Jean Chrétien

[Job Creation, March 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, we have voted on the budget. I do not expect the Minister of Finance to come with a new budget next week. He is there to explore new ideas. We on this side of the House can have new ideas.

In the case of the Leader of the Opposition, he changed parties five times in order to have new ideas. We can have them in one party.

[Job Creation, March 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance discussed an idea. When the Minister of Finance or other of my colleagues have new ideas, they do not call me to ask if they can have new ideas.

I encourage my ministers to explore new ideas and make proposals to cabinet. At that time I will decide whether we can incorporate them into the budget, yes or no.

I certainly would not blame any of my ministers for going to a summit to discuss new ways of creating jobs. I would applaud that.

[Job Creation, March 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is meeting with his counterparts from the other G-7 countries. They are looking at some mechanisms that could be used to create jobs.

Stimulating job creation through tax credits is an option that was discussed here but it was not specifically included in the budget. During discussions, the minister put the proposal before the assembly. He certainly heard the reaction of the other ministers and will take it into account in preparing his next budget. They are there to exchange ideas and to have intergovernmental discussions. Knowing the Minister of Finance, he is not afraid of exploring new avenues.

[The Budget, March 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, as the sound of the name is French perhaps I should reply in French because it is not the hon. member's question but was apparently asked by somebody else.

Every government wants to balance its books. No government wants a deficit. We have a target that is very well established in the red book to reduce the deficit in relation to GNP to 3 per cent and we intend to do that. Of course when we get to 3 per cent we will try to go lower and the day we have a balanced budget I will be extremely happy. But I cannot guarantee that to anybody.

Even if we were to pass that law, sometimes things happen which are completely outside the control of government and we have to meet those needs. It is a kind of dream to think that passing a law will balance the books. They have done it in the United States for how many years? They still have a problem there too. It is a problem around the world.

In Canada we have the problem but it is no worse than the one in Europe. Our deficit in relation to GNP is 6.2 per cent and the average in Europe is 6.5 per cent. I am not happy with that. I want to reduce it to 3 per cent in the next three years. After that we will go lower with everybody's help.

[Official Residences, March 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot speak on behalf of the commission responsible for these official residences. However, I can tell you that, as regards the residence of the Prime Minister as well as his summer cottage, no renovation of any kind will be made, as everyone knows. I did not buy furniture; instead, I used what was available, in order to limit spending as much as possible. As far as I know, no major renovations are to take place.

It may be that a plumber will have to do some work, but I am not going to throw him out! However, nothing major is scheduled for 24 Sussex, nor for the residence at Harrington Lake. There could always be some technical problem. Unfortunately, I had to answer so many questions today that I did not have time to study my book on how to solve these technical problems.

[Cable Broadcasting Industry, March 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, this matter does not come under ministerial jurisdiction at this time. The Parliament of Canada established a wholly independent commission to rule on acquisitions of this nature in such areas. The only power we have, and it is quite limited considering Parliament's wish that decisions be made by people outside the executive, is to wait and see what the Commission's ruling on this matter will be. It is not that we do not want to answer the question, it is that we are not in a position to provide an answer.

[Cable Broadcasting Industry, March 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that before any approval is given, a submission must be made to CRTC commissioners. I am not in a position to comment on a ruling by this commission before public hearings are held.

[Aboriginal Self-Government, March 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, every member of the House has been elected to make decisions. There will be a vote in the House of Commons. I do not believe that every time we have a difficult problem in Canada we wash our hands of it by having a referendum. That is not my way.

Tough decisions have to be made by government. If we do not make the right decisions it is up to the electors to tell us in the next election. It is democracy that is best. It is complicated enough in that area. If we let a huge majority decide in a complicated situation like this where there are some tensions between different races, it is not a good way to solve it. The best way is for every one of us to take our own responsibility, vote in the House of Commons and live with the judgment we have expressed on behalf of our electors in the House.

[Aboriginal Self-Government, March 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I will take the question but I know that my minister for federal-provincial relations gave the answer last week.

When we negotiate with a group of people about what should be the status of running their own affairs, we cannot give the final decision before it has been negotiated.

What are the goals of the government? They are not very complicated. I was Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Affairs Development for more than six years. I know that we need a different regime where we can delegate to them the authority to make their own decisions. I have said time and again that we made a lot of mistakes. Perhaps the time has come to let them make some mistakes themselves by giving them the authority to decide locally regarding education, welfare, housing, economic development and not have them wait for instructions from bureaucrats in Ottawa.

[Youth Employment, March 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are trying to do now. That is why the Minister of Human Resources Development is having discussions with his provincial counterpart to find an arrangement whereby Quebec can receive its fair share and use it effectively so that young Quebecers, like other young Canadians, are as well prepared as possible to enter the labour market, because it will be very difficult for them as well as for others.

We must work co-operatively to ensure that all young Canadians are sufficiently well prepared that we can occupy our rightful place in the very competitive world which we will have to face in the coming years.