Ethics  Mr. Speaker, it has been quite a week. What has become crystal clear to Canadians is that this government has sacrificed its integrity on the altar of political expediency. Not only did the Minister of Canadian Heritage violate existing guidelines for ministers, albeit a watered down version of Tory guidelines, the Prime Minister failed Canadians by not firing the minister.

Department Of Canadian Heritage Act  At 11.52 a.m. on October 28 the Prime Minister said: "In the case of quasi-judicial bodies that relate to the affairs of the government, the affairs of the members of Parliament and so on, the guidelines were not clear to my satisfaction. I have asked the Privy Council Office to prepare new guidelines in consultation with Mr. Wilson". Sometime later on October 28 Mr. Wilson was approached by the PMO to look at existing guidelines for ministers.

Department Of Canadian Heritage Act  In a world where globalization and the information and communications revolution are bypassing national borders, Canada needs to commit itself more than ever to cultural development. To summarize it is clear that the programs and policies of the Department of Canadian Heritage span Canada's past, present and future. The department can be regarded as the flagship of Canadian identity, bringing together a mosaic of federal programs that will help to confront and surmount the challenges that lie ahead.

Unemployment Insurance Act  What the government is planning to do in spite of arguing, quite rightly, for the importance of post-secondary education, is planning to slash $2.6 billion from post-secondary education and make that available as loans to students and have an income contingency loan repayment system. The contradiction is quite clear. It is time the government recognized that it cannot say good things about post-secondary education and then cut funding to post-secondary education and expect Canada to compete in the world economy.

Unemployment Insurance Act  Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to repeal section 3(2)( c ) of the Unemployment Insurance Act, which stipulates that employment where the employer and employee are not dealing with each other at arm's length is not insurable. The law is clear: Where the employer is related to the employee, he or she must prove that the job would have been given to an unrelated person in similar circumstances. The vast majority of workers affected by this section of the Unemployment Insurance Act are women who work in a family business.

Canadian Wheat Board Act  The Board will distribute such monies among the various centres engaged in developing new and improved wheat varieties. The purpose of our amendment is to make it clear that the agency must, after reasonable inquiries, have determined that the information to be sought by the research is not, and is not likely, as a result of other research, to become available to the producers.

Canadian Wheat Board Act  Therefore the plant varieties we develop for that region are usually of no application to regions in the rest of Canada. It is a nice, clear cut area whose economic interest in the area of plant breeding is basically the same. The province of Alberta has decided to take a check off for barley and some types of wheat. That exists and is possible under provincial legislation.

Canadian Wheat Board Act  I would go as far as saying that our amendment proposal will give the Canadian Wheat Board enhanced legitimacy vis-a-vis the Governor in Council, as it should be the case on the issue before us today. My proposal is clear: to allow those who are the most qualified to set the rate of deduction do so. These are my arguments in favour of Motion No. 1 and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague from Lotbinière, who sits with me on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, for seconding Motions Nos. 1 and 2.

Ethics  The Prime Minister indicated to us that the ethics counsellor had advised him on the minister's letter and the ethics counsellor says that this is simply not the case. This morning he said no, and that is clear. The question of course is: What part of no does the Prime Minister not understand? Will the Prime Minister accept responsibility for this contradiction in his integrity and apologize for breaching the trust of the Canadian public?

World Trade Organization Agreement Implementation Act  But as they abandon their election promises, we warn the Liberal government that we in the Bloc Quebecois will insist that it keep its commitment to help businesses and workers affected by the trade treaties. The red book is clear on this subject. I quote: "Governments must assist individuals and firms to deal with the restructuring that is occurring as a result of trade liberalization. Such assistance is critical to building acceptance of structural reforms in the Canadian economy".

The Economy  In fact manufacturing is up 8.7 per cent over the month of August last year. At the same time construction is up 7.7 per cent over a year ago. There is a clear revival as a result of the increase in the number of jobs and consumer confidence; retail sales are up. One thing I am delighted to be able to say-and I congratulate the member for his question-is that we are clearly on the way to the strongest growth in the country since 1988.

Ethics  The minister in question made a mistake and the guidelines as they relate to quasi-judicial bodies were not clear. He had moved to rectify the mistake, first of all by the member's letter specifically to the CRTC. Second the Prime Minister moved to clarify the guidelines by asking Mr. Wilson to reintroduce a new package.

Esprit De Corps  Speaker, in addition to questions about the integrity of this government regarding the Minister of Canadian Heritage, I must raise the issue of integrity within the defence department. It has now become clear that defence, along with Industry and Science Canada, is actively attempting to undermine and close down the operation of a small military magazine, Esprit de corps , which had the audacity to criticize defence department procedures and officials.

World Trade Organization Agreement Implementation Act  However, in order to do that, you must first define your priorities. This example of double-edged sword is clear evidence that we have to put our house in order. The problem is a major one. How can only one voice protect the diverging interests of western and eastern producers? The fight on Article XI also undermined Canada's credibility with its own agricultural producers.

World Trade Organization Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, it is quite clear that it is imperative for Canada to legislate as soon as possible, calmly and in all fairness with respect to copyright. Of course, this is a very complex subject, but it will only increase in complexity as we travel further on the electronic highway.