CANADA VOLUME 136 S NUMBER 098 S 2nd SESSION S 36th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, May 16, 2000 Speaker: The Honourable Gilbert Parent CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) All parliamentary publications are available on the ``Parliamentary Internet Parlementaire'' at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 6853 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, May 16, 2000 The House met at 10 a.m. [Translation] _______________ COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE Prayers ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT _______________ Hon. Charles Caccia (Davenport, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to its standing order of reference under Standing Order 108(2), the D (1000) Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Develop- [English] ment undertook, beginning in the month of June 1999, a study on the management of pesticides in Canada, including an evaluation REPORT OF PRIVACY COMMISSIONER of the performance of the Pest Management Review Agency in preventing pollution and in protecting the environment and human The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table the health. 1999-2000 report of the privacy commissioner. [English] [Translation] I therefore have the honour to present, in both official languages, This report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing the first report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Sustainable Development entitled ‘‘Making the right choice, un choix judicieux s’impose’’. _____________________________________________ FINANCE ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Mr. Maurizio Bevilacqua (Vaughan—King—Aurora, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the fourth report of the [Translation] Standing Committee on Finance regarding its order of reference of GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS Wednesday, May 10, 2000, in relation to Bill C-24, an act to amend the Excise Tax Act, a related act, the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Mr. Derek Lee (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Act, the Budget Implementation Act, 1997, the Budget Imple- Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, mentation Act, 1998, the Budget Implementation Act, 1999, the pursuant to the Standing Orders, I have the honour to table, in both Canada Pension Plan, the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, official languages, the government’s response to five petitions. the Cultural Property Export and Import Act, the Customs Act, the Customs Tariff, the Employment Insurance Act, the Excise Act, the * * * Income Tax Act, the Tax Court of Canada Act and the Unemploy- ment Insurance Act. D (1005) [English] The committee has considered Bill C-24 and reports the bill, with amendment. ORDER IN COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS * * * Mr. Derek Lee (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am [Translation] pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments recently made by the government. BANK ACT Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1) these are Mr. Réal Ménard (Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, BQ) moved for deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of leave to introduce Bill C-478 to amend the Bank Act and the which is attached. Statistics Act (equity in community reinvestment). 6854 COMMONS DEBATES May 16, 2000 Routine Proceedings He said: Mr. Speaker, I am genuinely pleased to introduce a bill I will highlight this travesty today and bring it to the attention of on community reinvestment by banks, calling upon the Superin- the Canadian people. I certainly think that as taxpayers they tendent of Financial Institutions to assess the effort being made deserve to know exactly what is going on here and how these folks by banks to respond to the credit requirements of all citizens, across the way have become the king of the ramrod. particularly the most disadvantaged. I see colleagues across the way and I know that some of them I am confident that this bill will receive the support of all parties would not be proud of this. In fact, one of them even served with and I am asking the government not to call an election until it has the Mulroney Tories, as I understand it, and I do not think he was been passed. proud of bringing in time allocation 66 times. Now he is a Liberal, the hon. member for Edmonton Southeast for whom I have some (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) respect, and he is a part of the government that has now brought it in 67 times. I know he has lived down here a while. Maybe I could [English] brand him one of the Ottawa 67s. I wonder how that would make him feel. The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland): Under presenting reports from committees I did not recognize the member for An hon. member: If you don’t like it then you should change the Edmonton—Strathcona. May we have unanimous consent to revert rules. to presenting reports? Miss Deborah Grey: Someone is saying that we should change Some hon. members: Agreed. the rules. What a wonderful idea that would be, but as soon as anyone would get up to try to change the rules the government An hon. member: No. would probably bring in time allocation or have a meeting and say that it does not like it that way. * * * Something is ridiculous here when we see that there truly is an anti-democratic disease that has got a hold of the government, and D (1010) it needs to be exposed. I noticed that some members on the government side were free to write books about it and expose it a while ago, but I have not seen an exposé lately about the sin and COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE corruption of government. I would love the hon. member to let us know about that. He is trying. It is good to get into government and HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND THE STATUS OF PERSONS WITH give it a try from the inside. I think he knows and we know that it DISABILITIES does not work. Canadians need to know what is happening here today so they Miss Deborah Grey (Leader of the Opposition, Canadian can judge for themselves whether they are being well served by the Alliance) moved that the second report of the Standing Committee government. I do not think they are. Right now downstairs a couple on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with of my colleagues are holding a press conference. They are making Disabilities, presented on Thursday, April 13, be concurred in. sure that the Canadian public knows exactly what is happening inside the Chamber here. She said: Mr. Speaker, although today’s debate brings us to report stage and a report from the committee, what is actually happening is that the government is bringing in time allocation on In six years the government has brought in time allocation 67 legislation. I am sad to report that this is an all time championship, times. The government uses closure to quickly silence the opposi- if one wants to call it that. The government has closed debate and tion of which it was a part in years gone by and will be again sooner snapped time allocation on legislation which does not even tie the or later. Probably sooner. We can look at how it uses closure to Mulroney Conservative record but breaks it, and we call this quickly silence the opposition on controversial issues as opposed to democratic. stopping a filibuster— We have a government that has just brought in time allocation on Mr. Derek Lee: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I just the debate today for a record breaking 67th time. You and I have want to raise the issue of relevance. The hon. member is so blinded been here a while, Mr. Speaker. You certainly know that we have by her partisanship she has forgotten that she has moved concur- seen this happen time and time again. We saw it in the 1993 rence in a committee report. parliament and we have watched it in the 1997 parliament. The government has not only matched the Mulroney record of time She is discussing a subject that has not even come up for debate. allocation in closing off debate but has actually surpassed it now in I am not saying it is not a subject for debate, but she is so blinded much less time than the Mulroney Tories were here. What a shame. by that partisanship she has lost the relevance. I am asking the May 16, 2000 COMMONS DEBATES 6855 Routine Proceedings Chair to direct her back to the subject of debate, which is the Let me quote from this document. I will name the province, I committee report. will name the amount of money granted through the transitional jobs fund as a percentage of the total and the number of projects that were funded as a percentage of the total. I know they are aware D (1015 ) of how relevant this is, so let me give a few numbers. The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland): Is it not serendipitous In the province of Alberta the amount of money that was granted that I just happened to be consulting with the clerk about that very was $3,548,154. My hon. friend from Edmonton Southeast knows thing and I just happened to have that very report in my hand so as that we are a sizeable percentage of the population out home in to ensure that when that challenge was made the hon. Leader of the Alberta, but under the transitional jobs fund the percentage of total Opposition could be gently persuaded to touch on the relevance of money that was grated through the TJF was 1.3%.