Debates of May 15th, 2012

Steven Blaney Minister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that all services to veterans are being maintained and that the best way to support our veterans is to support budget 2012.

That being said, I expect the review board, which is an independent organization, and its members to rigorously enforce all public administration rules, since it is managing taxpayers' money.

Peter Stoffer Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Mr. Speaker, arm's-length does not mean out of reach.

The Minister of Veterans Affairs signed off on this trip. The head of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board was just condemned by the Veterans ombudsman for denying so many people of the appeal board their rightful benefits by not applying the benefit of doubt. What does he do? He takes a junket over to England to visit with his wife, who just happens to be there, at a cost of over $7,000. That kind of money would help a lot of disabled veterans.

How does the minister allow that kind of abuse of taxpayer money to carry on? Why does he not remove the member of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board or, in fact, remove the entire--

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

Order, please. The hon. Minister of Veterans Affairs.

Steven Blaney Minister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, the Veterans Ombudsman is going in exactly the opposite direction of the irresponsible way of the NDP. The NDP is suggesting abolishing a tribunal that 4,000 veterans turn to every year. We will stand by the tribunal.

We expect all board members to be responsible and show respect for taxpayer dollars at all times. I am confident that this board will keep on providing good services for the veterans, who deserve the right to appeal the decision and to be well served by this government and this country.

Pierre Nantel Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC

Mr. Speaker, things are going from the ridiculous to the absurd today.

As time goes by, the Conservatives are having a harder and harder time finding friends in the arts community. First, the Minister of Canadian Heritage made the chairman of the CBC pledge allegiance, and now he is asking the next board chairman of the National Gallery to maintain a relationship with him. Facebook friends are not necessarily the best people to run museums.

What is more important: a thorough understanding of our shared heritage or being buddies with the minister?

James Moore Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

Mr. Speaker, the selection process for candidates for this type of position is typical and standard. It has been in place for years and will not be changed.

Andrew Cash Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, our common heritage is too important, and those entrusted with it should not have to be required to be the minister's BFF.

It is not only the chair of the CBC who is required to be friends with the minister. If anyone want to apply to be chairman of the National Gallery or the National Battlefields commissioner, I guess they are going to have to “like” the minister's status too.

If the minister really wants more friends—and it is clear that he needs them—why does he not stop picking the pockets of Canadian artists?

James Moore Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

Mr. Speaker, the approach that is being used and the language come from an iPolitics story. That is really ridiculous. The process by which we choose people for these kinds of appointments is open and transparent. Yes, it does require that the minister and these organizations, crown corporations and agencies have an open dialogue and an ongoing conversation for the best interests of taxpayers. This process has been used for years, and we will continue to do so.

Rosane Doré Lefebvre Alfred-Pellan, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to boast about their tough on crime agenda, but the more we look into it, the more we realize that it was written on the back of a napkin.

Quebec's public safety department estimates that Bill C-10 will increase the prison population by 20%. That means an additional 1,000 people in the prison system, which is already 96% full.

If the government were serious, it would co-operate with the provinces to make sure they have the necessary resources.

For the time being, the only thing it does is send the bill to the provinces. Why?

Rob Nicholson Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, we work with the provinces, and the bill specifically targets drug dealers and those who molest children. I completely reject the math that says 1,000 people a day in the province of Quebec are going to get locked up for drug crimes or sex crimes. That is absolutely wrong, and I think most people would agree with me and this government.

Rosane Doré Lefebvre Alfred-Pellan, QC

Mr. Speaker, we already know the minister's script, but what Canadians want is real answers to questions.

Quebec's public safety department has estimated construction costs for new detention facilities at $750 million. And that was before the Conservatives announced their decision to close the Leclerc Institution in Laval.

Where will all those inmates be placed? Can the minister explain how it is possible to shut down penitentiaries, impose legislation that will increase the prison population by 20% and say that it will not cost a penny more?

Rob Nicholson Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the NDP may find this offensive, but we are going after the individuals who traffic in drugs in this country, the people who are into child pornography and the people who molest children. We have had these conversations with the provinces. We are on the right track when we stand up for victims and law-abiding Canadians in this country. I wish the NDP would get on board with that just for once.

Malcolm Allen Welland, ON

Mr. Speaker, proposed Conservative changes to federally regulated slaughterhouses would mean already-dead animals could be butchered and sold to Canadian consumers. These regulations exist as a direct result of the rotten meat scandal that plagued the industry in the 1970s. However, now Conservatives want to turn back the clock and allow animals previously unfit for human consumption to end up on the family dinner plate.

Will meat from dead stock be clearly marked in our grocery stores?

Gerry Ritz Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board

Mr. Speaker, that will not be a problem because it will not be in the grocery store.

Let me quote the Canadian Cattlemen's Association:

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association strongly supports the proposed change...to allow for the rare circumstances where food meat animals can be euthanized on farms under veterinary supervision....

That is what this change is all about: making sure that farmers can receive what they need for those animals in a humane way and move them through the process.

We would never put food safety at risk, and these proposed changes would never do that.