Debates of May 19th, 2006

The Environment

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for another week the COP meeting will continue in Bonn without its chair. Instead of fulfilling international obligations, the Minister of the Environment chooses to recite absurd lines from an American right wing pollster. Now it looks like she and the Prime Minister are set to announce that Canada will sign on to Asia-Pacific 6. In Bonn the minister's nine minute speech lacked specifics and was an abdication of leadership in the fight against global warming.

After weeks of slashing successful programs, is this the only action Canada will take on global warming, following a United States public relations scheme at the expense of Kyoto?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that the critic for the environment for the Liberal Party of Canada voted against Kyoto and said things like the job losses from Kyoto ratification would affect all regions of Canada. He went on to say that an agreement was written on the back of an airplane napkin on the way to Kyoto.

Let me go on to relate what Rex Murphy said on the CBC the other day. He stated:

Canada touted its signature on the accord as being in itself a great Boy Scout badge of international and environmental do-good-ism.

We will not pay for our badges; we will earn them.

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister spoke earlier today about assessments. At the end of question period today, I will table a report, an assessment, from the Climate Institute, which projects that greenhouse gas emissions from AP6 countries will more than double by 2050. It concludes that not nearly enough will be achieved by the AP6 toward meeting the global warming challenge.

Why is making the Prime Minister's friends happy being traded off for killing Kyoto and sacrificing our international reputation?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the member does not understand what is happening on the international stage. It is exactly because the major players on climate change and global warming are in the Asia-Pacific partnership. It is why Canada would like to participate to ensure we help those countries reduce their emissions.

Natural Resources

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, environmental groups in Nova Scotia and across the country are angry. They continue to call on the government to reverse its decision to cancel a real made in Canada approach to climate change. They say the EnerGuide for houses program has provided real, measurable, cost effective successes and the new low income program had every promise of doing the same.

We know the finance minister would sooner build prisons than houses, but why is his government axing EnerGuide and forcing low income Canadians to fend for themselves?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the government was elected to provide responsible management. It will take the time to separate what is effective from what is not.

The EnerGuide program put only 50¢ in the taxpayer's pocket. Canadians do not want this; they want effectiveness. That is what we will give Canadians.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, that is an unwarranted statement. Not only was the EnerGuide program good for the environment and 10 times more effective than a tax credit for public transit users, but the program created hundreds of jobs and expanded business opportunities for Canadians.

The Minister of Natural Resources voted for the EnerGuide program. Why is he flip-flopping like his Prime Minister?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, there was no action on energy efficiency and climate change in the past 13 years. An evaluation process is under way to improve this situation and take effective action for Canadians. We are getting rid of ineffectiveness and introducing effective programs. That is what needs to be done.

Port Facilities

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

Mr. Speaker, the port facilities in Rimouski East are still the property of Transport Canada. Unfortunately—and the department knows it—they are not able to withstand the devastating impact of high tides on the boats that are moored there. What is more, last Tuesday evening the CNM Évolution ferry, which provides a link between Rimouski and Forestville, suffered several thousands of dollars in damages.

Does the minister intend to take action, to assume his responsibilities and meet the ongoing needs of the many users of this wharf by ensuring that the necessary work is done as soon as possible?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her question, which is not only extremely interesting, but also extremely important. I have been provided with information on these incidents. I have asked officials in my department to look into the matter. We will develop a number of options shortly that will, I hope, meet the needs of her constituents and everyone in the region.

Taxation

[Robert Bouchard, Bloc, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 4, the Standing Committee on Finance passed a motion presented by the Conservatives asking the government to repeal the notice of assessment whereby it wrongly refused to refund GST to school boards in Quebec and Ontario.

Now that it is in power, what is the Conservative government waiting for to abide by the Tax Court of Canada's decision and repay the Quebec and Ontario school boards the $18 million it owes them?

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

Mr. Speaker, as with all issues, we are currently looking at them and reviewing everything in the department.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during the election the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development wrote to the territorial premiers about the need for a strategy for northern development, stating, “an effective environmental plan, balancing ecological protection with economic prosperity”.

Communities in the Mackenzie Valley are working to mitigate the impact of development by protecting key wildlife sites. How does the government plan to deliver on the commitments to complete the system of protected areas and land use plans in the Mackenzie Valley?

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, the minister and the government have committed to the north not only with $300 million for affordable housing. We have also committed to a $500 million socio-economic fund to support the people of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

Fisheries

[Larry Miller, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the sea lamprey eel are a fish native to the coastal regions of both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but they have entered the Great Lakes and have contributed greatly to the decline of whitefish and lake trout.

The lamprey eel program is confident of meeting its objective of reducing spawning lamprey by 2010 and will enable the natural restoration of native species. The program has worked well in the past. Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans tell us the government's financial plan for ensuring the continuation of this great program?

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I thank the hon. member for the work he has done on this file over the last two or three years.

When we talk about fisheries, we talk about the Atlantic, the Pacific and the north. Quite often we forget we have a major fishery in the Great Lakes. One of the enemies is the invasive species such as the sea lamprey.

We continue to work with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the joint United States-Canadian group, to combat the problem. It has done a great job. This year we will spend over $8 million on it.

Natural Resources

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, EnerGuide is a program that makes economic sense. It saves homeowners, taxpayers and governments money. It reduces energy costs, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Recently the Conservatives have been suggesting that 50% of the EnerGuide spending goes to administration.

Could the parliamentary secretary tell us if the government considers funding for homeowner energy audits as administration in its calculation?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is clear on the EnerGuide program. What is unacceptable is that only 50¢ of every dollar goes into the taxpayer's pocket, and that is what must be changed. We are conducting evaluations so that we can set up effective programs. That is what Canadians asked for.

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, that makes no sense. Homeowners who get energy audits done is not administration. It is a feature of the program. Energy audits lead to renovations being done which stimulate the economy and which allows the federal government to recoup its investment. It is progressive because it helps low income families. The program should not be killed; it should be expanded.

We are getting the run around from the minister. Could the parliamentary secretary tell the House why the government is cooking the books on the EnerGuide?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, what makes no sense is that only 50¢ of every dollar goes into the taxpayer's pocket. This has to be evaluated. That is the government's mandate. It will take the time to do things properly instead of rushing to bring in programs that are ineffective.

Heritage Canada

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has repeatedly indicated its intention to review the mandate of the CBC. This week the heritage committee asked to see and comment on the terms of reference of any such review.

We all know her boss, the Prime Minister, is not keen on parliamentary democracy. However, will the Minister of Heritage seize the opportunity and seek the input of her fellow parliamentarians in the review of the mandate of CBC, one of our most important cultural institutions?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the House knows, the CBC is important to Canada. Because it has not been kept up to date and it is threatened by new technologies, we believe a mandate review is called for.

Consequently, we have just received the motion. I will give it due consideration. In a democracy we will use every instrument we can to ensure that it has fulsome discussion.

Veterans Affairs

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our military men and women fought for our freedom and many lost their lives doing so. This year veterans of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment are planning to replace a memorial at Dieppe, France.

Could the Minister of Veterans Affairs tell us what the government is doing to ensure our veterans complete this project?

[Greg Thompson, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank the member for Essex for his help with the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment. It has done good work.

The Government of Canada will be assisting. DND will help in the transport of that monument to Dieppe. We will also be assisting simply because of the presentation the member made to me, to which the Prime Minister was made privy. Therefore, we will be assisting those veterans in their travel needs as well.

I want to commend the member also for reaching out to opposition members, particularly from Essex, Windsor and Tecumseh, for their help on this file.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

That concludes question period for today. The Chair has notice of a question of privilege from the hon. member for Windsor--Tecumseh.