Debates of Oct. 17th, 2006

Community Organizations

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge and thank three organizations from my riding which work with the most disadvantaged in society.

These organizations feed the heart as well as the body, and they put a balm on the sorrows of life. The Maison Agapè in Beauport, La Bouchée généreuse in Stadacona and the Salvation Army in Limoilou all work at giving every person in need their dignity back.

My thanks to the leaders and volunteers in these three organizations which, together, can provide assistance to more than 500 persons a week. I also wish to thank all the other organizations dedicated to helping the less fortunate get some dignity back.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

[Belinda Stronach, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

At times, the challenges facing so many in the developing world can seem beyond comprehension and far too onerous to solve: the spread of aids, the absence of clean water, the lack of a good education and, at the root of it all, extreme poverty. One in five people around the world live on less than $1 a day. What can any of us do?

We can help. We can stand as one, we can stand together and we can support some significant efforts, efforts like UNICEF's 25 by 2005, Girls' Education campaign; and efforts like the bed net program, where a $10 bed net can help prevent malaria and increase a child's chances of survival by 20%.

Through efforts like the Make Poverty History campaign, we see that lives can be saved, living standards can be improved and real hope can be kindled. By joining Make Poverty History, we unleash the power of one and we become the change that the world has been waiting for.

Status of Women

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is adding its voice to that of the Fédération des femmes du Québec and every one of its presidents, who denounced the $5 million cut to Status of Women Canada. To make cuts in this already underfunded program while the government is sitting on a $13 billion surplus is a sign of being dangerously ignorant and insensitive.

Also, the new funding criteria imposed on women's groups that advocate women's rights and are involved in political lobbying could prove fatal for a number of groups which are doing a tremendous and necessary job.

I say “necessary” because, while enshrined in official documents, women's equality is often de facto non-existent in many regards. Violence against women still prevails. The income of women is significantly lower than that of men. Women represent only 21% of elected representatives in the Parliament of Canada.

In 2006, women's groups are still necessary.

National Housing and Co-operatives Week

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of National Housing and Co-operatives Week.

There is a crisis of homelessness and a crisis of affordability across this country.

In my city of Toronto, 65,000 households are on a waiting list for assisted housing. It can take up to 12 years for a family to get a three bedroom apartment. In my riding, a project like Green Phoenix, which needs funds for energy efficient, affordable housing to house some of the most needy, may not be able to go ahead due to lack of funding.

We need a national housing strategy that needs all levels of government to make significant investments in affordable and co-op housing.

Global Vision

[Lee Richardson, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Global Vision, a remarkable Canadian NGO that provides young Canadians with the skills, knowledge and experience they need to succeed as today's global leaders.

Acting locally and thinking globally, these highly motivated youth work hard in their regions as global youth ambassadors to make a difference, while inspiring others to build stronger communities at home and abroad. In 2006, over 2,000 youth participated in the program.

I want to congratulate Global Vision and its supporting partners, which include the University of Ottawa, the Counselling Foundation, EDC, ACOA, BMO, Canadian Heritage, CIDA, York University, True Energy of Calgary and countless others that help young Canadians make their mark and make a difference in the world.

The Conservative Government

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are not telling Canadians the truth about the big fat contracts they give to their cronies.

Mike Harris' President of the Treasury Board awarded quite a hefty contract to a good Conservative like Marie-Josée Lapointe. He then tells us the contract was cancelled, but not before giving her half the money.

The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development awarded quite a hefty contract to a former Conservative minister, Harvie Andre. How much is the contract worth? The minister tries to reassure us by saying that it was just a measly $50,000, but his own government's web site says it was more like half a million dollars.

The Prime Minister, the worst of them all, made an offer his campaign manager in Quebec could not refuse: a seat in the Senate and the keys to PWGSC.

When it comes to hefty contracts for Conservative cronies, Canadians know that this government is not telling them the truth.

Parliamentarians Against Corruption

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second global conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, which I chaired, was held in September in Arusha, Tanzania.

GOPAC is an organization of parliamentarians from around the world committed to improving the effectiveness of parliaments as democratic institutions of oversight of government.

GOPAC has three pillars supporting its mission: peer support for parliamentarians, education for parliamentarians, and leadership for results.

Coming out of the conference, GOPAC demonstrated leadership by resolving to create task forces to advance a number of politically important agendas such as developing a code of conduct for parliamentarians and engaging governments to ratify and implement the UN Convention against Corruption.

Members will hear much of GOPAC in the years to come as the Arusha agenda of democratic oversight and accountability gains momentum around the world.

Eva Ottawa

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today the leader and members of the Bloc Québécois, including the hon. member for Saint-Maurice—Champlain and I had the privilege of meeting the Grand Chief of the Attikamek Nation and the chiefs of the three communities in that nation.

Eva Ottawa won an enviable majority during the September 13 election with more than 75% of the vote. She is a native of Manawan in my riding and was elected Grand Chief of the nation and president of the nation council. She is the first woman to be elected to these positions.

A legal scholar, progressive thinker and humanist, her focus is on the development and emancipation of her nation. She has notably worked as a consultant within the context of the negotiations between the governments of Quebec and Canada.

I want to congratulate her and tell her on behalf of everyone in the riding of Joliette how proud we are of her election. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I wish her much success in her new mandate. She can count on the Bloc Québécois' support and mine to back the Attikamek in their claims and to continue real exchanges based on respect from one nation to another.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, recognized around the world.

Like all Canadians, our government is committed to helping those less fortunate and implementing action plans not only to address poverty, but to eliminate it. The government is also determined to adopt a new approach to resolve the difficult situation facing many aboriginals. Our goal is to change the current reality of aboriginal peoples to ensure that their communities can count on the basic tools they need to achieve real, significant and long-term changes.

Thanks to these tools, which we are working hard to develop, we will be able to lay the groundwork for a strong, diversified economy in aboriginal communities. Next week, we will attend the Quebec first nations socio-economic forum, along with the Quebec government and first nations, in order to find lasting solutions to the problems and challenges facing aboriginals.

Access to Information

[Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the election platform entitled “Stand Up for Canada”, the Conservative Party made a distinct promise to strengthen access to information legislation.

In fact, on page 12 of their election platform it states that “A Conservative government will implement the Information Commissioner’s recommendations for reform of the Access to Information Act”.

Last April the Conservatives broke this promise when these specific recommendations were left out of the Prime Minister's so called accountability act.

I understand that the newly elected Prime Minister now believes these recommendations represent an extreme view.

Canadians have a right to access information about their government, but the Prime Minister is denying that right.

Once again, “Stand Up for Canada” just fell flat on its face with yet another broken promise from the Conservatives.

Nova Scotia

[Bill Casey, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as members may already be aware, today is Nova Scotia Day here in Ottawa. Our premier, Rodney MacDonald, several of his cabinet ministers, MLAs and business leaders are here to display all that Nova Scotia has to offer.

Nova Scotians take great pride in their shared history and also look to the future with great confidence and determination.

Canada's new government has worked with the Government of Nova Scotia by investing close to $72 million in various initiatives through ACOA to help build a strong and competitive economy in our province. These investments are helping to make communities stronger, spur business growth, encourage innovation, and research and development.

Our government has also invested $1.8 million through the innovative communities fund for community based projects and $23 million through the municipal rural infrastructure program to help communities upgrade their civic infrastructure.

I am proud to say that the Government of Canada is working closely with the Government of Nova Scotia in getting things done for Nova Scotians, and once again, I welcome the delegation to Ottawa.

Citizenship and Immigration

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one of the former Liberal government's most shameful legacies is an immigration and refugee backlog of over 700,000 applications.

Every day in my Hamilton Centre office we see the heartbreak of separated families and seniors in tears as they are torn away from their grandchildren. After waiting as long as 10 years, they ask me, “Can I become a Canadian or not? Please let me know soon”.

This year's Citizenship Week gives the Conservative government an opportunity to end the bottomless backlog and to reunite desperate families. Their election platform promised reforms to end the waiting time, but the lines still grow and the reforms have not come.

I agree with the minister's words that new Canadians make a significant social, economic and cultural contribution to the country. What I want to know is, where are the actions to go with those words?

Our current system is dividing families, crushing spirits, and leaving good people weeping in frustration. Canada can and must do better.

The Conservative Government

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have misled Canadians many times, and have done so once again with their orgy of patronage appointments.

They said they wanted to put a stop to cronyism, but their actions suggest the opposite.

Who is the new consul general in Boston? None other than the former Conservative finance minister, Neil Leblanc.

Who is the new negotiator in the land claims file? The Mulroney-era former Conservative minister, Harvie Andre. It must be pure coincidence that his son-in-law sits on the executive in the riding of the minister responsible.

New judge in Alberta? No problem, they called upon the former money man for the Reform and Alliance parties, Bruce MacDonald, whose daughter just happens to work in the Prime Minister's Office.

Summit of la Francophonie? Why not pay for a vacation for Gilles Bernier, the father of the current Minister of Industry and a former Conservative MP?

The Conservatives are breaking one promise after another. At this rate, they will soon have no promises left to break and will have to invent new promises so they can break them, too.

Canadians will remember this.

Ordre national du Québec

[Yvon Lévesque, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to two exceptional people from my riding, namely Édith Cloutier and Johnny Adams, who were made knights of the Ordre national du Québec last June. They were awarded this honour for their great involvement and commitment within their respective communities.

Ms. Cloutier, executive director of the Val-d'Or Native Friendship Centre, and president of the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue et Nord du Québec, is a passionate and determined woman. She has worked relentlessly for the improvement of the living conditions of native people living in urban environments.

Mr. Adams has devoted his efforts to improving the quality of life and development of the members of his community, but above all his achievements as mayor of Kuujjuaq and president of the Kativik regional government have been considerable.

Congratulations, Ms. Cloutier and Mr. Adams, on your generosity and solidarity. You are a great source of inspiration to the people in our riding and especially in your communities.

Literacy

[Blair Wilson, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are failing to tell the truth about trashing adult literacy programs. They say adult literacy is important, then they cut $17.7 million in what, literacy training.

The Prime Minister brags about $80 million spent on literacy, but wait a minute, that is $17.7 million less than when he started.

The Mike Harris President of the Treasury Board denies ever saying government should not be trying to do repair work after the fact. Then he is caught on tape.

This is a Prime Minister who cuts the heart out of literacy funding at the exact same time his wife is raising charity money for literacy.

When it comes to adult literacy, how can Canadians not conclude that this minority government is failing to tell the truth?

Yukon

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

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, October 10 the citizens of Yukon eagerly embraced the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote and they re-elected the Yukon Party to be their territorial government.

Congratulations to government leader Dennis Fentie and his team. They are the first government to secure a re-election in Yukon's history.

To the envy of many in this chamber, an impressive 77% of eligible voters cast a ballot to choose the 18 members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of Yukon Territory. I commend the people of Yukon for this collective demonstration of support for their democracy.

My constituency of Prince George—Peace River shares its northern border with Yukon. My constituents and Yukoners face many of the same issues, challenges and opportunities.

Along with the Government of Canada, I look forward to working with Premier Fentie and his government in building a healthy and prosperous future not only for Yukoners but for all Canadians.

Chrysotile Asbestos

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, further to pressure from the Bloc Québécois, Canada supported, last week in Geneva, the decision to exempt asbestos from the Rotterdam Convention list of hazardous materials. Thus Canada officially acknowledged the safe and increased use of chrysotile fibre, as had the Government of Quebec in 2002.

Ottawa should, however, show some consistency by ensuring that federal departments and agencies now have uniform regulations that do not categorize chrysotile with hazardous materials.

The government must immediately comply with the recommendations made in the second report of the Subcommittee on International Trade, Trade Disputes and Investment, presented to the House on June 17, 2005, by the Bloc Québécois and adopted unanimously.

This report recommends that the Government of Canada develop a policy based on information about this fibre, its promotion and safe use.

The economy of the communities of Asbestos and Thetford Mines depend on it.

Afghanistan

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, five months ago today, when the House debated the extension of our mission in Afghanistan, we insisted that the success of the mission and the safety of our troops depended on the essential aid component in Kandahar. The Minister of International Cooperation assured the House that the money for reconstruction was there for Kandahar.

Yesterday we learned that, while our soldiers pay with their lives, the government will not deliver the aid necessary for their success.

When will the government live up to its promises to Parliament, to our valiant troops, to Canadians and the struggling people of Afghanistan and deliver the reconstruction aid necessary for the success of our mission in Kandahar?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I completely reject the premise of the Leader of the Opposition's question. Our mission in Afghanistan involves not just our soldiers from National Defence and diplomacy, but also aggressive development efforts, not just in Kandahar but across the country.

The member knows that the security situation in Kandahar is difficult. That has hampered our efforts to deliver aid, but we continue to deliver it across the country. He will know that President Karzai, in his address to this Parliament, praised us for doing just that.

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what President Karzai said to the House was a humble demand for help to his people and help for the mission.

How can the Prime Minister stand in his place in the House and say that? One of the responsible generals testified in the other house yesterday that the military was taking money out of its own essential budget to spend for aid reconstruction to protect its troops when it could not get the money from the government department that should have been giving it to them.

It is absolutely unacceptable. We want the truth this time, not these political bromides.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is Canadian development officials, defence personnel and diplomats are doing very good work in Afghanistan under very difficult circumstances. No matter how many holes the opposition tries to poke in the job they are doing, we defend the job they are doing and we are proud of them.

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's problem is that General Howard himself hit the nail on the head today when talking about the difficulties in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, he told us that the government is abandoning our troops as they have to use their own budgets in order to provide the aid required to carry out their mission. If we do not provide the financial support needed by our troops, this mission runs the risk of becoming another Iraq, and everyone knows it.

Why did the government tell us that the money to rebuild Kandahar was coming? Where is the money needed to support our troops and the mission?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that no funds are being withheld by CIDA for projects in Kandahar.

Just last week, I was in Valcartier, in the vicinity of Quebec City, where I had the honour of announcing two rapid action projects specifically for Kandahar: $3.1 million will be used for medium-sized infrastructure and $2 million will be used to accelerate the national solidarity program.

That is what is being done in Kandahar and the security provided by our military is critical to development.

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the women and men of the Royal 22nd Regiment of Valcartier are preparing to go to Afghanistan, and we still do not know what is happening in the field. Yesterday we learned, as this mission cost our soldiers their lives, that the government is not delivering the support that is necessary to ensure success.

Why has the Prime Minister assured this House that development assistance would be a priority, and today he is not delivering the goods? Why not give Canadians the real picture?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, a little earlier this season, the Quebec City region had the honour of hosting a Liberal leadership candidates’ debate. None of the candidates bothered to pay a visit to the soldiers of the Royal 22nd Regiment in Valcartier. None of them was so bold as to go and listen to what the soldiers have to say about the work they are doing there.

More recently, 200 women, children and friends of the soldiers going to Kandahar to do excellent work set up a support movement. No Liberal MPs were in attendance—