Mr. Ernie Epp (Thunder Bay-Nipigon):

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is directed to the Prime Minister. What can he tell the shipping industry and the shipbuilders of this country who have been expecting to achieve something against the discriminatory pressures of American law, particularly under the Jones Act provisions, which will force the import into Canada of Alaskan crude oil in Canadian tankers? What has he to say to the comfort of the maritime industries of Canada, given the failure in the face of the American shipping lobby?

Hon. Pat Carney (Minister for International Trade):

Mr. Speaker, I would give them the same advice, which is to wait and read the final report.

December 9, 1987

Hon. Bob Kaplan (York Centre):

Mr. Speaker, in the absence of the Minister of Public Works my question is directed to the Prime Minister. We have been raising questions about the suspicious circumstances involving the Crown corporation, Canada Lands Company at Mirabel, including the fact that the company broke the law by failing to file its annual financial return by last June.

The Minister explained that the company was having a difference with the Auditor General about the profiling of overhead. I learned, in examining the company's returns, that the Government fired all of the directors of that company and replaced them some time in late summer.

Were these directors fired because of the way they profiled the overhead, or was there some other reason? Why did the Government change the direction of that company in August?

Hon. Michel Cote (Minister of Supply and Services):

Mr. Speaker, first of all, in the absence of the responsible Minister who is attending to departmental business, I think the Minister fully dealt with this question, and first of all with a number of false allegations which were made by the Hon. Member.

Second, the financial statements were submitted to the Auditor General, who noted certain discrepancies regarding specific expenditure items. The Department immediately set up an audit team which submitted a report. The report will be discussed tomorrow, and the Minister has promised to act on its findings, Mr. Speaker.

Hon. Bob Kaplan (York Centre):

Mr. Speaker, the report was not tabled in the House as it should have been. The Minister said yesterday that there was a meeting on Friday, attended by the Auditor General and the Corporation. I now want to ask the Minister, if the difference of opinion is not resolved, whether he could confirm today that we will have the Corporation's annual report next Monday at the latest?

Hon. Michel Cote (Minister of Supply and Services):

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I could comment here. I think the Auditor General's report mentioned this Government's excellent management performance. He even said he was very optimistic about the Government's future record, Mr. Speaker, and I believe that this is more than he could have said about the previous government.

Oral Questions

Mr. Neil Young (Beaches):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of National Health and Welfare. I understand that the Minister intends to introduce changes to the regulations under the Canada Health Act later this week. Will he assure Canadians that those changes will not reflect what a director of the Canadian Medical Association said before the last election about the need for user fees on services? He said: "When the Conservatives get in power they will fix it up and make it right for us".

Hon. Jake Epp (Minister of National Health and Welfare):

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman will have to wait for any tabling until it occurs in respect of the Government's position on health care. It has been stated very clearly by the Government and I, as the spokesman both on user-fees and extra billing, that through the Canada Health Act we supported the removal of them or the financial penalty which the clauses called for.

Mr. Neil Young (Beaches):

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is for the same Minister. In the past he has expressed some sympathy for privatization of some health care services.

Will he assure Canadians that any changes in these regulations will not encourage the privatization of any health care services or hospital services, as was recommended to the Minister about two years ago in a report by Mr. Bud Sherman, the former Minister of Health in Manitoba?

Hon. Jake Epp (Minister of National Health and Welfare):

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman should recognize-and I am sure he does-that the delivery of health care is in the hands of the provinces. There is a Canada Health Act which governs the federal financial portion of the payment of those costs, along with the health portion of the Established Programs Financing.

There has been no change of policy, and in respect of the tabling of any other changes he will have to wait.

Mr. Don Boudria (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell):

Mr. Speaker, in the absence of the Minister of Public Works, my question is also directed to the Prime Minister and concerns

December 9, 1987

Oral Questions

the administration of the Canada Lands Company (Mirabel) Ltd. According to a spokesperson for the Auditor General's office, the Canada Lands Corporation was late in filing its financial statements, and not just in 1986-87 but also in 198586 and 1984-85. This means that since the Conservative Government came to power- Could the Prime Minister explain to Canadians why this was the only Crown Corporation to be late in filing its financial statements in the current year, and could he inform the House about the technical reasons which the Minister of Public Works suggested yesterday were the cause of the delay?

Hon. Michel Cote (Minister of Supply and Services):

Mr. Speaker, first of all, before talking about financial statements, what we started to do was to sell back land that had been unfairly expropriated.

Second, in implementing these policies and procedures, the Government made every effort to ensure that programs and policies were implemented satisfactorily, and we informed the Auditor General's office about this in great detail. It is also a fact that when financial statements are filed late, they appear in the subsequent year's Public Accounts.

Mr. Speaker, the Government is hardly in a position to talk about unfair treatment.