Agriculture  It should be pointed out that he has made that assumption and western wheat growers and farmers should note that. I repeat, the Canadian government and the minister have made our views very clear to the United States as far as how we would view its imposition of end use certificates. That discussion will continue and we will await its reaction to our views.

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for that response. I do feel the minister has made it clear he is convinced that there is wide support for this issue. I challenge the minister today, as he is unwilling to challenge the Human Rights Commission, will he not agree if he thinks there is so much support to allow a free vote on this issue so that the real will of the people on this issue can be expressed?

National Defence  How can the minister explain that his white paper does not contain any concrete initiatives on defence conversion, given the clear commitment made in the red book?

Defence Policy  With respect to the substance of the question on why we have done this now as opposed to doing it jointly with a foreign policy report, the government felt that with all of the rapid changes, especially reductions, being faced by the armed forces we owed it to all those in the forces, both civilian and uniform personnel, to give some clear indication of where we are going as quickly as possible, but also to set in motion some of the equipment purchases for which we have a dramatic need. The defence white paper and its security review coincide with the recommendations of the joint committee on foreign policy, the joint committee on defence policy and was developed in conjunction with my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is quite comfortable with it.

Defence Policy  We have taken the core of that report, almost all the recommendations, and we have embellished them. I believe that if the hon. member reads the document he will see it does set out a clear vision for defence policy in the 21st century.

Corrections And Conditional Release Act  Finally, it is essential that the minister of Indian affairs, until such time as appropriate and much needed action is taken, make it clear to his colleagues at Health, Public Works and Finance that budgetary cutbacks are not to be used as an excuse for allowing these appalling conditions in aboriginal communities in Canada to continue, shaming us in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Income Tax Act  We would be ahead of rather than always following the United States. In conclusion, Canadian taxpayers have already made it clear that they want politicians with the guts and the vision to lead the way with changes that will benefit them and their children, no matter how difficult those changes may be. We have the guts on this side of the House to recommend where we should cut excessive spending.

Income Tax Act  Requirements of a simple and fair income tax system are one flat rate of tax, one personal exemption amount per individual, the same deductions for all individuals and corporations, and a clear understanding of the definition of income. A simplified tax system also allows lower income individuals to claim a personal exemption to avoid taxes on a basic living income. An individual's income is much easier to track than an individual's expenditures.

National Defence  It will be largely in that area. My colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has made it clear that from now on we just do not have the resources to take part in every peacekeeping mission. It is very expensive and we have to evaluate each request on its merits and look at what we can do and what we can afford to do.

Gun Control  It disappointments me, as much as her speech did yesterday, that instead of dealing with the substance of the matter, instead of expressing her position with respect to the substance of the decisions and the proposals, she seizes upon the form of the matter and comments caustically upon that. This government has made its position clear. We shall introduce legislation in February to implement the decisions in the paper I tabled yesterday.

Gun Control  Speaker, the government is confident it has the support of the vast majority of Canadians in the decisions we announced yesterday with respect to firearms. In terms of the provinces and territories, as I made clear yesterday I have been in direct contact with some of my provincial counterparts. Throughout the process the Department of Justice has been in continuous contact with senior officials of provincial and territorial ministries of justice.

Gun Control  In one short statement yesterday the Minister of Justice eliminated the role of Parliament, of the Standing Committee on Justice and of interested parties on both sides of the issue. He said: "Let me make it very clear. The process of consultation leading to legislation is now over". This is unacceptable. What gives the Minister of Justice the power to interfere with the parliamentary process which includes the Standing Committee on Justice?

Department Of Industry Act  Unconcerned about duplication, although the party in power, the Liberal Party, admits duplication exists because it wants to eliminate duplication and overlap, in this case they have made it abundantly clear that they want to preserve this duplication by refusing to recognize Quebec's sole responsibility for regional development. They prefer to ignore existing duplication and overlap just as they prefer to ignore the wasteful spending of public funds.

Executive Salaries  Third, how much are these advisers to be paid? Fourth and last, what exactly is their role? It is not even clear why the government needs advisers on this issue. Surely there are competent people within heritage, industry, and the CRTC who understand how DTH policy will affect both the industry and Canadian culture.

Budgetary Policy  These, as members well know, are the same discussions that went on during the last election campaign. I think that the Canadian people made their choice, a very clear choice. Members may recall that the Conservative government proposed that it was going to eliminate the deficit in five years. The Reform Party said it would do it in three years. It was almost like a bidding war.