Debates of Nov. 9th, 2006

Jim Flaherty Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, no province is doing better than the province of Ontario. There is an agreement of not just five years, which the Liberal government entered into, but a full year more, six years, with $6.9 billion from the federal government to the Government of Ontario.

This is a great agreement for the province of Ontario.

Mario Silva Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, literacy students and workers from across Canada in Ottawa today for the annual literacy action day.

Unfortunately, they are not here to celebrate, but to protest the loss of $17.7 million cut by the minority government. The cuts are forcing literacy organizations across the country to close their doors to adults who want to learn how to read and write.

What does the minister have against students and organizations here to help these adults learn to read and write?

Diane Finley Minister of Human Resources and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, as I explained to the literacy groups at lunch today, we are going to be honouring all our existing commitments for literacy projects with them. I have said that many times in the House.

I might also point out that we are not cutting literacy training. However, we believe Canadian taxpayers expect us to spend money on literacy education, not on supporting websites and overblown travel budgets for a literacy industry.

Mario Silva Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, that is the minister and the government that said the cuts were an exercise in fat trimming. That is the minister who dismissed more than $150 million cuts to her department as equal to going without a cup of coffee a week.

Instead of callous remarks, will the minister do the right thing, apologize to literacy students who are here today and restore the full $17.7 million in funding cuts from adult literacy?

Diane Finley Minister of Human Resources and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, we are going to focus our efforts on literacy education, unlike the previous government. It paid literacy groups $34,000 simply for media consultants. It paid for travel budgets. It paid $34,000 for a group to develop a logo. That does not help people who want to learn to read and write.

Today I announced five new programs that will help Canadians learn to read and write.

Jean-Yves Roy Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, grain producers are demonstrating once again today in Montreal and Quebec City against the dumping of American grain on the Canadian market.

Will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food take advantage of the federal-provincial conference in Calgary next week to tell farmers who have been demanding assistance that he plans to help them immediately, and will he announce a real policy to offset the harmful effects of massive American agricultural subsidies?

Chuck Strahl Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board

Mr. Speaker, the head of La Financière agricole du Québec is saying that the agricultural sector in Quebec is in generally good shape.

Experts have a great deal of evidence that this sector is more robust than ever. To date, farmers in Quebec have received more than $135 million this year under current programs, and an additional payment of more than $400 million is expected by the end of the year.

France Bonsant Compton—Stanstead, QC

Mr. Speaker, grain producers are fed up with the competition from American crops that are being dumped here.

Will the minister finally admit that he needs to conduct a thorough review of assistance programs for grain producers, in order to help them compete better against the Americans? During the election campaign, his party promised to do this. It is time he kept his promise.

Chuck Strahl Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board

Mr. Speaker, the very first action the government took was to accelerate the $755 million payout to grains and oilseeds producers across the country. Quebec received its share of that, as it does in all programming.

So far this year, our contribution in Quebec is about $135 million. We anticipate that our contribution in Quebec this year will be over $400 million. We continue to work with the Government of Quebec and all our provincial counterparts to find the best programming possible to help the most farmers we can.

Raymonde Folco Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, small investors know exactly how much the word of the Conservatives is worth: as little as their shares in income trusts after the announcement by the Minister of Finance. The voters of Repentigny would do well to remember this when they vote.

It is difficult to believe any of Stéphane Bourgon's promises. We have the proof that the former Conservative promises are not worth the paper they are written on.

Is this perhaps why the Minister of Public Works is afraid to stand for election? He is definitely not here.

Jim Flaherty Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite expresses concern about the little people, the small people, in Canada. It is in the interest of individual taxpayers and their families and it is in the interest of tax fairness that corporations, especially large corporations, in Canada pay their fair share of taxes. That was endangered by the growth of income trusts.

Vic Toews Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, the homicide survey released by Statistics Canada is a shocking wake-up call to Canadians. We need to take action on guns and gangs right now.

I tabled Bill C-10, which is a targeted measure. It proposes mandatory prison sentences for gang members who use guns to commit crimes.

During the election, we promised to introduce mandatory prison sentences for criminals who used guns, as did the Liberals, as did the NDP. We kept our word. Why will they not support the legislation?

Alex Atamanenko British Columbia Southern Interior, BC

Mr. Speaker, every time the agriculture minister makes a Wheat Board decision, he steps in what prairie folk politely call a cow pie.

The minister has denied wheat farmers the right to vote on the board's future. He set up a sham task force with the sole goal of dismantling the single desk.

Does the minister want to wipe some of that meadow muffin off his shoes and announce today that he will hold a fair vote on the future of the Wheat Board and that wheat farmers will also have a vote?