Debates of June 11th, 2009

Employment Insurance

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, I will quote from another article. According to the OECD, the crisis is slowing in many countries. The OECD says:

...indicators for April 2009 point to a reduced pace of deterioration in most of the OECD economies with stronger signals...in Canada...

Our measures are paying off. We have given people five more weeks of EI benefits, where the Bloc suggested only two. Our measures to improve employment insurance total $7.3 billion in 2008-09. That is what we—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order. The hon. member for Toronto—Danforth.

Infrastructure

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister seems to have donned his rose-coloured glasses once again. He said that there would be no recession and no deficit—turns out he was wrong about that—and now he is saying, quite seriously, that the work has been done and everything is hunky dory. But the truth is that infrastructure projects are not moving forward.

Should we ask the mayors why so many projects have been announced, yet all the construction sites are empty?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite takes the time to read the update that was tabled in the House today, he will see the chart about real GDP growth and he will see what the private sector economists are saying in this country. He will also read what the OECD has been saying about this country and what the IMF has been saying about this country.

Canadians can be proud of the economic action plan, and they can be proud of the thousands of projects that are going forward and being implemented all across this country from coast to coast to coast.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, holding some kind of weird Mike Duffy live show instead of reporting to the House will not change the facts.

The fact is that the money is not flowing. The minister should not ask me. He should ask the mayors. At the FCM convention in Whistler, they were very clear on this.

The mayor of Kitchener said that most stimulus projects are still waiting for approval. The mayor of Toronto added that although there have been announcements, very little money has hit the ground.

How can the Prime Minister claim the job is done when very little money has actually--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Transport.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, he came up to thank me for the great projects we announced on Friday in the province of Ontario.

The president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities said this week, “The minister showed a commitment to cooperation and flexibility that will help keep the economic stimulus plan moving forward, create new jobs, and invest in the foundation of our economy and the quality of life”.

We announced in the province of Ontario just last week more than $3.4 billion worth of projects: a lot of jobs, a lot of hope, a lot of opportunity. The only thing standing in the way is the negativism of the NDP.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is holding some kind of gong show outside of the House of Commons instead of being here to answer questions.

He had the gall to slap a windmill on his propaganda. Is that some kind of joke? A windmill? This is on the day when we learn from this infamous tape from the Minister of Natural Resources that the money earmarked to support wind energy was transferred, guess where: no surprise, to the oil patch. A billion dollars intended for wind power goes into the tar sands.

Can the environment minister tell us how he was able to transfer a billion dollars from what should be happening, wind power, to what should not be happening: more tar sands projects without controls?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, you should tell the hon. member that what should not be happening is the nonsense he is spreading in the House of Commons. That is what should not be happening.

Canada is a world leader, and 73% of our electricity system is non-emitting in terms of carbon dioxide. In the last throne speech we set an objective of achieving 90% non-emitting.

Canada will have one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, and we are investing in excess of $200 million in this technology fund , including in wind energy.

That is what is happening, not what the hon. member is spreading in the House.

Medical Isotopes

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are appalled at the isotope shortage and they have a lot of questions.

Can the government tell Canadians how much it will cost to buy isotopes on the international market? Will the government compensate the provinces for this additional cost?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we are working closely with the provinces and territories, and the medical community who are implementing the contingency measures to manage the situation.

Our focus at this point is to increase timely access to the available supply of medical isotopes and alternatives. I am in regular conversations with my provincial and territorial counterparts on this issue.

Our government will continue to work in partnership with the provinces and the medical community to do what is best for Canadians.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, these are straightforward questions and Canadians are entitled to straight answers.

So let us try again. Does the government expect to see a bidding war for the dwindling supply of global isotopes? Is it not reasonable to expect that most of the remaining supply of cancer testing isotopes is going to be soaked up by the U.S. market?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, as we indicated yesterday through our conversations with the United States, the Minister of Health is working with the distributors of generators.

We do know that next week we will have 50% of the supply that we normally have in isotopes here in Canada and that has been communicated to the medical community.

As well, as the hon. member knows because he has been on the committee, it is a very complex chain in which we have isotopes coming from global reactors into the Canadian marketplace. We are working with all the parties involved in that supply chain.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today and every week day in Canada three families will sit in their doctor's office and be told that their child has cancer.

Some 850 children are diagnosed every year and 135 will die. The parents will be told that the prognosis and treatment will depend on the results of a bone scan. Bone scans for children require technetium-99. There is no safe alternative.

Will the minister guarantee that the children with cancer will get the scans they need when they need them?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we are working very closely with the medical isotopes experts on this issue. We are looking at identifying alternatives which have already been identified and are on the market, and are available for use by the provinces and territories. When we are dealing with a small supply of medical isotopes, it is very important to manage one's cases with one's patients and examine what options are available as alternatives.

That is the information we have provided to the provinces and territories, and to care providers in the provinces.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has to stop misleading Canadians. There is no plan.

In the very guidelines that her department released on May 20 it states, “Any bone scan for newly diagnosed or established pediatric cancers since there is no alternative to TC99 bone scans for the pediatric patients in the event of a shortage”.

Again, there are no safe alternatives.

As the supply dries up, how will the minister assure the parents of sons or daughters who have cancer that they will get the treatment and the tests that they need when they need them?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is so very important when we are dealing with a serious issue like this, to ensure that accurate information is being provided to the provinces and territories. It is a concern that many people share and it is important that the member communicate that there are alternatives that are available now.

With regard to Tc99, my colleague has mentioned there will be 50% of the supply in this country this week. Therefore, it is important that the individual communicate that there is some supply. There is a shortage, but there are also alternatives.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the medical isotope crisis is getting worse. Both doctors and their patients are worried. Dr. François Lamoureux, president of Quebec's association of nuclear medicine specialists, denounced the government's inaction and said that this situation was foreseeable. There is a shortage of medical isotopes in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region, Sherbrooke, Saint-Jérôme, Joliette, Quebec City, Montreal and Trois-Rivières—in short, everywhere.

When will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Natural Resources to resign?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is really important to take a very clear look at this situation.

The reactor is on an extended safe shutdown for the reasons that it is unsafe to operate. It was something that could not be anticipated nor predicted. Indeed, this reactor has been producing reliably over 90% for the last number of years.

Indeed, there was another alternative in MAPLE-1 and MAPLE-2. It was cancelled in 2008 because it did not produce a single isotope. As indicated before--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please.

The hon. member for Trois-Rivières.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this minister leaves documents behind, puts her colleagues down and cares more about advancing her career than about her files. She has no credibility left when it comes to dealing with such a serious crisis. The Prime Minister is too proud to put the health of countless patients ahead of political partisanship.

Will he finally behave like a real Prime Minister, replace his minister and see to it himself that this issue is dealt with?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, this government has been working very diligently on this matter since December and indeed back to November of 2007.

Difficult decisions were taken in not continuing on with MAPLE-1 and MAPLE-2, but it was the right decision to make. In lieu of that, we decided to pursue an extension of the licence of the reactors that could continue to produce.

Again, we are faced with difficult decisions, but we also have a plan. We have contingency plans that are in place with the Minister of Health and we are seeking the globe to help us produce more medical isotopes, and it is working.

The Environment

[Christian Ouellet, Bloc, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, another scientific report has found that climate change will displace millions of people because of rising sea levels. Canada and Quebec will not be spared, since we have massive coastlines and we will receive climate-change refugees.

Given the scope of this impending disaster, will the Minister of the Environment adopt a responsible attitude and put an end to the constant sabotage of environmental meetings?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our position has not changed. The realistic target for Canada is a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to 2006 by 2020.

Our plan is adapted to the realities of Canada's industry, climate and geography. It is also adapted to Quebec's reality.

[Gérard Asselin, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this phenomenon is not limited to Europe and Asia. Climate change will also accelerate erosion of the coasts of the St. Lawrence gulf and estuary. The federal government, which still has no credible plan to fight climate change, is now responsible for the consequences of its failure to act.

Does the minister plan to create a compensation fund to give Quebec the means to finance measures to slow shoreline erosion?