Marcel Proulx

[June 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I regret to inform my colleague that his response does not satisfy our expectations whatsoever. When he talks about a comparison of 77% to 23% he is not taking into account the jobs of all the federal agencies and institutions on the list I provided in my speech.

Now is the time to take action. We cannot wait for the announcement of the RCMP move to the JDS building. It will be too late. The buildings left empty by the departure of the RCMP would then have to be filled, which would mean even more new jobs on the Ontario side. The gap will continue to expand and it is the citizens of the Outaouais who will pay the price.

When does the minister intend to share his strategy on the distribution of jobs in the national capital region, namely 75% on the Ontario side and 25% on the Quebec side, by taking into account all the jobs that stem from the Government of Canada?

[June 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, on May 10, I asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services a question about how Government of Canada jobs are distributed in the national capital region. Both he and his minister acknowledged that there is a policy in place. The policy provides that 75% of the jobs be located in Ontario and 25% in Quebec.

The minister stated that reaching this goal would be costly because the government would have to build or rent new buildings for federal employees in Gatineau. I believe that we must immediately put a strategy in place to close the existing gap.

Jobs have been migrating to the Ontario side of the border. For example, the Canada Revenue Agency used to be located in the Fontaine building. Six hundred employees were relocated from Quebec to Ontario. These people now have to travel all the way to Billings Bridge or to Ottawa West to work. These jobs, which were linked to the knowledge industry, were very important for the Outaouais.

I also think that jobs in Ottawa should be more evenly distributed between the eastern and western parts of the city. The west has far more jobs.

There has been talk recently of moving the RCMP to the building once occupied by JDS, located some 20 km from Parliament Hill. Adding spaces to the office building portfolio on the Ottawa side would also contribute to job creation for Ottawa. And, as a result, this would reduce the proportion on the Quebec side. At this rate, there is no doubt that the job gap will continue to increase, not decrease.

In recent years, it has become apparent that transparency is an essential factor in sound public administration. In an attempt to respect this principle, I believe that the government must call for public tenders for any acquisition, lease or construction of government buildings. The Canadian public and the House of Commons have the right to be informed of all such spending. Only a public, competitive process can ensure that this principle is respected.

We cannot ignore the economic and social importance of public service jobs in a region. Locating and consolidating federal government jobs in the Outaouais, respecting the distribution of jobs on both sides of the river, is a major factor in our development. This is not a new situation.

I introduced a motion during the last parliament asking the Government of Canada to take the necessary steps to distribute federal jobs in the national capital region more equitably between Ontario and Quebec.

In addition to government departments, this job distribution strategy must cover all federal corporations, agencies and institutions identified in the Bank of Canada Act, the Broadcasting Act , the Canada Council Act, the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development Act, the International Development Research Centre Act, the National Defence Act, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Telefilm Canada Act. It must also include the institutions that are identified in a schedule to the Financial Administration Act or come under that act.

I am thinking of the Bank of Canada, the CBC, National Defence, the Canada Council, the International Development Research Centre, Canada Post and even the House of Commons and the Senate.

I ask that a statistical summary of all public service jobs in the national capital region, as I have just described, the location of those jobs and the employee movements over the past five years be tabled in this House.

We can no longer afford to wait while, in Ontario, the number of employees keeps on growing and the government's building inventory keeps on expanding. It is time to act.

What short-term and long-term strategies does the minister intend to put in place to bring the ratio back to 75/25?

[Government Policies, June 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, over 100 days of “harpocracy”.

Number 61: show lack of respect toward the democratically elected Premier of Ontario.

Number 62: force the provinces to renegotiate workforce partnership agreements.

Number 63: provide no infrastructure funding to expand the diversion canal in Winnipeg.

Number 64: remain silent about the $55 million required for the 2010 Olympics.

Number 65: break promise to British Columbia by spreading out over eight years the funding for the Pacific Gateway.

Number 66: breach agreement with Quebec whereby it would have received $328 million under Kyoto.

Number 67: take over the Liberal 10-year plan to consolidate health care, contrary to the promise to do more.

Number 68: promise to address the wait time problem, but fail to provide funding to do so.

Number 69: remain silent about the election promise to compensate hepatitis C victims immediately.

Number 70: remain silent about New Brunswick, which has stopped providing access to abortion services, contrary to the provisions of the Canada Health Act.

One hundred days of “harpocracy”. One hundred days of shame.

[Ethics, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, on the day we learned the Prime Minister broke ethics rules with free Grey Cup tickets, we also learned the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board enjoyed free tickets to the March 17 Coldplay concert.

Without commenting on the member's taste in music, when will the President of the Treasury Board order his parliamentary secretary to set a better example than taking free tickets from influential Conservative friends and insiders?

[Public Service, May 10th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, since the early 1980s, the Government of Canada has had a policy whereby 75% of public service jobs in the capital region are on the Ontario side and 25% are on the Quebec side. The Minister of Public Works and Government Services recognizes that policy. At present, the actual ratio is roughly 81% to 19%. And now, the government is preparing to increase the number of jobs on the Ontario side, reducing the percentage on the Quebec side to about 15%.

Can we know when additional space will be leased or built on the Quebec side of the national capital region in order to reach 25%? I would like an answer from the Minister of Transport, who is the minister responsible for Quebec.

[The Budget, May 9th, 2006]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

[The Budget, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. We do not seem to have quorum. I would like the members in the House to be counted to ensure we still have quorum.

[Caroline Bruyère, May 4th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the stunning performance of a young athlete from Gatineau.

Caroline Bruyère, a student in the international program at Polyvalente Le Carrefour school, has been practising fencing for only five years. It was by leafing through the local sports and recreation guide that she became interested in this discipline.

She placed second in Canada at the Junior World Cup in fencing, which was held in Montreal in January.

This excellent performance in épée earned her a berth at the Junior World Championships in South Korea, held from April 8 to 17. This young, 16-year-old athlete placed 51st overall.

In order to help her in her development, Les Braves du Coin, a sports and leisure association gave her a bursary in 2002.

On behalf of myself and the citizens of Hull—Aylmer, I want to commend her on her extraordinary determination to excel.

Congratulations, Caroline!

[Softwood Lumber, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, do the Conservatives realize they have signed a bargain-basement deal with the Americans, so much so that they feel the need to gag Canadian producers? Mr. Grenier, whose organization represents companies representing more than 40% of Canadian softwood lumber exports, said, “I have never seen such a rotten deal. It is a complete sellout by Canada”.

Have we just witnessed the demise of NAFTA?

[Softwood Lumber, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Carl Grenier, from the Free Trade Lumber Council, is not impressed with the agreement signed yesterday by Canada and the United States regarding softwood lumber. Mr. Grenier cannot accept that the Canadian government left in excess of $1 billion in the hands of our American competitors.

How can the Prime Minister claim that yesterday was a great day for Canada and Quebec, when this agreement represents a complete sellout by Canada and more than a billion dollars belonging to our lumber industry has been given away to the U.S.?