House of Commons Hansard #97 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was report.

Topics

TradeOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

TradeOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

I know the hon. member for Eglinton--Lawrence is very popular, but he is here to ask a question today and we all want to hear the question. We do not want to waste time. The hon. member for Eglinton--Lawrence has the floor.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON

Mr. Speaker, allow me to wish all members a merry Christmas.

According to a number of scientific studies, consumer activity is responsible for 70% of greenhouse gases.

This government cut every initiative to encourage the public to take part in reducing greenhouse gases. For example, the EnerGuide program, or $550 million, was cut altogether.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

An hon. member

Shame!

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON

Why is this government asking the public to take action, when it is cutting all the tools available to them?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Saanich—Gulf Islands B.C.

Conservative

Gary Lunn ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts. When I arrived in my department, there were literally hundreds of programs. Those members spent hundreds of millions of dollars. What did Canadians get for that? Greenhouse gases skyrocketed under the watch of that government.

The current leader of the Liberal Party, that member spent 10 years at the cabinet table when all those decisions were being made. He ended up at the cabinet table as the minister of the environment. What did Canadians get for those programs? They received nothing. They received nothing in greenhouse gas reductions and pollution increased. Our programs will deliver results for Canadians.

HomelessnessOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, the national homelessness initiative will end next March 31 but the minority Conservative government has refused to renew this important program.

Community groups want answers. In Laval, for example, the Association amicale des jeunes et parents AGAPÉ inc. used the initiative to renovate a building and house the homeless.

Again in Laval, L'Auberge du coeur L'Envolée helps homeless youth between the ages of 16 and 20 and is asking for the new spaces required in its establishment.

How can the government refuse to help the homeless?

HomelessnessOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Haldimand—Norfolk Ontario

Conservative

Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, the facts as usual are just the opposite from what the Liberals have presented.

The government cares very much about helping the homeless. That is why one of our very first actions was to spend the full amount of money and renew the amount of money that was in the budget, almost $135 million, to help those who are most unfortunate and need to find new homes because they are homeless. We also added $37 million that the previous government did not see fit to spend on the homeless.

Fisheries and OceansOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, the old Liberal government never tackled the problem of modernizing the fishing industry in spite of repeated requests from the provinces and others. Strong conservation and protection measures are needed to ensure the sustainability of marine resources.

The Fisheries Act of 1868 needs to be overhauled. Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans update the House on his plans for a new Fisheries Act?

Fisheries and OceansOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

St. John's South—Mount Pearl Newfoundland & Labrador

Conservative

Loyola Hearn ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the hon. member that the government is very supportive of conservation. The government will also ensure political accountability. The government will protect our fish stocks. The act is 138 years old. Part of the coastline was not even in Confederation when it was brought in. That is why today I will be tabling a new fisheries act.

HealthOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Penny Priddy NDP Surrey North, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised that patient wait time guarantees would be one of his government's key commitments. Since the election his Minister of Health has been invisible and ineffective. The Wait Time Alliance today reminded the Conservatives about their most famous broken promise.

There are only 18 days left to announce a meaningful commitment to Canadians who are waiting for treatment and surgery. Will the Minister of Health make an early new year's resolution and pledge to meet his own deadline of December 31?

HealthOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Conservative

Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member that this is about wait time targets. Indeed, all 10 provinces are already either meeting the accelerated deadline or are well on their way to doing so. Three have already announced the target that she is referring to. Three have indicated they will do so very soon. Two are working on targets they already established in 2004 and two have indicated that they are using common benchmarks. This is another promise made, another promise kept.

HealthOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Penny Priddy NDP Surrey North, BC

Mr. Speaker, the clock keeps ticking and time is running out for the Minister of Health.

The minor pilot projects he has announced so far are not what Canadians had in mind when they were promised reduced wait times across the board. That is why the Wait Time Alliance report card in November gave the Conservatives a D for failing to establish a timetable for achieving targets.

Will the Minister of Health ever keep the promise made during the last campaign or should Canadians expect another lump of coal from the Conservatives in their Christmas stockings?

HealthOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Conservative

Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario

Mr. Speaker, the targets are on target. Indeed, the government showed leadership for this country by establishing the two first wait time guarantees in the history of this country, both on reserve, both targeting people at risk, whether it be prenatal care or diabetes care. We are leading by example.

If the hon. member cares so much about it, she should resign her seat, run for the provincial legislature, and get elected in the Government of British Columbia and establish the targets with the Government of Canada.

Status of WomenOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON

Mr. Speaker, the women of Canada are angry. They even have a website, thewomenareangry.org. Before, the minister responsible said she was cutting waste. Now she says there are no cuts. The women are angry because indeed $5 million has been cut.

Now we learn that individual Conservative MPs have offered funding to the shelters and transition houses in their Conservative ridings from a slush fund resulting from these non-cuts, as long as the women promise to shut up.

Could the Prime Minister tell the House how he can defend this blatant act of political favouritism?

Status of WomenOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Durham Ontario

Conservative

Bev Oda ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women

Mr. Speaker, I am almost speechless with that amount of falsity. It is a misleading misconception of the government.

Let me tell Canadians about this government compared to the former Liberal government. This government does not have a boys' weekend to develop policy. This government does not have a ladies' lunch to come up with a pink book. This government does not appoint women to run in politics. This government says every woman will earn her nomination from the grassroots in every riding across Canada.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Bryon Wilfert Liberal Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, Liberal attempts to build a just society have been attacked, torn apart, and left in ruins by this meanspirited ideological government. The communities and institutional building program provided incentives to commercial businesses and public institutions to improve the energy efficiency of buildings across this country. The government simply did not care. With the stroke of a pen, it eliminated $78 million of funding.

Why will the Minister of Natural Resources not help Canada's workplaces and make them more energy efficient, and give us a real answer for a change?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Saanich—Gulf Islands B.C.

Conservative

Gary Lunn ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, the facts are the facts. The facts are that you spent hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money, and what are the results? The results are, by your own numbers, that greenhouse gases are up 35% above your own targets. You never reduced any type of pollutants out of the atmosphere. The Liberals did nothing. The truth is, your record is pathetic on--

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

I know that the hon. the Minister of Natural Resources will remember, the next time he answers a question, to address the Chair because I do not think he meant my record.

HealthOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Tina Keeper Liberal Churchill, MB

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' $50 million cut to the Canada Health Infoway shows how little the government cares about public health care. It is the key to better service because it allows for standard electronic health records, telehealth and public health surveillance. These programs are critical for care, especially in rural and northern Canada, and play an integral part in reducing wait times.

Why is the Minister of Health tearing apart a program that provides quality and uniform access to public health care for all Canadians?

HealthOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Parry Sound—Muskoka Ontario

Conservative

Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is incorrect. In fact, we are fully funding Canada Health Infoway. We consider it a key component of the government's agenda for electronic health records. I encourage the hon. member to check her facts. We are delivering on our health care promises. After 13 years in power, the former government, the Liberal Party, made a whole lot of promises on health care and wait times were doubled.

Government ProgramsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Brampton South, ON

Mr. Speaker, the government does not care about young Canadians learning about the rest of the world. In fact, the only minority it cares about is its meanspirited, fragile minority government.

The Liberal government booked $150 million for scholarships to send Canadian youth abroad to study and to bring the best and brightest from around the world to study at Canadian universities.

Yet, because of its meanspirited and ideological cuts, the current government is systematically dismantling opportunities for young Canadians. How can the government be so shortsighted?

Government ProgramsOral Questions

3 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I have listened with some amusement during question period to all this line of questioning which seems to be, “You broke our promises”. Let me assure the House that these promises were broken by the Liberal Party long before we got to office. If the Liberal Party is ever to return to office, it has to be honest about its past and honest with Canadians.

Personal InformationOral Questions

3 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC

Mr. Speaker, on December 15, General Dynamics, an American arms company, will take over SNC-Tec. During negotiations last summer, serious concerns were raised regarding the Patriot Act and protection of the personal information of workers at these plants.

Can the Prime Minister reassure us by confirming that the personal information of the workers will not be accessed under the American Patriot Act?

Personal InformationOral Questions

3 p.m.

Ottawa West—Nepean Ontario

Conservative

John Baird ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board

Mr. Speaker, I agree completely with my colleague from Quebec.

Personal information is very important to the Canadian population. The responsibility of the Government of Canada is to do everything possible to protect this information.