Debates of Nov. 20th, 2009

Bernard Bigras Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is moving a motion today demanding that Canada commit to reducing, through absolute reduction targets, greenhouse gas emissions to 25% lower than 1990 levels, by 2020. This is an excellent opportunity for this government to demonstrate that it understands the urgent need to tackle climate change.

My question is simple. Do the Conservatives intend to vote in favour of the Bloc Québécois motion and to implement it?

Mark Warawa Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, the minister just returned from Copenhagen. He was one of 20 people who were invited to Copenhagen to prepare for the Copenhagen process. We are a constructive player on the international stage. We have one of the toughest targets in the world. We are working constructively with the Obama administration on a continental approach.

One thing we will never do is what the Liberals used to do. They did nothing on the environment and were supported by the Bloc. The Bloc has never supported good environmental policy. We will not do what the Liberals did.

André Bellavance Richmond—Arthabaska, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food adopted a motion recommending that the government include income support as a component of the agricultural flexibility program, as called for by the Ontario-Quebec Grain Farmers' Coalition.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food did not keep the promises he made during the election campaign and before the last budget. Will he make amends and put in place a real agricultural flexibility program that includes income support?

Pierre Lemieux Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture

Mr. Speaker, our government is working closely with farmers. The agricultural flexibility program is a very strong program and we are providing $500 million for innovation in agriculture.

André Bellavance Richmond—Arthabaska, QC

Mr. Speaker, the government cannot be working closely with Quebec producers because UPA's president has said that every time that the pressing needs of certain farmers in crisis must be addressed or when the specific nature of Quebec agriculture must be taken into account, the federal government drags its feet.

Will the Minister of Agriculture listen to us and put a program in place to support Quebec programs, such as ASRA, its farm income stabilization insurance program?

Pierre Lemieux Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture

Mr. Speaker, our government has many initiatives to help our agriculture sector. For example, we have invested $500 million to kickstart the AgriStability, AgriRecovery, AgriInvest and AgriInsurance programs.

We have also delivered $1.2 billion to our livestock sector, through business risk management. We have provided $50 million in slaughterhouse funding to help our slaughterhouse capacity. Of course, there is the pork transition program that we put in place to help the pork sector.

Pierre Poilievre Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to highlight the fact that this government makes all of its appointments based on merit.

In fact,Transparency International recognized the improvements in this country as we have moved on an international scale from 14th under the Liberals to 8th under this government. We are now first in the western hemisphere, first in the G7. The Transparency International report says that Canada is an inspiration to the Americas.

Marcel Proulx Hull—Aylmer, QC

Mr. Speaker, the cross-funding between the ADQ and Senator Housakos' Conservatives is good news for some.

Nick Katalifos, Jean-Martin Masse, Jean Depelteau and Luc Moreau all received federal appointments for their generous gifts to the two parties.

Taxpayers are on the hook for this partisan return on investment.

Is it not fair to say that Claude Carignan and André Beaudet also won the lottery?

John Baird Minister of Transport

That was another fact-free question, Mr. Speaker.

We make appointments based on qualifications and based on merit. I will put the Prime Minister's four years in office and the integrity of his administration with respect to appointments up against any Liberal government in the past.

John McCallum Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, a new report shows that the Conservatives have accumulated roughly 10,000 flight hours in their private, taxpayer-funded planes. On average, that means on any given day there is a Conservative in the air for eight hours. There is probably one up there right now. Worse, they claim they do not even keep track of who is on board.

Why are Canadians not entitled to know who flies in these planes?

Deepak Obhrai Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, the department does provide--

The Speaker Peter Milliken

Order, order. The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs has the floor. Order, please.