House of Commons Hansard #16 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was parents.

Topics

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Order, please. I am not convinced but I do invite the hon. member for Saint John to take the floor and we will have some order so we can hear his question.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

Paul Zed Liberal Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, this is a non-partisan issue because the sewage that flows into Saint John Harbour comes from everyone.

I must tell the House that we worked in this community for three years as a community for team Saint John. The Prime Minister has promised $2 million, not $44 million which he has failed to deliver.

Where is the money? Will he call Premier Lord today and ask him to sign a deal so we can begin harbour cleanup this summer?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

New Brunswick Southwest New Brunswick

Conservative

Greg Thompson ConservativeMinister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, that member obviously fell asleep on the job. When we were in Saint John he obviously was asleep on the job as well because we were in his home town announcing real money for that project.

Not only did the Liberals fail on Point Lepreau and the harbour cleanup, they also failed our aquaculture industry where they promised money for the ag industry and delivered absolutely nothing.

The member's record is a record of failure.

Pacific GatewayOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

Don Bell Liberal North Vancouver, BC

Mr. Speaker, in this week's budget, the Prime Minister broke his campaign promise to deliver at least the Liberal government's commitment of $591 million over five years for the Pacific Gateway Strategy, choosing instead to dilute and delay this urgently needed funding over eight years instead of the previous five year period.

Why has the Prime Minister broken his election promise to British Columbians? Are there not enough potential votes in our province?

Pacific GatewayOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Vancouver Kingsway B.C.

Conservative

David Emerson ConservativeMinister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics

Mr. Speaker, $599 million was projected. It was done over eight years to provide sufficient flexibility so that if some of those projects took longer the appropriations would not lapse. If we can put money into projects faster we will do that. The gateway has been protected. There is over $5 billion in new infrastructure money that will also connect to gateway initiatives and other money for border security, border initiatives, technology and investments that will complement the gateway.

Pacific GatewayOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

Don Bell Liberal North Vancouver, BC

Mr. Speaker, the minister can spin this any way he likes but the bottom line is that dollars earmarked by the Liberal government for gateway initiatives have been severely diluted and delayed, with less than half of the gateway money flowing in the first four of eight long years.

While he flagrantly laughed off this concern yesterday, could the Minister for the Pacific Gateway explain why this was not good enough when he was a Liberal but is good enough now?

Pacific GatewayOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Vancouver Kingsway B.C.

Conservative

David Emerson ConservativeMinister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics

Mr. Speaker, I hate to have to say this to the hon. member but this government's commitment to the gateway is stronger than the commitment that was made by the previous government. It is much stronger.

JusticeOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga, QC

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are proposing a biased approach by generalizing minimum penalties for various types of crime, the real problem is that criminals such as Donald Matticks are released after only 16 months, even though they might be sentenced to eight years.

Is the minister aware that he is barking up the wrong tree when he focuses on minimum penalties, since all studies show that they are ineffective and that, all the while, real criminals involved in organized crime can continue all too easily to get off scot-free?

JusticeOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Provencher Manitoba

Conservative

Vic Toews ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the legislation that this government tabled today to improve our criminal justice system and to restore confidence in our criminal justice system. I look forward to working with the member in improving crime initiatives involving mandatory minimum prison sentences.

JusticeOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois opposes the bill tabled this morning because the minister is taking the wrong approach and is aiming at the wrong target.

Does the minister understand that the problem lies in the quasi-automatic nature of the Parole Act, because it allows for the release of individuals who have served one-sixth of their sentence, when it is the Bloc's belief that all conditional releases should be based entirely on merit?

JusticeOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Provencher Manitoba

Conservative

Vic Toews ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, the evidence is clear that mandatory minimum prison sentences in respect of targeted offences are very effective in reducing crime in these matters.

In respect of the issue that the member raises, I trust that he will be working with us to improve our justice system and to ensure violent and serious criminals remain behind bars.

TaxationOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has warned the government that changing the GST will be an expensive proposition for them.

Could the Minister of National Revenue inform the House how much it will cost small businesses for these changes? Could she also assure small business owners that they will not bear the brunt of these costs?

TaxationOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Whitby—Oshawa Ontario

Conservative

Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for raising the Federation of Independent Business. The president and CEO, Catherine Swift, reviewed the budget and her comment was, “We did have high expectations but the budget has actually exceeded those expectations”.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Bill Casey Conservative Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS

Mr. Speaker, for 13 very long years, the people of Sydney watched the Liberals dither, delay, stall and study the Sydney tar ponds but they did very little. Now that they are in opposition they have suddenly discovered that the tar ponds are a problem.

Would the very distinguished Parliamentary Secretary for Public Works tell this House what the new Conservative government will do to clean up the tar ponds?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam B.C.

Conservative

James Moore ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics

Mr. Speaker, cleaning up the Sydney tar ponds is an issue of importance to all Nova Scotians.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Some hon. members

We want the minister.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Order, please. The parliamentary secretary has the floor and we will now hear from him.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, we would like a real opposition but it looks like we are not going to get one, unfortunately.

The Government of Canada will contribute up to $280 million, in concert with the Government of Nova Scotia which is contributing $120 million, to clean up the Sydney tar ponds. Let there be no doubt that the project is going forward as planned and we will ensure that the Sydney tar ponds are cleaned up for Cape Bretoners, Nova Scotians and all Canadians.

National DefenceOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

NDP

Dawn Black NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, during last night's debate on Norad, I asked the Minister of National Defence if Canada would be sharing information about our internal waterways with the United States. He responded by saying, “I'm not certain. That's up for question”.

How could the minister be so clueless on such an important aspect of an agreement that he signed just last week? Why did the government not ensure Canadian sovereignty through the Northwest Passage?

National DefenceOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Carleton—Mississippi Mills Ontario

Conservative

Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, in the Norad agreement we will share information about vessels going through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. We will not for the Northwest Passage or for our lakes or waters. Those are all our internal waters. We do not share that with the United States.

National DefenceOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

NDP

Dawn Black NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, there seems to be almost no restrictions placed on the U.S. when it comes to our sovereignty. The Liberals did not ask for any and the Conservatives do not seem to want any.

When it comes to information sharing, the minister bends around for the U.S., but when it comes to sovereignty, who will stand up for Canada? It is not that government.

In how many ways has Canada's sovereignty been impeded, been given away in this Norad agreement?

National DefenceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Carleton—Mississippi Mills Ontario

Conservative

Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, none of our sovereignty has been given away. We are sharing information with the United States. It is sharing information with us.

The government stands for our sovereignty. Our defence policy is to enforce our sovereignty. With the help of the House, we will pass the budget so we can enforce our sovereignty.

National DefenceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Liberal

Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC

Mr. Speaker, the government was sadly silent in the budget in getting our military the equipment it needs. Out of the National Defence Headquarters, we now learn that conflicting lists of priorities were being passed around between the offices of the chief of defence, the minister and the PMO. The conflicts remained unresolved, with the result being no new announcements to support our troops in theatre.

Who is really in charge of defining what the military needs to perform their mission: the Chief of Defence Staff, the minister or the Prime Minister?

National DefenceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Carleton—Mississippi Mills Ontario

Conservative

Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I find it incredible that the member would even ask such a question. That party, when in government, hollowed out the army, rusted out the navy and grounded the air force. The member should put a bag on his head. For shame.