John Cannis

[Gasoline Prices, June 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell the hon. member what his counterparts in Ontario are telling Canadians. Bob Runciman is telling consumers to buy smaller cars. That is what he is telling them.

[Gasoline Prices, June 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I think the member is spending too much time on his other job. If he has any influence over his Conservative counterparts in Ontario, they have the ability to regulate pricing.

[Gasoline Prices, June 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question, but I do not know where he has been all along.

Some time back, 47 members started this activity. Today the Conference Board of Canada has undertaken a very extensive study right across the country.

When it comes to pricing, the hon. member's provincial counterparts, Mike Harris—

[Gasoline Pricing, June 2nd, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member clearly pointed out whose responsibility it is in terms of pricing, that being provincial. He can speak to his premier.

This minister and this government has taken on that responsibility. The Conference Board of Canada is undertaking a very extensive study as a result of the 47 Liberal members who spearheaded this effort to bring this file where it is today.

[Gasoline Pricing, June 2nd, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the government has taken action. It was this Liberal team that came together, 47 members, and commenced the procedure for where we are today on an ongoing basis. We were responsible and will continue to be responsible. If they would only participate we would advance it even further.

[President Of The Hellenic Republic, May 29th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to take the opportunity to welcome the President of the Hellenic Republic to Canada and to our capital city, Ottawa.

It is the first time since 1982 that such an individual has visited Canada. I take this opportunity on behalf of all my colleagues in the House to welcome the President of the Hellenic Republic as 350,000 Greek Canadians are celebrating.

It is very significant. He was the first official foreign visitor to visit the tomb of the Unknown Soldier the other day. I applaud him and welcome him.

[Voice Mail Service, May 8th, 2000]

Madam Speaker, Motion No. 361 that the member from the NDP is bringing forward requires the CRTC to mandate the provisions of subsidized voice mail service to community agencies.

I would like to go a little more in depth and quote verbatim what Motion No. 361 is all about. It says:

In the opinion of this House, the federal government should encourage the CRTC to establish regulations that require telephone companies to assist community agencies with providing affordable voice mail service to Canadians who cannot afford or do not have access to telephone service.

That is exactly what Motion No. 361 says.

I took the opportunity to quote Motion No. 361 for the purpose of telling the House and through you, Madam Speaker, the country as a whole that this type of motion that comes forward, which is a non-votable motion, is not necessarily a step that has to take place here in the House. It is great that it comes to the House and is discussed, et cetera, but this government, previous governments and future governments are not the instrument by which this request should be put forward.

The commission could be asked by any individual, community, or organization to look into the possibility of having these services provided. As I have said in the past, this is an arm's length relationship. The member would do well to work as aggressively as I know she can and has in the past with the area, with the community, to bring this issue to the attention of the commission and indeed move positively forward to carry out the hearings. As we know, and I want to point out, on some of these avenues there has been public consultation on an ongoing basis to look at specific areas, the types of needs, et cetera, so that indeed if the commission and the findings are there, service can be provided.

I will not take up much more of the House's time but I wanted to clarify this issue. Without going into the details, our government will continue to make sure that each and every Canadian no matter where they live has the tools needed to carry on their daily lives. We will continue to address some of the concerns that communities and individuals face, whether they are health, community, business or personal issues.

I know that with Motion No. 361 the intentions of the member from the NDP are honourable and good and I commend her for that. However, there is a vehicle, a venue, and that is to bring this request to the commission so that it can have more consultations. As I said earlier, there has been a lot of consultation. If it warrants, it shall be done.

[1911 Census Records, April 10th, 2000]

Madam Speaker, I am glad to have the opportunity to participate in this debate.

I thank all my Liberal colleagues who have participated in the debate. I especially want to thank the hon. member for Waterloo—Wellington for not only acknowledging the effort of the member of the Canadian Alliance but for very clearly pointing out the efforts the government has undertaken with respect to this issue.

This is an important issue. Many Canadians have asked us about the census and we have an obligation to respond to their concerns. However, I, too, want to take this opportunity to re-emphasize to Canadians exactly what is happening.

With the greatest of respect to the hon. member for Calgary Southeast, I must say that as much as his motion makes a lot of sense, the government and the Minister of Industry have already taken the initiative, as was so eloquently pointed out by my Liberal colleague, to put a panel together to look at this most important issue.

I do compliment the effort by the hon. member for Calgary Southeast, but it is premature. We owe it to each and every Canadian to wait until the end of May when the panel will report back with its findings and tells us “This is what we have done. This is the information we have gathered. This is our opinion and this is our view”. I am confident that at that time, not only the Minister of Industry, who is the minister responsible for Statistics Canada, but all of us in the House will make that decision on which direction to go in.

The date the panel will report back is May 31, 2000. Canadians who want to maintain the protection of personal information and those who would like to examine personal information or communities, historically speaking, will have the opportunity at the appropriate time to participate.

My Liberal colleague talked about the members of the panel, who are prominent Canadians. I will take this opportunity to tell Canadians who they are so they can be assured that the people looking into this most important issue are indeed people who are well recognized and well respected and have the expertise and the knowledge to face this most important issue.

The five member panel is chaired by Dr. Richard Van Loon, president of Carleton University. The other members are Chad Gaffield, director, institute of Canadian studies and professor of history, University of Ottawa; the Hon. Gérard La Forest, retired supreme court judge; the Hon. Lorna Marsden, president and vice-chancellor, York University; and John McCamus, professor of law, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

These prominent Canadians reflect how seriously the government is taking this issue. These individuals will do what is right. When they come to the government and the minister with their recommendations, I assure all the people who are interested in this important issue that we will take it as seriously as the hon. member for Calgary Southeast has in bringing forth this motion.

The panel has been provided with all relevant documents and information so that it can do a proper job. The panel is reviewing this information and is meeting with key stakeholders to seek their views. It will not only be these five members doing the work. They will be reaching out to various members in various communities right across Canada to make sure that the data is transparent and well received. The panel's recommendations will be the basis for serious review and immediate follow-up by the government.

Although historians, genealogists and researchers are upset that the 1906 and subsequent census records will not be accessible to the public and are asking that the legislation be amended, the privacy commissioner strongly opposes a retroactive amendment to the Statistics Canada Act which would provide access to individually identifiable census records collected in past censuses.

This is a complicated issue. I want to detail what historical census records are available to the public at the present time. All microfilm records of the 1901 and earlier censuses are currently available to the public and are under the control of the National Archives of Canada. I want the people of Canada to know that because there is a perception that everything is locked away and hidden and not available to Canadians. That is simply not the case.

People ask where historical census records are available. All microfilm records of censuses taken in 1901 and earlier are currently available to the public and are under the control of the National Archives. Provincial archives in many regional libraries have also acquired copies of the same records. Local libraries can request census microfilms through interlibrary exchange programs.

Why are the earlier census records available to the public and not later ones? Many Canadians have been asking this question and I would like to take a few moments to explain.

The earlier censuses were conducted under various census acts which did not contain the same type of confidentiality provisions that are a fundamental part of Statistics Canada legislation today. Consequently, it was not until the passing of the Privacy Act in 1983 that there was some legislative authority governing these 1901 and earlier records. Under the Privacy Act information under the control of the National Archives can be placed in the public domain in cases where the information was obtained through a census or survey 92 years ago.

This is an issue which the average Canadian often does not understand. Therefore, I feel it is appropriate to outline to Canadians exactly what this issue is about so that they can feel comfortable that this government, previous governments or future governments do not have a big brother image over them, collect information, lock it up and use it as they so choose. That is simply not the case. That is why I am taking this opportunity to put Canadians at ease as to what exactly happens with the information we gather.

The government has taken the bull by the horns. It has undertaken an initiative to move forward positively. In saying this, again, I compliment the member for Calgary Southeast because I know he cares. His heart is where it should be. He is attempting to ensure that each and every Canadian, organization and facility has access to this information.

The Minister of Industry and the government recognize the importance of historical records. We have also taken the opportunity to point out our concern. There are privacy concerns. By the end of May we will be in a position to respond properly.

[Competition Act, April 5th, 2000]

Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking my hon. colleague from the Bloc for giving me the opportunity to speak on the subject of consultation on the shipbuilding industry.

The government has a policy on shipbuilding, one that is evident in Canada's position in both domestic, let me point out, and international shipbuilding markets. However, we have remained committed always to maintaining a dialogue with industry proponents and we are receptive to evidence of changing circumstances within the shipbuilding sector.

In order for dialogue to be meaningful, we must all start from the same basis. It has become clear through my discussions with various shipbuilding representatives that all stakeholders are not dealing with the same set of facts. So far the debate on shipbuilding in the media and here in the House has been mostly an emotional discourse rather than a rational debate on the facts and issues facing the industry in Canada and, of course, abroad.

Consequently, let me point out that just last week the Minister of Industry held a meeting with the chairman of the Canadian committee on shipbuilding and policy. He will continue to dialogue with this committee and will also hold meetings with the major yardowners for example, labour representatives and other major stakeholders.

We want to work with all the stakeholders to set forth a set of clearly stated facts on Canada's shipbuilding industry. As this information evolves, all stakeholders including government and industry proponents, will be better equipped to deal with the future direction of this industry. These directions will take into account the outcome of our dialogue, but will also have to respect the realities of our domestic and international marketplace, use the economic levers currently at our disposal and be also fiscally responsible.

[Points Of Order, March 31st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I know you have done your utmost to clarify this, but I know there is some confusion. When referring to the official opposition as the Canadian Alliance, will that be the name on the ballot sheet? My constituents are asking me and I do not know what to tell them.