House of Commons Hansard #41 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was csec.

Topics

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Nepean—Carleton Ontario

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)

Mr. Speaker, Election Canada's own reports show that the majority of people who do not vote do so for a practical reason. They do not have the information or they are too busy. That is why the fair elections act will enable people to vote another day. The information provided will have to do with the date of the vote, as well as the polling location and the methods of identification. Disabled people will also have access to special tools at the time of voting.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

NDP

David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, from in and out to robocalls, Canadians do not trust the Conservative government, and for good reason.

For example, on March 12, 2012, every member of the House, including the Conservative government, voted unanimously in favour of the NDP motion to give Elections Canada the power to compel witnesses and the power to demand financial documents. The new bill would not provide these powers.

Why did the government break its promise to Canadians?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Nepean—Carleton Ontario

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)

Mr. Speaker, the member should have started by reading the motion that he voted for and that he trumpets on the floor of the House of Commons today.

What it actually says is that the government should give the power to Elections Canada to request documents from political parties. Elections Canada has that power, and the fair elections act would maintain it.

National DefenceOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is claiming that CSEC is merely tracking the metadata of Canadians, not spying on individuals. That would be like the post office saying that it steams open people's mail but it does not read their letters. Canadians do not want government illegally intruding on their personal privacy.

This CSEC watchdog has no teeth and is on a short leash. All of our major allies balance citizen safety and privacy by making their spy agencies accountable. Why are the Conservatives unwilling to submit CSEC to proper parliamentary scrutiny?

National DefenceOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Niagara Falls Ontario

Conservative

Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for Liberal members to now complain of an activity of CSEC which they themselves authorized in 2005.

That being said, the member may have missed this, but the heads of CSIS, CSEC, and NSA were before a Senate committee yesterday and confirmed that all of this activity is within Canadian law and protects Canadian privacy. Maybe the member should call some of her former colleagues in the Senate and ask them to confirm that.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, last year the former democratic reform minister, who has now since gone, brought to caucus his new plans for electoral reform. They were refused by caucus at that time. We all know that.

Let us skip ahead now to the new minister. In the meeting that he had with Elections Canada, what did he say to that person? Why are there no new investigative powers for this to happen, to make this good legislation?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Nepean—Carleton Ontario

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)

Mr. Speaker, the former minister of democratic reform did a terrific job. This excellent legislation to bring fair elections in Canada would not be possible without the hard work of he and his staff. He continues to serve all Canadians as the Minister for Multiculturalism.

In this country we have many cultures, many peoples, all of whom celebrate one thing in common, and that is democracy. Fair elections deliver democracy, and this legislation would continue that practice in this country.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC

Mr. Speaker, on the whole, this bill will weaken the Chief Electoral Officer, whom the minister claims to have consulted even though the Chief Electoral Officer says that he was never consulted. That stands to reason, because this bill does nothing if not weaken the Chief Electoral Officer and Elections Canada.

Given that some Conservative members are under investigation and the Federal Court has found that the Conservative Party's own database is the most likely source of the fraudulent calls that tainted the 2011 election, what are the Conservatives hoping to achieve with this bill if not to undermine oversight in order to pave the way for more of the same tactics in 2015?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Nepean—Carleton Ontario

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the fair elections act will protect voters from rogue calls and impersonation.

We will do that with a mandatory public registry for mass calling, prison time for impersonating Elections Canada officials, and harsher penalties for deceiving people out of their votes.

I encourage the hon. member to read the fair elections act and support it.

National DefenceOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

NDP

Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the head of CSEC said that they were collecting information on Canadians but that it does not matter because it was only metadata, and that the airport Wi-Fi project was just a part of their “normal global collection”. Experts tell us that metadata can show things such as who was using the phone or the Internet, what types of devices they used, who they were speaking to or connected to and for how long, and their locations while talking.

Does the minister think that is okay, and has he authorized such data collection?

National DefenceOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Niagara Falls Ontario

Conservative

Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, the head of CSEC made it very clear that they respect the privacy of Canadians and that they do not target Canadians. Again, that was confirmed by other heads of agencies in the Senate hearing yesterday.

However, besides that, there is an independent review of CSEC's activities, and this is conducted by a former justice of the Superior Court. That should give all of us confidence. It gives us confidence that they are doing the right thing for Canadians.

National DefenceOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC

Mr. Speaker, we want to know what the minister knows, not what the commissioner has said in the past.

Information collected in airports includes the name of everyone who used Wi-Fi, the device they used, the names of those they communicated with and the subject of those communications.

Collecting information about information is the same as collecting information about Canadians. The minister can call it metadata all he wants, but I call it spying.

How is this information about Canadians related to foreign intelligence?

National DefenceOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Niagara Falls Ontario

Conservative

Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, she wants to know what the minister knows. I know all the information that is put before me, before the House, and before committees. That is, this organization respects Canadians' privacy and complies with the law.

Here is what why we do disagree. I know this organization is in the business of protecting Canadians from foreign terrorists, cyberhackers, and kidnappers. That has our support, if not the support of the NDP.

Intergovernmental RelationsOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Sadia Groguhé NDP Saint-Lambert, QC

Mr. Speaker, in their last budget, the Conservatives chose to eliminate $300 million in funding for job training, which hurt the most vulnerable workers, in order to create the new Canada job grant program.

The Conservatives spent $2.5 million in advertising for this program, which does not even exist. This has left provinces and employers holding the bag.

Will the minister finally accept the provinces' counter-offer?

Intergovernmental RelationsOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Portage—Lisgar Manitoba

Conservative

Candice Bergen ConservativeMinister of State (Social Development)

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Employment is currently meeting with the provinces regarding the Canada job grant. We have listened to provinces, as well as stakeholders, and we have built a number of flexibilities into the Canada job grant.

The Canada job grant is good for the Canadian labour market because it will train Canadians for jobs that are available and will also include employers, not only in the decisions, but in the financial investment. We know that kind of notion is foreign to the NDP, which wants to build an economy around EI benefits. We want to build an economy around jobs and skills.

Intergovernmental RelationsOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON

Mr. Speaker, that is quite funny because the provinces are united in their opposition to the government's “my way or the highway” approach. Despite their advertising blitz, the provinces just are not buying it. They have rejected the government's plan and made a reasonable counter-offer. The provinces are trying to stop the Conservatives from leaving vulnerable Canadians behind.

Will the minister pull the chute on his failed Canada job grant, or at the very least allow the provinces to opt out?

Intergovernmental RelationsOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Portage—Lisgar Manitoba

Conservative

Candice Bergen ConservativeMinister of State (Social Development)

The fact of the matter is, Mr. Speaker, the member is not a minister, so she might find it funny that the Minister of Employment is actually meeting with the provinces at this time. We have been listening to the provinces. We have been listening to employers.

In fact, let me tell everyone what Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said. He stated:

Most of the programs that the provincial governments offer have really, really no connection to the realities of the labour market [...]. So we're [actually] quite positive about the Canada job grant...and involving the employer in a more fundamental way.

We are listening to employers.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

February 4th, 2014 / 2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Wild Rose, AB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of State for Democratic Reform about the bill he introduced today to protect the fairness of federal elections.

The fair elections act would ensure everyday citizens are in charge of democracy by putting special interests on the sidelines and rule-breakers out of business.

The bill would also make it harder to break elections laws. It would close loopholes to big money, would impose new penalties on political impostors who make rogue calls, and would empower law enforcement with sharper teeth, a longer reach, and a freer hand.

Could the minister please give us more details on the bill and its importance?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Nepean—Carleton Ontario

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the measures mentioned, the hon. member should be happy to hear that the bill would also crack down on voter fraud by removing the use of vouching and voter information cards. It would make rules easier to follow for all.

It would allow small donations in and keep big money out, because we want to let small donors contribute more to democracy through the front door and stop illegal big money from sneaking in the back door.

The bill would uphold the great principles of democracy that built this country. It would protect our elections and keep this country strong.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC

Mr. Speaker, a report released yesterday reveals that air pollution caused by the oil sands has been grossly underestimated.

This most recent warning makes it even more urgent to conduct impact studies on health and the environment in order to understand the effects of these projects on the people living in the communities affected.

Why are the Conservatives opposed to any attempt to conduct studies on the impact of these energy projects on people's health?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Oshawa Ontario

Conservative

Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, our government has made responsible resource development a priority. We have worked with the Province of Alberta to launch world-class scientific monitoring systems for the oil sands, and we have also opened up an office in Fort McMurray to ensure that companies follow the rules.

Our government will continue to support Canadian jobs while protecting our environment.

The real question is: Why do New Democrats keep voting against our investments for scientific monitoring? Instead, they want a $21 billion carbon tax, and Canadians do not want that.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, the independent study of environmental impact assessments of oil sands operations reveals significant underestimates of pollution impacts on people's health and the environment. This echoes recent findings in studies by Environment Canada and other independent authors.

First nations and Metis peoples are still waiting for the health studies they have been demanding.

The Minister of Health has a mandatory duty under CEPA to take action on environmental impacts that harm Canadians. What action has the Minister of Health taken to comply with this duty?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Oshawa Ontario

Conservative

Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

As I said, Mr. Speaker, our government has made responsible resource development a priority.

We will continue to work with our partners, like the Province of Alberta, to launch world-class scientific monitoring systems for the oil sands.

This is a transparent public process, which has some of Canada's top scientists involved. We will continue to work with the Province of Alberta on this world-class research.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Conservatives want to protect the industry, whereas the NDP wants to protect people's health.

The Conservatives allowed the National Energy Board to hide a troubling report on how TransCanada managed a pipeline leak. This 2009 report was just made public in 2014. Even the Dene Tha' First Nation did not have access to it.

How can the minister justify keeping this report from the public for five years?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Conservative

Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, I am troubled by the fact that the National Energy Board did not immediately release the report. A report was in fact made public last year, and contains recommendations to deal with corrosion.

Our government takes the safety of Canadians and the environment very seriously. That is why we have implemented new pipeline safety measures, including increased inspections, audits, and fines.

We are working to improve our safety system, in contrast to the opposition, which votes against these measures every time.