Debates of Oct. 2nd, 2006

The Environment

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am quite anxious to see in this House this future plan that will respect the Kyoto protocol. NGOs working internationally maintain that, when striving to achieve the Kyoto protocol objectives, domestic efforts cannot be disassociated from external efforts. Consequently, the NGOs are asking Canada to help developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Will this recommendation be reflected in the Minister of the Environment's green plan that she has been promising for several months?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, what I can assure the member of is that this government will not purchase foreign credits like the last government did.

In yet another example of Liberal priorities, the former Liberal government gave $5 million to the Asian Development Bank to pay to the People's Republic of China to buy foreign credits. Then there was the $4 million I gave an example of last week, in Kazakhstan. This week, there is $5 million to the People's Republic of China. All to buy foreign credits.

That money could have gone to buy sewage treatment plants in Canada. It could have gone to pay for anti-pollution technology. That money should be invested at home.

Softwood Lumber

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government just announced that the implementation of the softwood lumber agreement was delayed by one month. Under that agreement, substantial sums are to be handed over to Quebec businesses in difficulty.

Can the government guarantee us that this deferral will in no way delay the payment of the $4 billion owing to those businesses?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to this question in the House because, under the Prime Minister's leadership, we worked for several months on a softwood lumber agreement that would address all of the concerns of the forestry industry. An agreement has been reached and we are aware that it must be implemented as soon as possible. We are working towards that goal.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, even with that agreement, forestry companies are facing an unprecedented crisis and need emergency assistance, as recognized by the Quebec government and the entire industry.

The Bloc Québécois proposed a specific, thorough plan with numbers, which the federal government should use to intervene effectively with the forestry companies.

Why—is it pure dogmatism?—does the federal government refuse to act on the Bloc Québécois' suggestions, when all it is doing is abandoning the industry and its workers?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we negotiated an agreement with the Americans that is in the best interests of the Canadian industry. What is disappointing about the Bloc Québécois is that Quebeckers know that the Bloc Québécois remains on the sidelines and could never have negotiated an agreement such as this one. More than 90% of the industry supports this agreement.

The Bloc Québécois cannot meed the needs of Quebeckers, which is why we acted by signing this agreement in the interest of forestry workers.

Government Appointments

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

Mr. Speaker, the human resources minister appointed former Conservative strategist Kevin Gaudet to the CPP review board. Mr. Gaudet was later forced to resign because of this blatant conflict, but that is not all. The minister's appointments include the former campaign manager for the member for Winnipeg South, a former Conservative member of Parliament and a provincial Conservative candidate.

Why does the minister insist on appointing her Conservative cronies?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, it would appear from the questions coming from the opposite side that those members seem to think the only capable person is a Liberal. We know better. We know that Conservatives in fact can be even more competent. We are hiring and choosing our people on the basis of competence and merit, regardless of their political stripes.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is embarrassing.

The justice minister recently appointed defeated Canadian Alliance candidate Kerry-Lynne Findlay to join Canada's human rights tribunal, a body that adjudicates human rights cases. It is an interesting choice given that Findlay, running third for the 2005 Conservative nomination in Richmond, B.C., threw her support behind Focus on the Family President Darrel Reid, who railed against “the court-led coup” that legalized same sex marriage and even wants to use the notwithstanding clause to overrule the courts.

When will the minister admit that he has been caught making an ill-advised appointment and take away this human rights appointment at Canada's human rights tribunal?

[John Baird, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to the federal accountability act being passed by the Liberal Senate, because, let me tell members, human rights are tremendously important to Canadians. Canadians have heard some very disturbing claims from a front bench member of the Liberal Party who is charging that in the Liberal Party he has faced bigotry and discrimination.

I ask the Liberal Party, has anyone been called in to investigate these disgraceful charges made by a member of that party's own front bench?

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, was it that hard to find a Conservative to fill the job with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal? The Prime Minister said to himself, “Why not appoint the extreme right-wing Alliance-Reform candidate, Kerry-Lynne Findlay?”

We all know that the Prime Minister thinks the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal interferes with our basic freedoms. So why did he appoint Ms. Findlay, when she thinks exactly the same way he does?

[John Baird, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we believe that appointments should be based on merit. We believe there should be greater scrutiny of appointments. That is why the very first piece of legislation we brought forward in the House was the federal accountability act, a federal accountability act that was passed in 71 days.

We are coming upon the 100th day that the Liberal Senate has had the federal accountability act. Maybe that member, instead of spreading hot air in this chamber, could go down the hall and get her Liberal colleagues, her Liberal friends, to do the right thing, help us clean up corruption and bring real accountability to the statute books of this nation.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not blind. Appointments to the Canada Pension Plan Review Tribunal were based on political allegiances.

The minister rewarded friends of Conservatives, their legal partners and financial backers of Conservative Party leadership candidates for their work. Why does the minister think this important tribunal is just another way to reward her political cronies?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, this is sounding more and more like the same old same old, from when those people were on this side of the House. In those days, they sat on the committees. Now they are trying to say that only Liberals are capable of sitting and getting these appointments. They are still trying to stack it. We will not have that. We appoint people from all sides of the political spectrum.

International Cooperation

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages was in Bucharest last week for the 11th summit of la Francophonie. The minister announced a memorandum of understanding between Canada and France.

Can she provide any details about this MOU?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his excellent question.

Last week, I signed a memorandum of understanding with France on cooperation for development, which is a first for our two countries. The agreement will enable France and Canada to work on joint initiatives in Haiti and Africa, where our two countries are particularly active and involved. We will collaborate in areas of education, governance, the environment, and gender equality. This MOU will help strengthen the effectiveness of our aid.

The Environment

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner has documented the massive failure of the former Liberal government on climate change: $6 billion in climate change programs with no effective government-wide system to track expenditures, no performance standards and no results.

My question is for the President of the Treasury Board. What effort is the government making to track the missing money? When is the government going to get Canadians' hard-earned money back and put it where it belongs, in cleaning and greening this environment?

[John Baird, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear for the member for Ottawa Centre. I am not prepared to stand in my place and defend the mismanagement, financial or otherwise, of the previous Liberal government.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I might agree. The Liberal climate change scandal makes the Liberal sponsorship scandal look like stolen lunch money.

The government has no reason for not having a comprehensive, open and accountable plan to get taxpayers' money back. Will the President of the Treasury Board bring in the Auditor General to find out where the climate change money went? Or does this government believe, like the last government, that fighting climate change is a writeoff?

[John Baird, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I want to say very directly for the member for Ottawa Centre, what a good idea, and as the member of the New Democratic Party knows, one of the most important parts of the federal accountability act is the new power that the government wants to give the Auditor General to follow the money.

I can say that those of us on this side of the House will leave no stone unturned to ensure that every dollar fraudulently spent will be returned to hard-working, middle class families who deserve a break, something they never got from the Liberal Party opposite.

Government Appointments

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the new vice-president of ACOA in New Brunswick is a former chief of staff to Elmer MacKay and communications chief to Bernard Lord. What a coincidence.

How can the minister explain to Canadians that Canada's minority Conservative government is appointing a friend to a senior position at ACOA?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot account for the member's lack of friends in this world, but what I can say is that this individual who was appointed, Hermel Vienneau, spent virtually his entire life serving the people of New Brunswick, first in the federal government. Then he went back to serve the province of New Brunswick as a very competent, bilingual public servant who has done incredible work throughout his career and is now continuing to do so in his new capacity with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, first we had the minister's silly cheap shots threatening to punish the ridings of MPs who dare to ask him questions in this House. Now his old friends are the only people who qualify to run ACOA.

When will the Prime Minister appoint a full time minister for ACOA who will not treat a crown agency as his personal fiefdom?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, what I can tell you is the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is doing great work for the people of Atlantic Canada. It continues to be a delivery service for many other federal government departments, particularly in the province of New Brunswick. We have seen the efficiency that has been brought about by the head office in Moncton.

The reality is that the member is a member of a party who has a leadership contender who wanted to get rid of ACOA entirely, take it out as a federal delivery agency for the people of Atlantic Canada. He should apologize in his place.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, soon after taking office the government appointed Conservative Harvie Andre as the land claims negotiator for the Northwest Territories. Was it because of his deep ties to the north or his extensive land claims experience? No, because he has none. This sole source $300,000 contract was given because Mr. Andre is a former Conservative cabinet minister.

I ask the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, who will be the next Conservative at the trough?