Debates of Nov. 14th, 2011

Campaign Financing

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, anyone can see the difference between trying to respect a man's final wishes and trying to steal an election, as the Conservative Party did in 2006.

On August 30, the Privy Council summoned 200 civil servants to a meeting, supposedly to talk about budget cuts. But when they arrived, surprise, they found out it was a party organized to say goodbye to Dimitri Soudas, the Prime Minister's former director of communications .

Is this government capable of making the distinction between the public service and partisan politics?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member had the opportunity to apologize on behalf of his party for not complying with the Canada Elections Act. In the document I have here, the New Democratic Party admitted to breaking the law. There is good news for the Conservative Party: all of the Conservatives who were accused were cleared following the agreement that was reached last week.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not only do the Conservatives do as they please with the public service, as we have seen in the past, but now they are also using Parliament Hill as a private meeting room to honour party insiders or to organize an event for the Conservative Albany Club. And who will be the next guest of honour? The person responsible for cutting $4 billion in public services, the President of the Treasury Board. It makes no sense, it oversteps all boundaries, when members use Parliament to raise money for party insiders.

Why do the Conservatives continue to believe that they do not have to follow the same rules as all other Canadians?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the hon. member raised the issue of the Albany Club because I would like to make a bit of an advertisement for the NDP. Apparently there is a fundraising party for one of the NDP's leadership candidates, Mr. Topp, at the Albany Club. I guess it is okay for New Democrats to use the Albany Club, but not for us.

Having said that, I would be happy to refer this matter to the Ethics Commissioner.

International Trade

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is running out of ways to hide his famed allegiance to supply management while he paints himself into a corner.

Despite recent assurances, this weekend the Prime Minister announced his desire for membership in the trans-Pacific partnership, an organization which has been clear in its opposition to our valuable supply management system.

In light of this announcement, I have a simple question for the government. Has it put the elimination of supply management on the table in exchange for membership in the trans-Pacific partnership, yes or no?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

First, Mr. Speaker, I totally reject the premise of that question, but I will confirm that we have expressed formally our willingness to join the trans-Pacific partnership.

All countries approach negotiations with a view to protecting their interests. Canada's approach to the trans-Pacific partnership will not be different in this regard. It will be no different from our negotiations with the European Union.

However, I would make it clear that we will continue to defend supply management as we always have.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, the government's answer to that last question is shallow indeed. Almost weekly, the U.S. surprises the minister with new fees or restrictions on Canadian business. Now, as a precondition to our joining TPP discussions, the U.S. is targeting supply management.

On Saturday, the minister said the government did not see any reason to join the talks, and 24 hours later the Prime Minister was compromising supply management just to get to the table.

Will the minister explain how an individual defends something the government is prepared to give away just to get in the room?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the hyperbole opposite is absolutely incredible and amazing.

It is obvious to me that neither the member nor his party has read the throne speech, because in the throne speech we defended our position on supply management.

Once again, our position on supply management has not prevented us from signing trade agreements with a number of countries around the globe. Our position on supply management has been clear. We defend it and it is good for Canadian farmers.

Campaign Financing

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, just to revisit the issue, last week the Conservatives finally pleaded guilty to breaking the Canada Elections Act with their in and out scam. They have been hit with the highest fines possible, breaking two counts of the law, yet what we get is a stupid response from the parliamentary secretary speaking of--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. I think the member was referring to the quality of the response. It certainly is provoking a little disorder, so I would ask him to phrase his question carefully. The hon. member for Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

My apologies, Mr. Speaker. Provocation is not really my thing, but nonetheless I will continue.

This is an absolutely ridiculous remark. Are members ready for this? He called it, after pleading guilty, a big victory. When he gets thrown in jail, will he call that a small victory, perhaps?

The question remains, how many millions in tax dollars has the government had to shell out to fight the Conservative Party's stonewalling and its clearly baseless lawsuit against Elections Canada?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, there are schoolchildren here watching us today. They have been told by some of their teachers that there is no such thing as a stupid question. We do not want them to leave here feeling disabused of that point of view.

The Conservative Party did experience a big victory last week when every single Conservative accused of wrongdoing was cleared.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are hearing more and more stories like that of Catherine Galliford, an RCMP corporal in British Columbia who was sexually harassed in the workplace for 20 years. How is this zero tolerance?

Corporal Galliford has been off work for the past four years as a result of the harassment she endured.

Will the government commit to dedicating all the resources necessary to supporting Corporal Galliford and other victims of sexual harassment in the workplace?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned about these very troubling reports. We expect all members of the RCMP to carry out their duties with integrity and professionalism. Our government is committed to providing all women in the RCMP a workplace free of sexual harassment. I will be raising this issue with the new commissioner very shortly.

[Jasbir Sandhu, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that answer shows that they have been asleep at the wheel. Every day more female officers are coming forward with stories of systemic sexual harassment at the RCMP. It has become so bad that a former RCMP spokesperson says she would not recommend any women opt for a career in the RCMP. If women complain, they get blacklisted. Their only way out is to take sick leave. The harassment complaint procedure is not working in the RCMP.

When will the government act to ensure that Canadian women can safely enter a career in the RCMP?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am extremely concerned about these troubling reports. We expect that all members of the RCMP carry out their duties with integrity and professionalism. Our government is committed to providing all women, and indeed all men, in the RCMP a workplace free of harassment, sexual or otherwise. I will be raising this with the new commissioner very shortly.

Public Safety

[Jasbir Sandhu, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, we learned just how badly the government is failing families living along our coastlines. Despite years of warnings, the government has not done a single review of whether the RCMP has what it needs to keep our ports safe. There is no national strategy. No one knows if the RCMP fleet is even strong enough.

Does the government's so-called tough on crime agenda include ignoring port safety? Why is it failing to protect families along the coastlines?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, it is good to see that the New Democratic Party has actually developed an interest in the RCMP. The member's party has consistently voted against giving the RCMP, and all police officers, the tools they need to do their job. I hope that this is a sign that the NDP will finally start standing up for law enforcement officials, the RCMP, municipal or otherwise.

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is not even aware of the condition of its fleet, yet the government would have us believe that the RCMP is capable of protecting our ports. This government boasts about being tough on criminals, yet it cannot give the RCMP the resources needed to maintain its vessels.

When will this government decide to take action to ensure that the RCMP has the tools it needs to carry out its mandate, which is to keep Canadian families safe?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, this appears to be a trend. There are now two members of the NDP who are interested in the RCMP. The member's party has consistently voted against giving the RCMP and all other police officers the tools they need to do their job.

I would call on the NDP to continue with this expression of concern so that we can work together and actually help police officers instead of helping criminals the way the NDP usually does.

Industry

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the House knows, Canada's small businesses are the backbone of our economy and a source of good, well-paying jobs for people all across the country. That is why I was so pleased today to see the Minister of Industry announce an $80 million investment over the next three years to help these businesses adopt new forms of information and communications technologies, thereby helping them grow and become stronger.

Would the minister tell us what good things he sees coming out of today's announcement?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, our government's number one priority is the economy. I was proud to announce this morning more than $80 million toward the strengthening of our small and medium-sized business sectors. This funding will help more than 600 Canadian businesses to adopt new information technologies and new ways of doing business in our digital economy.

This $80-million investment will help our small and medium-sized businesses, 600 of which can use this investment to adapt to new technology, become more profitable, hire workers and take advantage of the digital economy.

With steps like this, Canada will lead the way.

Highway Safety

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Montrealers are worried about the Mount Royal Tunnel. There are no emergency exits, and two reports indicate that the tunnel does not meet fire safety standards and that it is impossible to make old tunnels compliant with current standards. Yet the commuter train travels through this tunnel every day.

Does the government consider the Mount Royal Tunnel to be safe?

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Minister of State (Transport)]

Mr. Speaker, the government has confidence that the tunnel is safe. We look forward to working with our partners to ensure that the safety of federally-owned assets are secure.

If the member is serious about safety, I wonder why his party voted against all the investments we have made in the infrastructure for the transportation around Montreal. The NDP has voted against every budget. If it were serious, it would support this government.