1986-01-13

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FIRST SESSION-THIRTY-THIRD PARLIAMENT 34-35 Elizabeth II

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Published under authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons by the Queen's Printer for Canada
Available from Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Supply and Services Canada, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9.
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Monday, January 13, 1986

Hon. Ray Hnatyshyn (President of the Privy Council):: Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations between the Opposition House Leaders and myself with respect to the business for today. As Your Honour will appreciate, we are to be honoured today by an address to a joint sitting of the Senate and the House of Commons by the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Nakasone. Accordingly, I believe you will find that there is a disposition to accept the passage of the following draft order, by unanimous consent, without debate:
That, notwithstanding any Standing or Special Order of this House, in relation to this day's proceedings, the House shall immediately proceed to "Statements by Members pursuant to Standing Order 22" and at 11.15 o'clock a.m. the House shall proceed to the Oral Question Period, provided that at 12.00 o'clock noon the Speaker shall adjourn the House until the next sitting day;
That the address of His Excellency the Prime Minister of Japan to be delivered in the House Chamber later this day, before Members of the Senate and the House of Commons, together with all introductory and related remarks, be printed as an appendix to the House of Commons Debates of this day so that they form part of the record of this House; and
[ Translation] and
That His Excellency's address, together with all introductory and related remarks, be made available to the media for transmission in the usual way by the House of Commons Broadcasting System.


Mr. Speaker:: The House has heard the terms of the order. Is there unanimous consent for its adoption?


Some Hon. Members:: Agreed.


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Motion agreed to.

Mr. Keith Penner (Cochrane-Superior):: Mr. Speaker, I commend the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for its northern native broadcasting policy which was announced on December 19. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that native broadcasters have fair access to
a reasonable amount of quality broadcast time in order to foster the maintenance and development of native cultures and languages in Canada.
The CBC was mentioned in the CRTC report as having a role to play in providing improved access for native broadcasting. In that report the CRTC indicated its awareness of the concerns raised with respect to the cancellation of the CBC radio program Our Native Land. The CRTC stated in its report that this issue will be taken up with the CBC at its next licence renewal hearing. I interpret this to mean that Mr. Juneau and the CBC have been given a black eye for cancelling Our Native Land-and never has a shiner been so well deserved.


THE ECONOMY
Mr. Nelson A. Riis (Kamloops-Shuswap):: Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister (Mr. Mulroney) is obviously puzzled by his Government's drastic decline in public support, yet he need look no further than the thrust of the explanations offered by his former Minister of State for Transport when she complained that Quebec's needs were not adequately considered in the Government's decision-making process.
The same must be said for the regions of Canada for which the Government's job creation record is somewhat abysmal. When it comes to jobs, the Government has focused on southern Ontario at the expense of the other regions of Canada. The Prime Minister has admitted his regional development programs have been less than successful, and on the weekend the Minsiter of Finance (Mr. Wilson) admitted that the regions had fared rather poorly in previous months.
This is hardly surprising when the three most senior economic Ministers, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Regional and Economic Expansion (Mr. Stevens), and the Minister of Employment and Immigration (Miss MacDonald) are drawn from southern Ontario.
In vast areas of Canada a return to economic prosperity still seems a long way off. In fact many areas are still struggling in the depths of a recession. Many Canadians feel they have been ignored by the Government and that their interests and concerns have received little attention.
In the upcoming Cabinet shuffle of the Prime Minister I hope he would endeavour to appoint economic Ministers who know, understand, and are sensitive to Canada's regions. This will demonstrate for all to see that the Prime Minister's vision

January 13, 1986
of Canada extends beyond southern Ontario and does in fact encompass the remaining 94 per cent of our fine country.


ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
Mr. Stan Darling (Parry Sound-Muskoka):: Mr. Speaker, the report furnished by the acid rain envoys representing Canada and the United States is realistic and timely. Although most of us on this side of the border would have preferred to see a tougher stance on some issues, we must not ignore the prevailing political winds blowing to the south.
For the first time in the history of our countries it is agreed that acid precipitation is a serious trans-boundary problem. Bill Davis and Drew Lewis realized that a report filled with idealism and ultimatums would have negated the entire process of negotiation. Instead, it appears Mr. Lewis has given the President a report which stands a good chance of acceptance.
The envoys' report would almost certainly be hidden on a back shelf if it contained unrealistic recommendations. The envoys were not appointed to look for a quick fix where none exists. Bill Davis and Drew Lewis are to be congratulated by the people of Canada and the United States for doing a fine job in the face of adversity. Hopefully their efforts will bring our countries closer to an agreement on long-range air pollutants. The envoys' report may serve to nudge the U.S. executive branch in the right direction.


EMPLOYMENT
Mr. Gabriel Desjardins (Temiscamingue):: Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada recently published its latest figures on unemployment in Canada, and they showed that unemployment in this country dropped to 10 per cent in December 1985, the lowest level since 1982. Some 372,000 new jobs were created in Canada in 1985, bringing to 450,000 the number of new jobs created by our Government since its election.
In Quebec, Mr. Speaker, 118,000 new jobs were created in 1985, the best performance since 1980, bringing to 136,000 the number of new jobs created in Quebec since the election of our Government. The encouraging aspect is that most of those jobs went to young Canadians aged 15 to 24. Interestingly enough, in Quebec alone the unemployment rate dropped from 12.8 to 11.7 per cent between September 1984 and December 1985, a decline of 1.1 per cent.
In my own region of Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Mr. Speaker, unemployment went from 19 to 14 per cent, a remarkable 5 per cent decrease.
Mr. Speaker, job creation was the main objective of this Government during the election campaign, and we are clearly showing Canadians that we respect and honour our election promises.


ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
Hon.   Chas. L. Caccia@Davenport: Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country are asking the question: "What next in the acid rain saga?" The ball is back where it was a year ago. The report of the envoys on acid rain unfortunately contains no control program, no target dates, no percentage cuts in emissions and where to apply them in a manner most favourable to Canada, no $5 billion program if industry shows no interest, no reference to the cost of inaction, and no effort to build on the memorandum of intent signed in 1980. The report shows that the authors were mesmerised by the cost of action and ignored the cost of inaction. In 1981 Tom Crocker of the University of Wyoming estimated that cost at $5.5 billion per year. The report ignores the fact that U.S. legislation exists to permit immediate action if the political will is there.
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The Prime Minister of Canada (Mr. Mulroney) is in the impossible position of having to rely on U.S. industry and, to make it worse, voluntary action on their part. The Prime Minister has been given a report that favours research over action. He must act to regain the confidence of Canadians in his ability to tackle acid rain. We cannot wait when our lakes, forests, and fish are dying. We must have action in the U.S. now.


EMPLOYMENT
Mr. Alan Redway (York East):: Mr. Speaker, figures released last Friday by StatsCan reveal that 36,000 new jobs were created in Canada during the month of December. This puts the total new job creation at 311,000 for 1985, and
450,000	for the first 15 months of the Progressive Conservative Government.


Some Hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Alan Redway: In addition, the unemployment rate has fallen to 10 per cent, its lowest level in years.
These results contrast dramatically with the job creation record of the previous Liberal Government. We know, as do
January 13, 1986

Canadians generally, that more permanent jobs have been created during this Government's first full year in office than the Liberals and NDP ever thought possible. In fact the gloomsters and doomsters and the know-it-alls in the Opposition were predicting that jobs would be lost under our Government. Well, once again they were wrong, and they will continue to be wrong when they refuse to believe in the ability of the private sector to create wealth and prosperity for working men and women across Canada. Canadian entrepreneurs and business people are among the best in the world, and when they have a Government which provides leadership they respond wholeheartedly. This Government will continue to give leadership and the private sector will continue to create even more jobs.


SOCIAL SECURITY
Ms. Margaret Mitchell (Vancouver East):: Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Government wants to make a fresh start in 1986. Government Members want to regain the confidence and trust of the Canadian public. I appeal to the Government through you, Mr. Speaker. Why not start off by making children and families a top priority? Let Government Members show they really care by reindexing family allowances to the real cost of living. Show that they will fulfil their promises to protect universal social programs and help those in greatest need. Show that they really listen to social policy groups, all of whom strongly oppose the 3 per cent reduction in the indexation of family allowances. Show that they understood women's groups who said that an attack on family allowances is an attack on women and children.
Let them show that they heard the hurt of poverty groups who told them from life experience how important a fully indexed family allowance is to their survival. Respond to over
50,000	petitioners from all parts of Canada who ask the Government to rescind Bill C-70.
They promised to restore cuts to social programs as the economy improved. They promised social justice and compassion for those in need. Fulfil these promises. Rescind Bill C-70. Restore confidence in your Government by fully reindexing family allowances. Start the year right. Do it now!


Some Hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


APARTHEID
Mrs. Lucie Pepin (Outremont):: Mr. Speaker, I take the floor today to lay special emphasis on the tragic death of Molly Blackburn, a South African militant against apartheid.
Oral Questions
Mrs. Blackburn died in a car accident in late December. She was the leader of a local section of the Black Sash group of women opposing apartheid and was an opposition party member on the Cape regional council.
Mrs. Blackburn was jailed several times for unauthorized entry into black ghettos, as she was white.
The struggles of Mrs. Blackburn underscore the importance of human rights, and more particularly the need to end the apartheid regime which denies basic human rights, based as it is on the political exclusion of the black majority, the racist operations of the police system, and the over-exploitation of male and female workers through the migrant work scheme. Molly Blackburn fought to put an end to it.
We shall remember her as a staunch defender of the rights of South African Blacks.