Department Of Agriculture Act  I believe that if there were unanimous consent to do so, everybody would be satisfied and this would put an end to these incessant points of order, clearing the way for a real debate on important matters.

Department Of Agriculture Act  The problem is that part III of the estimates do not give enough information to make the finances and spending of the department clear. I would propose this accounting to Parliament and this report to Parliament should remain in the bill so that there is proper accountability. This is exactly what the hon. member for Malpeque was suggesting in his amendment which was shot down by his colleagues.

Department Of Agriculture Act  It will no longer simply help producers, because the future of the agricultural sector is dependent on the processing, marketing and distribution of products. The minister made it clear in this House last month. Needless to say that the new department will have to help our producers become more competitive and self-sufficient in relation to foreign producers, and will also have to ensure the future of our agricultural sector.

Department Of Agriculture Act  GATT and NAFTA herald deep changes in the workings of international trade. That is why Quebec and Canada must have a clear and specific agenda. It is important at this point to mention negotiations on durum wheat. My colleagues in the Reform Party dealt extensively with that in the agriculture and agri-food committee.

Department Of Agriculture Act  The minister has spent a good deal of his time during the past month or so talking about the need for a long term vision. The minister's view is clear. Industry should be growing. Industry should be competitive. Industry should be market oriented and, of course, it should be profitable. It should respond to the changing food and non-food needs of domestic and international customers.

The Environment  Hopefully, the bill to establish a commissioner responsible for the environment will be more specific and will provide a clear idea of what is involved. The environment minister acknowledged the contribution and concerns of Bloc members regarding the position of commissioner. We will continue our critical but constructive work in committee during the review of this legislation.

The Environment  The commissioner will have the authority to monitor and report on government responses to petitions from the public. I want to be crystal clear. The commissioner, through the Auditor General, will issue a separate report annually to Parliament on the extent to which departments are or are not meeting the goals and objectives of their stated sustainable development strategies.

Employment  Yesterday, before the finance committee, he indicated that in his first round of prebudget consultations Canadians "told us they wanted clear targets to which they could hold the government accountable and we provided those targets. We provided those milestones." I applaud him for his leadership. However, we have heard an awful lot about the target of deficits.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service  Speaker, as far as I am aware political parties do not have access to information gathered by CSIS and the CSIS act is very clear on what that body can and cannot do. I think the hon. member knows as well as I do that this information is not available to political parties, even though the allegations and questions relate to a period of time before this party formed the government.

Government Finances  Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the member was not there yesterday. We made it very clear that our preference in this whole action is clearly on cutting spending. We said that very clearly. We also said, in relation to the tag end of the question which is an original one, I must say, that I am not going to comment on individual suggestions because what I really want is for Canadians to focus on the tradeoffs.

Social Program Reform  Mr. Speaker, we made it very clear in the budget that, in 1996-97, transfers to provinces would be frozen to the 1993-94 level. This was also confirmed by the Minister of Human Resources Development in his document. We said that a review of the UI program was in order and that it would be the second stage of the reforms undertaken.

Social Program Reform  Speaker, I suggested that the hon. member read not only the grey paper, but also the first document, which is mauve as you can see. She will see that the policy statement is very clear: we have to improve government finances in order to protect our social programs. Obviously, we cannot let international markets tell us how to build our country. Again, it is to protect our social programs that we are undertaking a true structural reform and I hope that the hon. member will come before the committee to make suggestions.

Department Of Canadian Heritage Act  When announcing the official establishment of this new department, top bureaucrats made it very clear that there would be no layoffs. Civil servants are being shuffled between new ministries but their jobs are secure, even if the future of some of the programs is not. The number of employees in the multicultural program will remain at approximately 6,000, the same as 1992-93 levels.

Department Of Canadian Heritage Act  Is it naive to think that when a number of the French network's stations were closed down recently in the regions, this was a clear indication of the strong position of French in these regions, a position so strong that these stations were no longer needed? I am not naive, and few Quebecers are, as we can see in the following extract from the conclusion of the Arpin report: "Harmonizing action by both levels of government has never been easy".

Department Of Canadian Heritage Act  Of course, the federal government must look after Canada-wide, interprovincial and international aspects, but that responsibility complements those of other levels of government. In reality, except in sectors where it has a clear constitutional jurisdiction, like copyright, federal action is limited to cultural products with an interprovincial or international scope like broadcasting. The federal government is also active in the promotion and sharing of cultural treasures outside provincial or national boundaries.