1983-11-30

Mr. Deputy Speaker:: I have the honour to inform the House that a message has been received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate have passed the following Bills, without amendment:
Bill C-96, an Act to amend the Financial Administration Act;
Bill C-171, an Act to amend the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act;
Bill C-170, an Act to authorize investment in and the provision of financial assistance to the Atlantic Fisheries for the purpose of restructuring fishery enterprises; and also
Bill C-173, an Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the Government of Canada for the financial year ending the 31st March, 1984.



THE ROYAL ASSENT

Mr. Deputy Speaker:: I have the honour to inform the House that a communication has been received, which is as follows: Madam,
I have the honour to inform you that His Excellency the Governor General will proceed to the Senate Chamber today, the 30th day of November, 1983, at 1400 hours, to give Royal Assent to certain Bills and for the purpose of proroguing the First Session of the Thirty-Second Parliament.
1 have the honour to be Madam,
Your obedient servant,
Edmond Joly de Lotbiniere Administrative Secretary to the Governor General


Mr. Domm:: I rise on a brief point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wonder how you could have all of this information. I am sure 1 heard the bells ringing in the Senate when I came into this Chamber.


Mr. Deputy Speaker:: Statements pursuant to Standing Order 21. The Hon. Member for Winnipeg-Assiniboine.



STATEMENTS PURSUANT TO S.O. 21


Mr. Dan McKenzie (Winnipeg-Assiniboine):: Mr. Speaker,
I wish to call on the Minister of National Health and Welfare (Miss Begin) to launch an immediate investigation into the manner in which the New Democratic Government of Manitoba is mismanaging its funding for health care. Three tragedies have occurred at the Manitoba Health Sciences Centre because of the NDP restraint policy of reducing staff at hospitals, which results in unacceptably low staffing and overcrowding. In one instance a nurse at the Health Sciences Centre had in her care 24 babies in the nursery. It was in this overcrowded nursery that two infants died.
The staff of the Health Sciences Centre are not able to perform their duties effectively under these conditions. In response to the obvious need for increased hospital funding the NDP Government announced a 3 per cent spending limit on hospitals and ordered the obstetrics unit at the Seven Oaks and Concordia hospitals to be shut down, adding an even greater burden to the Health Sciences Centre and a greater risk to the patients.
There is no public confidence in the administration of health services by the New Democratic Government. Clearly this is gross mismanagement on the part of the NDP, and an immediate investigation by the Minister of National Health and Welfare is necessary to make certain that funding for health care facilities in Manitoba is of an amount to ensure a standard level of safety, and that this funding is not misdirected.



THE ADMINISTRATION


Mr. John McDermid (Brampton-Georgetown):: Mr. Speaker, the people of Canada had their suspicions. We in the Opposition have been saying it for years, and now the truth is out. The Liberal Government and Cabinet are controlled by the bureaucrats and do not listen to the people of Canada.
Let us review the facts presented by the Hon. Member for York West (Mr. Fleming), and I quote from the Toronto Star of November 30:

November 30, 1983
Cabinet Ministers are treated like children. They are afraid of officials in Trudeau's office. Too much power rests with non-elected officials and advisers in Trudeau's office. The Government operates on cynicism, ballyhoo and manipulation.
The six and five program is run by non-elected officials and not by Ministers.


Mr. Deputy Speaker:: Order. I bring to the attention of the Hon. Member that reference to the Prime Minister should be by his title. That is the usual courtesy in this House.


John Horton McDermid: I was quoting from the Toronto Star, Mr. Speaker.
No wonder this Government is in trouble. Ministers get their marching orders from Jim Coutts, Keith Davey, and Tom Axworthy.
The Liberal defence to all these accusations is, "It's just sour grapes; the Hon. Member for York West is just mad because he was dropped from Cabinet". I like to think that it is a Liberal who finally decided to tell the truth. How refreshing, Mr. Speaker. It is fitting that these revelations be made available on the last day of the longest session in Canada's history. I call on the Government to let Canadians have a fresh start, forget the Throne Speech, and call an election. It would be the finest Christmas present-


Mr. Deputy Speaker:: The Hon. Member's time has expired. The Hon. Member for Hamilton-Wentworth.




Mr. Geoff Scott (Hamilton-Wentworth):: Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are dead if they stay the way they are. People do not look at them as an honest, sincere bunch. Cabinet Ministers are fearful of the Prime Minister's Office. "Ministers are treated like children and are running off and watching their backs at all times." "Too much power rests with non-elected officials and advisers in the Prime Minister's Office". "The Government operates on cynicism and ballyhoo and manipulations." That, Mr. Speaker, was a Liberal Member of Parliament tearing great strips off his own hierarchy.
Today I get the chance, Mr. Speaker, to do something you do not often hear coming from this side. I want to congratulate the Hon. Member for York West (Mr. Fleming) warmly for stating the obvious. Mind you, it has taken 15 years, including 591 sitting days in this current session of Parliament, for the message to sink in, but the Member for York West has publicly confirmed what we on this side have maintained for years; this Liberal Government is run from the Prime Minister's Office, not by its elected representatives. And it has taken a former Liberal Cabinet Minister to declare it. But running off and watching their backs at all times not only applies to his former colleagues in Cabinet. Most Liberals over there will be performing similar retreats at the polls next year. They should thank the Hon. Member for York West for reminding them that, after the next election, we Progressive Conservatives will be operating a true parliamentary democracy-


Some Hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Mr. Deputy Speaker:: Order.



THE ROYAL ASSENT

[Stage Direction]
A message was delivered by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod as follows:
Mr. Speaker, His Excellency the Governor General desires the immediate attendance of this honourable House in the chamber of the honourable the Senate.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker with the House went up to the Senate chamber.
In the Senate chamber, the Governor General was pleased to give, in Her Majesty's name, the Royal Assent to the following Bills:
Bill C-172, an Act to amend the Labour Adjustment Benefits Act and to authorize certain payments in relation thereto.-Chapter No. 169
Bill C-96, an Act to amend the Financial Administration Act-Chapter 170
Bill C-171, an Act to amend the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act.-Chapter No. 171
Bill C-170, an Act to authorize investment in and the provision of financial assistance to the Atlantic Fisheries for the purpose of restructuring fishery enterprises.-Chapter 172
Bill C-173, Appropriation Act No. 3, 1983-84.-Chapter 173

[Stage Direction]
After which the Deputy Governor General was pleased to close the first session of the Thirty-Second Parliament of Canada with the following speech:
Honourable Members of the Senate:
Members of the House of Commons:
I have the honour today of closing the longest and most productive session in the history of the Canadian Parliament. During the three and a half year period in which you have been sitting more than 200 pieces of legislation have been introduced and over 150 of these have been proclaimed into law.
This session has been remarkable not only for the number of bills passed, but for the magnitude of their impact. The Government recognized that those who wait for unanimity never act, and that those who do not act are engulfed by the wave of events of a rapidly changing world. Accordingly, the Government launched a series of bold initiatives, any one of which would have been sufficient to make this session of Parliament an exceptional one. Four in particular have transformed Canada.
Following the Quebec referendum, the Government initiated the process of federal renewal which it promised would ensue from a rejection of sovereignty association, patriating the Canadian Constitution with an amending formula and an entrenched Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A National Energy Program is in force providing a comprehensive set of measures designed to achieve security of supply, greater Canadian ownership and fairness to the consumer. The federal Government's 6&5 program established a framework for the cooperative national effort which has enabled Canada to realize a dramatic reduction in inflation. And the new Western Grain Transportation Act will replace the outdated Crow's Nest Pass freight rate with a more fair and equitable set of rates, thus completing the necessary groundwork for a major expansion of western rail capacity during the balance of the decade.
Meeting the Challenges of World Recession
These four achievements represent the highlights of the Parliamentary session which now is coming to an end; they have been attained in the midst of one of the most turbulent periods which Canada has experienced outside of wartime. The past three and a half years have been marked by global recession, by unstable international petroleum markets, by increased levels of East-West tension, and by the displacement of millions of people around the planet by war, hunger and economic deprivation.
The Canadian response to these troubled times has been, not to retrench, but to meet these greater challenges through a more effective mobilization of our
November 30, 1983
[Stage Direction]
resources. The Government took steps to protect Canadians as much as possible from the ravages of international recession, and to battle domestic inflation. The stage thus was set for the renewed growth and job creation which we are now experiencing.
The centrepiece of the Government's battle against inflation was the 6&5 program, introduced last year to limit increases in incomes and prices regulated by the Federal Government to six percent and five percent respectively over two years. The compulsory restraint measures introduced in the federal public service were reinforced by widespread voluntary adoption of these guidelines by the private sector and the provinces.
The impact of the 6&5 program was enhanced by continuing Government restraint over the discretionary component of its expenditures, and by monetary policy conducted in a way which would not accommodate inflation. The "envelope" system placed pre-set limits on spending in each area of government responsibility, and ensured that policy and funding decisions were taken simultaneously. Improved management practices were implemented generating 122 million dollars in recurring annual savings; opportunities for realizing further annual savings of 139 million dollars have also been identified. Many of the recommendations of the Lambert Commission on Financial Management and Accountability were adopted. As a result of these efforts, the Government's "real", or inflation-adjusted, non-defence operating and capital expenditures are at the same level now that they were six years ago. Total federal government employment, measured in person-years controlled by the Treasury Board, is at the same level in 1983 as it was in 1979.
The inflation rate today is 4.9 percent, the lowest level in eleven years. Other dividends from the Government's anti-inflationary stance are reduced interest rates, a stable dollar and the record trade surplus which we are now experiencing.
Canada was struck as forcefully as its trading partners by the worldwide recession. The Government took concerted action to protect Canadians from its worst effects and to ensure the vigour of the domestic recovery. A work sharing program was introduced to prevent layoffs. New funds were channeled into direct job creation, tax incentives and other measures to stimulate activity in employment-intensive sectors, and new programs to promote economic development. A framework of investment incentives has been announced. Changes to the investment tax credit will make it more readily usable by firms investing in Canada, and will render a portion of the credit refundable. Purchasers of new shares issued by investing firms will also be eligible for the credit. A Special Recovery Investment fund is being created to speed and strengthen private investment during the early stages of the recovery. The maximum personal tax rate has been cut in order to encourage savings and investment. The Indexed Security Investment Plan will provide an additional incentive to invest in common shares of Canadian companies by eliminating taxation on the inflationary part of capital gains.
Particular consideration has been accorded to small business, the most dynamic force in our economy. The Small Business Development Bond increased the funds available to small business by providing a tax exemption on the interest earned by loans to small businesses. Tax measures were introduced to permit the deduction of spouses' salaries from income as a business expense, and review procedures for small business under the provisions of the Foreign Investment Review Act were streamlined.
In addition to initiatives aimed at stimulating private sector activity through direct incentives, the Government has undertaken a series of public sector and demand stimulus measures to generate rapid results. More than 2 billion dollars has been targeted to direct job creation alone during the past four fiscal years, providing work for over 700,000 people. A further 2 billion dollars in new funding has been directed to the stimulation of construction in the housing sector, while a major program has been launched, as part of the Crow Rate initiative, to speed the expansion and modernization of rail capacity in the West. The Special Recovery Program announced in the Spring Budget targeted a further 2.4 billion dollars over four years to public investment stimulus through accelerated capital and infrastructure projects.
These programs are now bearing fruit. During the first half of 1983 the Canadian economy grew at an annual rate of 71k percent. Housing starts, industrial production and capacity utilization are all up significantly. Employment levels have rebounded, and the number of people employed has grown at an average rate of 31,000 per month since last November.
Prorogation of Parliament
Many groups in our society were cruelly affected by high interest rates during the past three and a half years. The Government took extensive action to provide relief to those groups particularly hard hit.
It responded to the plight of homeowners facing high mortgage costs. Grants of up to $3,000 were made available to homeowners whose mortgage renewals brought their mortgage costs above 30 percent of their gross income. In addition, grants of $3,000 each were extended to first-time home buyers and to purchasers of new houses. The Canadian Home Renovation Plan provided assistance to homeowners undertaking home repairs.
Parallel measures were introduced to help renters. The Canada Rental Support Plan was put forward to ease tight rental housing markets by providing interest-free loans toward the construction of new rental units.
Special measures were enacted to ease the burden of farmers, fishermen and small businessmen. The ceilings for loans under the Small Business Loans Act and Farm Improvement Loans Act were raised to $100,000; for the Fisheries Improvements Loans Act to $150,000; and for the Farm Credit Corporation to $350,000. The total funding available under the Small Business Loans program was almost doubled, to 1.5 billion dollars, and a Small Business Investment Grant program was initiated to reduce costs on borrowing undertaken by small businessmen, farmers and fishermen. The Special Farm Financial Assistance Program provided an interest rebate of four percent on loans extended through the Farm Credit Corporation.
The Government's actions to deal with inflation, unemployment and high interest rates were accompanied by a program to respond to the challenges of the 1980s in a bold and creative manner. That program, outlined in the 1980 Speech from the Throne, had five principal goals:
-to respond to individual needs by promoting greater security for the elderly, expanded opportunities for the young, and equality for women;
-to achieve security of energy supply at a fair price for all Canadians;
-to promote national economic development in a way that would provide jobs, stimulate growth, build upon regional strengths, and increase Canadian ownership and control of our economy;
-to strengthen national institutions, while making them more responsive to provincial and regional goals;
-to ensure that Canada plays a vigorous part in the world beyond our borders.
Helping First Those Who Need Help Most
The first of the goals set out at the opening of the session, enhancing the security of the individual, was designed to help first those who need help most. The Government continues to believe that this must be its first guiding principle and it has given effect to this principle through a wide array of initiatives. In doing so, it has been one of the few western governments not to cut back spending on social services during the last three years.
The elderly came first, with the passage of legislation to raise the Guaranteed Income Supplement to the Old Age Security pension by $35 per month per household, thereby improving the standard of living of 1.3 million pensioners.
In addition, to initiate the complex process of pension reform, a National Pensions Conference was convened as part of the consultative phase of this process and a comprehensive study of the issue, published as a Green Paper, was undertaken.
The Government has addressed the needs and concerns of Canadian women, and taken steps to guarantee their right to full and equal participation in all aspects of our national life.
Within the federal public service, a pilot affirmative action program put in place in 1981 for women, natives and the handicapped is the model for a comprehensive affirmative action program now being implemented in all federal government departments. In addition, a Commission of Inquiry on Equality in Employment has been established to investigate employment practices affecting these groups in certain Crown corporations, and officials within the government have been working with private employers to help them develop their own affirmative action programs.
Female representation in the management and professional categories of the public service has expanded steadily. The principle of equal pay for work of equal value has been adopted within the public service as a guideline applicable to all collective agreements and salary settlements.
This session has been marked by the appointment of the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons and the first woman on the Supreme Court of Canada.
[Stage Direction]
November 30, 1983
Prorogation of Parliament
Women have been appointed to positions as Chief Justices in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, and a woman has been appointed Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
Outside the public sector, the Women's Employment and Women in NonTraditional Occupations programs have helped break down barriers to entry in non-traditional job fields. The new National Training Act, which has directed resources towards improved job training, provides important support to women wishing to enhance or update their job skills.
The Government has moved to help many women who are working parents. It enriched the child tax credit to $343 per child and doubled the child care expense deduction to $2,000 per child. The Unemployment Insurance Act was amended to provide greater flexibility and equity in the determination of eligibility for maternity benefits, and to extend these benefits to adoptive parents.
For those staying at home to care for their children, pension coverage was improved with the introduction of a child rearing dropout provision to the Canada Pension Plan. It entitles mothers or fathers to remain outside the labour force while their children are under the age of seven without sacrificing future pension benefits.
The Government has addressed the problem of violence against women through major amendments to the parts of the Criminal Code dealing with sexual offences. These amendments replace the offence of rape with various offences of sexual assault, and provide additional protection to women through elimination of spousal immunity and elimination of the need for corroboration of a complainant's testimony.
Amendments to the Human Rights Act also afford increased protection to women, particularly against sexual harassment.
And the most fundamental step of all has been taken by enshrining the principle of equal rights for men and women in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Young people have also been a particular focus for Government action, which dealt with the primary concerns of youth employment and academic prospects.
The young, lacking employment experience, have been a particular casualty of the recession at the very point in their lives at which they should be acquiring job skills and developing sound work habits. To deal with this situation, the Government has launched a series of initiatives directed specifically towards jobs for younger workers.
A Youth Wage Subsidy and Internship Program has been established to help young people obtain work experience and on-the-job training. Katimavik, the Youth Job Corps Program, and the Summer Youth Employment Program have all been expanded. An Extended Youth Training and Employment Program run by the Department of National Defence has been established to provide employment and vocational training.
Young people will be major beneficiaries of the National Training Act. Under this Act, 1.2 billion dollars has been made available during the current fiscal year alone for improved job training opportunities and facilities. The Act also provides for federal assistance to people enrolled in provincial and private educational courses.
Altogether, more than 300,000 young people will have been assisted this year by these and other federal training and employment programs.
Amendments also have been made to the Canada Student Loans Act which almost double the maximum annual amount available to individual students and which broaden the eligibility criteria for loans to include those studying parttime. The program will have benefited 185,000 students this year.
A new Young Offenders Act affords increased protection to young people accused of crimes by giving them explicit rights under the law, raising the age of criminal responsibility from seven to twelve, and providing for destruction of court records when sentences have been served and certain other criteria met.
The Government has given the needs of the handicapped special consideration.
The handicapped are one of the designated groups to which the public service affirmative action program is directed. In addition, a Program for the Employment Disadvantaged has been introduced to develop private sector opportunities for handicapped workers.
Amendments have been made to the Human Rights Act to protect the disabled from discrimination.
A Parliamentary Task Force on the Disabled and Handicapped tabled its report during 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons, recommending government initiatives to improve job opportunities and living conditions for the handicapped. Significant progress has already been made on more than two thirds of these recommendations, while steps are being taken to address the remaining third. Examples of recommendations being implemented include the allocation of five percent of housing units built under certain Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation programs to specially designed units for the disabled, and significant modifications to airports, train stations, ferries, bus terminals and other federal buildings to improve their accessibility.
The Secretary of State has been named the Minister responsible for issues affecting the disabled, and a status of disabled persons secretariat has been established within his department.
Energy Security at a Fair Price
The second major goal for Parliament set out at the opening of this session was that of achieving energy security at a fair price. The Government introduced the National Energy Program and signed agreements with the oil-producing provinces. A blended, made-in-Canada oil price, fair to producers and consumers, has resulted in average wellhead prices significantly below world levels. Recent amendments to the federal-provincial energy agreements give Canadians additional assurances of price stability over an 18 month period, as well as a guarantee that wholesale natural gas prices in the large eastern Canadian markets will not exceed 65 percent of the price of oil. In western Canada these prices are even lower. The commitment made in 1980 not to impose an 180 increase in the excise tax on transportation fuels has been honoured.
You were told three years ago that the Government would take steps to achieve 50 percent Canadian ownership of the petroleum industry by 1990. At that time, 28 percent of our petroleum production was owned by Canadians. Today, in large part because of a strengthened Petro-Canada and an incentive system designed to promote Canadian ownership, that figure is at 38 percent. Furthermore, a majority of all exploration expenditures now are undertaken by Canadian controlled companies, compared to three years ago when only 34 percent were Canadian controlled. As well, a new Canadian petroleum company, Co-Enerco, was established as a result of collaboration between the cooperative movement and the federal Government.
Energy conservation and the shift from oil to other fuels have both accelerated as a result of incentives put in place during the past three years. The Canadian Home Insulation Program has been extended and the eligibility criteria broadened. So far 1.8 million homes have received grants towards improved insulation, meaning average savings of 17 percent on heating bills. Natural gas pricing policy and off-oil conversion grants have helped to reduce the number of households heated by oil from 42 percent to 31 percent in the past three years. Grants have been provided for the conversion of vehicles to propane fuel, and a pilot project has been launched to investigate the feasibility of compressed natural gas as an alternative fuel. An alternate energy corporation, Canertech, has been established to carry out research and development on renewable energy forms.
The Government's vigorous promotion of conservation and oil substitution has helped reduce domestic demand so much that this year Canada achieved oil selfsufficiency. Only a few years ago, 1990 was considered an optimistic target for attaining self-sufficiency and we have hit it seven years early. Today, Canada has a cumulative 1983 crude oil trade surplus of over 300 million dollars and an overall energy trade surplus of 5 billion dollars.
The Government has aided companies willing to undertake major energy development projects. Despite softening world oil prices, several major projects were announced within the last two years-for instance, oil sands developments at Wolf Lake and Cold Lake, expansion at Syncrude in Fort McMurray, a heavy oil upgrader in Regina, and the Norman Wells project.
Since you were told that Petro-Canada would be expanded and its budget increased, it has more than doubled the value of its assets. The corporation's share of retail revenues in the petroleum industry has now risen to eleven percent, from less than two percent in 1979, reflecting an increase both in the number of retail outlets and in consumer support. Petro-Canada has been actively involved in Canadian exploration, particularly in risky frontier areas. Today, Petro-Canada is at work in every part of the country, and Canadians are proud of their national energy corporation.
November 30, 1983
[Stage Direction]
Promoting Economic Development
The third objective put forth in 1980 was national economic development. In addition to the measures already cited to promote job creation, improved job training and lower inflation, sectoral and regional initiatives were undertaken as part of our economic development policy.
The government has pursued industrial development on a variety of fronts to utilize the strengths inherent in our well-diversified industrial base. It took measures to:
-preserve and rebuild Canada's industrial base;
-provide incentives for increased research and development;
-promote the expansion of export markets;
-upgrade Canada's transportation infrastructure;
-improve the health of Canadian resource industries.
Several major government departments are being reorganized to improve the process of economic policy development and the implementation of regional development concerns.
A 1 billion dollar Industrial and Regional Development Program has been established to help Canadian industry become more competitive internationally and to attract new industries. Under this program a more equitable index of regional disparities is being used to determine levels of assistance, and for the first time all economic development programs will be available throughout the country.
A large number of initiatives were undertaken during this session to stimulate disadvantaged areas, boost promising new projects and industries, spur productivity growth, upgrade infrastructure, and provide assistance to sectors experiencing temporary difficulties. Federal funds for the shipbuilding industry are promoting ship construction and assisting in shipyard improvement, while support has been extended to help Chrysler Canada and Massey-Ferguson weather periods of temporary difficulty. A major federal program of adjustment assistance is facilitating modernization and rationalization of the textile industry, and creation of new employment opportunities for displaced workers. An Office of Industrial and Regional Benefits is promoting Canadian sourcing of equipment and expertise for resource development projects. Government programs were a factor which helped Bombardier secure a major export contract for urban transit vehicles. The Canadian Space Program is providing continued support to leading-edge industries.
In view of the Government's commitment to raise Canadian spending on research and development to 1.5 percent of Gross National Product by 1985, a policy planning framework was announced. More recently, as part of a comprehensive technology policy, the Government has announced construction of fifteen new research facilities, additional funding allocations for high technology procurement and proposals to simplify and enhance tax incentives. Funding for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and for the Industrial Research Assistance Program was increased. Stimulated in part by these and other government measures, research and development spending as a percentage of Canadian Gross National Product has risen from 1.03 percent in 1979 to a forecast level of 1.4 percent for 1983.
Effective export promotion was the goal of several Government initiatives. The Department of External Affairs was restructured to help ensure that trade considerations receive priority in the development of our foreign policy. Funding was increased to help small and medium-sized businesses fulfill their export potential, and a new financing facility introduced to better assist Canadian companies to compete abroad. Overall funding for the Export Development Corporation was raised.
Since 1979 Canada's trade surplus has quadrupled, to a record high level of 17 billion dollars for 1983 to date. This rise contributed to the 7 billion dollar improvement in the overall balance of payments which occurred over the same period, resulting in the first current account surplus in nine years.
In transportation, a central part of the Government's approach to industrial development, the greatest single achievement has been resolution of the Crow's Nest Pass Rate issue. The legislation directs 3.5 billion dollars over four years towards implementation of a fairer freight rate structure and expansion of western rail capacity, and will lever up to 16.5 billion dollars more to these objectives. The decision to change the Crow Rate will mean a permanent subsidy to western Canada of 651 million dollars per year. Much of the Canadian National line between Winnipeg and Vancouver will be double-tracked. Altogether, 375,000 person-years of employment will thus be generated.
Steps have been taken to match increased rail capacity with enhanced port facilities. At Prince Rupert, construction is nearing completion of a new port
Prorogation of Parliament
which will include coal and grain terminals; the coal terminal will provide the facilities required for the northeast British Columbia coal development project. The Canada Ports Corporation has been established to increase local port autonomy and to improve overall efficiency of the national ports system. These improvements to our transportation system will become particularly vital when world market demand recovers.
In another major Canadian industry, the Government has already acted on many recommendations of comprehensive studies of the east and west coast Fisheries, in order to improve their productivity and enhance the livelihoods of Fishermen and plant workers. A federal-provincial agreement was signed to revitalize the Newfoundland deep-sea fishing industry, creating a new fishing company from the assets of several which are financially troubled, and agreement in principle was negotiated with Nova Scotia for a comparable initiative in that province. Enabling legislation was passed to authorize federal involvement in the restructuring of the Atlantic fishery. The Government has also taken action to help fishermen benefit more fully from the 200 mile zone by increasing the severity of penalties for foreign fishermen who break Canada's coastal fishing laws.
In forestry, one of the country's largest employers, Government support has been extended in the form of enhanced federal forestry facilities in St. John's, Fredericton, Ste. Foy, Sault Ste. Marie and Victoria; Unemployment Insurance funds to subsidize forestry jobs when world demand for forest products softened; assistance to forestry schools; and purchases of new water bombers.
Support has been provided to assist research and development in the mining sector. The industry has been given access to facilities of the Canadian Centre for Energy and Mineral Technology, whose work has led to important breakthroughs in occupational health and safety.
In recognition of the growing number of countries which prefer to make food purchases on a state-to-state basis, a new Crown corporation, Canagrex, has been established that will help agricultural producers expand their export markets. Other new legislation affecting farmers includes the Meat Import Act, which protects both producers and consumers, and an Act which enables the Farm Credit Corporation to borrow on financial markets.
Strengthening National Institutions
The fourth government goal set forth three years ago was the strengthening of national institutions and our country's unity.
In 1980, residents of the province of Quebec voted "no" to sovereignty-association in the Quebec referendum and the federal Government promised a process of federal renewal.
Clearly, the greatest achievements in this area have been the patriation of our Constitution with an amending formula, and the entrenchment of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These actions completed the final steps towards Canadian sovereignty and formally guaranteed every citizen certain basic rights and freedoms.
The task of strengthening the rights of Canadians will proceed. To this end, Parliament recently adopted a resolution urging the Manitoba Government to take early action to ensure that treatment of the province's official language minority conforms with constitutional requirements.
An important part of the process of renewal is to ensure that Canada's native peoples are able to realize their rightful aspirations within Canadian society. The First Ministers' Conference on Aboriginal Constitutional Matters last spring produced agreement on an amending resolution guaranteeing aboriginal and treaty rights equally to native men and women, and including land claims settlements under treaty rights. That amendment has now been ratified by Parliament and the required number of provincial legislatures, and will be incorporated into our Constitution next year.
Various native claims settlements have been reached within the last three and a half years. A Native Economic Development Fund was created to assist native peoples in the pursuit of their own economic development objectives. Funding for native housing programs and friendship centres has been increased. A new northern broadcasting policy is being implemented to increase native involvement in broadcasting in northern areas.
Other achievements of the past three years have contributed to the strengthening of our national institutions.
[Stage Direction]
November 30, 1983
Prorogation of Parliament
Amendments to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements and Established Programs Financing Act have provided a new equalization formula and authorized transfers to the provinces of nearly 100 billion dollars over five years for equalization purposes and to help fund post-secondary education and Medicare. The federal government last year paid more than half the total cost of post-secondary education and of insured services under Medicare.
The House of Commons adopted a new experimental set of rules designed to enhance the role of the Member of Parliament and to improve the speed and efficiency of the institution.
A Joint Parliamentary Committee was established to consider options for Senate reform, and a Green Paper examining this issue was published.
Access to Information legislation was adopted to give the public wider access to government documents, and a new Privacy Act was passed with stricter controls on the transmittal of personal information.
The Post Office has been turned into a Crown corporation, and the process of streamlining its operations is well underway.
The Canada Elections Act was amended to shorten to 50 days the period required to hold elections, and to ensure a more equitable financial basis for all candidates.
"O Canada" was officially adopted as our national anthem, and July 1st officially designated as Canada Day.
Pursuing a Vigorous Foreign Policy
The last of the five major commitments made three years ago by the Government was to pursue a vigorous and active foreign policy.
The Government has pledged to fulfill its responsibilities as a member of the North Altantic Treaty Organization by increasing real defence expenditures by at least three percent annually. For the last three fiscal years the real growth of defence expenditures has exceeded that target. The Government has taken steps to acquire new F-18 fighter aircraft, Aurora patrol aircraft, military trucks, tanks, and patrol frigates. An agreement for defence systems testing has been signed with our American allies.
While honouring our international defence commitments, we have continued both publicly and privately to work towards mutual arms limitations and to advance the nuclear suffocation approach first proposed by the Prime Minister in
1978. An Ambassador for Disarmament was appointed. At the 1983 Williamsburg Summit, Canada played a key role in the process leading to the adoption of a declaration on security and arms control by the participating countries. Recently, the Prime Minister launched a new peace initiative intended to improve communication, and hence the prospects for progress on arms control and disarmament.
Canada has undertaken a number of actions to help developing nations. During the 1981 North-South Summit, which the Prime Minister co-chaired, Canada demonstrated leadership in helping to keep North-South lines of communication open in the face of international forces pressing for a retreat into isolationism and protectionism. On a per capita basis, Canada has resettled one of the largest numbers of foreign refugees of any country in the world; more than half of these refugees were government-sponsored. We have progressed towards raising official development assistance to 0.5 percent of Canadian Gross National Product by 1985.
Recently this Parliament approved amendments to the Bretton Woods Act to increase our contribution to the International Monetary Fund.
Canada played an active role with other major industrialized countries in seeking solutions for fundamental economic and political problems, and was pleased in 1981 to be host for the annual Economic Summit.
In particular, we have sought to resolve bilateral issues with our American neighbours. Many efforts were successful-for instance, in the transborder trucking and softwood lumber issues. Amendments to the Clean Air Act were passed which provide automatic Canadian matching of U.S. measures which afford environmental protection to Canada, and a bilateral agreement recently was concluded for a joint study of acid rain.
Members of the House of Commons:
I thank you for the provision you have made for the public services in the previous and current fiscal years.
Honourable Members of the Senate:
Members of the House of Commons:
May Divine Providence continue to bless our country.
This concluded the first session of the Thirty-Second Parliament.