Mr. Jack Harris (St. John's East):

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for External Affairs. It has to do with the fact that last January the Canadian Government agreed to trade northern cod just to get the Government of France to the bargaining table on the boundary dispute over St. Pierre and Miquelon.

Now after some theatrics by the fishermen and some politicians of St. Pierre, the Government is offering to go to non-binding mediation to give some more fish to the St. Pierre fishermen, and also, we hear, to metropolitan France, just to get them talking about fish again.

Why has the Government refused, or is no longer continuing to keep together the two issues of the boundary dispute and the issue of fishing in Canadian waters? Can the Minister assure the House that there will be no concessions to the French Government unless it agrees to submit the boundary dispute to third party arbitration?

Hon. John C. Crosbie (Minister for International Trade):

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman does not seem to understand the process that has been under way now for several years. That is a process in which the Government of Canada is most anxious to settle the question of the territorial boundaries of

Oral Questions

St. Pierre and Miquelon. It can only be settled by an international arbitration, or by the International Court because the two parties cannot otherwise agree. We believe it is the duty of both to go to an international adjudication on this.

In the same manner as France and Great Britain went to international arbitration on the question of the Channel Islands, so should France now agree to go with us.

Unfortunately, France is trying to tie to that and make a condition of it agreeing to go to arbitration on that question, the settlement of the issue of what quotas it should receive under the 1972 treaty in Canadian waters for the next three years or so while the matter goes to arbitration. France has been making that a condition, and that is what the process has been about for the last several years.

The Government has taken a firm position. We have closed our ports to French vessels because of their overfishing in 3PS. We will continue on that course. We will take a firm and reasonable stand meeting our international obligations, but trying to get these issues settled in a way that will protect the fishermen of Atlantic Canada.

Mr. Speaker:

I wish to advise the House that there will be a single question from the Hon. Member for Saint-Leonard- Anjou, followed by a single question from the Hon. Member for Saint-Henri-Westmount, and that will close Question Period.

Mr. Harris:

My supplementary question, Mr. Speaker-

Mr. Speaker:

The question was long, and it was answered. In view of the time, I wish to move on. The Hon. Member for Saint-Leonard-Anjou.

Mr. Alfonso Gagliano (Saint-Leonard-Anjou):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation. Last Sunday, RAM Ontario, Residents Against Mailboxes, organized a national conference for Canadians from Newfoundland to British Columbia to protest the Government's policy of supermailboxes being installed throughout the country this spring. At that conference were politicians from all levels and all Parties. All the citizens present were unanimous in demanding that the Government abandon its supermailbox policy.

Will the Minister listen to the demands of RAM, Residents Against Mailboxes, and abandon that policy, or will the Minister wait for the Residents Against Mailboxes to ram the Mulroney mailbox?

Hon. Harvie Andre (Minister of Consumer and Corporate

Affairs): Mr. Speaker, what happened on Sunday was that the

April 27, 1988

Tabling of Documents

unions paid for a lot of people to fly in to hold a media event, which I acknowledged was a successful media event.

I find it a little pathetic, frankly, that people who are supposedly concerned about this country and public policy would gather together and say, "The most important issue facing Canada is that, along with door-to-door delivery of milk and door-to-door delivery of bread, door-to-door delivery of mail may be changing in some areas". That is a pretty pathetic thing on which to base a political policy.

Mr. Speaker:

This will be the last question. The Hon. Member for Saint-Henri-Westmount.

Hon. Donald J. Johnston (Saint-Henri-Westmount):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion. Regarding the potential acquisition of control of CDC Life Services by a French state controlled corporation, Institut Merieux, could the Minister tell us what steps are being taken to preserve for Canada and Canadians the critical, and I might say, unique manufacturing and biotechnology research capacities of the two subsidiaries, Connaught Laboratories of Toronto, and Bio Research Laboratories of Montreal?

Hon. Robert de Cotret (Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion and Minister of State for Science and Technology):

Mr. Speaker, I can only say that there are a number of unresolved issues in this particular case. I have taken some steps to date. First, I have asked Investment Canada to review thoroughly whatever information we had on the transaction; second, to obtain additional information before the end of the day today; third, to obtain outside legal advice on the position of Investment Canada in this case.

Given my deep interest in this question, I can only assure the Hon. Member that we will be following it very closely, and I might be in a position to give him a definite answer as early as tomorrow in Question Period.

Hon. Charles Mayer (Minister of State (Grains and Oilseeds)):

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table in both official languages the Annual Report of the Canadian Wheat Board for the 1986-87 crop year. Pursuant to Standing Order 67(4),

this document is deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Agriculture.

Hon. Doug Lewis (Minister of State and Minister of State (Treasury Board)):

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 106(8), I have the honour to table in both official languages, the Government response to 10 petitions, Nos. 332-4103, 3324134, 332-4159, 332-4160, 332-4168, 332-4174 to 332-4176 inclusive, 332-4192 and 332-4193.

Mr. Bob Hicks (Scarborough East):

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 101, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the thirty-first and thirty-second reports of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.

[Editor's note: See today's Votes and Proceedings.]