Debates of Dec. 11th, 2006

Canadian Wheat Board

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell members who does not speak for the Canadian Wheat Board, and that is the hon. member for Malpeque. That is why we are going to hold a plebiscite among the farmers this January and February. We are going to ask them a clear question about barley: do they want more marketing choice for barley or not? That is who should speak. The farmers are going to speak and certainly, we will be listening.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, the farmers spoke yesterday and the minister knows it. The results of the Canadian Wheat Board director elections are particularly telling in the riding of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Pro single desk selling achieved two-thirds of the votes cast. Clearly, the parliamentary secretary is completely out of touch with farmers. Now 80% of board directors are pro single desk selling.

If the minister really is of sound mind, will he limit the advice from his parliamentary secretary and turn to the elected board of directors of the Wheat Board?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, of course I continue to consult with the member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands who has his pulse on the community. That is why he continues to be re-elected with increasing majorities every single election. Of course, I will also be listening to farmers.

I do not know what it is about that side of the House. Those members want to listen to Prince Edward Island. They want to listen to Quebec. They want to talk to Ontario. But they do not want to give the same freedom to western Canadian farmers that the rest of the country has. Why will they not listen to the farmers when the plebiscite comes up this January?

[Raymond Simard, Liberal, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, maybe he will listen to Manitoba.

The Conservatives continue to attack the Canadian Wheat board despite the damage they are doing to western producers and to Canada's international relationships. We understand that some third parties are now refusing to sign agreements with the Canadian Wheat Board because of the minority government's undermining actions. The Minister of Agriculture said that the plebiscite on barley is non-binding and he will not commit to respecting the results.

When will the government start acting democratically, ask farmers a straight question and then respect the outcome?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely clear what we are going to do with the Wheat Board. The Wheat Board will be there. It is going to continue to be there. The plebiscite we are having is on barley and on barley only, for the coming year. The wheat will continue to be handled by the Canadian Wheat Board. Our buyers should know that and our sellers should know that. We have been perfectly clear.

The fearmongering over there is what is disturbing. Those members continue to tell our international buyers, “Do not come to Canada. Something is wrong”. We have the best wheat, the best products, the best farmers. International buyers should buy it up.

Supply Management

[Raymond Simard, Liberal, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it appears that the minister will impose his ideology regardless of what western producers think. However, this threat extends beyond western Canada. This government's arrogant actions also worry producers in the supply management system. They have good cause to be wary of this Conservative government, which has always opposed this system.

Will the government ignore producers as it is ignoring the Canadian Wheat Board, and will it dismantle supply management in Canada?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, we supported the supply management system during the last federal election campaign. We have continued to support the supply management system.

Every time they try to link freedom of choice for western Canadian farmers to supply management just shows how desperate they are.

We support supply management. We supported it in Geneva. We supported it during the campaign. We continue to support it. And we support freedom of choice for western Canadian farmers, something they simply do not understand.

Textile and Apparel Industries

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the federal government finally eliminated certain import tariffs on textile products. This measure is disappointing because it is deficient. What the textile and apparel industries need is a comprehensive support plan, as the Bloc Québécois has been proposing since February 2005.

What is the government waiting for to implement a buy local policy, to impose quotas on Chinese imports and to insist that other countries raise their minimum labour standards and environmental standards?

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

Mr. Speaker, the recent announcement by the Minister of Finance of a further $4.5 million in duty relief on imported textiles will help apparel firms across Canada maintain jobs by becoming more productive and more competitive.

The government is aware of the challenges facing the textile and apparel industries and is committed to the long term viability of these industries in Canada.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims that it is not abandoning the textile and apparel industries. Yet, it refuses to take any significant action.

What is the government waiting for to create an assistance program to modernize the apparel and textile sectors, a program that would encourage the development of high value added products?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are not abandoning the industry. We are taking action. We are also taking the textile production efficiency component, known as CANtex, part of the Canadian apparel and textile industry programs. It is available to help Canadian textile industry improve its productivity and refocus production on higher value added products.

We are going to continue to work with all governments and industry stakeholders to address the challenges that promote these new opportunities.

Income Trusts

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives provided Canadians with a nasty little Halloween surprise that cost them $25 billion on income trusts.

Having destroyed the savings of hard-working Canadians, Conservatives are now proposing to give them a nastier Christmas gift. Investors who converted on the strength of the Conservative promise will get a love note from the tax man. For many, the value of their investment on December 31 will be less than the deemed conversion value and tax will be payable.

Will the Minister of Finance give relief to these betrayed investors, or is that just his way of saying merry Christmas and happy new year?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous government, we dealt with this issue in the interest of tax fairness for Canadians, yes, and that corporations in Canada would pay their fair share of taxes. I know members opposite do not think that is the right thing to do, but we as Conservatives think that all Canadians, whether they are corporations or individuals, should pay their fair share of taxes.

The implementation rules with respect to the income trusts should be available before Christmas.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General issued a scathing criticism of the Liberal performance on first nations land claims settlements. Today Canada's new Conservative government takes this issue seriously. Premier Campbell of B.C. said last Friday that the Minister of Indian Affairs has been relentless in his pursuit of finding conclusions for treaties. He said that he appreciated the tireless efforts of the minister in that regard which helped bring them to that day.

Can the minister tell the House about the initialling of two settlement agreements in B.C. this past weekend?

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

Mr. Speaker, it was in late October that Canada's new government initialled the first modern B.C. treaty process with the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation in British Columbia. It was with great pride that this past weekend Premier Campbell and I signed not one but two agreements with the Tsawwassen First Nation and the Maa-nulth First Nations.

There is a fair bit of noise on the other side of the House and I think hon. members want me to remind Canadians one more time that in 13 years the Liberals spent close to a billion dollars and did not sign a single treaty, not one, zero, nothing.

The Environment

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the holidays are upon us and Canadians are hanging their stockings hoping for a gift from Santa, maybe even something for the environment. Unfortunately they fear the grinch, in this case played by the Minister of the Environment who is offering them no more than a lump of coal perhaps to burn in a coal fired plant somewhere in the country.

Today we offer her a chance at redemption. Will the minister change her ways and let her heart grow two sizes today? Will she commit to work with New Democrats to rewrite the government's deeply flawed bill for scientifically based targets that will change the ending of this global warming story?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, my heart is so big I am willing to work with all of the parties in the House, including the New Democrats. I am even looking forward to working with all the opposition parties on the legislative committee. I believe that those members should be named shortly and in the new year we can finally get down to cutting greenhouse gases and air pollution together in this chamber.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I fear the road to redemption might be just a little too long for that particular grinch. In the few short months she has been the Minister of the Environment, she has slashed funding for climate change. She has cut and run on Kyoto without putting another plan in place. She has continually embarrassed Canada on the international stage.

Will the minister finally see the light, restore the funding, set serious pollution targets, take her job seriously and finally get her party of dinosaurs to do something serious about the environment?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, after that question I do not know if I am as excited to work with the member, but as I have said continuously and the environment commissioner has said, the plan by the former Liberal government was a failure. We know after all of the billions of dollars committed that we are only 1% closer to even reaching our Kyoto target or the reductions we needed.

We have said repeatedly, and we have been honest with our international partners and honest with Canadians, that the Kyoto target is unachievable. There is wide recognition of that. It is time to get down to business and to set new targets together.

Publications Assistance Program

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the government's ideological driven cuts continue to puzzle Canadians. In a year in which we saw a surplus of over $13 billion left by the previous Liberal government, the Conservatives are abandoning the publications assistance program.

Small-town newspapers across the country depend on this program. Small businesses will lose advertising space and an important part of the fabric of hundreds of Canadian communities will be lost.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage admit that she has made yet another mistake and stop this disaster for small-town newspapers?

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House and all Canadians that the Prime Minister and the minister will take steps that will solve this problem. If anybody is standing up for rural Canadians, it this party.

After 13 years of dithering and nothing being done, this party is going to do it. This government is a government of action.

Federal Accountability Act

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is worth noting that during the recent Liberal leadership campaign, not a single candidate bothered to mention that accountability was a serious issue for the Liberal Party to address. That is unfortunate, since a recent poll found that the number one complaint by Canadians about the Liberals was that they were corrupt. The number two complaint was that the Liberal Party was arrogant and has not changed.

Can the President of the Treasury Board today tell the House how passage of the federal accountability act into law would change forever the leftover Liberal legacy of corruption into a culture of accountability?

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

Mr. Speaker, on January 1 Canadians from coast to coast are going to wake up to a new accountability regime in this country, but when they wake up, they are going to have a hangover, the ethical hangover of the Liberal Party.

Let me tell the House about Gerard Kennedy. He owes $200,000. Let us talk about Bob Rae. He owes $845,000. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition will use today to tell us how he is going to pay back the nearly half a million dollars his own campaign ended up in hock.

Canadian Wheat Board

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has lost all touch with reality. We have seen the Canadian Wheat Board director election results. Eight out of 10 elected directors now represent farmers who support single desk.

At the same time, we have two new directors, one who was fired by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and the other one who is openly hostile to the very idea of a Wheat Board. In fact, he stated last week that no one should be fighting on behalf of farmers, including the government.

Is it the intention of the minister to destroy the Wheat Board from within, or will he begin an open face to face dialogue with the newly elected directors about which system best suits farmers?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, of course I will be working with the new board of directors. We continue also to urge the Wheat Board to fulfill its mandate, which is to market grain for western Canadian farmers and do that in an orderly way. I would continue to urge the board of directors and the management team at the Canadian Wheat Board to work hard to fulfill that mandate.

The prices are good. The crop is in. The quality is high. The board should get at the job of marketing that grain as quickly as possible, at the best price possible for western Canadian farmers.