Marcel Proulx

[Petitions, March 22nd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition containing close to 14,000 signatures. The petition opposes the creation of a golf course in Leamy Lake Park in the riding of Hull--Aylmer.

The petitioners believe that creating this type of golf course would have irreparable consequences on the wildlife and vegetation of the area and would privatize a major part of the park for the use of a minority. They are demanding that a review committee be struck by federal authorities.

[MIL Davie, March 22nd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services told the House that he would give the MIL Davie trustee until March 22 to meet the conditions relating to the contract to do the maintenance work on one of the Halifax class frigates, the HMCS Ville-de-Québec .

Could the minister tell us if any progress has been made on this issue?

[MetroStar Gala, March 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the MetroStar Gala was held last evening. This great evening of joy and elegance was an opportunity for the public to recognize its favourite personalities. In all, 14 awards were handed out.

The top winners were Sophie Lorain and Véronique Cloutier, who tied for the MetroStar for female personality of the year, as well as each receiving a trophy in other categories. Marc Labrèche came away with male personality of the year.

A number of others were honoured: Simon Durivage, Paul Arcand, Patrick Labbé, Élise Guilbault, Rita Lafontaine, Benoît Langlais, Patrice L'Écuyer, Paul Rivard, Michel Barrette and Clodine Desrochers, as well as Jamie Salé and David Pelletier.

My colleagues and I join with the Quebec public in congratulating all of these people for their excellence. This is, once again, evidence that Quebec is absolutely brimming with talent and originality.

[Committees of the House, March 15th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 48th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the selection of votable items pursuant to Standing Order 92.

[Airline Industry, March 15th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the situation in today's air industry insurance market is a worldwide concern. I would like to ask the Minister of Transport what action the Government of Canada will take to ensure that aviation services can be maintained uninterrupted when the indemnity for third party aviation war risk liability expires soon.

[2002 Winter Olympics, February 25th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Canada's olympic team at the Winter Olympics that ended yesterday, in Salt Lake City.

All Canadians can be very proud of our team, which was made up of 156 exceptional men and women who trained for countless hours over several years to achieve this ultimate goal in sports: to go to the Olympic Games.

I also wish to pay tribute to the thousands of coaches, officials, event co-ordinators, managerial staff, volunteers and parents who supported our team for many years, particularly in preparation for the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.

We are proud of all our athletes and I invite my distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating the 2002 Canadian olympic team.

[2002 Winter Olympics, February 8th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, this evening, all attention will be focused on Salt Lake City as it hosts the 2002 winter olympics.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage highlight for this House the government's commitment to our Olympic team?

[2002 Winter Olympics, February 8th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the members of the Canadian team now in Salt Lake City to take part in the 2002 Olympics Winter Games.

Catriona LeMay-Doan, carrying Canada's flag, will lead our delegation into the opening ceremonies. This will be the fourth time this resident of Saskatoon has taken part in the Olympics. It is the fourth set of games for five other Canadian athletes as well: Susan Auch, of Calgary, in speed skating; Jean-Luc Brassard, of Grande-Île, Quebec, in freestyle skiing; Ken Leblanc, of Ottawa, in bobsleigh; Edi Podivinsky, of Toronto, in alpine skiing, and Elvis Stojko, of Richmond Hill, in figure skating.

Each athlete in the Canadian contingent embodies excellence, devotion and rigorous discipline.

I therefore wish to take this opportunity to congratulate these athletes, who have sacrificed much in order to be able to make it to Salt Lake City. We wish them good luck and will be with them in spirit.

[Soccer, December 14th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the signature of a declaration of intent by the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport and the President of FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

This is the first step toward a bilateral agreement on soccer. It will promote the development of elite soccer in Canada, the full participation of women in soccer, and the harmonization of antidoping policies between FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

More and more young Canadians are interested in soccer. For this reason, the Government of Canada has created the Canadian Soccer Foundation.

Our government is very much committed to promoting participation in soccer in this country. I sincerely hope that our efforts will culminate in a successful World Cup bid in the near future.

In closing, may I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and much happiness and health in 2002.

[Competition Act, December 3rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, when he spoke on October 24, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry voiced his comments and concerns on Bill C-248 which proposes modifying the exception based on gains in efficiency, i.e. section 96, in connection with mergers The hon. member for Pickering—Uxbridge—Ajax also explained the circumstances leading up to the introduction of this bill. I would not repeat what has already been said in these presentations, except to identify the points I believe to be important.

I understand that Bill C-248 proposes the addition of two subsections to section 96 of the Competition Act in order to clarify situations which would give rise to the use of the gain in efficiency defence. Briefly, the first one addresses the effects of gains in efficiency on the price of products sold to consumers. The second addresses a situation in which a merger would create or reinforce a dominant position in a given market.

On the latter point, my hon. colleague for Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge spoke of a situation in which a merger creating a monopoly would be authorized on the basis of gained efficiency. I presume he was referring to the Competition Tribunal decision in the Superior Propane case, in which this situation occurred in a large number of local markets.

I will spare you the details on this case and the legal proceedings, because the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry spoke very eloquently of this on October 23. A few points are worth raising, however.

The federal appeal court refused to prescribe the method to be considered in order to determine the extent of the anti-competition effects of a merger. Instead, it referred the case to the Competition Tribunal so that it might assess the effects of the merger on competition for the purposes of application of section 96.

The tribunal recently heard the Superior Propane case and a decision will soon be forthcoming. The outcome is being anxiously awaited because its consequences will go far beyond the Canadian propane market.

Having heard the comments by my colleagues on Bill C-248, I believe that everyone agrees on the importance of the Canadian policy on competition and gains in efficiency. I do not believe it would be in the interest of Canadians to proceed with Bill C-248 at this time and amend section 96 of the Competition Act when the Competition Tribunal is on the verge of providing us with clarifications on this both complex and controversial matter.

Accordingly, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to speculate at the moment on a defence of gains in efficiency. All debate will have to be put off until later, if necessary, when the legal process has run its course.

I would like to thank the member for Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge for bringing this matter before the House. I take this opportunity to point out the excellent results of the government's expanded and improved policy on private members' business.

We will recall that the process has been improved since 1993 and is much more regularly used by members of the opposition, as it is by Liberal backbenchers. The backbenchers can have their say, get laws changed and improve the way our country works.

We will also remember that my colleague from the riding of Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge has succeeded twice now in getting changes made. The first change concerned the criminal code and the question of escape, that is, people who flee police. Second, thanks to my colleague, the organ donor program was introduced in Canada and was adopted and refined by the provinces.

In conclusion, this process really helps Liberal backbenchers fill in gaps in the opposition parties and make major changes to the lives of Canadians.

I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on this.