Marlene Jennings

[Judges Act, June 11th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I apologize most sincerely and humbly. I would never want you to feel left out. You are an integral part of this entire process and a necessary part of this process. I apologize most humbly.

[Judges Act, June 11th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the member says he cannot support this particular bill. I find that quite disappointing given the fact that it goes very far in ensuring that judicial independence and impartiality. They are critical to public confidence in the judiciary and by extension to our justice system and are enhanced by this legislation.

The whole issue of judges pensions is very important. Anyone who has looked into the whole issue of judicial impartiality and independence would know that their financial independence is a very crucial issue to being able to act independently, being able to act with impartiality and not having to worry about financial considerations.

I also find it rather disappointing that the member does not support this bill because of the whole issue of the adjustments of the judges salaries. Those salaries need to be brought in line with today's world. This legislation goes a significant way in doing that.

Notwithstanding the fact that he has debated this issue for quite a few minutes now, I do not understand why he cannot support this bill given the fact that it does go a long way to ensuring public confidence in our justice system by ensuring financial independence of the judges.

I am not going to talk about the issue of the unified family courts which is very important as well. We know that there are barriers to women in the legal profession to gain access to our judiciary precisely because of what I would call our archaic rules and conditions for judges pensions. I do not know if the government would call it that, but I would call it that being someone who is part of the legal profession. Personally I would have a very difficult time if anyone had ever considered me to be qualified to be a judge to accept an appointment because of those archaic rules simply on the issue of the pensions and not even talking about the issue of the salaries.

I would like to hear a little bit more from the member on that. I am trying to understand your opposition to this legislation. The NDP is a party that is known or prides itself, justly or unjustly, on being for social justice, on ensuring that all segments of our society receive adequate justice in all spheres, especially social justice, as does this government. I would like to hear a little bit more from you on that.

[Quebec, June 10th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is not the segregated United States of yesteryear when government officials at all levels conspired to defraud black Americans of their democratic and constitutional right to vote in any election, including school board elections. The segregationists used every trickery in the book to ensure that southern blacks could not get their names onto voters' lists.

Elections for the linguistic school boards are taking place right now in Quebec and thousands of English-speaking Quebeckers are being cheated out of their right to vote for the English school boards because of the Péquiste government's ill thought out voter registration process.

I call on all of my colleagues, including the Bloc MPs, to join their voices with mine in denouncing this election debacle and in calling on the Quebec government to ensure that all Quebeckers can cast their votes on June 14 in the elections of our linguistic school boards.

[Business Of The House, June 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a comment and to ask my colleague from Bourassa a question.

I think the hon. member raises some very important points. This is my first term as a member of parliament.

It is my first mandate as an elected official to the House of Commons. One of the first things I learned here is that the work of a parliamentarian takes place in the House and it also takes place in the committees. The hon. member for Bourassa made an excellent point when he gave out the numbers as to the permanent committees of the House that were sitting this morning and who was actually there. I think the point was very well taken.

When the hon. member says:

“The deform party is fond of props”, I must say he—

[Business Of The House, June 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it is nice to know that there are people in the House who know which riding I come from.

As to the point of order, Mr. Speaker you are right. I lost my head for a moment, as Reform members often do. I did use a word which was unparliamentary. I called the leader of the House for the official opposition an idiot. My parents did not raise me to call people idiots, so I withdraw the word.

[Reform Party, June 8th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, last week the member for Edmonton—Strathcona journeyed to Quebec City along with his close and personal Blocquistes friends. Once there he waxed eloquently in French about how the Reform had a new plan, une troisième voie, that will attract all sorts of Quebeckers to the Reform Party.

Just how interested would Quebeckers be in Reform's way of thinking if they knew that just two days after visit to Quebec that same member proposed a motion to eliminate the budget of the office of the commissioner of official languages?

The answer is that Quebeckers have no interest in Reform's plan to dismantle French language services within the federal government. That is why Reform will continue to fail miserably in all its attempts to win favour in Quebec no matter how many separatists it befriends.

[Bloc Quebecois, June 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it is now official: Lucien Bouchard has approved a Reform-Sovereignist alliance.

Here is the constitutional menu for this evening.

The appetizer will be Sovereign-Reform membership cards; the main dish, constitutional cookies with green and blue chips, in which not even Mr. Christie would be interested; a salad with Reform vinegar dressing; but no meat to sink your teeth into, because the plan lacks any content.

And the masters of ceremony are none other than the internationally renowned comedians Preston Duceppe and Gilles Manning.

[Parole, June 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, last year the solicitor general introduced provisions permitting accelerated parole for first time non-violent offenders. Unfortunately, some organized crime offenders have used these provisions to get parole before serving one-sixth of their sentence.

I would like to know what the solicitor general plans to do to fix this.

[Points Of Order, May 26th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I just heard the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot say that he does not remember having said—

[Budget Implementation Act, 1998, May 25th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to add my voice in praise of the visionary budget tabled in this House on February 24. On that date Canadians found a reason to have hope and faith in a better future. From that day forward we have begun to rebuild Canada from a blueprint based on opportunities.

Of all the remarkable achievements outlined in the budget, the Canadian opportunities strategy stands out as the hallmark of this government's plan for Canada in the 21st century.

The 1998 budget builds on progress achieved in previous budgets to provide Canadians with greater opportunities to acquire the knowledge and the skills needed for jobs both now and in the future.

Under the Canadian opportunities strategy, this government introduced and promoted measures to help Canadians make the transition from school to work, pay off their student loans, return to school to upgrade their skills or contribute to the education savings plan on behalf of the next generation of workers. This strategy takes comprehensive and co-ordinated action on seven fronts.

Arising from a commitment made by the first ministers to implement an action plan for youth employment, the Canadian opportunities strategy makes knowledge and skills more readily accessible and affordable.

The foundation of the strategy is the Canada millennium scholarship fund which will provide more than 100,000 low and middle income students with scholarships averaging $3,000 a year for each year of the first decade in the new millennium. Individuals can receive up to $15,000, reducing the debtload many recipients would otherwise incur by over half.

Up to 50,000 more students with children or other dependants will be able to take advantage of Canada study grants to help them cope with rising costs. These grants will help people who are in financial need to continue with their education, increasing their own and their children's prospects for prosperity.

The study grants, in addition to the increased child care tax credit that all Canadians now enjoy, will help young parents get their children off to a good start in life.

Our government is particularly proud of the measures announced in this budget that will help our students gain the knowledge they need through strategic investments in science and technology, which are the driving force of the new economy and can be most attractive to young inquisitive minds. These investments are crucial to the competitiveness of our country.

The Canadian opportunities strategy will provide additional funding for advanced research for our graduate students as well as for the three granting councils in Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Medical Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The combined budget of these three granting councils will be increased by $400 million over the next three years.

Equally important, this budget increases funding for the Canadian network for advancement of research in industry and education as well as SchoolNet and the community access program to bring the benefits of information technology into more classrooms and more communities across Canada.

Another area of crucial importance to young people is helping graduates manage their student debtloads. Witnesses appearing before the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities were unanimous in their position that to ensure access to post-secondary education a positive system of student financial assistance is paramount.

The Canadian opportunities strategy provides tax relief on student loan interest payments as well as an education credit and child care expense deduction for part time students.

About one million Canadians will benefit from the improvements to the Canada student loan program which will help graduates better manage the debt they incur and which will direct grants to those in greatest need.

Countless more of today's children will be able to attend colleges, vocational schools or universities because their parents can now take advantage of federal incentives under the Canada education savings grants program.

These government grants will encourage families to start setting aside money early for their children's post-secondary education under the registered education savings plan.

The opportunity for Canadians to withdraw tax free from their registered retirement savings plan to enrol in full time education and training is another well thought out innovation that will help to ensure that Canadians have easier access to professional development. Canadians already in the workforce will be able to benefit from this continuous learning process throughout their careers.

Together, these measures will help Canada to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce for the new world economy based on knowledge.

Whatever satisfaction I might get from these remarkable reforms, I am also very proud of the fact that our government will do everything it can to ensure that no one is forgotten. The preservation of social peace implies that everyone must have equal opportunity to benefit from what our society has to offer.

In addition to the Canadian opportunities strategy, the February budget strengthened other progressive programs which will help Canada's children and youth to succeed in the 21st century.

A major infusion of new moneys will support youth employment and participation in society. The government has doubled its funding for youth at risk, principally those who have not completed high school and who lack basic education and job skills. Through partnerships with employers, organizations and non-profit groups the new funds will be used for on the job training, career counselling, mentoring and literacy upgrading.

Governments have a role to play in tackling the issue of youth unemployment but clearly we cannot solve the problem alone. Many private sector employers are responding to this challenge by providing opportunities for young Canadians.

This government has taken measures to encourage a larger number of employers to create new jobs for workers. We will give these employers an employment insurance premium holiday for young people hired in the years 1999 and 2000. This means that, each year, employers will make savings of about $100 million in their payroll expenditures.

The 1998 budget speaks to Canadians' profound belief that we can build a strong economy by building a secure society. The two are flip sides of the same coin.

The balanced approach on which this legislation is based will result in sustainable dividends that will benefit Canadians now and for decades to come. This is the way to go for Canada, on the eve of the new millennium, to have the opportunity to live in a more prosperous society that cares about the well-being of all its members.

When Bill C-36 becomes law, it will be a moment of great pride, not only in the life of parliamentarians but of all Canadians.