National Housing Act  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and speak on Bill C-108, an act to amend the National Housing Act. In 1987, CMHC introduced National Housing Act mortgage backed securities, a new way of attracting investors into the mortgage market and increasing the supply of funds available for home buyers.

Mining  Mr. Speaker, I would like today to speak to regulations in the mining industry. Regulatory reform has been an issue of great concern to the government. A climate of change will serve as impetus to continue pushing these efforts. Canadians in Quebec and across the country have made their voices heard and have called on us to continue to make the changes necessary to do business differently.

Agreement On Internal Trade Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, the agreement on international trade came into effect on July 1. Bill C-88 is intended to make it possible for the federal government to comply fully with its obligations under the agreement. I therefore believe that it is important for the House to proceed expeditiously in its consideration of Bill C-88.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the pleasure to present a petition dealing with the tendering practices of the Department of National Defence.

Customs Act  I want to take the opportunity to compliment not only the Minister of Finance and the Minister of National Revenue, whose work and whose departments have brought forward these amendments, but also the committee on finance that worked on so many of the pieces of legislation, such as S-9, C-105, C-90, C-103, and these present amendments before us. This bill introduces tariff reductions on a broad range of goods used as inputs in Canadian manufacturing operations. The bill also introduces changes.

Customs Act  For example, in the last two weeks we have had to deal with the tax treaty with the United States in Bill S-9. We have had to deal with tax treaties with other countries in Bill C-105. We have had to deal with measures from the budget in Bill C-90. We have had to deal with Bill C-103, which is the change in the Income Tax Act to deal with split runs, and we have had to deal with Bill C-102.

British Columbia Treaty Commission  Since last April the Government of Canada's representative on the commission has been Peter Lusztig, who is a professor of finance at the University of British Columbia. He also brings considerable breadth of experience from the community, having sat on B.C.'s royal commission on automobile insurance and the B.C. commission of inquiry into the tree fruit industry. In 1991 he also chaired the Asia-Pacific initiative advisory committee which was struck by the federal and provincial governments.

Agriculture  Speaker, the minister of agriculture is having trouble with mastering at least one of the three r 's, namely writing. This past August I had the opportunity to join several farmers touring an area around Lloydminster damaged by the drought. The farmers had asked me to forward their concerns to the minister regarding their grave situation.

British Columbia Treaty Commission Act  From the late 1800s the position was that aboriginal rights had been extinguished prior to B.C.'s entry into Confederation in 1871, or if these rights did exist they were the exclusive responsibility of the federal government. In 1990, under the leadership of Premier Vander Zalm, of the Social Credit Party, B.C. reversed its longstanding position and the way was open to resolving these issues.

Income Tax Conventionsimplementation Act, 1995  Every point it thought the Americans would raise at the table, it gave up before it got there, because this indeed is a craven government. He was referring to Bill S-9, what we approved yesterday. He was criticizing the very bill that was passed in substantially the same form. He did not agree that the Conservative government was headed in the right direction.

Canada-United States Tax Convention Act, 1984  As the flow of capital and human resources goes back and forth, all around the world, as we push buttons on a computer and transfer large sums of money, just as an entry item on a ledger sheet, we have to be able to be competitive. First and foremost, that is what Bill S-9 does, it keeps us competitive. It is only the small minded, the narrow minded people in the House who want to protect themselves who would argue that this is not a fair and good reciprocity agreement.

Canada-United States Tax Convention Act, 1984  We can see how exaggeration often leads to absurdities. We are proud and happy to participate in Canada's development by supporting Bill S-9, because it goes in the direction that we have always advocated. We do not want to destroy Canada, we want to build a country in Quebec, and we want Canada to remain prosperous as well.

Canada-United States Tax Convention Act, 1984  moved that Bill S-9, an act to amend the Canada-United States Tax Convention Act, 1984, be read the third time and passed.

Canada-United States Tax Convention Act, 1984  Pursuant to Standing Order 45, the House will now proceed to the deferred divisions at report stage of Bill S-9, an act to amend the Canada-United States Tax Convention Act, 1984. The first question is on Motion No. 1.

House debate  The House proceeded to the consideration of Bill S-9, an act to amend the Canada-United States Tax Convention Act, 1984, as reported (with amendment) from the committee.