House of Commons Hansard #175 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was safety.

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 Yukon.

[Members sang the national anthem]

Dairy Farmers of CanadaStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the Dairy Producers of Canada welcome the amendments to the compositional standards for cheese proposed by Canada's new government.

Most countries that are known for their excellent cheeses have very strict standards. The Conservative government has taken the initiative to ensure that cheese standards uphold consumer confidence and protect Canada's reputation as a producer of quality cheese.

This support provides yet more proof that the Liberals were unwilling to do anything and the Bloc unable. For the past 16 months, our government has been taking real action and keeping its promises in this file as in others.

In closing, I would invite all of my colleagues to sample Le Lotbinière cheese, which is one of our high-quality cheeses available in supermarkets all over Quebec. Le Lotbinière is made by the Bergeron master cheesemakers, whose contribution to the economy of Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly has been invaluable. It is perfect with fruit at a picnic, and it works well for fondue and raclette.

Relay for LifeStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize those who helped organize as well as those who participated in the annual Relay for Life which took place in North Bay, Ontario this past weekend.

This fundraising event, which involved over 225 cancer survivors, also served as a memorial to friends and family members who succumbed to the disease.

The theme of this year's event was “Cancer Never Sleeps”. Those who took part in the overnight relay will not rest until a cure for cancer has been found. Every step taken during the relay takes us one step closer to that goal.

The Relay for Life takes place in communities across Canada and is a celebration of life, a way of remembering loved ones and a tribute to the family members and care workers who help cancer patients through a trying time. On behalf of all survivors, I thank them. We would not have made it without them.

Petite-Rivière-Saint-François MassifStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Charlevoix region is waiting for close to $30 million over five years that was promised by Ottawa to help complete a major project: the development of the Massif de la Petite-Rivière-Saint-François by developer Daniel Gauthier. This project has yet to be launched because the Charlevoix region is still waiting for the millions promised.

The project involves upgrading the railway between the Gare du Palais station and Pointe-au-Pic, and includes a 150-room hotel, a multifunctional conference facility and a public market for locally grown products. We cannot allow this project, which has support from the community, to wither away, just because the federal government did not want to sign an agreement in time. Without a signed agreement, the developer cannot start work, since it would no longer be eligible for available grants.

This major project, which would create 600 permanent jobs is crucial to the region's economic development. I am calling on the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec to keep his word. Why is the Conservative government so quick to find money for military equipment and not to help a project that will create jobs and put Charlevoix on the map?

Aboriginal WomenStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, Sharon McIvor has won her case in the B.C. Supreme Court, arguing that it was wrong for the federal government to arbitrarily say that women could not pass Indian status on to their children. This is a long overdue decision to reverse decades of discrimination against first nations women.

Along with difficulties accessing programs available to status Indians, the effects of Bill C-31 were felt throughout the community, where children faced acceptance or rejection based on their different status.

The government knows it will lose this case if it goes forward. Its own internal documents show that. However, the minister has told the media that this judgment may not be enough and he is contemplating spending more taxpayer dollars to fight this decision at a higher court, this from the minister who insists the Conservatives are working to bring human rights to first nations.

Human rights are inalienable and Sharon McIvor has proven through her long battle that those rights should be recognized.

The minister should accept this ruling and start making the necessary changes in his department to deal with the influx of people applying for status.

Stem Cell ResearchStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, much has been said in the House about stem cell research and the tremendous possibilities for regenerative medicine. Spinal cord injuries, tissue replacement and even sports injury repair are hot topics of discussion.

Whether it is baby Cole in Cape Breton who is undergoing a transplant, or toddler Joseph Kim in Coquitlam, B.C. whose blood may save his five year old brother, stem cells and transplants have been in the news.

Recently, a plentiful, non-ethically charged and underutilized source of valuable tissue has been coming to the forefront. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of blood tissue and stem cells that until recently has been largely discarded.

Increasingly, blood and bone marrow specialists have been calling for a national cord blood bank. Dr. Armand Keating, Director of Cell Therapy at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, and Dr. Stephen Couban of the Bone Marrow Transplant Group are two prominent advocates.

Motion No. 287 gives this Parliament an opportunity to support this life-saving initiative. Let us move quickly to make a national cord blood bank a reality and help Canada develop the rich potential of regenerative medicine.

John TurnbullStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS

Mr. Speaker, Father's Day was different for the family of John Turnbull this year. Mr. Turnbull, who was born in 1919, died earlier this year and was interred on Saturday.

As his son Greg said, he was a member of the “greatest generation”, one that survived the depression, fought in the war and then raised families and built our Canada with great sacrifice and no complaints.

During World War II, he joined the West Nova Scotia Regiment and was stricken with rheumatic fever, which affected him for the rest of his days. In 1945 he married Gladys, his amazing wife of 61 years.

John was an outstanding sportsman, expert shot, woodsman and fisherman. He was a hard worker and the chief of the volunteer fire department in Mount Uniacke.

When he moved his family to Dartmouth, he became a cub leader and coached baseball. His wife has been one of the most dedicated volunteers in Nova Scotia for many years. They contributed to building a better community. He was a strong, dedicated and caring man.

We join Gladys, Janice, Meredith, Greg, my best man, Larry and his grandchildren in mourning the loss of John Turnbull, a charter member of Canada's greatest generation.

Tax Freedom DayStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

Mr. Speaker, today is Tax Freedom Day, the day when the average Canadian family has earned enough money to pay all of the taxes levied on it by the three levels of government.

This year, Tax Freedom Day is arriving four days earlier than in 2005 and 2006 thanks to our government delivering on our promise to reduce the GST by 1%.

While the Liberals made promises they did not deliver on, we took action to reduce the tax burden for hard-working Canadians.

In addition to lowering the GST, we introduced a host of other measures to reduce taxes for students, seniors, low income Canadians and families.

Worth particular mention is the introduction of pension income splitting for seniors and the new $2,000 child tax credit that will provide up to $310 per child in tax relief to three million Canadian families.

The bottom line is this: since taking office we have paid down the debt by $22.4 billion and at the same time provided $37.8 billion in tax relief for families and individuals.

When it comes to tax relief, Canadians finally have a leader and a government that knows how to get the job done.

Claude PoudrierStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I am pleased to congratulate a citizen of Trois-Rivières on an outstanding youth education project.

Claude Poudrier is the founder of a training project in environmental and citizenship education called “Action-Research for Community Problem Solving”, which is currently being implemented in 15 school boards across Quebec.

As a teacher, Mr. Poudrier actively promotes a problem-solving approach that encourages thousands of Quebec students to target problems within their environment, analyze them and find possible solutions that involve taking concrete steps to improve their environment.

This teacher/researcher has a degree in psychoeducation and teaches at the Saint-Gabriel-Archange elementary school in Cap-de-la-Madeleine. He deserves great admiration for his invaluable contribution to the well-being of our youth and, therefore, our future generations.

Justice LegislationStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON

Mr. Speaker, as we approach summer and look at our accomplishments it is clear that this government is getting the job done on criminal justice.

We set out with an ambitious plan to clean up the disastrous Liberal soft on crime agenda that allowed violent criminals back into the community, handcuffed prosecutors, marginalized victims and allowed organized crime to prosper.

We are delivering on our commitment to make our streets safer by getting tough on violent, repeat offenders and cracking down on organized crime and gangs.

Over the past 18 months we introduced 13 bills and only have two yet to be passed by this House.

We have passed laws that deny house arrest to serious violent offenders, make street racing a crime and expanded the use of DNA evidence for tracking criminals.

We are waiting on the Senate to pass five important bills that include mandatory penalties and a reverse onus on bail for gun crimes and raising the age of protection to 16.

This government is getting the job done and, as the justice minister says, we are just getting started.

Jean CadieuxStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Université de Moncton honoured the memory of Jean Cadieux, an extraordinary Acadian nation builder, by renaming the faculty of administration building after him.

Mr. Cadieux played a pivotal role in creating the Université de Moncton. He was a champion of bilingualism and contributed to advancing Acadian society.

He was dean of the school of commerce in 1963 and then president of the Université de Moncton for five years. He also helped establish the first French school of common law in the world.

Although Jean Cadieux passed away in February 2006, his work, his dedication and his involvement will live on in Acadia forever. Therefore, together with the Université de Moncton, which has renamed the faculty of administration building after him, I acknowledge Mr. Cadieux's contribution.

The BudgetStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

Mr. Speaker, as we prepare for the summer adjournment of Parliament, MPs who will return to their ridings across the country should be listening to their constituents' concerns and advice.

However, Liberal and NDP MPs will have some explaining to do this summer.

Their constituents will be puzzled as to why their MP voted against a budget that provided: a new working income tax benefit for the working poor; a new $2,000 child tax credit for every child under the age of 19; new funding from the federal government to the provinces and territories to develop environmental measures to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions; a commitment to reduce patient wait times in every province and territory; a commitment to Canadian women that this government will combat cervical cancer; and finally, after 40 years and two generations, income splitting for seniors.

As Ricky said to Lucy and I say to the Liberal and NDP members in this House, “You have some 'splainin' to do!”

Kelly MorrisseauStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

NDP

Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, Kelly Morrisseau was 27 years old and seven months pregnant when she was stabbed and left to die near an Ottawa area park. This tragic death is yet another example of the violence and death faced by aboriginal women in Canada.

Tomorrow is National Aboriginal Day and we are reminded that not only have we failed Kelly, but we have failed a generation of young aboriginal people.

Since the federal government instituted a 2% funding cap in 1996, the number of aboriginal youths in higher education has fallen by 9%. The government must rescind this cap.

We must show that as parliamentarians our response is not more hollow words and more hollow promises. Let us start today by first helping to give hope and opportunity to the three children Kelly Morrisseau left behind. I invite all members to join me and the NDP caucus in making a donation to the Kelly Morrisseau fund.

Together, let us start investing in a better future for all aboriginal children.

National Aboriginal DayStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Tina Keeper Liberal Churchill, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today to recognize National Aboriginal Day, which is held on June 21 of each year and which we have celebrated every year since 1996, when former Governor General Roméo LeBlanc formally announced that the federal government would designate this date to honour and celebrate Canada's first nations, the Métis nation and the Inuit.

I am proud to represent a riding comprised of the Cree, Oji-Cree, Dene, Ojibway and Métis nations. Aboriginal people in the Churchill riding represent 65% of the population. They have traditionally been homemakers, fishermen, hunters and trappers, which today they continue, and they also have moved into a wide range of careers, everything from miners to professors.

Some of the people in my riding who have made a difference in this country are former Churchill MP Elijah Harper, National Chief Phil Fontaine, Chief Ovide Mercredi, a former national chief, educators Edwin Jebb and Doris Young, and councillor Bobby Smith.

I also would like to acknowledge the recipients of awards recognizing three special aboriginal women: Bernadette Beardy, Ruth Norton and Betsy Buck.

On this day, we celebrate their accomplishments and our communities and cultures.

Hate Propaganda against WomenStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

Mr. Speaker, on April 22, a motion put forward by the hon. member for Etobicoke Centre to add the word “woman” to the Criminal Code with respect to hate propaganda was adopted by everyone except the Conservative Party.

The government and its Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women do not seem to be too concerned about the prevalence of hate propaganda, yet it can be found in ads, in songs, on television, everywhere.

It is high time to give the justice system tools to eradicate this scourge. That does not mean encroaching on freedom of expression, but when freedom of expression is used to perpetrate gratuitous violence against women, it has to be censured.

The Conservative government has to implement this April 22 motion. It is a matter of political integrity and, above all, dignity and respect for women.

World Refugee DayStatements By Members

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC

Mr. Speaker, today marks World Refugee Day, a celebration of the contributions refugees have made and a plea to halt the conflicts, famines and persecutions that produce them.

Unfortunately, there are some 40 million refugees worldwide, a number that is increasing precipitously as conflicts in the Sudan, the Palestinian territories, Iraq and other areas intensify.

At a time when action from the international community is critical, the minority Conservative government is slowly dismantling Canada's refugee system and has ignored playing an active role as a peacemaker.

By failing to fill the growing number of vacancies on the Immigration and Refugee Board, the government has created a mounting backlog of refugee cases that are lingering in limbo. Why the delay? Seemingly because the government wants to insert politics in a non-partisan process.

I urge the government in the spirit of World Refugee Day to do what is right, fill the vacancies, clear the backlog, stop putting partisan politics before those struggling to find a safe place to live, and bring Canada back to being an international peacekeeper.

Government PoliciesStatements By Members

2:20 p.m.

Conservative

Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON

Mr. Speaker, last year Canadians voted for leadership.

Through strong leadership, the Conservative government has delivered on its five priorities and more.

The Federal Accountability Act is leadership. Legislation to get tough on crime is leadership. Patient wait time guarantees is leadership. Supporting our farmers is leadership.

Tax reform for seniors is leadership. A renewable energy initiative is leadership. Tax relief for working Canadians is leadership. Campaign finance reform is leadership.

Cutting the immigration landing fee is leadership. Creating a national infrastructure plan is leadership. Creating Canada's first ever climate change plan is leadership.

This government continues to deliver on its commitments. Canadians voted for better government and Conservatives have delivered.

This government has shown leadership for families, for business and for all Canadians.

Government PoliciesStatements By Members

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Government PoliciesStatements By Members

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Now I encourage all hon. members to show a little leadership and be quiet for question period.

AfghanistanOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker—

AfghanistanOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

AfghanistanOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Order. We are into question period now. Perhaps a little order would be appropriate.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition has the floor.

AfghanistanOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC

Mr. Speaker, today we mourn the deaths of three Canadian soldiers who served with courage and honour in Afghanistan. That is the ultimate sacrifice citizens can make for their country.

On behalf of all of the Liberal caucus and indeed all Canadians, I want to extend my sincere condolences to the families of these three fallen heroes, to their friends and to their comrades.

We will remember them. We will honour them. We thank them.

I would like to give the Prime Minister an opportunity to pay his respects.

AfghanistanOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his kind words.

This is of course a terrible tragedy, as it always is when Canada loses brave men and women who are willing to put on the uniform to defend not only our own rights and freedoms but those of people around the world.

We obviously will remember these three fallen members of the armed forces in our thoughts and prayers. Our condolences and heartfelt sympathies go out to their families, friends and colleagues.

Equalization FormulaOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, when the finance minister tabled his budget, he said that it would be the end of the era of federal-provincial bickering, but since then things are so bad that now we have premiers accusing the Prime Minister of acting with “dishonour”.

I ask the Prime Minister, what would it be like if we were in an era of bickering?