Debates of May 7th, 2013

Ethics

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, as I just told his colleague from Davenport, this is not responsible spending by the head of Library and Archives Canada, and I will be speaking to him very soon.

The Environment

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in stark contrast to the wasteful spending at Library and Archives Canada, we are also seeing unnecessary cuts to public consultations on pipelines.

The Conservatives are so busy muzzling scientists, gutting environmental assessments and insulting anyone who does not share their opinions that they are not doing their job: 83 Enbridge pumping stations have no emergency shut-down mechanism.

Why is the minister disobeying National Energy Board safety rules?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, companies in Canada are obviously required to comply with the National Energy Board rules and regulations. It was an NEB audit and inspection that revealed this issue, and that is what is leading the work to solve this problem. Our government has increased pipeline inspections and audits to ensure that Canada has the safest pipeline system in the world. This has contributed to an increase in reported incidents from 2011 to 2012.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have been warned time and time again that their pipeline safety oversight is totally inadequate. From reports today that Enbridge is violating safety rules at 117 out of 125 pumping stations across the country, to revelations from the environmental commissioner that the National Energy Board does not follow up on companies breaking safety rules 93% of the time, it is clear that the Conservatives have failed to make pipeline safety a priority. Will the Conservatives only act when they get caught with a disastrous spill?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, we would think that the New Democrats would stand up and say “thanks” today because it is our government that has improved pipeline safety in this country. We have a world-class regulator; they criticize the regulator. We have increased the number of inspections; they criticize that. We have doubled the number of annual audits; they are still standing up here criticizing that as well. We put forward new fines for companies that break environmental regulations; they stand up and criticize that as well.

Perhaps at some point, the New Democrats could join with us as we protect the environment and develop the resource industry across this country, which they hate.

Tourism Industry

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, almost one in 10 Canadian jobs are tied to tourism. Yesterday, the Canadian Tourism Commission confirmed that international visits to Canada have plunged under the Conservative government. We used to be the world's seventh most visited country. We have dropped to 18th. The government's mismanagement is costing middle-class jobs and businesses right across Canada.

Why is the government spending millions promoting its own failed economic policies to Canadians, while slashing the budget for promoting Canada to potential tourists abroad?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to tell my hon. colleague that I recently had the opportunity to travel to India with the Canadian Tourism Commission. I saw Canadian exporters selling their goods to Indian buyers and inviting them to come to Canada. I can say that the number of foreign visitors, especially from India, is on the rise, as is the number of visitors from China.

We asked the Canadian Tourism Commission to focus its efforts on these emerging markets because people who come to visit Canada from those countries stay longer and spend more money visiting the wonders of Canada.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, did the minister just not hear the facts put to him? The facts of the matter are that on international tourism, Canada has dropped from 7th in visits to 18th. In terms of attractions, Parks Canada has cut staff, increased entry fees and implemented user fees. That is a negative to attracting tourism. The Canadian Tourism Commission's spending has been cut to the point that we are spending one-third what Australia does. That is also a negative to attracting tourism.

Why can the government not promote tourism in Canada?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to let my colleague know that the mandate of the Canadian Tourism Commission is not to promote tourism in Canada. It is to promote Canada outside our country; it is to promote our country to our visitors. That is the mandate of CTC. He must know that and it is doing that very well. The numbers are increasing. We have more visitors from abroad and I am very proud of the work done by the CTC.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when I asked my question yesterday about the closure of the Percé wharf, the minister did not seem to grasp the urgency of the situation.

This morning, the mayor of Percé explained the situation in his own way when he removed the barrier, reopening the wharf to pedestrians. The wharf is one of the region's key tourist attractions. Closing it condemns the entire Gaspé region.

Can the minister assure this House that the necessary work will be done in the next few days?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, I assure the member opposite that we take the safety of the users as our primary focus. As a result, we have closed access to the wharf for vehicles and pedestrians. We will continue to examine our next steps in conjunction with the local authorities.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the situation is urgent.

The minister has been aware of the wharf's state of disrepair for years now, yet he did nothing. Following a formal demand from the town and thanks to our questions here in the House and public pressure, engineers finally went to assess the condition of the Percé wharf.

Is the minister aware of the deplorable state of other wharves in the region? Will he commit to the House to no longer let federal wharves deteriorate so badly that they have to be closed? Will he commit here today to repairing the Percé wharf immediately?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite is fully aware what the role of the small craft harbour is and our primary focus is core harbour fishing wharves. There are approximately three full-time fishermen using the harbour in Percé, about $250,000 worth of landed value a year. The primary purpose of the wharf is for tourism.

Natural Resources

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our government supports Canadian jobs from coast to coast to coast. We have a plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Our message does not change, whether we are in Canada or abroad. The leader of the NDP on the other hand, pits one region against another by referring to our natural resource sector as “a disease and a curse”.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources update the House on the work the minister is doing to promote Canada's natural resource sector?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Westlock—St. Paul for this timely question. The Minister of Natural Resources is in Europe this week to advocate in favour of Canadian jobs and Canadian natural resources.

The Leader of the Opposition takes a very different position. He said yesterday that he agrees with the claim that our resources are a curse. First a disease, then a curse. This is a real embarrassment to all of us that the NDP never misses a chance to oppose Canadian jobs. Our government is determined to defend Canadians, Canadian jobs and Canadian communities.

Library and Archives Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, hell hath no fury like a librarian scorned. As we heard here earlier, he is going to have a polite conversation. I hope it is a nasty one. Mr. Caron has a track record that is not successful with librarians and archivists. He asked us in this House to invite Mr. Caron to the committee. It is not us you have to convince; it is your colleagues, your Conservative colleagues—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member knows well to address his comments through the Chair and not directly at his colleagues. He has a few seconds left to finish his question, and I hope he remembers that.

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

Mr. Speaker, to make matters worse, he is charging $64 an hour to learn Spanish, to add insult to injury.

What is he going to say to Mr. Caron? When is he going to do it? Make sure it is a tough conversation. Gracias, señor presidente.

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I have said outside this House, and I say it again in this House that spending at Library and Archives Canada must be directed at serving Canadians, not at serving oneself. I will be having that conversation with the head of Library and Archives Canada.

Pensions

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, back in 2010, the Minister of Finance said he believed we should consider a modest, phased-in and fully funded enhancement to defined benefits under the Canada pension plan. However, then Conservatives flip-flopped, backtracked and set arbitrary criteria for provincial consensus. The required level of provincial support already exists. Why are Conservatives adding new and blatantly unnecessary roadblocks to essential CPP and QPP expansion?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, discussions continue between the provinces and the federal government, because it is shared jurisdiction with the Canada pension plan. Any changes made to that require consensus with the provinces. The opposition does not seem to be able to understand that.

In the meantime, we had consensus amongst all of the finance ministers to move forward with the pooled registered pension plan, and that is what we have done. Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia have all tabled their own legislation. We encourage the opposition to actually get on board and support retirement income for Canadians.

The Budget

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while our Conservative government is standing up for Canada's economy with Bill C-60, economic action plan 2013 act, no. 1, later today the opposition is planning to vote against it. Why are NDP and Liberal MPs saying no to more support for manufacturers, saying no to increased support for infrastructure in our cities and towns, saying no to new tax relief for parents adopting a child or for Canadians who give to a charity?

Can the Minister of Finance please update this House on the status of Bill C-60?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville for the question. I also ask why the NDP and Liberal MPs plan to vote against Bill C-60, the first step in implementing the economic action plan, 2013.

I am deeply disappointed that they would oppose job-creating measures to help manufacturers while denying support for vulnerable Canadians in the form of palliative care, veterans disability benefits and library services for the blind. I call on the NDP and Liberal members to—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for York South—Weston.

Justice

[Mike Sullivan, NDP, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there were four muggings of students for their phones, from one school, in my riding last week. Cell phone thefts have doubled in Toronto over the past three years, and this is a growing problem in high schools across the country. Carriers are trying to track and deactivate stolen cell phones, but they need help from Parliament. They want to make it illegal to tamper with serial numbers. My private member's Bill C-482 does exactly that.

Why are Conservatives not serious about removing the incentive to steal cell phones in the first place? Why will they not support our smart-on-crime bill?