Debates of Oct. 4th, 2005

Housing

[Christian Simard, Bloc, Beauport, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to address the Prime Minister on behalf of thousands of homeless people who will soon lose their main source of support.

Even if an immediate decision will not guarantee that the homeless will not be deprived of services after March 31, 2006, it is imperative that the supporting community partnerships initiative, SCPI, be extended and improved until full responsibility for housing can be transferred to the Quebec government, with the corresponding budgets.

Will the Liberal government finally heed the calls of alarm being sounded by 135 organizations, located throughout Quebec, which submitted a formal demand to the Prime Minister on September 12?

The empty promises on the eve of the confidence vote last May are not enough, particularly since CMHC is sitting on a nearly $4 billion surplus.

A decision must be made now.

Jaswant Singh Randhawa

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the late Jaswant Singh Randhawa. He was a successful businessman, a devout Sikh and a community leader.

Mr. Randhawa passed away last year after he courageously battled cancer for 12 years. His legacy, however, will live on through the Jaswant Singh Randhawa Memorial Foundation. The foundation provides scholarships to students from across the Greater Toronto Area who are pursuing post-secondary education.

The criteria for the scholarship is that the student must be involved in his or her local community and in need of financial assistance. The scholarships, as the Minister of Social Development recently told me, are all about hope, hope for a better future and the ability for individuals to reach their potential. Through Jesse's memory and his foundation, this sense of hope is being brought to many students across the Greater Toronto Area.

Liberal Government

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate a year of broken promises on the anniversary of the last Liberal throne speech.

First, the speech promised to reduce Liberal corruption, yet Technology Partnerships Canada has lost nearly two billion tax dollars, partly to illegal Liberal lobbyists and millions more are wasted on Liberal ministerial excesses. Promise made, promise broken.

Second, the Prime Minister promised to stop the waste and the excessive spending, but the agreement between the Liberals and the NDP cost an alarming $4.6 billion. Promise made, promise broken.

Finally, the Liberal leader promised a grand state day care scheme. A year later there are no new spaces, stay at home parents are excluded, and the scheme will cost at least $10 billion a year to implement. Promise made, promise broken.

This Liberal leader is a phony and his party is—

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. member for Nunavut.

Equalization Payments

[Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Liberal, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, Canada was founded on the basis of all Canadians having comparable access to programs and services at comparable levels of taxation.

Two very important panels are currently studying this very important founding principle of the Canadian federation, namely equalization and territorial formula financing.

Both the expert panel on equalization and territorial formula financing and the council of the federation advisory panel on fiscal imbalance, have heard firsthand the challenges and also the opportunities that are unique north of 60.

Both panels will be reporting over the next several months and it is my hope that these reports will lead to a more equitable funding mechanism reflective of the needs of each of Canada's northern territories.

Ramadan

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as Muslims around the world commence their most holy month, I would like to wish them a blessed Ramadan. For our Muslim community, this is a time of worship and contemplation. It is a time to strengthen family and community ties.

In my hometown of Hamilton, the Muslim community is one of our most vibrant and active. Hamilton Centre is a riding where many new Canadians first settle and so it is a place where we learn from each other and about each other. An important part of making diversity work is the sharing and celebration of each other's beliefs and cultures.

I recently had the opportunity to celebrate Hamilton events with communities ranging from the Taoist Tai Chi Society, the Polish community and the Turkish community to an event co-sponsored by our Italian and Jewish communities and the reopening of the Hindu Samaj Temple, destroyed by arsonists and rebuilt with the support of Hamiltonians of all cultures.

I wish my Muslim friends a joyous Ramadan, with happiness, health and success always. Ramdan mubarak .

Justice

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the past year Canadians have watched as families have been torn apart by rising levels of gun violence in our communities. Over the summer, I met with criminal defence lawyers, municipal leaders, heads of national police associations and local law enforcement officials to discuss Bill C-215, my private member's bill, which would introduce mandatory minimum sentences on indictable gun offences.

Support for this initiative is growing in this country, both at the grassroots and among provincial attorneys general. Yesterday I had the opportunity to discuss these and other issues with the chief of the Toronto Police Force, Bill Blair, a man who has had to deal with over 40 gun deaths in his city alone. He joined numerous others in identifying the links among gangs, guns and drugs.

It is time for this government to send a clear message to the criminal element that their actions will no longer be tolerated. The first opportunity to do this is on October 18, when Bill C-215 comes up at the justice committee. I urge my colleagues to demonstrate clearly their commitment to the ultimate responsibility of parliamentarians, which is to provide for the health and safety of their constituents.

National Women's Centres Day

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the first Tuesday of October is National Women's Centres Day. There are 98 women's centres in Quebec, which belong to a network of women's centres.

Women's centres are working to ensure equality for women. Their activities fall into three categories: first, intake, support and self-help. Second, there are educational activities such as workshops, meetings and a newsletter. Finally, there are collective actions, such as protests, representation on various boards of administration and a number of actions for solidarity.

Women's centres have helped thousands of women through times of crisis, to find the tools they need and to become independent, and they raise public awareness about the importance of gender equality and social justice.

I want to highlight the excellent work done by the Centre des femmes de Laval. I wish all the women's centres in Quebec a good day.

Terrorism

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness and anger that I rise in the House once more to condemn a terrorist attack on innocent people. For a second time in the peaceful tourist resort of Bali, terrorists have chosen innocent victims. As in 2002, again Canadians were among the injured.

This summer we saw cowards target innocent people in London, U.K. They also struck in Madrid in May 2004. We also see innocent people being targeted in Iraq daily. We will not be intimidated by these cowards.

It is regrettable that at the recent UN meeting of world leaders consensus could not be achieved to provide for a greater and concentrated anti-terrorism effort, which would have been in the best interests of all the members. I cannot overestimate the absolute importance of the world leaders coming together on this point.

We want to tell the Indonesians that Canada will stand with them to fight terrorism. On behalf of the official opposition, I offer my heartfelt sympathies to the victims of this tragic event and their families.

Canadian Armenian Community

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 2005 marks the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Aram I as Catholicos of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia. To mark this occasion, His Holiness is conducting a pastoral visit to North America.

Last week I had the distinct honour of meeting His Holiness as he met with members of the Canadian Armenian community in Toronto. At that time, I presented him with a copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, translated by this government into Armenian.

This is a special time for the community members. With the spiritual leader of the church in their midst, they are engaging in dialogue with a man who promotes human rights, peace with justice, and greater communication among religious leaders.

Technology Partnerships Canada

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

It has been admitted that, besides his extravagant spending, David Dingwall was involved in unregistered lobbying and in instances of breach of contract to the tune of $350,000.

Could the Prime Minister tell us why, instead of calling in the RCMP and instead of trying to go after Mr. Dingwall for the money, he is praising him here in the House and trying to negotiate a golden parachute for him?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said over and over again, in the case of Mr. Dingwall and any other lobbyist who has been in receipt of a contingency fee, our recourse is to the company. Our contract is with the company. We are dealing with the company. We have recovered the money and the company may in fact choose to take action against Mr. Dingwall.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I am simply going to again ask the Prime Minister to answer the question. David Dingwall apparently received $350,000 in breach of contract. He is not entitled to it. The Prime Minister used to be mad as hell about this stuff. Why, instead of being mad as hell, is he praising Mr. Dingwall and negotiating a golden handshake for him?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we have recovered the $350,000. That has been dealt with. The company may in fact choose to take action of its own. That is up to the company. That is its decision. The government cannot go after him for that particular money.

David Dingwall

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think I am going to give up.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

Neither am I, but we will have some order. We want some order so we can hear the question that the Leader of the Opposition is about to ask. He has the floor.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Would the Prime Minister explain? We know David Dingwall received $350,000 he should not have received. Why, instead of trying to recover that money, is the government actually contemplating giving him perhaps up to half a million dollars more?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

Order, please. We have a question. The Minister of Industry has the floor to answer the question. I am sure the Leader of the Opposition will not be able to hear it with all this noise. We will now hear from the Minister of National Revenue.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the severance package, the government lawyers have been asked to advise the government on what is the minimum separation package that the government can pay given the relevant laws and given the policy framework.

I can list the relevant laws if the members will listen. They are the Royal Canadian Mint Act, the Financial Administration Act, and the crown corporation general regulations.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I know that a couple of days ago in the House this minister liked to quote the common law. There is no common law saying the government has to pay severance to someone who voluntarily quits. That may be the common practice of the Liberal Party, but it is not the common law.

Once again, given that there is no requirement to pay severance to someone who quits voluntarily, and given that Mr. Dingwall received hundreds of thousands of dollars he should not have received, why is the Prime Minister contemplating giving him any money at all?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Leader of the Opposition ought to take some legal advice, because according to the government's legal advice, his facts of the law are wrong. Indeed, it is the case that without a mutually agreed separation package, even when somebody resigns voluntarily there is most definitely the risk of a long and expensive lawsuit.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, David Dingwall hired Chuck Guité, the man behind the sponsorship scandal. He has broken the rules governing lobbyists and the awarding of contracts for his own personal gain. He ran up quite a few expenses on his expense account at the Royal Mint.

Does the Prime Minister really think that buying David Dingwall is the way to put an end to corruption?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the government has sought legal advice as to the minimum amount the government has to pay under the relevant legislation and its policy. That is the government's objective.