Hon. Arthur C. Eggleton (President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure)

Mr. Speaker, when the provincial premiers were here at the first ministers' conference on December 21 they all agreed in principle to the program, so Quebec is indeed a part of the program.

What we are attempting to do at this point in time is to dot the i 's and cross the t 's on the framework agreement. As soon as we have that done we will be signing the agreement.

Everything is going well in that connection. In fact I note in Le Soleil this morning that the hon. André Bourbeau is quoted as saying that he is quite happy. He is the minister responsible for the program in the Government of Quebec and he is quite happy with the progress. So are we.

Mr. Gérard Asselin (Charlevoix)

Mr. Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Can the minister tell us if ratification of an agreement with Quebec is delayed because Ottawa is reluctant to give Quebec full authority and wants to have a say in the choice of projects in Quebec?

Hon. Arthur C. Eggleton (President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure)

Mr. Speaker, the short answer is no.

Mr. Paul E. Forseth (New Westminster-Burnaby)

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister answering for the Prime Minister today.

The January 24 issue of Maclean's magazine reports that the Prime Minister ``has hired Toronto lawyer Robert Wright, his chief fund raiser for the 1984 Liberal leadership campaign, to negotiate the cancellation of the contract to privatize two terminals at Pearson International Airport''.

Will the minister explain to the House why the Prime Minister has appointed one of his Liberal fundraisers to dismantle a deal he vilified during the election campaign because it involved a Tory fundraiser?

Hon. Douglas Young (Minister of Transport)

Mr. Speaker, I am astounded the hon. member would not understand that the cancellation of Pearson airport and the negotiations that have been undertaken to deal with the compensation would be led by such an experienced lawyer as the one I as Minister of Transport appointed.

Mr. Wright is a former chairman of the Ontario Securities Commission and an outstanding legal mind. I am sure the entire question of compensation arising from the cancellation of Pearson will be addressed in his usual professional, very thorough and competent manner.

Mr. Paul E. Forseth (New Westminster-Burnaby)

Mr. Speaker, I admit that I am new to Ottawa and fundraiser politics, but could the minister please explain to me what ethical criteria distinguished the appointment of Liberal fundraisers from Tory fundraisers?

I think we are getting into little different areas here. I will permit the minister to answer the question if he so desires.

However I would encourage hon. members not to impugn anything, if they possibly could, along the way. The hon. minister, if he would like to answer.

Hon. Douglas Young (Minister of Transport)

Mr. Speaker, in view of the comments of the hon. member alleging, as I understood them, that there would be anything that would put in question the ethics of Robert Wright is totally unacceptable to me. This man has an impeccable reputation.

As it happens, and the. hon. member will learn this as he spends some time in the House, the Prime Minister has many friends in this country.

Mrs. Anna Terrana (Vancouver East)

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Many people in my riding, including representatives of environmental groups and First Nations, have voiced their concerns to me regarding the completion of the Kemano project.

Earlier this week the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans hinted that he might be able to shed some light on how and when the government intended to honour the commitment made by the Prime Minister to participate in the current British Columbia Utilities Commission review of the Kemano completion project.

Will the minister provide the House with some details today? If not, when will he be ready to do so?

Hon. Brian Tobin (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans)

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question. Indeed her question gives me an opportunity to announce on behalf of the government that today the government has decided to participate in the British Columbia Utilities Commission review of the Kemano completion project.

The government will make documents, evidence, officials and scientists available to testify in these provincial hearings in accordance with the Prime Minister's commitment given to the people of British Columbia, to aboriginal groups and to environment groups during the course of the election campaign.

It is in this government's interest to ensure a full airing of opinion on the contentious technical issues involved. We shall comply in every way, shape and form to keep the commitment given by the Prime Minister.

Mr. Michel Guimond (Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans)

Mr. Speaker, in 1991, the Ontario-Quebec rapid train task force agreed it would be appropriate to establish a rapid train service in the Quebec-Windsor corridor. The task force did a very thorough preliminary feasibility study, listing the many economic spin-offs connected with the project.

The present Prime Minister's chief of staff, former Quebec City mayor Jean Pelletier, was the co-signer of this report. The task force also held wide ranging public consultations, in the course of which intervenors stressed that cities in the corridor would have to become more efficient if they were to succeed in a competitive market.

My question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister. Could she tell me what she would prefer: spend taxpayers money to proceed with the abandonment of railway lines or spend it on an innovative project that would create jobs, jobs, jobs and increase our exports of technology to the United States?

Hon. Sheila Copps (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environnement)

When people mention jobs, jobs, jobs, it reminds me of that statement by Mr. Bouchard's friend. I think the Liberal Party made it clear that we are going to work with the private sector, as suggested in the study to which the hon. member referred. We want to improve public transit to promote the use of advanced technology in Canada for Canadians, but also to maintain an infrastructure that will give our economy a chance to expand. We are working on a number of measures, including the proposal put forward by the bipartite committee. I am sure that when we have a chance to discuss our budget priorities, the Bloc Quebecois will indicate whether this is their priority for the budget.

Mr. Guimond

Mr. Speaker, I assumed that when the Deputy Prime Minister referred to the Leader of the Opposition by name, it was an oversight.

Mr. Speaker

Order. I realize this is the beginning of the session, but it would be preferable to refer to each other by the names of our ridings. I would urge all members to do so if at all possible. The hon. member for Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans.

Mr. Michel Guimond (Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans)

I assume the Deputy Prime Minister's answer means that she does not endorse what was said by the Minister of Transport, who said last week that establishing a rapid train service was not one of his priorities.

Hon. Sheila Copps (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environnement)

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is anxious to work together with the private sector on all modes of transportation that can be helpful as part of the infrastructure and provide applications for advanced technology. It is true that we are experiencing a budget crisis, as the hon. member's friend, the member for Saint-Jean, said in this House. Next month, when the Minister of Finance announces his budget priorities, the hon. member will see whether we are able to create jobs and at the same time meet our budgetary responsibilities. It is a difficult balancing act, but we are convinced that as a long term goal, public transit is good for the economies of both Quebec and Canada.

Ms. Val Meredith (Surrey-White Rock-South Langley)

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice.

On Tuesday afternoon in a Vancouver courtroom Dale John Hicks was found guilty of manslaughter in the killing of Caren Rainey and Laurie Wood.

The charge was reduced from second degree murder to manslaughter. The reason given for this reduction was that Hicks had not shown an intention to kill the two women but merely to assault them. Their brutal deaths, with one being stabbed 17 times, was blamed on the cocaine that Hicks had taken rather than on Hicks himself.

On behalf of the families of these two victims and millions of other Canadians, will the minister consider changing the law so that substance abuse does not constitute an excuse for murder?

Hon. Allan Rock (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada)

Mr. Speaker, I must say that I am not familiar with the details of the case referred to and I will withhold comment on it specifically until I have an opportunity to investigate it further. If the hon. member wishes to have me comment on that specific case, I will be happy to do so after I have had an opportunity to examine it in detail.

As to her broader question, the issue of whether substance abuse can be taken into account in determining the degree of culpability or the nature of the charge, may I simply say that the Criminal Code at present, and defences that are available to those accused of criminal acts, provide and have provided throughout the history of our justice system that all circumstances be taken into account, including the question of whether the individual accused was acting under the influence of an agent.

This is a question which is more complex than can be dealt with in a short response. I assure the member that once I am familiar with the facts of the case to which she has referred in particular I would be happy to discuss it with her at greater length.

Mr. Alex Shepherd (Durham)

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Natural Resources.

Durham includes a site known as the Port Granby nuclear dump only 100 yards from Lake Ontario, the tailing site of the former Eldorado nuclear, a crown corporation.

After committing up to $16 million of taxpayers' money this site continues to leach contaminates into Lake Ontario. What are the minister's plans to address this threat to our community and the Great Lakes?

Hon. Anne McLellan (Minister of Natural Resources)

Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge the importance of the question just posed by the hon. member for Durham to the residents of Port Granby.

It is clear that we must find a permanent location for the low level waste referred to by my hon. colleague. We have an independent siting task force working with the communities involved to find an acceptable permanent site. Once that process is completed we will begin the clean up of the Port Granby dump.