House of Commons Hansard #148 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was liberal.
Liza Frulla LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, the installation of a Governor General is the most important state ceremony in Canada's constitutional and ceremonial structure.
If the Conservatives want to abolish the constitutional monarchy to save money, to abolish governors general and lieutenant governors, they should say so and explain it to western Canadians.
Merv Tweed Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice says that those who commit serious sexual assault could get house arrest under exceptional circumstances. For Canadians, house arrest for sexual assault under any circumstances is just unacceptable.
Can the minister explain how he defines exceptional circumstances, or is that just code for more soft on crime Liberal justice?
Irwin Cotler LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, all federal, provincial and territorial ministers of justice agreed at their last meeting in January that conditional sentencing is a valid instrument, but it should not be used for purposes for which it was not originally intended, for example, serious and violent offences such as child sexual offences.
With regard to child sexual offences, not only is there not a possibility of a conditional sentence for youth but there are mandatory minimums which would exclude even its application in exceptional circumstances.
Joy Smith Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Mr. Speaker, the minister better put his money where his mouth is. With all due respect, there are many sexual perpetrators on the street right now. Their judgments are not very stiff.
Will the minister get tough with these sexual predators instead of providing them with another Liberal loophole?
Irwin Cotler LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we agree that sexual offences against children are the most pernicious and predatory of practices. That is why we adopted, with the support of all parties, the most comprehensive child protection legislation in the world. If members opposite want to engage in fearmongering, they can. We will engage in effective law enforcement.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that Canadian businesses created more jobs in the month of October than in any single month over the last two years, lowering our unemployment rate to a 30 year low of 6.6%. We also see that our GDP growth is up 3.2%.
Can the Minister of Finance tell the House when he will give us the full picture of the impressive performance of the Canadian economy through his economic and fiscal update?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, Canada has the best job creation performance in the G-7. We have a near record participation rate in the Canadian job market. We have the lowest unemployment in 30 years. The Canadian economy is a world-class performer. Our fiscal situation is robust.
I will be more than happy to elaborate on our current triple A situation and our exciting plans for the future in the 2005 fall economic statement and fiscal update on Monday, November 14.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Gomery report has exposed the inner workings of a corrupt government. When he took office, the Prime Minister promised “transformative change”. He promised to end the all pervasive culture of entitlement contaminating the government, but nothing has changed.
Will the Deputy Prime Minister tell Canadians if the government has any plans whatsoever to plug the loophole which allowed David Dingwall to legally collect a $350,000 lobbying fee that was illegal for the company to make?
Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the member asked the question, “Does the Prime Minister have a plan?” I can respond very strongly that of course he does. He has the plan he began with when he took the job of Prime Minister on December 12. It was a plan to strengthen Treasury Board, restore comptrollership, strengthen financial management, and restore internal audit. It was a plan to bring integrity to the management of the finances of the Government of Canada and Judge Gomery has verified that.
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Mr. Speaker, this week the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration boldly announced that he was above the law of the land. He announced that he would not uphold the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and would not implement the refugee appeal division that is a key part of that law. This was Liberal legislation. It was debated in the House and in committee. It was passed by Parliament. The refugee appeal division is supported by every immigrant and refugee-serving organization in Canada and some internationally.
Why does the minister believe that he is above the law? What entitles the minister to refuse to abide by Canadian law?
Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, I can say that the minister does not believe he is above the law. The minister has been working exceptionally hard across this country with immigrant communities to strengthen the immigrant communities and the services that are offered.
If the members on the other side would spend some time on the committee paying attention to these issues, instead of cutting $200 million in support to the immigrant communities, we might all be better off.
Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Cambridge a man was chased down in the street and hacked to death with a machete. It was a brutal and bloody slaying that shocked the region. One of those involved was just sentenced to 19 months of house arrest.
After participating in what the minister must agree is an exceptionally serious and violent murder, he was sent home to watch DVDs.
When will the Liberal government learn that a warm couch, a night of movies and popcorn, is not punishment? It is not rehabilitation. It is not justice. It is plain and simple stupidity.
Irwin Cotler LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, our reform with respect to conditional sentences was intended to send a message with respect to denunciation. All serious offences and violent offences with regard to the proportionality principle, and I cannot comment on individual cases, will not be the subject of conditional sentences.
Jeremy Harrison Conservative Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, this morning the contribution of aboriginal veterans was rightfully honoured in the other chamber. I would again like to offer my gratitude for the service and sacrifice of these brave veterans.
Last year this House passed my private member's motion to fairly recognize the contributions of these courageous warriors. The entire Liberal cabinet voted against this basic call for equality. The Liberal government has since failed to address the inequality of post-war treatment for aboriginal veterans.
When will the government respect the will of this House and fairly treat our aboriginal veterans?
John Godfrey LiberalMinister of State (Infrastructure and Communities)
Mr. Speaker, it seems ironic that this question should be put today after the Minister of Veterans Affairs has just returned from Europe with an interparliamentary group to honour aboriginal veterans. The focus of today's ceremony in the Senate was precisely to honour aboriginal veterans.
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Mr. Speaker, Imperial Tobacco recently announced the closure of its Guelph plant, eliminating over 500 jobs. These jobs support hundreds of area Guelph families. The government should be doing all it can to cushion the blow. We have proposed a $1,000 grant for apprentices, an employer tax credit for their salaries, and a $500 deduction for their tools. Our proposals will help these workers retrain for the tens of thousands of skilled trades jobs that go unfilled in this country.
When will the government follow through on a recommendation and help these workers and the 100,000 other workers who have lost jobs in manufacturing?
Belinda Stronach LiberalMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal
Mr. Speaker, any time there are a large number of layoffs this is something that we are very concerned about and we take very seriously. The department goes into the workplace and works with the employers and the employees to ensure that we can do everything possible, including EI temporary income support to make it easier for those workers.
Having said that, we are also very concerned about the upcoming skills shortages. We have launched a workplace skills strategy, which includes apprenticeship training programs and also workplace partner panels, where industry comes together with labour to devise that strategy so that it makes sense and is more relevant in today's workplace.
Loyola Hearn Conservative St. John's South, NL
Mr. Speaker, in September the fishing vessel the Melina and Keith II sank off the Newfoundland coast with a loss of four lives, one dying only 15 minutes before rescue arrived. It took a half an hour to verify the original distress signal and determine the location. This is understandable.
Can the minister tell the House why it took another two hours to get a chopper in the air, particularly when the distress signal was received while the search and rescue crew was still on shift?
Keith Martin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the response time from our search and rescue team was well within the norms that is allowed. We profoundly regret the loss of life of those people who were far away from shore.
I can assure the House that those members in our search and rescue team, who respond admirably and with courage at every opportunity, responded well within the times that were humanly possible to save those people's lives.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly yesterday passed a motion requiring a bilateral agreement to be signed with the federal government to respond to Quebec's concerns. Unable to agree with his counterpart, minister Mulcair has decided to go over his head and negotiate directly with the Minister of Transport.
Why is the federal government refusing to sign an agreement that responds to all the concerns expressed by Quebec, which has the best record with regard to greenhouse gases in Canada?
Jean Lapierre LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, first off, the Minister of the Environment has the full confidence of the government. He alone is negotiating for all the provinces. He is currently working to put an extraordinary plan in place in connection with the Kyoto protocol. And we have every confidence in the negotiations he will undertake, not publicly but privately, with his colleagues.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the contribution by the major polluters is a very small part of the minister's plan. In reality, the minister is drawing attention away from the $10 billion Ottawa is trying to send Alberta and Ontario, to the detriment of Quebec taxpayers.
I am addressing the government's real negotiator, the Minister of Transport, and not the immovable object criticized by minister Mulcair. Does the Minister of Transport plan to sign a bilateral agreement with Quebec on climate change that recognizes past efforts prior to the international conference to be held in Montreal on November 28?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the first thing that strikes me in this question is that the member appears to be finally acknowledging that the Government of Canada's plan for Canadian industry is perfectly fair and calls on each industry in each province to do its share. That is why, in Quebec, as greenhouse gas emissions are lower and fewer tonnes are available, Quebec industry will produce 3 tonnes regulated out of 45.
The second point concerns the distribution of funds by province. That is being negotiated with the provinces in polite terms with nine of them and less polite terms with—
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian forest industry has paid $5 billion in unjustified softwood lumber tariffs to the U.S. The final NAFTA decision in August confirmed that this $5 billion must be returned to the Canadian industry.
Last week, however, the Prime Minister puzzled everyone, including people from the industry and the provincial governments, by calling for the return of only $3.5 billion of the $5 billion.
Why does the Prime Minister continue to undermine the Canadian position on softwood?