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STATEMENT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
FEBRUARY 10, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the Framework to Improve the
Social Union for Canadians was signed on February 4, 1999, by the Prime
Minister of Canada, all but one of the premiers, and the territorial leaders,
after more than a year of negotiations, which were superbly co-chaired by
Saskatchewan’s Intergovernmental Affairs Minister, the Honourable Berny
Wiens, and our colleague, the Minister of Justice and Chair of the Cabinet
Committee on the Social Union, the Honourable Anne McLellan. I am pleased and
honoured to pay tribute in this House to the immense service that the Member for
Edmonton West has rendered to her country.
This framework agreement has been very well
received across the country, but there is still concern about the fact that the
Premier of Quebec did not sign the agreement. There is a fear that Quebecers may
not reap the benefits of the agreement to the same extent as other Canadians.
This is a legitimate concern, Mr. Speaker, which I would like to address here
today.
Although the Premier of my province did not sign
this framework agreement, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable
Jean Chrétien, has made a commitment to see that his fellow Quebecers
benefit from it as much as possible. This is good news for Quebecers and for
other Canadians. I will demonstrate this by examining a number of the major
elements of this agreement.
The agreement comprises seven parts. The first
sets out a number of principles committing governments to promoting greater
fairness, equality and respect for diversity throughout Canada. The Government
of Canada is naturally committed, within the limits of its constitutional powers
and jurisdictions, to ensuring that Quebecers benefit from the promotion of
these fundamental values as much as other Canadians.
The second part is about mobility. It commits
governments to eliminating harmful or unreasonable barriers to the free movement
of Canadians throughout Canada. The Government of Canada, as the only government
elected by all Canadians, is determined that Canadians be considered as
Canadians everywhere in Canada. This is an essential element of Canadian
citizenship. The objective is obviously not to have "one size fits
all" public policies and government practices throughout the country.
Rather, the objective is to give all Canadians equal access to our country’s
rich diversity.
The Government of Canada hopes that the
Government of Quebec will participate in these negotiations on mobility in order
for Quebecers to benefit fully from them.
The third part commits governments to keeping
Canadians better informed and to acting with greater transparency. Each
government will work to enhance its accountability to its constituents, known as
public accountability. But governments will not be accountable to one another.
The Government of Canada is committed to
enhancing its accountability to Quebecers as it will to other Canadians.
The fourth part of the agreement commits
governments to working in partnership while respecting their constitutional
powers and jurisdictions. They will share information so as to learn better from
one another. They will consult one another on their respective priorities and
opportunities for cooperation. They will give one another advance notice prior
to implementation of a major change and will work to avoid duplication while
clarifying their roles and responsibilities. They are committed to more
effective cooperation with Aboriginal peoples throughout Canada.
The Government of Canada is committed to working
in partnership with the Government of Quebec as it will with all the other
governments in Canada.
The fifth part commits governments, specifically
the federal government, to using the federal spending power more cooperatively
so as to improve social programs for Canadians. This means that with respect to
any new Canada-wide initiatives in health care, post-secondary education, social
assistance and social services that are funded through intergovernmental
transfers, whether block-funded or cost-shared:
The Government of Canada will no longer
decide on its own to launch new initiatives. It will have to consult each
province and territory and will consider proceeding only if it obtains the
approval of at least a majority of provinces on objectives and an
accountability framework.
The Government of Canada will no longer
impose programs, but will let each province determine its own programming
for attaining the agreed objectives.
The Government of Canada will no longer
require that the total transfer be devoted to a given objective. A
provincial government that, because of its existing programming, does not
require the total transfer to fulfill the objective, may use the balance for
other purposes in the same or a related priority area.
With respect to federal spending initiatives
through direct transfers to individuals or organizations for health care,
post-secondary education, social assistance and social services, the Government
of Canada will no longer be able to implement new initiatives without first
giving three months' notice and offering to consult the other governments. Those
governments will have the opportunity to identify potential duplication and to
propose alternative approaches to achieve flexible and effective implementation.
These undertakings set down significant new
constraints on the federal government. They go beyond the provisions on limiting
the federal spending power contained in the Meech and Charlottetown agreements.
Independent observers in Quebec recognize the significance of these provisions.
The Government of Canada is committed to
respecting these new requirements for cooperation and consultation and to
ensuring that all governments benefit from this process, including the
Government of Quebec.
The sixth part of the framework agreement on the
social union commits governments to respecting a new dispute avoidance and
resolution mechanism. This mechanism provides for joint negotiations and the
participation of third parties for fact-finding or mediation. Even the Premier
of Quebec has acknowledged that this new mechanism is a sign of progress. It
will be available to him, as it is to all governments.
The seventh and final part provides for a full
review of the framework agreement on the social union by the end of the third
year of the agreement. Once the agreement has been put through its paces, it
will be possible to identify its strengths and weaknesses and make improvements
to it. The Government of Quebec will be invited to participate in this review.
Quebecers and all other Canadians will thus have an opportunity to express their
views.
So this is what the Government of Canada intends
to do to ensure that Quebecers reap the full benefits of this agreement. To this
end, it will offer its full cooperation to the Government of Quebec at every
opportunity. Quebecers want their governments to work together.
It is understandable that the Government of
Quebec may feel that the progress achieved through the agreement is not enough.
But it is reasonable to expect the Government of Quebec to accept the progress
offered to it, even if it believes it is not enough.
Quebecers, like other Canadians, must have full
access to the immense potential of their country and to all of the opportunities
for mutual assistance provided to them through the Canadian social union, one of
the best in the world, which we will make even better through this agreement.
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