Debates of Nov. 23rd, 2005

Immigration

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Immigration Act was amended in 2002, the government dropped the number of board members hearing refugee claims from two to one. In order to allay concerns over this, the former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration said in June 2002 that he had promised the Canadian Council for Refugees that there would be an appeal division within the year.

Why has the current Minister of Citizenship and Immigration decided not to implement the refugee appeal division, thereby reneging on a commitment his own colleague made?

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the UN still considers us a world leader, particularly in this area where we have excellent results. For example, there was a 2% increase last year in the number of refugees admitted to Canada.

I hope that the hon. member will recognize the excellent results of our system.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to the Canada Border Services Agency, Ottawa has lost track of 43,000 illegal immigrants, a 20% increase since 2002. The lack of an appeal division encourages people to go into hiding because they have no faith in the system.

Will the minister admit that not only is his decision not to implement the appeal division irresponsible with regard to human rights, but it flies in the face of Canada's international commitments?

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member refuses to recognize that, according to the UN, Canada leads the way in this regard.

Textile and Clothing Industry

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 5, the House of Commons formally called upon the government to establish a policy of assistance to the textile and clothing industries. The textile and clothing industries really need that policy to be put in place now.

Will the Minister of Finance decide to announce this plan, which is essential to the survival of these industries and of hundreds of jobs?

[Jacques Saada, Liberal, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister responsible for the Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, on October 28, 2005, the Government of Canada announced the elimination of the 14% customs tariff on imported fabrics. That measure is retroactive to January 1, 2005. It will save Canadian manufacturers in the order of $29 million annually. This is in addition to the program for Canadian textiles, through which 173 projects have been approved in Quebec, for a total of $10.3 million. It is also in addition to CANtex, which has allocated $26.7 million nationally since October 13, 2004, $14.6 million of that in Quebec. In Quebec alone, 43 projects were approved for a total of $3.2 million.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the House of Commons demanded a new policy back on October 5, 2005, and the current government's actions do not include it.

This reminds us of the softwood lumber situation, where it took the government three and one-half years to finally heed the demands of the Bloc Québécois and to come up with some semblance of a plan.

Is the minister waiting for the textile and clothing industries to disappear completely before announcing any concrete measures to save them from the catastrophe everyone can see coming? It will be on the government's head.

[Jacques Saada, Liberal, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister responsible for the Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, I would tell my hon. colleague to go and see how things are at Stedfast, in Granby, or Empire Shirt in Louiseville, before saying that the textile industry is doomed.

Those people over there are constantly making more demands, but when they have an opportunity to walk the talk, they do not take it. When a budget increase was proposed to help that sector, they refused it. They voted against that budget. This is hypocritical. I keep on saying this, and will continue to say it over the coming weeks: they have no right and no credibility in that sector.

Income Trusts

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is sending the signal that he might be starting the very long climb down from the income trust debacle. After devastating the markets by musing about whether trusts had a future under his watch, he then told the House that three-quarters of the public were with him on the trust issue. Yeah right, we really believe that.

Now that the minister has had his nose bloodied by seniors and small investors who rely on income trusts, will he finally back away and declare that income trusts are here to stay and he will not raise taxes on them?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we are conducting a very useful consultation process that has elicited a number of valuable points of view.

It is very important when making decisions to base those decisions on the best advice one can get. Many of those seniors to whom the hon. gentleman has referred and many other Canadians have come forward to give me the benefit of their opinions and I value those opinions.

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, while the minister is doing his navel gazing, seniors are taking a beating in the market. That is the problem.

It is all very interesting following along where the minister's mind leads him today, but investors need some certainty. Yesterday he said he wanted to give investors some certainty, so here is his big chance.

Income trust investors everywhere want to know, will the minister commit to levelling the playing field between income trusts and other investment vehicles without raising taxes on income trusts?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the government has acted consistently in the best interests of senior citizens. We have raised RSP limits. We have removed the foreign property rule. We are increasing the GIS. We are reducing taxes on senior citizens. We are removing 240,000 seniors from the tax rolls altogether. We have rendered the Canada pension plan actuarially sound for the next 75 years. We have indexed the tax system against the impact of inflation.

This government has acted on behalf of seniors. We will continue to act in the best interests of seniors.

Transportation

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Auditor General criticized Transport Canada's mismanagement of the Quebec bridge file. Only 40% of the work has been completed, and more than $60 million has already been spent. Transport Canada and CN cannot agree on who is to foot the rest of the bill. We are talking about a historic site here, and a vital infrastructure.

Why can the Minister of Transport not come to an agreement and meet the expectations of the City of Quebec?

[Jean Lapierre, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have indeed done all we could to reach an agreement with CN and force it to complete the restoration of the Quebec bridge. Unfortunately, although we have had one meeting with the president and another meeting with officials, CN is not prepared to understand. Consequently, my patience has run out and today I instructed my attorneys to give CN formal notice to complete the work or face court proceedings.

Automobile Industry

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the rotting Liberal ship is sinking and the government is taking the manufacturing sector down with it.

Last spring the Liberal trade minister said, “It does not matter how many manufacturing jobs we lose to foreign and overseas labour markets”. This week the industry minister classified the effects of 3,900 layoffs at GM as somewhat exaggerated.

Will the minister come to Oshawa, explain to the affected families that their job losses are exaggerated and reassure them, as he assured us on Monday, there will be no pink slips given out by GM?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I think it would be appropriate for the hon. member to read what Buzz Hargrove had to say. He said:

We've already tried Harper's vision: cut taxes and wait for the jobs to come flowing in. It doesn't work.

If we want a competitive auto industry, we need government to play an active role.

He said that their members' jobs and the future of their communities are at risk with a Harper victory.

[The Speaker]

The hon. member should not refer to members by name, but by their title. I think the hon. member was referring to the Leader of the Opposition.

Lobbyists

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, considering the importance of the issue, can the Minister of Industry inform the House about the role of the Registrar of Lobbyists and his vision for the future of the Lobbyists Registration Act?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I have mentioned to the House a number of times that the Lobbyists Registration Act does require some strengthening. We have encountered difficulties in administering the act. I am announcing today the government's intent to amend the act.

We will strengthen enforcement, number one. We will enhance the independence of the Registrar of Lobbyists, number two. Number three, we will ensure that the Registrar of Lobbyists has the necessary resources. Specifically, we will increase fines, introduce administrative monetary penalties, extend the limitation period and strengthen the--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Burnaby—New Westminster.

Terasen Inc.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the U.S. said it would continue to impose illegal tariffs on softwood for 45 days and then let George Bush decide whether to respect NAFTA. That is another $200 million gone to Washington and the Liberal government gives away our leverage.

The Liberals have handed over Terasen, Canada's third largest utility, to a company with an appalling environmental and safety record owned by a George Bush bagman. The message to Mr. Bush is it is open season on Canada.

British Columbians have said no. Will the government halt the takeover approval and hold public hearings now?

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

First, Mr. Speaker, let me assure you that the acquisition is of benefit to Canada, considering what the investment is about. It means hundreds of jobs for British Columbia and for Alberta. That is very good news.

We have consulted with the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Even the British Columbia Utilities Commission has done its own review and agrees with that acquisition. I think it is of benefit to Canadians.

Employment Insurance

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report tabled yesterday revealed that, since 1999, the accumulated surplus in the EI account has grown from $21 billion to $48 billion. That is three times more than was considered sufficient in the chief actuary's 2001 report.

Given that the new legislation will ensure sufficient income to cover EI program costs, will the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development use the best 12 weeks of income to calculate benefits, so that workers can take advantage of this $48 billion that the Liberals have taken from them?

[Belinda Stronach, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I am pleased the Auditor General has recognized that our new EI premium rate setting process that we put in place in budget 2005 balances the inflows with the outflows.

The hon. member has asked about the 12 week program. We have moved to the best 14 weeks. We met our deadline. That should improve EI payments to those workers in seasonal industry jobs.

The Environment

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, back in 1990 when the Prime Minister was the environment critic for his party, he said that criminal polluters would go to jail. Now we have learned, according to people who used to work at his shipping empire, Canada Steamship Lines, that when he uttered those words, tonnes of ore pellets were being dumped by the Prime Minister's shipping empire into the Great Lakes, poisoning the water.

Canadians are used to two standards, one for normal Canadians and another one for Liberals who seem to be above the law. I would like to give the government an opportunity to say that it will investigate and prosecute the Prime Minister's family empire for poisoning the Great Lakes.