Debates of Nov. 23rd, 2006
House of Commons Hansard #85 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was quebec.
Topics
- Question Period
- Government Performance Reports
- Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction
- Government Response to Petitions
- Criminal Code
- Committees of the House
- Criminal Code
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Business of Supply
- Vanier Cup
- Publications Assistance Program
- Elimination of Violence Against Women
- Housing
- Ukraine
- Ron Wiebe Award
- John Allan Cameron
- Notre Dame Hospital in Montreal
- Robert Altman
- Air Security
- Commonwealth Games
- Transportation
- The Environment
- Léon Debien
- Community Access Program
- Royal Canadian Legion
- Taxation
- Government Programs
- Quebeckers
- Government Policies
- National Defence
- Shipbuilding Industry
- Federal-Provincial Relations
- Transfer Payments
- Justice
- Canadian Heritage
- Manitoba Economy
- Health
- Economic Development
- Fisheries and Oceans
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Fisheries and Oceans
- Afghanistan
- Fisheries and Oceans
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Presence in Gallery
- Business of the House
- Business of Supply
- National Peacekeepers’ Day Act
- Message from the Senate
- National Peacekeepers' Day Act
National Defence
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam
B.C.
Conservative
James Moore Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics
Mr. Speaker, as I just said, the contact is not yet written, not yet drawn up. This will not be decided before August 2007. So I ask my colleague to wait until then.
We will comply with all the processes, as will all those who wish to submit their application for this project. We shall do what we can to ensure the best results for our country.
Shipbuilding Industry
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, the federal policy respecting vessel transfer costs for ship refit systematically penalizes Quebec shipyards. This transfer costs policy is not only unfair to Quebec, it would also appear to be totally arbitrary.
How can the government explain, for example, a 700% increase in transfer costs from 1997 to 2006 for HMCS Montreal?
Shipbuilding Industry
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Beauce
Québec
Conservative
Maxime Bernier Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce to my friend that I recently met with representatives from the Canadian shipbuilding industry. I have listened to their concerns. We have gladly taken cognizance of their claims. That said, we will take action, as this government has always done.
Shipbuilding Industry
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, from the moment that the cost of moving a ship from Halifax to Les Méchins is added, the shipyard in Quebec becomes uncompetitive.
Will the minister admit that, by maintaining this unfair policy, he is basically condemning in advance Quebec shipyards to never getting any major government contracts?
Shipbuilding Industry
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Beauce
Québec
Conservative
Maxime Bernier Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House that our industrial policy for shipbuilding will be in the best interest of all Canadians and all Quebeckers.
Federal-Provincial Relations
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
John McCallum Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, on the subject of the Prime Minister's comments on Liberal versus Conservative management of the economy, I can tell members one thing Canadians know. On the subject of income trusts, Canadians know the Conservative Party told a $25 billion lie.
Furthermore, on the subject of broken promises, Canadians know the Prime Minister promised to honour the Canada-Ontario agreement and that promise has been broken. Ontario took the Prime Minister at his word. It booked the money in the budget--
Federal-Provincial Relations
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Liberal
Federal-Provincial Relations
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Calgary—Nose Hill
Alberta
Conservative
Diane Ablonczy Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well, because he has been told over and over and he has seen it for himself, that the Ontario federal agreement is fully funded. In fact, it was funded for an additional year over what was agreed. The money is there and it will be given to Ontario.
Federal-Provincial Relations
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Liberal
John McCallum Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, like yesterday with the finance minister finance minister, this is a case of totally bogus accounting, where the government counts the same money twice, where the government looks at tax credits paid to all Canadians and counts it as part of the Canada-Ontario agreement. It makes absolutely no sense.
The simple fact is, the Prime Minister's broken promise has punched a $1.6 billion hole in the budget of Ontario. Ontario booked that money believing the Prime Minister, then the government reneged.
When at last will the Minister of Finance stand up--
Federal-Provincial Relations
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Liberal
Federal-Provincial Relations
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Calgary—Nose Hill
Alberta
Conservative
Diane Ablonczy Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, if Ontario should be worried, it should be worried about the fact that a Conservative government in Ontario took over from the NDP, which had run Ontario into the ground to the point where the debtors were starting to call in their debts in Ontario. Who was running Ontario at the time, who put Ontario in such a mess and who now wants to run our country? It was Bob Rae, who is now a Liberal.
Transfer Payments
Oral Questions
November 23rd, 2006 / 2:40 p.m.
Liberal
Jean Lapierre Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, since the Conservatives came to power, the Government of Quebec has suffered a series of financial setbacks at the hands of Ottawa, with the loss of $807 million from the child care program and another $328 million to help solve environmental problems under the Kyoto protocol.
How can the Prime Minister have promised to correct the fiscal imbalance when he has helped increase the fiscal imbalance by over $1 billion?
Under the Conservatives, the Government of Quebec has over $1 billion less than it had under the government—
Transfer Payments
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Liberal
Transfer Payments
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Calgary—Nose Hill
Alberta
Conservative
Diane Ablonczy Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that the fiscal imbalance is very much on the government's agenda, although it was not on his government's agenda. The Liberals denied that it even happened and that there was a problem.
Discussions are ongoing. The Minister of Finance of Canada will be meeting with his provincial counterparts in December. These discussions will be fruitful. The fiscal imbalance will be addressed, and the member knows that.
Transfer Payments
Oral Questions
2:40 p.m.
Liberal
Jean Lapierre Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, how can the hon. member say that when, instead of solving the problem of the fiscal imbalance, the Conservatives are in the process of increasing the fiscal imbalance with the Government of Quebec because of their decisions to cut $800 million from child care and $328 million from environmental programs? Instead of making things better, they are making them worse. The Government of Quebec is losing ground under this Conservative government.
How can the parliamentary secretary have the nerve to tell us that the Conservatives are solving the problem when they are making matters worse?