House of Commons Hansard #130 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was farmers.

Topics

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem led by the hon. member for Sackville—Eastern Shore.

[Members sang the national anthem]

AgricultureStatements by Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Mills Conservative Red Deer, AB

Mr. Speaker, another promise made, another promise kept.

Now, for the first time in decades, farmers in my riding of Red Deer will get to enjoy the advantages farmers in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes have always had: the right to choice in marketing their own barley.

Backed by a resolution made to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce by the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce, a whopping 79% of farmers in Alberta decided they, not the Canadian Wheat Board, would be better at marketing their own barley.

Farmers in my riding have, in past years, been thrown in jail by Liberal governments simply because they wanted to sell their own grain. Today these enterprising farmers will never again have to live under that Draconian threat. Today the farmers jailed for selling their grain have been vindicated.

I congratulate our hard-working prairie farmers for making a wise and brave choice.

The BudgetStatements by Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Shawn Murphy Liberal Charlottetown, PE

Mr. Speaker, the budget tabled last week by the Conservative government is a devastating blow to those Canadian attending university and those families with children planning on attending university. The budget will be especially harmful to undergraduate institutions and students attending those institutions.

In December 2006, the Prime Minister cut $2.9 billion to grants and scholarships for post-secondary students, as well as improvements to student financial assistance and billions more from workplace skills development programs and youth employment programs.

Budget 2007 does nothing to fill the gap left by these cuts. What little funding for graduate student research it did include will leave undergraduate students totally out in the cold. As my friend from Labrador says, a big fat goose egg.

Investment in post-secondary education is one of the best investments a society can make for its future. It is a democratic right. It is an equalizer in society.

Last week the government condemned thousands of undergraduate students to unmanageable debt loads. It has shown complete contempt for our country's post-secondary students.

Lac Pouce CentreStatements by Members

2:05 p.m.

Bloc

Robert Bouchard Bloc Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Domaine de l'Amitié, known as the Centre du Lac Pouce, in Laterrière, provides services to young people aged 5 to 17. This centre offers vacation camps, either during the day, on weekends or during holidays, and integration camps for young people with autism.

After a fire tore through the main cabin in 2001, the directors did not give up. There are now 25,000 people attending the centre every year. Their determination was rewarded when they received the Prix d'excellence “Développement 2006” from the Association des camps du Québec. The centre just received the highest rating in the vacation camp category, and a four-star rating from Tourisme Québec.

Congratulations to all the directors of Domaine de l'Amitié for their hard work. They have my full support as they continue to work with the volunteers and fight to keep their funding from the Canada summer jobs program.

British ColumbiaStatements by Members

2:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, with the Conservative government, British Columbia does not matter.

British Columbia has been experiencing the loss of good jobs in softwood lumber because of the appalling sellout and, now recently, in the aviation industry with the layoff of over 700 highly qualified personnel in Vancouver.

The Conservative government refuses to take any action to keep quality Canadian jobs in Canada, including in B.C. It refuses to provide even a penny for the World Police and Fire Games held in B.C.

B.C. is not even included in the government's definition of Canada. The Minister of Finance, during his budget speech, defined Canada as ending at the Rockies.

Yes, there is life west of Banff, with the exception of the B.C. Conservative caucus, and there are pressing needs to address the hemorrhaging of good quality jobs, the pine beetle devastation, the crisis in affordable housing, west coast fisheries, leaky condos and the highest child poverty rates in Canada.

The government has taken British Columbia for granted and British Columbians will remember.

Birthday CelebrationsStatements by Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Mr. Speaker, on May 8 of this year, I will be calling on all Renfrew county fiddlers to get out their fiddles and strike up the tune of happy birthday for legendary Renfrew county fiddler, Joe Quilty of Calabogie, who will be 90 years young.

It was only fitting that 150 family and friends packed Pembroke's Shooter's Bar & Grill to pay tribute to Joe by raising nearly $1,000 to go to Calabogie Home Support, an organization that offers services in the Calabogie area, which Joe and his wife Madge helped start.

Born in Admaston township, Joe moved around before the lure of the Ottawa valley called him home. Once back in the Ottawa valley, Joe, along with Tom Sharbot, who is affectionately known as the Fiddling Mohawk, and Ed Mayhew, helped found the Renfrew County Fiddlers Association.

In tribute to his long association with the fiddle, Joe was presented with the following certificate, “We honour Joseph Quilty who will be ninety in the spring. He has fiddled with the best of them and still can make it ring”.

Kyoto ProtocolStatements by Members

March 28th, 2007 / 2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to support the members of the environmental committee at Félix Leclerc secondary school in my riding. This group of students believes that the Government of Canada should support and honour the Kyoto protocol.

To show their support for Kyoto, the members of the committee—Saranya Danasekaran, Dominique Brown, Stéphanie Trottier, Miguel Degiovanni, Véronique Bader and their teacher, Louise Major—sent me a petition signed by 350 students, teachers and administrative personnel at Félix Leclerc.

Like most members of the House, I support this call to action. I therefore urge the government to pay attention to what young Canadians are telling it and to show some international leadership on this critical matter.

HEC MontréalStatements by Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Steven Blaney Conservative Lévis—Bellechasse, QC

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to sincerely congratulate and pay tribute to HEC Montréal, Canada's first university-level business school, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The school has trained generations of entrepreneurs and managers who have been recognized for their talent and dedication, not only in Quebec and Canada, but around the world.

Around here, it is not often that a teaching institution celebrates 100 years in the business. We must therefore take advantage of this opportunity to highlight the pioneering spirit of this school, which continues to be an institution dedicated to innovation, a characteristic it is emphasizing with its 100th anniversary theme: Always at the forefront.

As Quebeckers and Canadians, we can be proud of the accomplishments of this great business school, which has strong roots in the community and is open to the world. That is why our new government, especially the Conservative members from Quebec, would like to sincerely congratulate HEC Montréal and its representatives here in the House today on a century of excellence and innovation.

Rural ProductsStatements by Members

2:10 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, March being nutrition month, let us extend a special congratulations to all the workers in the agri-food industry. In Quebec, efforts have been ongoing for years to promote rural products.

Each region offers consumers a wide variety of healthy and delicious products that did not need to be shipped from afar. Take for example blueberries from the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region, cranberries from the Bois-Francs region, lamb from the Charlevoix region, honey from the Gaspé, herring from the Magdalen Islands, the Ancêtre raw milk cheese from Nicolet-Bécancour.

To all of you who are involved in locally producing safe food, allowing us to enjoy a diversified, eco-friendly and ethical diet, the Bloc Québécois says hats off. To the entrepreneurs, workers, nutritionists and dietitians who foster better health through quality eating habits, we extend our congratulations for all your efforts.

TransportationStatements by Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Norman Doyle Conservative St. John's East, NL

Mr. Speaker, last evening I wound up debate on my motion on improving transportation to and from the island of Newfoundland.

In my motion, I call for an improved Maritime Atlantic gulf ferry service. I also call for a fixed tunnel link between the Island of Newfoundland and mainland Canada in southern Labrador.

Key to the fixed tunnel link is the completion of Highway 138 on Quebec's north shore which would allow people on the island to drive to southern Labrador, down Quebec's north shore, on to Quebec City and central Canada.

For the first time since the Quebec-Labrador border was established in 1927, the mayors on both sides of the border have come together in support of this project.

The railway was a national dream that opened up the Canadian west. The tunnel and Highway 138 is another national dream that would open up the Canadian northeast.

I call upon the House to make this dream a reality.

Clair Chamber of CommerceStatements by Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Claude D'Amours Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

Mr. Speaker, on March 25, I had the honour of attending the annual general meeting of the Clair chamber of commerce in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. At this event, I underscored the importance of the small and medium businesses in the region that have developed and have considerably diversified our local economy.

Today I want to acknowledge in this House four local businesses that are celebrating their 25th, 30th and 40th anniversaries this year.

I want to congratulate Homérilde and Nicole Michaud, owners of Méril Garage, which has been open for 25 years; Guilles and Sandra Corriveau, owners of Industries Corriveau, open for 25 years; Robert and Madonna Michaud and their son Marco, owners of Mich Meat Market, open for 30 years; Nelson and Marie-Paule Soucy, owners of Nelson Soucy Transport—Soucy Brothers Ltd., which has been open for 40 years.

All of these people have put their energy into ensuring the vitality of our region by starting businesses in order to contribute to the success of our region.

Canada Council for the ArtsStatements by Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Canada Council for the Arts, Canada's national arts funding agency.

The Canada Council has given Canadians access to their own stories through the imagination and creativity of artisan creators across the country.

Canada's new government recognizes the vital role that arts play in enriching the lives of Canadians and their communities. That is why in our very first budget the government was proud to include $50 million in additional funding over two years for the Canada Council for the Arts. We believe in the contribution that our artists and creators make to our country and want to ensure that adequate support for the arts is realized through both private and public collaboration.

The Canada Council has been a real success story, one that Canada's new government will continue to champion and support.

I ask all members to please join me in congratulating the Canada Council for the Arts on reaching this important milestone.

Canada Council for the ArtsStatements by Members

2:15 p.m.

NDP

Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Canada Council for the Arts. We applaud the contributions of men and women across Canada who help us express the deep, rich, diverse character and soul of our nation. In a thousand forms, their works inspire a vision for our country, inspired by hope and imagination, not by today's politics of fear.

We salute the 50 artists gathered on Parliament Hill, symbolizing 50 years of Canada Council achievements.

Every Wednesday, our New Democrat caucus, 41% of us women, shines the spotlight specifically on women. Today, we delight in celebrating the special contributions of women artists, such as: our beloved Wendy Lill, playwright and parliamentary champion of arts and culture; Marie Chouinard, dancer and choreographer extraordinaire; Sarah Diamond, videographer and president of the Ontario College of Art and Design; Inuit musician Lucie Idluit; visual artist Wanda Koop; and Judith Marcuse, artist driven by her passion for social change.

We welcome these representatives to Parliament and, through them, express our deep admiration for all Canadian artists.

ZimbabweStatements by Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC

Mr. Speaker, Zimbabwe is poised to descend into a new hell. Once the breadbasket of Africa, it is now its basket case. Its despotic President Robert Mugabe's thugs just beat and tortured the head of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai, and tortured his twinned MP Job Sikhala.

With the world looking the other way, Zimbabwe's now on the precipice of a bloodbath for Mugabe just imported 2,500 members of an Angolan paramilitary death squad. He is going to unleash this force against his own people, much as he did when he ordered the slaughter of 18,000 civilians in Matabeleland in 1983.

To prevent this massacre from occurring, I call on our government to expel the Zimbabwean High Commissioner to Canada. I call on the African Union, especially South Africa, to strongly sanction Mr. Mugabe and his cronies and increase aid to Zimbabwean NGOs and human rights groups.

There is little time left. We must exercise our responsibility to protect and prevent a bloodbath from occurring in Zimbabwe.

Human Rights in the PhilippinesStatements by Members

2:15 p.m.

Bloc

Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC

Mr. Speaker, since 2001, the state of human rights in the Philippines has seriously deteriorated. Amnesty International's Melo report, dated August 15, 2006, and the preliminary conclusions of the UN special rapporteur on the extrajudicial executions unanimously denounced the systematic political assassinations taking place in the Philippines, and emphasized that Gloria Arroyo's government failed to conduct effective, impartial investigations and to punish the perpetrators of those political assassinations. The majority of the victims have been journalists, lawyers, union leaders, peasants, aboriginals, and human and religious rights activists.

The Government of Canada, which gives aid to the Philippines, should be pressuring Ms. Arroyo's government to take the necessary steps to remedy the situation, to stop the political assassinations and the impunity, so that democratic elections worthy of the name can be held in May 2007.

Raymond BrunetStatements by Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Construction Association has elected Raymond Brunet as chair of its board of directors for 2007-08. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Brunet and wish him tremendous success in his new role.

Raymond Brunet is an active member of the Outaouais community. He is president of Ed. Brunet & Associates Inc., a large institutional and commercial construction company that has been at work in the Outaouais for over a century.

In addition to working with the Canadian Construction Association, Mr. Brunet has chaired the Gatineau United Way campaign, served on the board of directors of the City of Gatineau economic development corporation, and now sits on the board of the Ottawa airport. He was also named personality of the year for 1999 by the Gatineau chamber of commerce.

I invite my colleagues to join me in commending this active citizen and dynamic entrepreneur.

Child CareStatements by Members

2:20 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

Mr. Speaker, between 1993 and 2005, the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada received a mind-numbing $2.2 million from the previous Liberal government.

Last week, its executive director, Monica Lysack, appeared before the human resources committee and tried to defend her organization, saying that the Liberals gave her $600,000 of that windfall to “monitor whether or not government investments in child care are actually being spent on child care”. What a typical Liberal manipulation.

By Ms. Lysack's own admission, her organization has never created one single care space, but the Liberals gave it $2.2 million and then asked it to track down organizations, like its own, that received taxpayer dollars and did not create child care spaces.

Fortunately for Canadian families, the days of Liberals' big talk and zero action on child care are over. With nearly $5.6 billion invested in children and early learning for the next year, the new Conservative government is clearly getting the job done for all Canadian families.

Government AppointmentsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wraps himself in the so-called Federal Accountability Act and now his senior confidant, John Reynolds, a lobbyist he named to the Privy Council, is the subject of a police investigation.

Will the Prime Minister do the prudent thing and ask Mr. Reynolds to resign now as Conservative campaign chair and cease any contact with him?

Government AppointmentsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, certainly the definition of scandal has changed. A scandal used to be when someone wanted a patronage appointment and he or she was bought off by the government.

In this case we have an individual whose claim is that he wanted to be bought off and could not find anyone in the government who was willing to buy him off. That is how this government operates.

Government AppointmentsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, at least for now it is not the question of what was offered by the government. It is the question of what Mr. Reynolds asked for and to whom he spoke in government.

Will the Prime Minister do the prudent thing and ask Mr. Reynolds to resign as the Conservative campaign chair right now and cease any contact with him?

Government AppointmentsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition says that it is not a question of anything the government did, so I will obviously take that one to the bank.

Once again, I note in the newspapers that Mr. Reynolds has denied even knowing the individual in question. In fact, Mr. Reynolds has no authority in any case to make government appointments. They are made by the government, and that is the case.

This government will not buy people off with patronage appointments.

Minister of Public SafetyOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Reynolds affair is a very serious issue that is being made light of by the Prime Minister. Even more serious is the situation of the Minister of Public Safety who is responsible for the RCMP.

Will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Public Safety to step down until the RCMP gets to the bottom of Jim Hart's resignation?

Minister of Public SafetyOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, this is a matter that goes back seven years. These allegations are unfounded. There is a major difference now. The party over there is tainted by scandals and it seriously damaged national unity. We have a government that is free of scandals and we have seen a great improvement in national unity.

Government AccountabilityOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Ignatieff Liberal Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

Mr. Speaker, the government has created a culture where puffery and bluster pass for debate, but which conceal ugly realities.

We have a Prime Minister's adviser and Conservative campaign chair under police investigation. We have a Minister of National Defence who has made a habit of misleading the House. We have a Minister of Public Safety who refuses to step aside while the RCMP, the police force he manages, investigates his conduct.

When will the Prime Minister face reality, do the right thing and bring this ugly behaviour to an end?

Government AccountabilityOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the government has brought in the most sweeping anti-corruption reforms in the history of the country. So clean is this government that the opposition has to reach back for stories that are seven years old, for scandals that never took place. None of this is going to be able to cloud the sorry record of that government.

We see that Canadians are responding to the new clean government we are running on this side.