Debates of May 14th, 2010

Securities

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by trying to create a Canada-wide securities commission in Toronto, the Conservative government is disregarding Quebec's constitutional responsibilities. A broad business coalition condemns the arrogance of the government, which is trying to strip the Quebec nation of an important tool for economic and financial development.

How can the Conservative members from Quebec support a proposal that would do away with Quebec's decision-making authority and influence?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that my Bloc Québécois colleague is trying to paint a miserable picture of Quebec, but let me quote a study by Columbia University that showed that the system—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. There is too much noise. If hon. members want to talk, they can do so outside the House. They do not have to talk here. We are here now for question period. The hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs has the floor, and we have to be able to hear him.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I was just going to say that a study by Columbia University showed that Canada's fragmented securities regulator cost it nearly $10 billion a year in economic benefits and 65,000 jobs. We on this side of the House believe in job creation, in Canada's wealth and in the wealth—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Outremont.

National Defence

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have given a big present to the Canadian navy on its 100th anniversary. They are cutting back half its fleet operations.

Half the Kingston class maritime coastal defence vessels are grounded. HMCS Montreal, HMCS St. John's and HMCS Vancouver will have their operations cut.

These are the same Conservatives who said that when they came to power they were going to buy aircraft carriers. They cannot even keep patrol vessels off the coast.

What happened?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, that is really rich coming from the party that does not hold any respect for the equipment of the Canadian Forces and votes against every measure we bring in to equip the Canadian Forces.

First of all, let me reiterate, we will not be tying up ships. That is simply false.

Historically, this government never said we were going to buy aircraft carriers. I know the member likes to make up things that sound good to him, but he should handle the truth in this House a little bit better.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it would be our great pleasure to share with the member some quotes about aircraft carriers.

This is nonsense. What is the use of purchasing new ships if they are only going to be kept in port? It is all well and good for them to puff out their chests and say they support the troops, but they need to keep their promises.

Our three frigates are practically defenceless. HMCS Toronto, HMCS Ottawa and HMCS Athabaskan might as well be fishing boats. Our Protecteur class ships will not even have a missile defence system.

How can they protect anything? Why are the Conservatives putting the lives of our brave sailors at risk?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely absurd. The first priority for any member of the Canadian Forces, for any leader of the Canadian Forces, is the protection of the safety of our men and women in uniform. We equip them to do that.

What the member is saying about the navy is simply not true. It is simply false. We are not tying up any ships. No ships are going into dry dock.

The navy has been given $200 million more this year than last. We have, through the Canada first defence strategy, a 30 year program investing about $40 billion in the building of 50 new ships primarily for the security of Canada, for the navy.

We are getting the job done for the Canadian Forces. That member should hardly talk about equipping the Canadian Forces.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it takes a certain temerity for the parliamentary secretary to talk about respecting the military, because not the opposition parties but Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden himself, who is the commander of the Canadian navy, has sent out the orders and they are being implemented.

Canadian sailors are indeed the best in the world, and all they got from the current government on their centennial was a new curl on their uniforms.

The commander of the navy has said, and I quote, “The budget cutbacks led to the grounding of half the fleet”.

Has the quagmire in Afghanistan consumed so many resources that now the Conservatives have to cut back the navy to shove more money into the Kandahar money pit?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing we get from that member normally is the curl of his lip.

Let me reiterate for the third time that the navy is not tying up any ships. The navy is going to manage the resources expertly as it always does. Half the fleet is not being tied up. That is simply false. The member should simply try to stick to the truth. I know that is difficult at times, especially from a party that opposes any military spending at all. That is very rich and completely off base.

Government Programs

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we watched this week as the Conservatives gratuitously attacked Radio-Canada and the FrancoFolies, two respected institutions that are a source of pride for Canadians and a vital part of Quebec culture.

A few weeks ago, they appointed a racist to head Rights & Democracy after slaughtering its board of directors. Women's groups and the gay parades have also been attacked.

Is there any cure for the Prime Minister's authoritarian inclinations?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to supporting culture, our Conservative government has done more than any other government in the history of Canada. We are supporting culture more than ever before.

Do members want some examples? I have a couple.

I think the Liberals are acquainted with FrancoFolies in Westmount—Ville-Marie. That was $175,000 for each of two years. The POP Montreal Music Festival received $7,300 in Laurier—Sainte-Marie. FestiVoix received $36,000 in Trois Rivières. I could go on all day. I hope I get more questions.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it would have been interesting if he had given us a list of all the cuts.

The Prime Minister is attacking any form of dissidence, diversity and difference. He wants to see a country made up of yes-men, a Canada like his Quebec caucus. Quebeckers did not go through the Quiet Revolution in Quebec so that the federal government could turn back the clock 50 years in terms of social gains. But the Prime Minister appears indifferent to the future of Quebec.

How much longer will his demolition derby last?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting. I indicated I have all kinds of examples. I could read them, but it is apparent the member is not really listening to the examples I am giving.

However, one thing I can say is that when it comes to this party's Conservative Quebec caucus, it stands four-square behind its province and behind its country. They are outstanding members of Parliament.

National Defence

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, despite the defence minister's claims, Vice-Admiral McFadden says that the Conservatives are slashing our navy. The fleet of Kingston class coastal vessels will be cut in half. Mission times for frigates will also be cut.

Experts are saying that these cuts will leave the navy with “limited capacity” for many years to come.

At a time when we are asking our navy to do more, why are the Conservatives giving our navy less?

Why are the Conservatives not supporting our troops?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the feigned outrage is getting richer and richer coming from that side of the House.

The fact is we will not be tying up any ships. Please understand that.

The fact is the navy is getting $200 million more this year than last year, and it got more last year than the year before. We are embarking on a shipbuilding program that is going to last 30 years, that is going to take $40 billion, and that is going to produce 50 ships.

We do have a great navy. We will continue to promote the navy. We will continue to make the navy stronger, in terms of equipment, in terms of personnel. It would be nice if we got some co-operation from across the floor.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary should read his own Treasury Board report that says the Conservatives will be investing less in the Canadian navy next year than they did last year. The Conservatives are cutting our navy. And when it comes to the navy, Canadians can trust Vice-Admiral McFadden more than they can trust these Conservatives.

What the Vice-Admiral said is clear. The navy's reserve capacities are being slashed in half. Combat systems are being limited. Even the missile defences on supply ships will be cut off.

Why are the Conservatives gutting our navy resources? Why are they putting lives at risk?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we are not gutting the navy. What is being gutted across the floor is common sense.

We are supporting the navy with more money this year than we did last year, and more than the year before that. We have a long-term program to re-equip the navy. The hon. member knows that. It is going to be huge for the navy. It is going to be huge for jobs for Canadians. We would never jeopardize the lives of our servicemen and servicewomen. We have proven that over the years.

We are going to continue to do a good job for the Canadian Forces and the Canadian people.

Status of Women

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims it does not want to reopen the debate on abortion, but at every turn there is a Conservative MP raising the issue again and promising to introduce bills to call women's right to abortion into question. On Thursday, the hon. member for Peterborough promised to bring this issue before the Standing Committee on Health.

Are these Conservative MPs not reveallng the government's real intention, which is to take small steps toward the ultimate goal of recriminalizing abortion?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, according to World Vision, 24,000 children under the age of 5 die every day in the developing world. Experts tell us that every year, 9 million women around the world watch their children die in pain from preventable diseases that often cost just a few cents, not dollars, to treat.

We have a responsibility to take action to protect and save these children's lives. It is the right thing to do and we encourage the opposition to support this commendable initiative.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was talking about the right of women in Canada, not women abroad, to have access to abortion. That was my question.

Now we know what Senator Ruth meant when she told pro-choice women's groups to shut up.

I guess the Conservative government's approach to the abortion issue is this: those who are for abortion, “shut your mouths”, and those who are against it, “keep up the good work”.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, our government wants to focus on issues that unite us, not divide us, issues that we can all get behind, issues like violence against women. I do not know if the member knows this, but women are 10 times more likely to suffer from a sexual assault than men are. That is why we are focused on ending violence against women, and time after time we are introducing new laws to protect women and children from violent rapists and offenders.

We are trying to introduce laws to make sure that we protect children from sexual predators and that we protect women from sexual slavery. That is the kind of initiative all of us can support, and we ask members to support us on it.

Foreign Affairs

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Saudi interior minister. They discussed the case of Nathalie Morin, a young Quebecker and her children being held abroad by an abusive spouse.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs refuses to say if he demanded that she be repatriated and would only confirm that it is a “family conflict” that should be resolved according to Saudi laws.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us if he at least asked for the repatriation of Nathalie Morin and her children?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, in the preamble to his question, my colleague indicated that it is a very complex family matter. I did broach the subject with him as I did with the Saudi foreign affairs minister when I travelled to Saudi Arabia last October.

Like many other people, we are following this case very closely. As we have done in many cases, we will offer all possible consular services to this woman who is presently in Saudi Arabia.