He will return in a few minutes, and could perhaps answer the hon. member at three o'clock or the next time he is in the House.

[Canada Post, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, as I said at the beginning, it is in relation to a situation that occurred when we were not in government. I also said that the question of the conduct of members of Parliament is a matter that is vested with the House of Commons. We will be asking a committee of the House to report on that and the hon. member can deal with this problem.

The government of today does not have to respond to what happened in previous administrations.

[Canada Post, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is that it is not within the jurisdiction of the ethics counsellor. We had asked a committee of the House to look into the question of lobbying and so on. It made its report today with amendments. It will be given to another committee of the House to look at the code of conduct for members of Parliament and senators.

This has to be decided by the members themselves, not by the government, because this affects the conduct of the members of the Senate and the members of the House of Commons. It is not for the government to dictate to members of Parliament what to do. Members of Parliament are mature and competent enough to give themselves guidelines. The member will be invited to participate if he has views to share.

[Labour, March 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, Parliament acted very rapidly yesterday in the case of the port of Vancouver. The port was completely closed.

The problem in Montreal is of a different nature. It does not call for legislation at this time and the Minister of Labour is looking into the matter.