Debates of Feb. 17th, 2015

Child Care

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one thing is for sure: the Conservatives are unable to create good jobs.

The country's participation rate is at its lowest even though Canadians want to work. For parents with children, one salary is not enough to pay for day care. The NDP has a plan to help families and create affordable day care across the country.

Why is the minister refusing to help Canadian families that want to work and raise their children?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP has failed to talk to parents from different areas in this country, rural Canadian families, families that are not working nine to five jobs, and families that have decided that one parent will stay home to look after the children. New Democrats are not considering any of those families when they talk about their child care plan.

Their plan would only help less than 10% of all Canadian families. Our plan helps every single Canadian family with children. It puts money directly into their pockets and—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Parkdale—High Park.

Taxation

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

What is clear, Mr. Speaker, is that the Conservatives cannot be bothered to help ordinary Canadians, but they will bend over backwards to help the well off, even if it means turning a blind eye to tax evasion. Leaked documents show that more than 1,800 Canadians are holding secret Swiss bank accounts with HSBC, but there have been no charges of tax fraud or tax evasion.

Why are the Conservatives using kid gloves on wealthy tax cheats while ordering public servants to deny EI benefits to the unemployed?

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government has a very strong record dealing with tax evasion. Since 2006 the CRA has audited over 8,600 international tax cases, identifying over $5.6 billion in additional taxes that are being collected.

Regarding the HSBC accounts, where non-compliance was expected the CRA conducted hundreds of audits, which have led to over $21 million in taxes and penalties being reassessed. Furthermore, the CRA has received more than 250 voluntary disclosures. That is $123 million in previously undisclosed accounts.

[Pierre Dionne Labelle, NDP, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the scandal involving HSBC's Swiss subsidiary is rocking the whole world, but here in Canada, the Conservatives are asleep at the switch.

We know that over 1,800 of the richest Canadian businesses and individuals have secret bank accounts in Geneva, mainly to avoid paying taxes here in Canada. Several well-known names were made public by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, but no charges have yet been laid.

When will the minister bring down the hammer on these white collar criminals?

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government has a strong record when it comes to fighting international tax fraud.

We are doing something about it, as I have just said. I will give the numbers again, because, frankly, they are quite impressive.

With respect to the HSBC accounts where non-compliance was expected, the CRA conducted hundreds of audits. That has led to over $21 million in taxes and penalties being reassessed. The CRA has received more than 250 voluntary disclosures about HSBC accounts. That is $123 million in previously undisclosed documents.

The Economy

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a recent Conference Board study shows that Canada's younger generations are earning less and receiving fewer pension benefits than their parents. It states, “young Canadians may have a lower lifetime earning potential than any generation before”.

There is no more dire indictment of a country's economic performance than the prospect that our future may be poorer than our past.

Stale and misleading talking points, like the ones we have heard already today, will not deliver prosperity for this generation. When will the government finally table a budget with a real plan for jobs and growth?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know they are much better off with our Conservative government. Our government is focused on what matters most to Canadians, and that is jobs and the economy. Over 1.2 million net new jobs have been created since the recession. These jobs are overwhelmingly full time and in the private sector.

Both the IMF and the OECD forecast Canada to have one of the strongest growing G7 economies in the years ahead. The future looks bright. I know that for young Canadians who are involved in skill development, the future looks bright.

Infrastructure

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing that is more snarled than GTA traffic is the government's jumbled priorities when it comes to municipal infrastructure. Roads, sewers and bridges are vital job creation tools, but Conservatives have flushed over $750 million of infrastructure money into taxpayer funded partisan ads. Roads are cracking, bridges are rusting and the Conservatives are using infrastructure money to buy votes, not infrastructure, not steel and not concrete.

Does the minister agree that the only thing growing faster than GTA potholes is the Conservative addiction to lavish partisan ads?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, the new building Canada plan is the longest and biggest ever in the country. We have done that with respect for jurisdictions. That is very important.

We have invested more in the infrastructure of the country than the former government, and we will continue to do so.

Since our government took office, Canada has consistently led G7 countries in total investment in infrastructure as a percentage of GDP. It is quite a contrast to the Liberals.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is all about priorities. Imagine over $2 million for ministers to take pictures.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The irony is that all those members yelling “louder” makes it impossible for the Speaker to hear the member. Perhaps if they stop shouting that, the member would not have to speak so loudly.

The hon. member for Winnipeg North has the floor.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, over $2 million tax dollars have been spent for pictures when ministers have their special events. They really need to learn how to take selfies. Hundreds of millions of tax dollars have been spent on political advertising. It is about priorities. At the same time, there was a cutback from spending over $2 billion on infrastructure to $210 million last year.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Why has he given up on valuable infrastructure expenditures? He should think of the Prairies. He should think of the needs of Calgary, Winnipeg and other municipalities.

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, when we talk about selfies, the member just has to look in front of him to find the king of that. He is talking about $2 million. I remember the $40 million from the sponsorship scandal that are still missing.

We are investing in infrastructure in the country like never before.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are also spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the war in Iraq, they are making our reservists wait nearly two years for their severance pay. It is completely unacceptable that 2,754 soldiers are waiting for that pay.

When will the government get its priorities straight and put its resources in the right place in order to resolve these outstanding files as soon as possible?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, this backlog is unacceptable. That is why, as of the beginning of this month, the Department of National Defence has asked its staff to process the back payment for reservists, and I have been assured that it will be done as soon as possible.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our soldiers and veterans deserve better.

While the Conservatives are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on their war in Iraq, soldiers and veterans do not have access to their pension benefits and proper health care. The government clearly does not have its priorities straight.

When will the minister finally improve services for our soldiers and veterans?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of our record. We have increased investments in the Canadian Armed Forces by 27%. Modern tools to help them do their job are important. We are taking care of our men and women in uniform.

However, the reality is that the NDP wants to drastically reduce the Department of National Defence budget and it does not support our soldiers' mission in Iraq, all against the wishes of Canadians. We are there to help and work with our men and women of the Canadian Forces.

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the sad fact is that the Conservatives spend hundreds of millions of dollars on war and yet fail to provide basic services for our soldiers when they come home injured.

Reservists, like those in Thunder Bay and right across the country, are now waiting two years or more for severance pay, and there is a backlog of over 2,700 and growing. It is simply unacceptable.

We welcome the new minister, but when will the Minister of National Defence fix this mess and finally give the Canadian Forces and reservists the support they need and deserve?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, I gather the member did not hear my first answer, which is that from the beginning of this month, my department directed people to process the back payment for reservists. I agree that backlog is unacceptable and must be dealt with expeditiously.

When the member says that this government spends money on war, in fact what we spend money on, through the Canadian Armed Forces, is protecting the security and interests of our country. We are doing exactly that in Iraq. That is why the men and women in uniform sign up to fight for our country to defend its interests and its security.

Veterans Affairs

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister stated in the House of Commons that when it came to cuts to the DVA, only backroom jobs would be cut.

Just recently 44 front-line jobs have been cut in order to transfer that work over to backroom private service insurance companies to deal with insurance benefit claims for veterans. Now we find out that Medavie Blue Cross will cut off the benefits of veterans if it cannot reach them by phone.

My question for the minister is very clear. This ideology that the government has regarding cutting public service jobs and transferring that work over to the private sector will not improve benefits for veterans. In fact, it will frustrate them even more. Will the minister reverse his decision and bring those jobs back to the public service?

[Erin O'Toole, Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC]

Mr. Speaker, as that member well knows, those jobs do not need to be brought back because there were no cuts. The employees at issue were reassigned to front-line jobs at Veterans Affairs Canada. Their salaries were maintained and there were no moves involved.

In fact, the changes to the treatment authorization centre recognize the increased number of service providers across the country and these changes should bring processing times down. That is something I think the member would agree is a priority for our veterans.

Foreign Affairs

[Lawrence Toet, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, pro-Russian forces have blatantly violated the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs please update the House on the government's response to this ongoing Russian military aggression against sovereign Ukrainian territory? Canadians need to know this.