Debates of Oct. 6th, 2006

Literacy

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected this government because they wanted, for a change, a government that would respect taxpayers' dollars and deliver value for money on all its programs. That is why we have been reviewing our programs.

That is why we are focusing our efforts, our energies and our dollars on programs that deliver real results, real results for real Canadians, not support for advocates. On the literacy program, we are going to focus on books, more books, not more bureaucrats.

National Revenue

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I understand the Ontario government is interested in taking advantage of the expertise and experience of the Canada Revenue Agency. I understand the province would like to have the CRA collect business taxes as well as personal taxes. If a deal is reached, I understand the services and efficiencies would be substantial for Ontario taxpayers.

I would like to ask the Minister of National Revenue if she could update this House on the negotiations with the province of Ontario regarding the business tax T2 collections.

[Carol Skelton, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, in 13 years the Liberal government was unable to secure a corporate tax agreement with the province of Ontario. This new Conservative government has been working hard with Ontario and we are pleased to announce today that we have reached an agreement on the collection of corporate taxes with the province of Ontario.

The Canada Revenue Agency will now collect all corporate and personal taxes on behalf of the Ontario government. Once again, this government is delivering results where the Liberals could not.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the government's mad crusade to abolish the Canadian Wheat Board is not only devastating to the income of family farms, it will almost certainly kill the port of Churchill. It will have a devastating effect on the port of Thunder Bay and also as far as Prince Rupert.

Is the government aware that it is not allowed to undermine the Canadian Wheat Board by statute without a plebiscite of the farmers who are members of the Wheat Board? Is it aware that it is violating not only reason and logic, it is violating the very statute that created the Canadian Wheat Board by killing it without a vote?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary (for the Canadian Wheat Board) to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the NDP has become the handmaiden of the big city unions, but at one time it claimed to represent the little guy. It is unfortunate that those members have turned their backs on those common people once again.

We heard this week at the agriculture committee that maintaining the present system is costing farmers at least $200 million a year. The NDP has taken a position that it wants to deny farmers choice and deny them opportunity. We are going to work to give farmers that. We are proud of giving them those opportunities.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, there is no business case for destroying the Canadian Wheat Board. It is pure ideological madness. In actual fact, the government is doing the Americans' dirty work. There have been 11 separate trade challenges against the Canadian Wheat Board and it has lost every one of them.

The reality is this is a trade irritant to the Americans. They want it destroyed. In spite of all the empirical evidence that Canadian farmers are better served by the Wheat Board, the Conservatives intend to undermine it. How do they justify that?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary (for the Canadian Wheat Board) to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, the member can scream all he wants, but the reality is the latest Wheat Board survey shows that 55% of farmers want change. Sixty per cent of farmers in western Canada believe if they have change, if the Wheat Board has competition, that will improve the way they conduct their business.

We are committed to giving western Canadian farmers the same choice as farmers in the rest of the country. We think that is a good option for western Canadian farmers.

Status of Women

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

Mr. Speaker, Michèle Asselin of the Fédération des femmes du Québec says she fears for the future.

The federation receives funding that allows it to make changes to discriminatory bills. Now that is what I call value for money.

The minority Conservative government decided that this work was not important. It changed the women's program and might stop supporting the federation.

Unless he wants to support discriminatory bills, why is the Prime Minister penalizing women?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very surprising a member of that party would talk to us about supporting women. The previous Liberal government cut the women's program budget three times in the last ten years. Another member in the House said that study after study, report after report, had all come to the conclusion that not enough was being done.

We will be acting directly to affect the lives of Canadian women in every community.

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, during a recent Status of Women committee meeting, the member for Beaches—East York dismissed the important issue of human trafficking, referring to it as something that was really nice and sexy.

Canada was put on an international watch list for countries that dealt poorly with human trafficking. Within just months of being in power, Canada's new government adopted new measures that would help victims of human trafficking.

Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women please tell the House what other actions the government has taken to improve the lives of women?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, the question of my colleague gives me the chance to show the opposition the difference between just talking and real action.

The changes we have made in CPP will help senior women. The $370 million more for immigrant settlement centres will help immigrant women. Doing something about matrimonial property rights will help aboriginal women. Tougher laws and more law enforcement in our communities will make safer communities.

That is action. That will make a real difference.

Automobile Industry

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while we watch plant closings and auto sector jobs bleed to foreign markets, the industry minister and the government sit and do nothing.

It has taken the minister more than eight months just to call a meeting with the Canadian Auto Partnership Council. At the same time, the champion of the softwood sellout, the Minister of International Trade, has had enough time on his hands to set up the sellout of the Canadian auto industry, this time to South Korea.

As a Liberal, this minister promised Parliament and Canadians an auto policy, but never delivered. Now as a Conservative, he is finally delivering. The problem is, it is a sellout of the auto sector.

Will the minister drop the negotiations with South Korea--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. the parliamentary secretary.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, there could be nothing further from the truth. CAPC is an important form for communication between different levels of government and the automotive industry. We are setting a meeting for October.

Canada's new government recognizes the role the auto industry plays in the Canadian economy and in our communities. We met with them this week, and they are quite happy with the direction of the Canadian government.

Status of Women

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

Mr. Speaker, the cuts and changes made by this minority Conservative government to the women's program also jeopardize funding for the YWCA and a project called the Table des groupes de femmes de Montréal.

Defending women's rights is not a waste of money or time, as this Conservative government would like to suggest.

Why do the Prime Minister and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who should both be fighting for women's rights, refuse to admit this?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, we have to stop this narrative of victimhood. We as women and as Canadians do not see women as victims. We know they are leaders. We know they have aspirations. We want to give them the opportunities that they deserve.

Just by talking about it, we have not made much difference, but we will act. We will not stand by while international communities say we have not done enough. We are acting, and we will make a difference.

Comments during Oral Questions

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

Mr. Speaker, on a number of recent occasions in the House, opposition members have accused me of stating certain things, which are false.

On Thursday, September 28, the member for Oakville stated during question period, at page 3389 of the Debates:

--the President of the Treasury Board...said that helping adults...to read was a waste of money.

On Friday, September 29, the member for Halifax West stated during question period, at page 3434:

--the Treasury Board president denied in the House that he ever said that helping adults learn to read was a waste of money.

Later that same day during question period, the member for Saint Boniface stated, at page 3434 of the Debates:

--the President of the Treasury Board described adult literacy as a waste of money.

The member for Wascana then proceeded, on Thursday, October 5, to say:

I have pointed out on occasion that there is both a written record and a verbal record on tape of those remarks. I was invited during question period to table that material.

He went on to say:

I am certainly prepared to table that recording of what he said, which perfectly verifies what has been alleged here in question period.

These quotes can be found on page 3720 of the Debates.

Mr. Speaker, I categorically deny ever using the words “waste of money” to describe literacy programs.

In addition, I have had the opportunity to listen to the recording tabled by the member for Wascana. The tape is very clear that I never used the words “waste of money” whatsoever in respect to literacy programs, or any other program.

I was very clear in the House yesterday when I said:

What the member opposite alleges that I said that appears in today's Globe and Mail and aHansardppeared in on Friday, in fact I never did say and Hansard will back that up.

I was clearly making reference to the quote from the member for Oakville, which appeared in yesterday's Globe and Mail and which used the words “waste of money”.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for an apology here in the House from the members for Oakville, Halifax West, Saint Boniface and Wascana for deliberately misleading my words in an attempt to personally smear me and my reputation.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table all the relevant documents.

I know the member for Wascana to be an hon. member. The member for Wascana should stand in his place, correct the record and apologize.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out yesterday, the written record includes, among other things, the government's news release, when it took great pride in announcing its program cuts. Both the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Finance were quoted at length in that news release. The headline of the news release, applying to all the cuts that were announced by the government, was that it was cutting waste. It referred to all those programs as wasteful. That is very clearly on the written record, in the words of the government's own news release.

Second, the words on the tape, as transcribed by the House, as reported by dozens of news media outlets across the country, make it very clear that the minister said that there was no value in trying to provide literacy services to adult Canadians. Those are his words on tape, recorded and filed in this House.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is the President of the Treasury Board wanting to respond to what the member Wascana said? If so, I hope we will avoid a debate. It sounds to me as though we are getting into one rather than points of order.

We will hear very briefly from the President of the Treasury Board.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Wascana specifically said that he had a tape of me saying that. He tabled the tape before the House. The transcript is clearly available for all members.

I beg the member Wascana to search his soul, do the honourable thing, do the classy thing, and correct the record and apologize.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I think the points have all been made on this one. It is clearly a matter of debate and we will leave it at that.

The hon. member for Timmins--James Bay has another point of order he wishes to raise. We will hear from him.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when I was asking the defence minister about his decision to axe the security rescue initiative fund, he said that I was making outrageous accusations that could not be verified. He doubted the veracity of the document I was referring to.

I would like to table that document for the House because I think it is important. Far be it for me to suggest that the minister is not aware of documents that are within his own ministry. I do not want it on the record of the House, in Hansard, that I was not speaking accurately.

I am referring to the letter dated October 3, 2006 to the Deputy Minister of National Defence, National Defence Headquarters, from Julian Fantino, Commissioner of Emergency Management, wherein he clearly states his frustration with the government's decision to cut funding for Ontario, and wherein he further states that we are finding this--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. If the hon. member is seeking consent to table the document, we do not need to hear all the details of the document.

Does the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Access to Information Act and Privacy Act

[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, pursuant to Standing Order 32.(2) I wish to table in the House two copies of Public Works and Government Services Canada's Access to Information Act and Privacy Act 2005-06 annual reports.