Jean Chrétien

[Government of Canada, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we already proposed a package on that. After I made a speech about that in the House of Commons we delivered a package a few weeks later. There will be reform. The role will be independent. The person will not be able to be removed without two-thirds of the vote of the House of Commons. We will reform the Elections Act and so on.

What we are happy to note is that in spite of the fact that we are opening up, the Alliance contestants for leadership are refusing to reveal who financed them to get their jobs.

[Agriculture, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, he is from Alberta and Alberta is willing to participate. If Alberta participates it will put pressure on Saskatchewan. If Saskatchewan participates it will put pressure on Manitoba. We care about farmers and we moved first.

[Agriculture, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it has been like that for years. We have always paid 60%. In the last agreement we offered 60% and the provinces came along and offered the other 40%.

Let me say that I expect the provinces to do the same thing. The provinces, like any government, do not like to spend money. We also do not like to spend money but when we have a problem like that we pay our share and we expect the provinces to do likewise.

[Prime Minister, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we dealt with all aspects of that for weeks and weeks in the House of Commons and we had absolutely nothing to hide. What is very disappointing is that it will probably be the last time that the right hon. member will ask questions in the House of Commons as the leader of an opposition party. He would have been in a position to be at a higher level in concluding his career if it had not been for the throwing of dirt. Every time one throws dirt, one loses ground.

[G-8 Summit, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, in Canada we have always welcomed expression of opinion everywhere but we want that to be orderly. I started my career by organizing a demonstration against Duplessis in Quebec. It was a very democratic act.

When I travel in Canada, sometimes some people come out, have signs and protest. I read them and accept that. However all that has to be orderly, while ensuring that the property of individuals is well protected by the police who have the duty to ensure that the citizens of Canada are safe.

[G-8 Summit, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the security of the summit is the responsibility of the RCMP. For people who want to come to Canada, there is a process under the law where they have to fill certain requirements to get a visa when visas are needed and so on. It is administered by the different departments that are responsible without any government intervention.

[Agriculture, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, as the Government of Canada, we are taking our responsibility. Now the hon. member says that if the provincial governments do not care about the farmers, we should be blamed for that.

The people of these provinces will have the occasion to tell their provincial governments to look at what the federal government is doing for them and that they want the provincial governments to do the same thing for them.

[Agriculture, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we have always been a great supporter of the wheat board. Now the wheat board is managed by the farmers themselves. They have a say on that and will be in a position to comment on it.

The wheat board has been a great instrument for the farmers of western Canada. We gave it the benefit of the doubt. It will look at the situation. However I do think that it is the duty of this parliament to respect the laws of the land that have established the wheat board, which has been a great success over the years.

[Agriculture, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the Alliance is asking us to spend even more money than we are spending, so that will be well noted.

Agriculture has been a shared jurisdiction and we have been more generous than the provinces by funding 60% of the program. We are making the same offer. We hope that the provinces will respond because they have done it in the past. They have recognized the responsibilities.

We will put 60% on the table. We hope they will put their share on the table. However, if some provincial governments think that their farmers are not important enough to them, what I can say is that they are important to us.

[Agriculture, June 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we have had programs of that nature before and each time the federal government has subscribed to 60% and the provinces came along and subscribed to the other 40%. We are hoping that the negotiations will bring the same result.