Debates of Dec. 9th, 2004

Textile and Clothing Industry

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if there is any indifference, it is on the part of the Bloc that chose to wait until the last number of days before Parliament adjourns to even raise this issue on the floor of the House of Commons.

Members, like the member for Brome—Missisquoi and others across Quebec and Ontario in the government caucus and others in New Brunswick and Manitoba, have put this issue squarely before the government. Action will be forthcoming, designed by this caucus for Canadian workers, with no help from the Bloc Québécois.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Jay Hill, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister dithers about whether to fire his Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, real people in the real world continue to suffer.

Due to the minister's mistakes and some bad publicity, a malnourished baby boy starves in Vietnam while strippers were fast tracked into Canada. This tragedy unfolds, while his adoptive parents and biological sister anguish over his suffering as they await his arrival in this country.

Why does the self-proclaimed minister of hopes and dreams continue to deny this child any hope?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I heard about this case two weeks ago, when I read it in the media. If I could have gone over to Vietnam, picked the baby up and brought him here, believe me, I would have done it.

Vietnam will not allow children to leave the country until it has a framework specifically on international adoption. It is working on that with my colleagues in foreign affairs.

[Lee Richardson, Conservative, Calgary South Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when will it end? The minister has simply politicized the Department of Citizenship of Immigration with partisan favouritism. She has used her position to reward cronies and campaign workers while legitimate Canadians wait in line.

There is a six month backlog for resident cards and a nine month backlog for citizenship cards. Legitimate Canadians who requested citizenship cards nine months ago have not even had their envelopes opened or entered into the system. How long must they wait for integrity and--

[The Speaker]

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, there are so many aspects to that question, I am not sure which one the hon. member would like me to answer.

There has been a 40% increase in applications for Canadian citizenship, which is wonderful. People are moving forward and recognizing how important it is to become citizens. A new computer system has been put into place as well. Nine months is approximately what the timeframe is now. People ought to be patient when we have a big input to come back to.

Firearms Program

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, taxpayer money is just simply too precious to be wasted on the $1 billion gun registry boondoggle. Two current Liberal ministers and numerous other Liberal members are on record as joining the majority of Canadians in calling for the elimination of this ineffective program. We have an opportunity this evening to put an end to this abuse.

I ask the Prime Minister this. Will his government follow the lead of the Conservative Party and hold a true free vote so all members can represent their constituents, and finally scrap this wasteful, ineffective gun registry?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The poor member for Prince Edward--Hastings asked a question and now he cannot hear the answer. No one can hear the answer. The hon. Deputy Prime Minister has the floor. Everyone wants to hear the answer, including the member for Prince Edward--Hastings.

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I am not so sure about that, Mr. Speaker. The gun control program, in all its aspects, is an important part of our public safety agenda as the Government of Canada. Let me remind hon. members that we have had over seven million guns registered in the country. Police have made over three million queries to the Canadian firearms information system.

Our gun control program is increasing safety in the country. It is a valuable tool for front line police officers. It is keeping--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Essex.

Border Security

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a December 1 bust in Montreal turned up a gun smuggling ring across our border with the U.S. A cache of handguns, automatic weapons and 642 rounds of ammunition for their immediate use passed by border officials without detection on a day when border security was supposed to be on highest alert. These weapons could also have entered through one of our many unmanned border crossings.

Will the Prime Minister admit his failure to protect Canadians and redirect money from a rifle registry to the RCMP to combat gun smuggling?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, we have invested now well over $8 billion in the national security of the country. It was the Prime Minister who created the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. It was the Prime Minister who decided we should have a new border agency, the Canadian Border Services Agency.

That agency is doing a first class job on the front lines in terms of keeping Canadians safe, and working with our American allies to keep them safe.

Aerospace Industry

[Alan Tonks, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry with regard to Bombardier, but specific to that company's development of the new C Series jet class of aircraft.

This project is expected to generate $250 billion over the next 20 years and Bombardier is seeking a favourable interest rate or royalty agreement to fund the government portion of the investment.

Will the minister please inform the House whether the Government of Canada will commit to the project to ensure that this investment is made in Canada, and renew the government's commitment to the aerospace industry and the many thousands of jobs it provides?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, people should know that the aerospace industry employs about 78,800 people in the country. More than half of the employees in the aerospace industry are outside the province of Quebec. The C Series project will be very important to launch Bombardier and the aerospace industry on another chapter of evolution in that industry.

The Government of Canada is working closely with the industry and with Bombardier to ensure that happens.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Ed Broadbent, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister, and it goes to the root of ministerial responsibility.

In recent weeks the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration have all refused to answer serious allegations in the House about wrongdoing by the minister of immigration and senior members of her staff. They have refused to answer on the grounds that the Ethics Commissioner is looking into this.

Is the Prime Minister aware that yesterday in committee the Ethics Commissioner told us that those questions could be, and he implied ought to be, answered in the House and that there was no contradiction between what he was doing and answering questions?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, questions can be answered in the House, but the whole purpose of setting up the Office of the Ethics Commissioner is so an independent officer of Parliament can determine the facts. It is on the determination of those facts that further questions can be answered. It is all about that.

Canadian Heritage

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, will she or will she not? That is the question arts groups across Canada are asking because they are being devastated by the fact that the heritage minister has refused to say whether she will reinstate funding for Tomorrow Starts Today.

Tours are not being booked, programs have been cut, and meanwhile the minister continues to do the dance of a thousand veils, or as she calls it, reallocation exercises.

Will the minister commit to full funding for Tomorrow Starts Today? Could she give us that assurance today?

[Sarmite Bulte, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind members of the House that it was this government that reinvested over $560 million into the arts in May 2001, the largest reinvestment in the Canada Council. Since that time, the program has been renewed and will continue until at least March 31.

I am pleased to advise members of the House that members on this side of the House are working very hard with the Minister of Finance to ensure that this program is possibly renewed in the budget.

Human Resources and Skills Development

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to dither on the recognition of professionally trained immigrants. It is not the Bloc members, it is not the NDP members and it is not the Conservatives who are delaying this program. It is the incompetence of this Liberal government. An official has said, “It's been cancelled seven times, it's totally out of control”.

These people want to maximize their contributions to Canada. When will the Prime Minister stop breaking his election promises and get the program going?

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, the program is already going. We have a team of coordinating deputy ministers who are bringing together five different departments: health, international trade, foreign affairs, human resources and immigration.

They are already putting together the network that is required to validate any education, any formation that has been achieved outside of our borders, then applying it to ensure they are qualified for licences and matching them as well with networks of employers.

All of this takes--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry.

Governor General

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, six months ago during an election campaign the Prime Minister promised Canadians he would fix the democratic deficit.

The government's motion to restore the Governor General's budget is out of step with the Prime Minister's lip service to fixing the democratic deficit. Canadians do not believe the Governor General's budget should increase 50% in just five years. Members from all parties, including the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, voted in committee to rein in the Governor General's spending.

Why is the Prime Minister overriding the free and informed votes of committee members?

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, in all honesty, we have to be responsible. The Governor General has not had a chance to explain to the House how the budget would be affected with this cut. The government is moving to restore that cut, and rightly so.