Mrs. Barbara Sparrow (Calgary South):

Mr. Speaker, this week across Canada a very important event is taking place, Small Business Week 1987. The theme this year will be "Entrepreneurship-Creating Opportunities". Small Business Week has been jointly organized by the federal Government, the Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Business Development Bank.

This is an opportunity for Canadians to salute our entrepreneurs. I am proud to say that the Province of Alberta is one of the top provinces in producing entrepreneurs. Despite the set-backs of our resource industry, I can assure this House that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Alberta.

Small business produces one-quarter of our Gross National Product and accounts for 8 per cent of our exports. Canada depends on trade. The role of small business cannot be underestimated.

Our present prospects of a free trade agreement with the United States will undoubtedly give small business an even greater role in the future toward strengthening our economy. Small business produces 20 per cent of all wages of Canadian businesses and accounts for one-quarter of the income of all employees and owners in the private sector of our country. These figures would also be enhanced by a free trade agreement.

Small businesses offer better opportunities for women. Almost one-third of small businesses are owned by women, and these figures continue to improve.

I encourage all Canadians, particularly those in government, education, and the private sector to recognize, stimulate and promote the entrepreneurship option to potential innovators.

October 28, 1987

Oral Questions

[ Translation]

Mr. Jean-Claude Malepart (Montreal-Sainte-Marie):

Mr. Speaker, while the Government is making cuts in the Employment Development Program, while the Minister and this Government are cutting unemployment insurance benefits for older workers, and while the Government is refusing to make the early retirement program available to older workers, the Auditor General informs us that a Hongkong bank was able to avoid paying $200 million in income tax; that the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Mazankowski) was able to get his friends $5 million for an amusement park; that at National Defence, $35 million was improperly spent, some equipment was not necessary, and $8,613 worth of equipment was bought which could have been bought for $912.

Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous that a Conservative Government that now wants to cut funds that are directly earmarked for Canadians, should waste taxpayers money to do its friends a favour.

Mr. Joe Reid (St. Catharines):

Mr. Speaker, Ottawa is the capital of Canada and is, or should be, the epitome, the essence of all things Canadian. It has a spanking new airport with the commodious Maple Leaf Lounge.

I have the wine list of that lounge in my hand and it reads: "Imported red and white wine", in both official languages, without a mention of Canadian brands being available. In fact, no Canadian brands are available. Upon special request a search was made and the response given: "We do not stock Canadian wines".

Just think what a positive force the Maple Leaf lounges across the country could be if each one of them carried a short list of Canadian wines and if imports were made available upon request only. Is this not what a Canadian would expect if travelling abroad? Why do we at home have to be so different, downgrading and indifferent?

If this approach continues to exist I urge all Members of the House to pick up a bottle of Canadian wine-they are becoming collectors' items.

Mr. Ian Waddell (Vancouver-Kingsway):

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative MPs here in the House and outside in western Canada have been waging a despicable and offensive campaign against the Leader of the NDP (Mr. Broadbent) on the Auto Pact. They have been saying that the Auto Pact is an example of free trade-

Oh, oh!

Mr. Waddell:

-which Bob White, the Hon. Member for Oshawa (Mr. Broadbent), and others are denying to western Canada.

It is simply false to suggest that the Prime Minister's (Mr. Mulroney) trade deal is equivalent to the Auto Pact. The Auto Pact requires that the United States automakers maintain a certain level of investment in Canada, basically proportionate to their sales in Canada. If these U.S.-controlled automakers do not want to make such a commitment, they must pay tariffs to get their cars into Canada. Had the Government negotiated a free trade deal a la the Prime Minister in 1965, today many of the jobs and plants in the Canadian automotive sector would be found in Georgia or in Alabama.

My Leader and the NDP do not want western Canada to be just a resource hinterland. We want regional development and a diversified economy. In the past few days the Conservatives have been preaching a form of regional racism which is despicable, petty and false.

I dare them to call an election.

Hear, hear!

Right Hon. John N. Turner (Leader of the Opposition):

Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree after that in saying to the Hon. Member for Oshawa (Mr. Broadbent): "Ed, let him back in".

Yesterday the Prime Minister defended the nonsensical proposition that it is right for the parliamentary committee to have only four days to study the final text of the trade deal with the United States.

In this session the parliamentary committee studying the Radio Act amendments took two months, and, Sir, that Bill was only three lines long. The parliamentary committee studying the National Archives Act amendment took two

October 28, 1987

months. The committee on the reorganization plan of Bell Canada took six months. Three and a half months were spent on the Shipping Conferences Exemption Act.

Is the Prime Minister really defending his position in spending four days from the end of November until December 4 to study the final text of the trade deal which, we understand from Mr. Reisman, may run to 1,200 pages?

Right Hon. Brian Mulroney (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is, of course, misleading the House when he states that I defended the proposition that four days would be available. That is an absolutely fallacious statement. I made no such statement at all. The Leader of the Opposition, rather than indulge in this type of half truth, should stand up and tell the truth, because I made no such statement at any time. On the contrary, I indicated yesterday that ample time would be provided to all Members of the House to discuss this important national issue.

Mr. Turner (Vancouver Quadra):

How much?

Mr. Mulroney:

Now he says, "how much".

Mr. Turner (Vancouver Quadra):

How much?

Mr. Mulroney:

The Leader of the Opposition just stated that I said four days, and I said no such thing.

Mr. Turner (Vancouver Quadra):

The end of November is when it is brought in. December 4 is when the committee-

Mr. Axworthy:

How much time are we going to get? Five days, six days?