House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 34% of the vote.
Canadian Federation December 14th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, obviously I am only in the position to comment with respect to the contributions to be made by the committee which I have the honour to be chair.
I would point out to the hon. gentleman that one of the very finest things that can be done to contribute to the spirit of unity in
this country is an ever strengthening Canadian economy generating more and more good solid Canadian jobs.
Canadian Federation December 14th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, with respect to the responsibilities I have in chairing the jobs committee which was referred to by the hon. member in his question, I can assure him that members of that committee have taken their responsibilities very seriously. Our work is ongoing. As the Prime Minister requested, we will have a report to present to him before Christmas.
Grains Industry December 8th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, again I point out to the hon. gentleman that those votes represent about 12 per cent or 15 per cent of the total number of farmers affected by this process.
The arrangement that the Government of Canada has put in place in order for this issue to be fully ventilated in western Canada is a logical and orderly process. It will provide farmers through the Western Grain Marketing Panel with full, fair, balanced, accurate information about all of the issues respecting grain marketing in the west.
It will also provide farmers with the opportunity to debate all of the issues related to grain marketing in a way that is totally transparent, with all of the facts on the table. They can consider not only the pros of the marketing debate but also the cons and the consequences so this issue can be dealt with fairly in the interests of all western Canadians.
Grains Industry December 8th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting how the Reform Party seems incapable of understanding answers that amount to more than one or two words. I hope the hon. member will bear with me while I respond to his question.
As everyone knows, a plebiscite with respect to wheat and barley marketing was conducted recently in the province of Alberta. That plebiscite is not without some considerable controversy. I note that some farm leaders in Alberta, some agricultural reporters in Alberta, some pollsters in western Canada have all raised what appear to be serious questions about the process.
Approximately 16,000 producers participated in the process, out of perhaps 30,000, 35,000 or 40,000 who might have participated in the process. I point out again that this single vote within one province, on an issue that affects all of western Canada and as many as 130,000 prairie farmers, is obviously not a process that can be definitive with respect to this issue across western Canada.
The Government of Canada has established a process to deal with this issue in an orderly and logical way. That is the Western Grain Marketing Panel. It is very well known. I would urge all prairie farmers, including all of those in Alberta, to participate fully and fairly in the Western Grain Marketing Panel.
Canadian Wheat Board December 4th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the arrangements under which the current commissioners came into office were legally in effect at the time when their services were engaged by the Government of Canada.
Canadian Wheat Board December 4th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I will check the paper trail to which the hon. gentleman refers and I will ensure that all requests for information are properly responded to.
However, the hon. member should know that the severance arrangements to which he has referred in his question with respect to the Canadian Wheat Board were developed about 15 years ago with the concurrence of the Privy Council at that time. When those severance arrangements were developed, none of the current commissioners was in office.
This year, in consultation with the Privy Council Office, I have made arrangements to modernize those severance arrangements, to bring them into line with other requirements.
The hon. gentleman can point no finger of blame at the current commissioners of the Canadian Wheat Board because they were not in office at the time when the severance arrangements were put in place.
Grains Industry December 1st, 1995
Mr. Speaker, what the hon. gentleman fails to appreciate is that the set of recommendations put forward by the group of senior executive officers in the grains industry is a package proposal which involves a number of recommendations that move in a variety of different directions.
He has spoken, for example, about the recommendation relating to the possible sale of hopper cars. What he has not referred to is the fact that another recommendation from that very same group of senior executive officers proposes that there ought to be some kind of maximum ceiling with respect to freight rates extending over a period of 10 years.
It is significant that the Reform Party has consistently opposed that kind of protection for farmers.
Grains Industry December 1st, 1995
Mr. Speaker, one of the difficulties in responding to questions from the Reform Party is that its members consistently get their facts wrong. Once again the hon. gentleman has done exactly that.
He refers to a group within the grains industry called the May 16th group. He also refers to an advisory group of grains industry executives called the SEO group. The hon. gentleman should know those are two quite separate things. They are not one and the same.
The SEO group has come forward with certain recommendations about grain car ownership and grain car allocation procedures. Those recommendations have been presented for consideration to the May 16th group, as well as to some western Canadian farm organizations.
Those farm organizations are still in the process of considering the set of recommendations from the SEO group. Until I have the considered opinion of the farm organizations it would be highly inappropriate to make a final decision before getting their advice.
The hon. gentleman talks about grassroots political consultation and discussion. He suggests that we should get advice from farm organizations, but in his question he suggests that we make a
decision today which pre-empts the opportunity to get that advice through consultation, and that we will not do.
Canadian Wheat Board November 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman is referring to a report that has been received by the government from a group of senior executive officers in the grains industry, including a number of farmers, which has come forward with some ideas about how to deal with hopper car ownership and rail car allocation issues.
That report is presently being discussed among farm organizations in western Canada. As yet the government has taken no decision with respect to our response to that report.
One point is important to note. The report represents a consensus among a widely divergent range of interests. It is not entirely fair to the situation to single out one recommendation relating to car ownership and not also observe that another recommendation from the SEO's group to balance that recommendation was referred to by the hon. gentlemen. Another recommendation from that same group was to maintain a maximum limitation on freight rates for a period of one full decade.
Agriculture November 23rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman is obviously being a bit inconsistent. He invites me to take a stand and every time I do that he criticizes it because it is not the Reform Party position. I would remind him that I was elected as a Liberal, not as a Reformer, and I do not intend to adopt his party's position.
With respect to the arrangements made by the FCC, it anticipates that in the first year of the adjustment to the loss of the Crow rate it will pass through to its tenant clients 12.5 per cent of the value of the Crow payment that it will receive. In the second year it will pass through another 12.5 per cent. It is fully expected by the third year that the impact of the freight rate adjustment will have worked its way through the land pricing system in western Canada and the benefit of reduced land costs will then be adjusted into the capital base.