Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster-Burnaby):

Mr. Speaker, this Government has destroyed the processing industry in British Columbia.

May 15, 1989

Oral Questions

Hear, hear!

Ms. Black:

Now we see the corporate sector doing the same thing to the East Coast. The Minister knows that for many women who work in the fishing industry, even finding 10 weeks of work is difficult, let alone 16 weeks to qualify for UI. Will the Minister reconsider her UI proposals and stop penalizing these women who have no alternatives?

Hon. Barbara McDougall (Minister of Employment and Immigration):

Mr. Speaker, first, the current UI program remains in effect. Second, the new program is going to benefit women in a way that unemployment insurance has not before because many of these women are in a position of needing training. Some of them need language training, and this Government has introduced language training veiy aggressively for women in the labour force. We have put an extra $25 million into language training in the fall. We have bridging programs and training programs that never existed before; they will give women a more stable future, one in which they will not have to rely on a cyclical job at the low end of the scale.

Mr. Brian White (Dauphin-Swan River):

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Associate Minister of Defence. As the Minister is aware, forest fires in Manitoba have been causing great damage to our natural resources and to personal property. Over the weekend, a state of emergency was put into effect for the Minatona and mountain area in my constituency. Would the Minister please explain to Manitobans the possible role of the Government of Canada when such emergencies occur?

Hon. Mary Collins (Associate Minister of National Defence):

Mr. Speaker, I think first that all Members of the House would share in the shock and sorrow of the devastating forest fires that are sweeping through Manitoba. As the Member may know, the provincial Government has a primary responsibility for fighting forest fires, but through Emergency Preparedness Canada, we are prepared to respond with whatever resources may be required. The only requests we have received to date have been for assistance with a helicopter which was provided by DND for evacuation, and additionally

through CMHC, the provision of 60 houses which could be used for evacuees. I know as well that my colleague responsible for Indian Affairs and Northern Development is working with the Indian reserves which have been affected by the fires. I might add that if there are additional resources or assistance that the federal Government can provide, I am sure that the Government of Manitoba and my colleague will be in touch with us.

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Winnipeg South Centre):

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Prime Minister. During and before the course of the election campaign, the Prime Minister and many of his Ministers gave countless hundreds of assurances that nothing in the Free Trade Agreement would in any way affect the cultural industries of Canada. We now have a report, prepared by the Government's own officials in the Department of Industry and Commerce, which clearly states that the Free Trade Agreement will undermine the sound recording industry in Canada, and thereby substantially undermine the careers, futures and opportunities of countless musicians and performing artists in this country.

My question to the Prime Minister is simple. Sir, why did you break your promise? Are you going to take this report seriously and do something to help the sound recording industry? Are you going to do something for the artists in this country?

Mr. Speaker The Hon. Member knows that he should address the Minister when he is making a question through the Chair. I would ask for his co-operation.

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman is quoting from a newspaper CP report that I saw in the Montreal Gazette today. Without newspapers, there, of course, would be no questions in this House.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, the information contained in the news story was taken from a Department of Industry profile that was made public more than five months ago, and the hon. gentleman has only come across it now. Might I read the comment to him of Brian Robertson, President of the Canadian Recording Indus-

May 15, 1989

try Association? He said, "The report isn't worth the paper it's printed on".

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Winnipeg South Centre):

Mr. Speaker, I am aware that the Hon. Minister had a little trouble getting around to reading when the Free Trade Agreement was being negotiated. It is a great tragedy that he has not even bothered to read the reports prepared by officials in his own Government's Department. I have here, Mr. Speaker, 14 reports covering major sectors of the Canadian economy all of which say that the Free Trade Agreement has had a seriously negative effect on these industries. Jobs will be lost as well as opportunities and economic growth.

When is the Minister going to start reading his reports? When is he going to start doing something about them? When is this Government going to take its responsibilities seriously and start responding to the fact that the Free Trade Agreement is undermining Canadian industries and culture?

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

Mr. Speaker, this is the same hon. gentleman who several months ago said we have to forget all this frippery and froppery about the Free Trade Agreement and get on with life. Now he is up here fripping and fropping it again. Might I point out to the hon. gentleman that Chrysler Chairman, Lee Iacocca, has said: "American industry cannot compete as effectively unless something is done about the great imbalance between health care costs in the U.S. and the national health care systems in virtually every other country. We spend almost 50 per cent more per capita in health care than Canada." The poor devils are crying out for harmonization now with our policies.

Mr. Joe Fontana (London East):

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Housing who seems to have invited Canadians to give him and his government a blast. So I intend to do just that for the moment.

Oral Questions

Oh, oh!

Mr. Fontana:

Two weeks ago the Minister assured the House that the Government was committed to affordable housing, and that the great Canadian dream of owning a house was not dead.

T\vo days later the Budget came down and it told us a different story. In fact, it states exactly the opposite. Now there are more taxes on construction materials, a new tax on housing, cancelled program, cuts in funding, cuts in caring, and continued high interest rates.

Where is the help for ordinary Canadians in the Budget? Where in the Budget are the homeless to look for help? Where is the help for those who dream of owning that home? Where in the Budget are those who are looking for affordable homes to look for help? Mr. Minister, where is that help?

Hon. Alan Redway (Minister of State (Housing)):

Mr. Speaker, if the Hon. Member had been in the House last week, or the week before, and if he had read the Budget material in the Estimates, he would have seen that in fact the housing budget this year is increasing by $100 million. That fact alone will help Canadians.

There are also other matters that we are looking into at the moment. Before very long, I am sure that the Hon. Member will be applauding the Government for its actions in making housing a priority in the country.

Mr. Speaker, after that answer, no wonder Canadians should blast the Minister and the Government.

Last week the Minister said to people in Toronto: "I wish we were leading the charge, but I don't believe we are doing that at the moment". I would like to suggest that he is bringing up the rear, and so is his Government.

Before the Minister was brought into the Cabinet, he called for all the lands in Downsview to be used for affordable housing. Today 25 per cent of those lands are being used for affordable housing. That is only one-quarter. Obviously the Minister has buckled under pressure and has sold out his convictions.

May 15, 1989

Oral Questions

Will the Minister renegotiate and again look at the plans for Downsview to use all the lands for affordable housing in order that the people in Toronto can have a house to buy?

Hon, Alan Redway (Minister of State (Housing)): Mr. Speaker, again, as the Hon. Member is aware, back in September, the Government released 135 acres of the Downsview air base site for housing in the Tbronto area. At that time it was indicated that at least 25 per cent, in accordance with the provincial guideline, would be affordable housing, that is, would be social housing, geared-to-income housing.

In respect of the rest of that particular property, certainly it is my intention, and the intention of the Government, to ensure that that housing would be made available, if at all possible, for first-time home buyers, and to make it housing that is affordable for Canadians.

Of course, we would need the co-operation of the municipality which controls the zoning on that property, and we hope that we will have it in order to make sure that there is housing available for Canadians, and that it is affordable.