Debates of Nov. 23rd, 2006

Manitoba Economy

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Manitoba did well under the previous government.

Who on the government side is now minding Manitoba? The labour market partnership agreement has not been honoured. The Canadian Wheat Board is being attacked. Lake Winnipeg, the east-west power grid and floodway bridge infrastructure have all been ignored. The silence from the Manitoba Conservatives is deafening.

How many more blows must the province of Manitoba suffer at the hands of this minority government before one of the Conservative sheep stands and says, “No more”?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that it was that member, the member for Winnipeg South Centre, and the prior member, Reg Alcock, who promised the people of Manitoba that there would be $350 million there waiting for the floodway.

When we got there, the cupboard was bare. There was not even an agreement in place. We have had to find the money from the minister of infrastructure, and transport . That member should be ashamed of herself for 13 years of a government that did nothing.

Health

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, this Conservative minority government has abandoned Canadians. It promised to solve the emergency room wait times problem, but it did not keep its promise. The government has done nothing at all to help Canadians who are sick and waiting for operations. All they did was pass the buck to the provinces without giving them the money they need.

Will the Minister of Health stop spouting rhetoric and finally admit that he has done nothing to help sick Canadians?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, that is not true. This government has shown leadership on health issues. In the Conservative government's 2006 budget, there was more funding for hospitals, doctors and nurses. This is the kind of leadership our country needs.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, if doing nothing is showing leadership, then this government is a big problem for Canadians. Has the government reduced wait times? No.

Has the government provided more money to reduce wait times? No.

Is reducing wait times still one of this government's five priorities? No.

They have been in power for nearly a year now, and Canadians are still waiting for them to keep their promises.

Why will the Minister of Health not admit that he has abandoned the sick? Why are the minister and his government once again persecuting the most vulnerable members of our society: the sick? Why?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, last Monday, I made a major announcement in Toronto concerning pregnant aboriginal women. This is proof of our leadership on the issue of wait times guarantees. This is the first announcement of its kind.

The former Liberal government did not show leadership and did not take action on wait times. We are proud that the current government is showing leadership for Canada.

Economic Development

[Louise Thibault, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the work done by Transport Canada to make the dock at Pointe-au-Père safe jeopardized the sea water intake at the Institut des sciences de la mer aquaculture station at Rimouski. The Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec finally understood—when the situation had been clear for several months—that the situation was urgent and that he had to get involved in this matter.

Given that an announcement is imminent, does the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec intend to establish, in the near future, a schedule for the work that is needed to move the sea water intake, this infrastructure being absolutely essential to the development of the Technopole maritime du Québec in Rimouski?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, the authorities have in fact informed us about this problem arising from the work that has to be done on the dock. The question of the water intake is extremely important to the operation.

Progress continues to be made in this matter, and we will be in a position to make more specific announcements at the appropriate time.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the seal hunt has recently been the victim of an enormous propaganda effort by various groups opposed to the hunt. A number of celebrities from other countries went public to denounce the hunt, going as far as to use disinformation.

Knowing that the seal hunt is a major economic activity in the Magdalen Islands, could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans tell us what he intends to do in order to speedily rebut the propagandistic and defamatory messages being given by its opponents?

[Loyola Hearn, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, that is an extremely important question. I understand fully what he is talking about because the same thing applies to my own province, to several other provinces, and to several other countries.

For some reason Canada seems to be the one picked on, but Norway, Russia and other countries also have major seal hunts. Collectively, we are going to take on those who try to tell the world that it is wrong to kill seals. We must ensure that we have a balance in the ecosystem. If we do not keep the seal herds in control, our fish stocks will be destroyed and the herds themselves will self-destruct.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, a year ago today, aboriginal leaders, premiers and the previous Liberal government launched meetings that led to the Kelowna accord. It was a historic moment for Canada. During the election the Conservatives falsely promised that they would adopt the accord, but now they dismiss it completely.

Another Conservative promise made and then broken as they swiftly cancelled the $5.1 billion. One year later there is no sign that they plan to deliver anything substantial to close the gap for aboriginal Canadians. They promised aboriginal Canadians that they would deliver. How can the Minister of Indian Affairs--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

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

Mr. Speaker, I never did hear a question. It is not my fault that the Liberals seem like a bear with a sore head about this. They have only themselves to blame frankly with the F that they were given by the Assembly of First Nations on the report card.

They have 13 years of non-achievement, a swollen backlog of specific claims from 300 claims to 800, nothing on matrimonial real property, nothing on amending the Canadian Human Rights Act, nothing on national water standards, nothing on devolution, and nothing for Kashechewan or Pikangikum. There were just empty promises and a phony press release.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Fabian Manning, Conservative, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, over the past weeks Canadians have been subjected to accusations and constant warnings that time is running out on the fish stocks, and that a UN resolution banning bottom trawling on the high seas was the only way to protect vulnerable ecosystems and that Canada was blocking it.

I was surprised at the criticism given Canada's strong stance in protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems at NAFO. Would the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans please tell the House, and all Canadians, how this has been resolved at the UN?

[Loyola Hearn, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, we did not get caught up in the bottom trawling debate simply because when one is chasing elephants, one does not get sidetracked by rabbits. That was just one small paragraph in the major sustainable fisheries resolution where we had sides polarized on the bottom trawling issue.

With the leadership of Canada and our friends from Australia, in the wee hours of the morning, we arrived at a resolution where we have complete consensus from all the countries involved as it moves forward to the United Nations General Assembly.

Afghanistan

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, on October 26 the defence minister told the House he would discuss Canada's role in Afghanistan any time any place. He then took his so-called cross-Canada tour to sell the Kandahar mission without setting foot in Atlantic Canada. Halifax is home to Canada's largest military community. Soldiers from Nova Scotia have suffered the most severe casualties in Kandahar.

I urge the minister to reconsider his refusal to come to Halifax on December 4 to participate in a public forum on Afghanistan, or does the minister's Canada end at the New Brunswick-Quebec border?

[Gordon O'Connor, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I find it odd that a member who belongs to a party that really does not care about the military is talking about the military. I have been to Halifax twice since I have been in office and I will be in Halifax again in the near future, but I will follow my own schedule.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the primary role of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is the protection of fish and fish habitat. In his own province there are two lakes near the Exploits River near Buchans in central Newfoundland which, through a legislative sleight of hand from DFO and the Minister of the Environment, have turned healthy productive fish lakes into tailing ponds for a mining company.

Why would the Department of Fisheries and Oceans allow healthy productive fish lakes to be turned into acid ponds for a mining company when its job is to protect the integrity of fish and fish habitat?

[Loyola Hearn, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the member should know that the company involved went through an environmental assessment. It also developed a compensation program to offset any loss of fish or fish habitat. While we protect habitat, we must also support economic development. Unlike the NDP, if it were left up to that party, our natural resources would not be developed and we would still be catching fish in baskets. How would it ever pay for the social programs?

Aboriginal Affairs

[Gary Merasty, Liberal, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the tradition of aboriginal Canadians is to value the promises made to them. It is in that tradition that aboriginal Canadians will remember one simple thing that a promise was made and that promise was broken.

The minority Conservative government has betrayed aboriginal people. The Conservative government budget cancelled the $5 billion agreement and replaced it with chump change, $450 million over two years, about nine Conservative cents to every Liberal dollar that was promised. Not only that, the Conservatives cut funding to aboriginal languages, women, health and the list goes on.

Will the minister stand up to his bosses and demand that the fiscal update include Kelowna--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

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

Mr. Speaker, my friend speaks of promises and that is really all that aboriginal Canadians ever received from his government. The last Conservative budget involved $3.7 billion of additional new expenditures for aboriginal Canadians, $500 million for the Mackenzie socio-economic front, $300 million for northern housing, $300 million for off reserve housing, and $2.2 billion for the residential school agreement. I could go on, but it would simply embarrass the party opposite.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago this week the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples released its report on the status of Canada's Indian, Inuit and Métis. Sadly, after more than a decade in power, the former Liberal government was given a failing grade by the Assembly of First Nations. In fact, it received eight Fs for failing to act on the educational recommendations in that report.

Can the minister tell us what Canada's new government is doing to improve opportunities for future aboriginal generations?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that Canada's Conservative government yesterday introduced Bill C-34, the very first first nations jurisdiction over education in British Columbia act. This is one of the most important pieces of legislation to be tabled in the House. It spells the future of our first nations and the future of their children.

It establishes a system that embraces the languages and the cultural heritage of first nations in Canada. This is the model on a go forward basis for first nations education in Canada. It will offer better results, stronger self-esteem, self-governance, and self-determination accomplishments.

This government is committed to--

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Beatitude Patriarch Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch, the spiritual leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.