Peter MacKay

[Privilege, February 19th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I would just add very briefly to this issue to reinforce the points that have already been made. It certainly does occur to me that there has been a lapse of judgment or perhaps poor judgment exercised in Mr. Bernier's involvement in the writing of a letter.

As was highlighted, the moment that he or anyone, for that matter House of Commons staff, invokes their position and puts it on a letterhead, I think it crosses into the realm of potentially exhibiting a bias political or otherwise that could be interpreted by the public.

The Hill Times is a very public document. I would suggest that the content of that could very much be interpreted as his taking a position that is either in line or out of line with any political party here.

I urge the Chair in its wisdom and in its capacity to look into this issue. It may in fact be a matter that should best be handled internally. I think the hon. member from British Columbia was certainly acting within his rights and his privileges by bringing this matter before the House, and I thank him for doing so.

[Sir John A. Macdonald Day and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day Act, February 7th, 2002]

Madam Speaker, that was a nice canned response. I did very much refer to the issuance of certificates. What the parliamentary secretary has put before us confirms that a very vague and broad definition can be given to the issuance of certificates. National defence and national security are certainly wide parameters.

We are seeing the government backing away from the same type of broad and unchecked powers that will be issued through Bill C-42, but as far as this remaining the rule of law and this being the rule rather than the exception is concerned, I have already referred to a recent case where the government has done the complete opposite. It has actually clawed back the ability of the public to access information about the records of ministers, the expense accounts of ministers and those of their senior bureaucrats.

The Prime Minister's golf diaries and greens fees are also still not available to Canadians. I do not suppose we will ever see them. Thankfully for the Prime Minister, he has individuals like Jean Carle and others in the PMO who have been very effective in covering his tracks.

[Sir John A. Macdonald Day and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day Act, February 7th, 2002]

Madam Speaker, the matter which is before the House results from a question that was put to the minister. It is very much an issue that is in line with what we have seen happen on numerous occasions where the minister made an attempt to avoid giving any substantive answer.

The government continues to be out of touch in many ways with the country by virtue of avoiding straight questions and clouding its responses in secrecy. It does little to encourage, as I mentioned earlier, the relevance of parliament.

On October 23, 2001, I rose to ask a question of the Minister of Justice and spoke of the new Bill C-36, which was in response to the terrible events of September 11. I raised the issue with respect to Canada's watchdogs who had clearly indicated that the new anti-terrorism bill went too far in denying disclosure of information to Canadians. As a result, I suggested that this was open to abuse.

The legislation, as the Chair will recall, gives the government an opportunity to withhold information by denying access to information by virtue of the minister having at his or her disposal the issuance of certificates which essentially blanket the government's actions. Amendments to Bill C-36 will allow the Privacy Act and the Information Act to be subverted. The government overreacted in including this particular provision and this ability within the act.

I asked the government why it was using the security threat to justify a clampdown on the free flow of information. The response, as flippant as it was, was that the government was not involved in any kind of a clampdown. I suggest that there is ample evidence to the contrary, both at the time that the question was raised back in October and subsequent to that.

The Treasury Board ruling is a recent example of that. Expense reports and other documents relating to cabinet ministers and staff will not be released under access to information. This runs directly contrary to privacy laws. The Treasury Board president has said that the decision by her department to keep the ministerial expenses secret was an appropriate balance of the public right to know with privacy concerns.

That is simply not the case. It is a misinterpretation of the supreme court. The minister seems to be relying very much on the dissenting opinion of the court as opposed to the majority ruling.

We have expressed this frustration time and time again. I know the member for New Brunswick Southwest has a question on the order paper regarding the Lancaster Aviation cover-up and scandal. What Canadians are hoping, through their members of parliament and opposition, is that the government would reveal itself and keep those promises of transparency and openness that were so prevalent in prior election campaigns, literature and pamphlets. The government is letting down the country with respect to being open and revealing itself through information.

What comes from all of this is the suggestion that the country deserves better. The country should expect more. The government has not kept its word with respect to being open to Canadians. I hope that in the future we would see the government reveal itself more as to not only its past but its present intentions by addressing Canadians directly through the House of Commons.

[Sir John A. Macdonald Day and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day Act, February 7th, 2002]

Madam Speaker, I am extremely honoured to speak to this Senate bill. I want to commend the member who sponsored the bill, as well as the originator of the bill in the other place, Senator John Lynch-Staunton.

It is important to keep in mind that the bill is really about capitalizing on an opportunity to educate Canadians about some of our founders, to engage school children in particular in reveling in our history.

Ours is a great story. We have much to be proud of. Much was accomplished. A great deal of that is signified in the opportunity to recognize two great prime ministers of our country, Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The bill would draw attention to that important founding history, that important principle that has always played a great deal in weaving its way through the country's history.

We have many tools at our fingertips for communicating ideas. But what greater opportunity would there be than to have a day on which the focus and recognition would be on these two great men.

Sadly we find that history is sometimes lacking in the education system today. More than at any other time we have the ability to communicate through technology and the Internet. We must always reach out. We must always make the effort to recognize the means to communicate a very positive message. This is a very positive story, the one of these two great men.

We want all Canadians to clearly understand that the bill is not about creating another statutory holiday. The bill designates January 11 and November 20 as the days which would carry the respective names of Macdonald and Laurier. Those two days would give the Government of Canada and particularly the Department of Canadian Heritage, as well as schools, institutions and the media opportunities to speak of these great men. In so doing it would make better known some of the history of the nation.

Earlier this month the Globe and Mail did a wonderful and innovative thing. It invited former prime ministers to submit articles about past prime ministers.

The right hon. member for Calgary Centre wrote a compelling piece about a man he knew, respected and drew great inspiration from during their time together in the House of Commons. I am speaking about the Right Hon. John Diefenbaker. This insight was very novel, given the fact that there was a personal relationship.

Other former prime ministers have written articles as well. The Right Hon. Brian Mulroney wrote about Robert Borden who was a native of Nova Scotia. John Thompson came from Nova Scotia as well.

Former Prime Minister John Turner wrote an article about Sir John A. Macdonald. In that January 12 article the central theme was that we should do more to commemorate this great man, this founding father, who against all odds and through his sheer force of will and ability to seek compromise was able to bring the country together.

In writing his article, the Right Hon. John Turner made many references to support this cause, to support making January 11 as a day to celebrate and commemorate Sir John A. Macdonald as a national hero. In support of his thesis he quoted the many speeches that were given about Sir John A. upon his death. He referenced one in particular by Sir Wilfrid Laurier. I urge hon. members to read the article by John Turner which was published in the Globe and Mail . Mr. Turner enlisted the testimony of many others on the subject.

I would suggest that Sir Wilfrid Laurier would certainly be supportive of the case for Sir John A. Macdonald, as would Sir John A. in return. Here is part of what Sir Wilfrid Laurier had to say in the House of Commons upon the death of Sir John A. Macdonald:

As to his statesmanship, it is written in the history of Canada. It may be said without any exaggeration whatever, that the life of Sir John A. Macdonald, from the time he entered Parliament, is the history of Canada.

Those are very proud and powerful words.

That was Laurier on Macdonald, but I want to turn now to the words of the Right Hon. John Turner on Sir John A. Macdonald. He stated:

Britain will never forget her Cromwell, her Pitt and her Disraeli. The hero whose name we add to our...immortals, John Alexander Macdonald, had much of the force of an Oliver Cromwell, some of the compacting and conciliating tact of a William Pitt, the sagacity of a William Gladstone, and some of the shrewdness of a Benjamin Disraeli. To read the biography of John Alexander Macdonald is, essentially, to read a “New World Biography”.

This is an opportunity for us to look into the lives of these great men and to pause and reflect upon their huge, incalculable contributions to Canada.

In the House of Commons Sir Wilfrid Laurier eloquently reminded us daily of the nature of our country as we look out on the majestic waters of the Ottawa River from this hallowed building. I would suggest that a great deal of inspiration can still be found in the words of these men.

Canadian history is more than the legends of politics or the accomplishments of government. It is often a time to reflect and look into the personal sacrifices these men made and the contributions their families and their parties made. It very much chronicles the history of the country at that stage of our development. At that moment in time those men came forward to serve their country in a significant way, in a way we all admire, hope to emulate and look back on with hope for the future. We hope to draw some wisdom and inspiration from their actions and their words.

We are always challenged to find ways to draw people into this political process, to engage them again, to make it relevant to their lives. I would suggest that having a day which celebrates the accomplishments of these two founding fathers is a ticket to ride. That is a way in which we can very much encourage people to look at the accomplishments of these men and think of the accomplishments others can make in the future.

By marking the anniversaries of Macdonald and Laurier we can not only highlight the past but give Canadians a rallying point, a reason to draw together to speak positively about what the country has accomplished in the past and what we can do in the days and years to come.

I would ask all members to support the bill. I understand that there is a willingness to let the bill proceed to the next stage so we can bring this matter into being.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2001, February 7th, 2002]

The fisheries, of course, did not even bear mentioning. What a slap in the face to Atlantic Canada yet again.

The lack of parliamentary control that we see is again something to be ashamed of and marvelled at, given the opportunity that the government had to address the problem.

With respect to the EI surplus, which itself should be the subject of a long and detailed debate, we know the surplus is in the range of $36 billion. We did not hear this not from opposition sources or those in the media or anyone else, but from the auditor general who surely can be relied upon to present accurate figures. That is a staggering figure, and the money is being used for a purpose for which it was not intended. That insurance policy is there to protect workers who lose their jobs or those in the unfortunate position of being seasonally employed. The auditor general has informed us that $36 billion is not necessary. It is nearly three times what would be necessary to sustain a huge unemployment rise, which we might expect in the coming year.

When I think of places like Canso, Nova Scotia and what they might find in this budget, I am left with the answer that there is really nothing to be found. In a community that faces massive layoffs which could devastate the entire town, there is little at all in the budget that would give these people comfort or hope.

For the people of Canso, we will look to the government to take a more active, innovative and hands-on approach to deal with situations like theirs. I hope that in the coming week the minister of fisheries, after he meets with stakeholders in Canso, will come with something in hand, with ideas, innovation and a spirit of openness to address the plight that they find themselves in.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2001, February 7th, 2002]

Yes, in all of Atlantic Canada, as my Newfoundland colleague reminds me. The airports there are having foisted upon them this additional charge, this tax grab that will result, in my opinion, in deterring more travel at a time when we want to encourage economic activity, when we want to see airports able to provide a safe service. This is simply an opportunistic tax grab, as we have seen so many times from the government.

For the most part the government has coasted through good economic times in its almost 10 years in office, yet what it has done is purely benefit from previous governments' administrative policies. It has benefited from the policies that it ridiculed while in opposition, those very same policies that it promised repeatedly to change throughout election campaigns. I am talking, of course, of the infamous red book that promised to get rid of the GST. It was based upon that promise that much support was garnered. As well there was the free trade agreement, which the Prime Minister was going to renegotiate but has very much embraced, as did his previous Minister of Industry, saying that it was a good idea, that it was one that the Liberals probably should not have been so quick to judge.

What has happened in the wake of benefiting from policies that the Liberals once rejected and very much disparaged is that suddenly, after just holding the economic rudder steady on policies that they once were so dismissive of, they are now experiencing the realities of what happens in an economic downturn.

What we have seen in this budget is that there really is no plan. This is a government that has simply sleepwalked through its administration, through its time in office. Now we are seeing the unemployment figures in the country begin to rise as a result of its mismanagement. Certainly we are seeing, in important areas of the economy like agriculture, the government ignoring its responsibility and the previous commitments it made to ensure a level playing field in world economies.

The softwood lumber industry is perhaps one of the most acute failures of the government. In British Columbia alone, over 13,000 forestry workers have been laid off. It is expected that another 15,000 to 17,000 will join them on the unemployment rolls in the near future.

The airline industry has already been touched upon. Under the government's mismanagement we have seen no less than three to five airlines completely disappear. These airlines have completely disappeared under the government's tutelage.

What we have seen with agriculture, as I have mentioned, particularly in provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is farmers struggling, struggling against the elements but struggling against policies, or lack of policies is another way of putting it, that have not been implemented by the government. In the west, prairie producers are expected to produce up to 30% less wheat, canola and barley due to the weather conditions. In the grains and oilseeds sector we are hearing from industry analysts that those estimated losses in one year alone could exceed $2.2 billion.

What is the government doing about this? This year the new Canadian farm income program has budgeted only $435.5 million for the year, compared with the more than $600 million in disaster assistance that was delivered in the final year of the agriculture income disaster assistance program. As is often the case, we have to compare previous situations and previous programs that were put in place to address these crises to really get the full picture of what is going on. Time and time again what we are seeing is the absolute misinformation that can be spread by the government and the spin machine coming out of the PMO. The CFIP budget is expected to fall to $353 million for the coming year, according to the main estimates.

What can we say about the dollar? When the finance minister was in opposition, as we have seen with many members of the government, there were bold predictions about what they would do. The finance minister suggested that he would manage the decline of the dollar to somewhere into the range of 77¢, which would have been the natural place for it to be in his estimation. What he has done, however, is shrink the dollar now to the point where it is threatening to go below 60¢.

Imagine Canadians essentially taking a pay cut every time the dollar continues to tumble and the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister and many of the cabinet simply shrug their shoulders. It is like the Quebec situation. Only when they are on the brink of a disaster, when the train is about to derail or hit the wall will the finance minister and the Prime Minister snap to attention. Even then, what has the result been? The dollar is still languishing in the low 60s.

Canadian imports in goods and services from the United States equal up to 30% of GDP. Since the Liberals came to power in 1993, the Canadian dollar lost more than 13¢ against the American dollar. That was 16% or 12¢ that came off the dollar. That was prior to September 11.

The drop in the dollar means that Canadian companies may be using a weak dollar to try to compete rather than to increase productivity in Canada. This reduces incentives to be innovative and stagnates the quality of living in the country.

This year the Canadian dollar has lost 4.6% against the U.S. dollar, only .4% of which happened after the September 11 disaster.

Government waste was something else that was completely ignored by the budget. The government has continually shown poor management of the government's finances. It includes $180,000 in the past year to renovate the RCMP commissioner's office. Over $200,000 was spent on a speech writer for the Minister of Finance. The government squandered almost $700 million by botching the ill-fated, ill-conceived gun registry, which is still in place and clicking along. Yet this week we bore sad witness to the government refusing to implement a national sex offender registry. In terms of government priorities what could be more important than implementing a national sex offender registry rather than implementing a registry that targets law abiding citizens in the country?

As far as any strategy for poverty and the increasing number of homeless people in the country, again I do not think we will find any solice or any comfort in the budget document that is before us.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2001, February 7th, 2002]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member has reminded me of so much that is lacking in the budget. We are seeing implementation coming about now and I think Canadians are starting to grasp with great disappointment the truth about what is actually delivered.

My colleague spoke about the airline industry. In the maritimes we know that we in particular are receiving real short shrift with respect to air travel.

[Privilege, February 7th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. For clarification, if the hon. government House leader wants to put the question, and the vote on the amendment is to take place immediately, this can happen. It is that simple.

[Fisheries and Oceans, February 7th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I expect a more straightforward reply from the minister of fisheries.

The minister of fisheries is aware of the crisis in Canso, Nova Scotia over the inability to access fish resource to keep its plant operating.

I know the minister has agreed to meet with the stakeholders next week to discuss the 3o redfish proposal submitted last December and to look for solutions, but will he give assurances that all stakeholders, including the town, province, union, trawlermen and Seafreez, will be invited, and will he bring to the table a concrete proposal for quota to be processed in Canso to put the people in this hard working, hard luck town back to work?

[Minister of National Defence, February 7th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the House what the Minister of National Defence said on January 28 during the take note debate. He said:

Canadians will treat people in our care as detainees...and that means treating them as prisoners of war until such other determination has been made.

We know that they have not been treated as prisoners of war and no determinations were made. This is once again about the integrity of the minister's word in parliament and nothing in the world will change that.

Does the minister stand by his earlier statement and, if so, has he not in his response provided inaccurate information to the House once again?