Debates of Oct. 24th, 2006

The Environment

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if it includes wind energy, I do not see why he is cancelling the program. He is suspending the program.

Is he not really saying, too bad for the Kyoto protocol targets; long live the oil companies? Nothing else interests him, because he is blocking all the initiatives except for the oil companies' tax benefits.

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister said, wind power will be part of the future. We believe that Canada is developing and emerging as an energy superpower and we want our reputation to ensure that Canada delivers clean energy.

Renewable energy will play a very important role in Canada's future energy mix, which includes everything from solar to biomass to wind. Obviously we believe this is very important and will play a fundamental role in Canada's future energy supply.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after Kyoto, the government is getting ready to kill programs relating to clean energy, such as wind energy, by freezing all the money earmarked for them since April.

Yet in Quebec alone, this form of energy will require $7.5 billion in investments over the next 10 years.

Is this not more evidence that by siding with the oil companies, as it is doing, the government is penalizing both wind energy and Quebec?

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is very important that we correct the record. In fact, this government has absolutely not killed the wind program. That program is fully subscribed, which shows the success of this program and how important wind is.

I will say again that renewable energy will continue to play a very important role in Canada's future energy mix as Canada emerges as an energy superpower. We want to ensure that Canada delivers the cleanest energy possible and we will be there to support it.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell the minister that the program has in fact been suspended. The environment commissioner told us so.

Wind energy not only represents $7.5 billion in investments in Quebec over the next 10 years, it also creates 43,000 jobs, according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association.

Will the Prime Minister admit that his government's energy choices favouring the oil companies could come at a huge cost to Quebec's economy?

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the energy for this government is clean energy. We are working with all sectors, from the renewable energies and wind and solar to biomass. We believe nuclear energy has an important role to play in Canada's future energy supply, an energy that puts out absolutely no emissions or greenhouse gases

We are working with every single sector. We believe the future is in technology. Technology will help us win these battles. Canada will emerge as a supplier of clean energy and will deliver that technology around the world.

Afghanistan

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal-Conservative mission in Afghanistan is fundamentally unbalanced. We see that approximately $1 is spent on aid for every $9 spent on combat. We have media reports out today suggesting that as a result of this fundamental imbalance there will be more and more Afghans who starve this winter.

It is not just the NDP that believes the mission is completely off track. Dale Wilson, whose son died in Afghanistan, said yesterday that, despite originally supporting the mission, “the mission isn't moving forward...and my support has wavered”.

Will the Prime Minister heed the growing calls of Canadians, including more and more military families, and rethink this mission?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, Canada's efforts in Afghanistan are multi-faceted, obviously. There remain important security challenges in southern Afghanistan. Those security challenges are the very things that are threatening the well-being and the economic development and social development of the people of Afghanistan. That is why we are making sure we can promote security in that part of the country, so we can promote development and help the people with the very real challenges that the leader of the NDP mentions.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Wilson is not the only military family member standing up and questioning this mission. Chris Craig, whose son is preparing for a second tour, and Paul Short, the father of a 25 year old army medic, are others.

Just as we in the NDP have done, they ask the tough questions to support their serving family members. Will the Prime Minister honour their courage and commit to refocusing this unbalanced mission?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I and other members of the government speak regularly to members of the Canadian Forces and to their families. We are proud to tell them that we are behind the work they are doing and we support it 100% all the time. We wish all members of this chamber would do the same.

Minister of Public Works and Government Services

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister tried to convince us that the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Michael Fortier—who still has not run for office—is useful.

Why did the Minister of Public Works and Government Services prevent his departmental staff from testifying before a House committee this morning?

[An hon. member]

He is scared.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

The minister is refusing to be accountable to the public. He is refusing to be accountable to this House. Furthermore, he is refusing to let his departmental staff be accountable to the committee.

What is the Minister of Public Works and Government Services trying to hide?

[James Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of what Mr. Fortier is doing for the city of Montreal and for the province of Quebec.

What the member for Hull—Aylmer just said about the committee this morning is not at all true. I know because I was at the committee meeting; the member for Hull—Aylmer was not.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it seems the Minister of Public Works can hide, but he will not run.

The Minister of Public Works, in support of his Prime Minister, is still avoiding being accountable to the people, perhaps because his record so far is a bit thin. What has he done besides preventing his officials from testifying before a committee of the House this morning?

Is that what is stopping him from defending his record before Quebeckers in a byelection? When will the minister answer to this House?

[James Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity from my colleague to tell him and the Liberal side what in fact Minister Fortier is doing on behalf of this government. In comparison to the Liberals, he has done an incredible amount on behalf of Canadian taxpayers in doing procurement reform and finding value for taxpayer dollars.

Let us look at the Liberals. When it comes to Public Works Minister who are Liberals, let us look at what they did for Canadian taxpayers. We do not have to look any further than Alfonso Gagliano, the theft of taxpayer dollars and the rotten record of Liberal corruption that we suffered for 13 years.

Michael Fortier is getting results for Canadians and results for Quebeckers and we are proud of his work on behalf of Canadians.

Government Programs

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, late yesterday, officials from Human Resources, Public Works and Treasury Board were ordered by government officials not to appear before the government operations committee. These public servants had been scheduled to testify about the meanspirited budget cuts of the minority Conservative government.

Why are the ministers preventing public servants from testifying on the impact of the government's ideologically driven attack on adult literacy and the court challenges program?

[James Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the federal budget that we passed this past spring and we are proud of the budget decisions we make.

We are not muzzling anybody. The President of the Treasury Board was before the committee with his officials. Minister Fortier is going to be before the committee.

Any minister that the committee wants to have before the committee will be there to proudly talk about the fiscal record of this Conservative government. We found $1 billion in responsible savings and we are going to pay down the federal debt by $13 billion, giving my generation an opportunity to have a brighter future, because the Liberals were racking up the debt and that is irresponsible. We are going to fix their mess.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is just pathetic. Those members are proud of government cuts.

First the Conservatives muzzle cabinet ministers, then they muzzle their own caucus, and now they are muzzling public servants. It gets worse, as my colleague mentioned. The Minister of Public Works, who cannot answer questions in the House of Commons, is not allowing government officials to answer questions in committee.

Has the reaction to the cuts by the President of the Treasury Board been so negative that he had to muzzle government officials?

[James Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, nobody has been muzzled. The Minister of Public Works will be at committee. We will be at committee. We will be proud to talk about our government's accomplishments. The President of the Treasury Board has been there. Other ministers are going to be there. We are proud of what we have accomplished. Who should be ashamed? The Liberals should be ashamed for 13 years of corruption, for racking up the debt, and for ignoring the interests of the next generation of Canadians.

Our fiscal plan, which was just announced by the Minister of Finance and the President of the Treasury Board, is going to pay down $13 billion of the public debt, saving $650 million this year, the next year, and the year after that, so we will have the resources to give Canadians the services they need.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, aboriginal peoples will hold a major socio-economic forum in Mashteuiatsh, near Roberval, Quebec. The federal government will certainly take part in it.

How will the Prime Minister explain to them that Canada is the only country in the world other than Russia to have voted against the Declaration on Indigenous Peoples' Rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council and that it is getting ready to do the same at the UN General Assembly?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to co-chair the First Nations socio-economic forum in Mashteuiatsh together with my counterpart from Quebec. I would also like to congratulate Chief Ghislain Picard for all his hard work and for organizing this forum. Our government will be well represented by hon. members of this House: the hon. member for Louis-Hébert, the hon. member for Lévis—Bellechasse, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec will be there.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister did not understand my question. I will reword it.

Is the minister not embarrassed to go to Mashteuiatsh when he is against the Declaration on Indigenous Peoples' Rights and the Kelowna accord?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question. He mentioned the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples' Rights. We would have supported that declaration if it had been clear, effective, responsible and fair. That is what this government wants.

Canada Labour Code

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Labour and member for Jonquière—Alma says that he cannot vote for the anti-strikebreaker bill, although he voted for it in 1991, because eight out of 10 provinces have no anti-strikebreaker legislation.

Can the Minister of Labour explain to us what connection he sees between the fact that eight provinces of Canada have no anti-strikebreaker legislation and the Canada Labour Code? He is the person responsible for the Canada Labour Code. Why is he refusing to act?