Stockwell Day

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the high commissioner in Sri Lanka expressed concern about the possible security threat that the minister's attendance would have on Canadian mission staff and their families.

Foreign Affairs recognized the threat. They wrote back saying “Thank you for keeping us up to date on the threats on personal security of Canadian mission staff and dependants”. They should not try and hide behind these threats that we are just zeroing in on a certain individual. We applaud this young woman who spoke but we do not applaud the denial that the finance minister is making. Why does the Prime Minister allow these—

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, CSIS clearly lists the Tamil tigers as one of the many groups with terrorist links that are active in Canada. The United States state department lists FACT, which was the sponsor of the dinner that the minister attended, as a front organization for the Tamil tigers.

These facts were included in the warning that was sent from our officials. Yet both the Minister for International Cooperation and the Minister of Finance have claimed that FACT is an innocent cultural organization. Why did two ministers of the crown ignore the warnings of our own Canadian diplomats?

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, we have just learned through access to information that on May 4 our Canadian high commissioner in Sri Lanka sent a classified message to Ottawa warning that a minister of the crown was about to attend a dinner for a Tamil terrorist front organization.

The commissioner wrote “In view of the timing and sponsorship, consideration must be given to the perception of attendance of a minister of the Canadian government”. Why did the finance minister ignore this warning and attend the meeting anyway?

[Correctional Service Canada, September 26th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister directly. There is the partying, the golfing and the fishing. Now we understand that drug users in our jails are provided with the ability to clean their needles and continue on with their own private drug program while hardworking Canadian diabetics must assume the costs of their own needle program.

Will the Prime Minister put a stop to this in the jails and send the message to Canadians, to families and to young people that we believe in being law-abiding citizens and there are rewards for that?

[Correctional Service Canada, September 26th, 2000]

It is amazing, Mr. Speaker, to see the Liberals applaud nothing happening to stop this. It goes on, whether we are talking about golfing, fishing or other activities that people in jail are allowed to do. We understand that drug users in jail are assisted in their drug and needle cleaning program by Correctional Service Canada, but diabetics—

[Correctional Service Canada, September 26th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, for the last several days Canadians have had to witness news reports of the partying and other excesses that go on in our jails, especially as related to Karla Homolka and her friends. We asked the solicitor general to simply put a stop to it. He said he could not.

Will the Prime Minister, who purports to represent the people, please give a direct order to his solicitor general to put an end to these painful displays that we as Canadians have to watch, and that the families of murdered victims have to watch? Would he please simply give the order to put an end to this now?

[Taxation, September 26th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to be transfixed with my record and I am excited about that. There is another record we need to talk about.

It is estimated by the Council on Business Issues that the Canadian government lost approximately $350 million in revenues as a result of brain drain. If the Prime Minister will not reduce taxes to keep young Canadians at home, will he at least reduce taxes to keep his own revenues at home?

[Taxation, September 26th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, that is what we thought, no action at all.

On September 14 the finance minister, when talking to the Toronto Board of Trade, was quoted as saying that high marginal tax rates in the country are a burden on middle class incomes.

It has also been recorded by the World Economic Council on Competitiveness that interestingly over the last year the United States has moved from second to first place in terms of international competitiveness. Ireland has moved from tenth to fifth place and Canada has dropped. Will the Prime Minister change his high tax policies which continue to be a drag on our economy?

[Taxation, September 26th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, this is the day. If the Alliance motion passes to reduce gas taxes then the charge of tax on gasoline will be reduced by 3.3 cents per litre.

Without referring to any of the excuses of last week, why will the Prime Minister not agree to a gas tax break for Canadians?

[Taxation, September 25th, 2000]

I will ask the Minister of National Revenue if he has run the econometric models to show that we can lower taxes and still maintain the surplus needed to take care of the debt and social welfare—