House of Commons Hansard #17 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was quebec.

Topics

JusticeOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, it appears as though the government has forgotten about those who are being most exploited, those who are going to these payday loan companies and paying up to 1500% in interest. Surely this is something the government could have addressed in its legislation on the Criminal Code.

Manitoba has recently introduced legislation to regulate these profit-takers, but it requires a change to the Criminal Code before its law can come into effect.

Canadians are waiting and progressive provinces are waiting to act. Why will the government not act to stop the cruel vulture behaviour of these payday loan companies?

JusticeOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Fundy Royal New Brunswick

Conservative

Rob Moore ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, the minister is very aware of this issue. Federal officials have been working very closely with provincial and territorial officials to examine potential policy responses that we can make. We will be fully assessing this matter and discussing it with our provincial counterparts.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has spent his entire political career fighting against Kyoto. As head of a lobby group, he probably spent more money on anti-Kyoto advertising than his government will spend on the environment in this budget.

If the Minister of the Environment wants to be honest, why does she not admit that the government is trying to destroy the Kyoto protocol and isolate Canada? She should admit it.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Langley B.C.

Conservative

Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to cleaning up the air that Canadians breathe. We made that promise to Canadians, and we will deliver on our promises.

We want Canadians to be part of the solutions on the environment and we want to help Canadians participate in cleaning up Canada. That is why we have invested $1.3 billion to build more public transit. That is why we have committed $370 million to benefit Canadians to making their choice of public transit.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

Mr. Speaker, these are just more meaningless platitudes.

We know now that the government has no plan for the environment and no plan for Canadians' health. We are wondering why the Bloc Québécois is abandoning the environment to support this budget.

Will the minister finally admit that she has no plan, that she does not know where she is going and that the only thing she has managed to accomplish today is to buy the Bloc Québécois off cheap?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Langley B.C.

Conservative

Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, after 13 years of doing nothing, I can see why there is frustration on that side. They are seeing a government that is going to do something. The difference between the Liberal plan and our plan is it is achievable. We are investing, and we will have achievable results.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Mr. Speaker, as put so eloquently by the late Hank Williams Jr., the Minister of Finance has finally shown us his “cold, cold heart”.

This morning we learn the minister has told his Ontario counterpart that over $500 million in federal funding to fight global warming has been wiped out. That money was a critical component of Ontario's plan to phase out coal-fired energy production in the province. It would have been the equivalent of taking seven million cars off the road.

Why is the government so intent on making the air Ontarians breathe even worse?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Calgary Nose Hill Alberta

Conservative

Diane Ablonczy ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the member will be happy to know that the article on which he bases his question is inaccurate. In fact, the federal government is committed to delivering the financial commitments in the Ontario-federal agreement in an open and transparent manner, and that money will be flowing to Ontario.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment is clearly unable to defend the environment. She cannot even answer a simple question without resorting to empty platitudes.

Yesterday, she talked about the 53 smog days that Toronto had last year, and she is using this to justify her invisible made-in-Canada plan.

Why does the minister not just admit that cutting $500 million in federal funding and eliminating 12 programs will do absolutely nothing to fight climate change and reduce smog?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Langley B.C.

Conservative

Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, I agree that there was a terrible problem with smog days. We ask the member, why he did not take responsibility? That government had 13 years to clean up this mess and it did nothing.

Last year there were 53 smog days. This government is doing something. We are investing in the environment, and we will clean it up.

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are proposing a strategy based on the American approach: severe minimum sentences, larger prisons, little room for rehabilitation, and an approach based on a sentence for every crime, no matter what the circumstances. Yet, there are three times the number of homicides in the United States than there are in Canada, and four times more than in Quebec.

Does the Minister of Justice acknowledge that he is going down the wrong path by following the American model of justice that no one wants?

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Okanagan—Coquihalla B.C.

Conservative

Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, we share the concerns of the citizens of Canada across the country and also of our police officers. We are not speaking of the Americans, or the Chinese, or the Japanese, but of the citizens of Canada who want to feel safe in the streets and in their communities.

JusticeOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga, QC

Mr. Speaker, the measures proposed by the government will put 5,000 more individuals behind bars every year, many in Quebec prisons.

Does the minister realize that these coercive measures will be costly for Quebec, and force it to invest in repression rather than rehabilitation?

JusticeOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Okanagan—Coquihalla B.C.

Conservative

Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, I also spoke to Quebeckers and they are worried about the crime rate in their communities and in their streets. It is important to reassure Quebeckers also that we will give funds to the RCMP and to municipal officers. Protecting our communities is one of our five key priorities. That is exactly what we will do.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, for several weeks now, the Minister of the Environment has been promising us an implementation plan for the Kyoto protocol. In less than 12 days, she will chair an important conference, in Bonn, attended by Kyoto signatories. Yet, she still does not have a plan to present to us.

Under these circumstances, does the minister realize that she will seriously lack credibility if she goes to that conference without a plan for how Canada is going to implement the Kyoto protocol?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Langley B.C.

Conservative

Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to working with all provinces and territories to develop a made in Canada plan to clean up our environment. The minister has been engaging in discussions with her provincial counterparts and will continue with these consultations.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, in this very important file, as in others, the Conservative government seems to be taking its lead from the Bush administration.

Can the minister guarantee us that this will not be the case in the Kyoto file and that her plan will allow Canada to meet its Kyoto protocol targets?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Langley B.C.

Conservative

Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, I said that the minister was meeting with her provincial counterparts, the territories, the private sector and individuals. The member should understand that each province and territory will not have the same needs when it comes to cleaning up the environment, which is why the minister is consulting.

We will work with the provinces, the territories and individuals in a manner that is accountable to Canadians. We will have clean air and clean land for the health of all Canadians.

Softwood LumberOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

Roger Valley Liberal Kenora, ON

Mr. Speaker, we know the government left $1.5 billion of the Canadian softwood lumber industry's money in Washington. Now we find out that the returned money will be taxed. The government will be taking another $1.5 billion away from the Canadian softwood industry.

How can the government show such callous disregard? Will it commit today to not tax a single dollar in returned duties, or does the government have to run and check with Washington first?

Softwood LumberOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Calgary Southeast Alberta

Conservative

Jason Kenney ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, here we go, the Liberals now advocating tax evasion for major multinationals.

This is taxes 101. If a person claims something as an expense and the person is subsequently reimbursed, it becomes taxable income. The forest sector understands that, the industry analysts understand that and Canadian taxpayers understand that.

It is amazing that the Liberals do not understand how the tax system works but, mind you, they did not understand how to spend tax dollars wisely either, did they?

Softwood LumberOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

Roger Valley Liberal Kenora, ON

Mr. Speaker, what utter nonsense. It is $1.5 billion for Washington and $1.5 billion for Ottawa. To add insult to injury, this tax was put on when the Canadian dollar was not nearly as high as it is right now.

Why will the minister not admit that the industries will only receive half back? Why did you sell out Canada?

Softwood LumberOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

I remind the hon. member that he must address his questions to the Chair, not to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister who now has the floor.

Softwood LumberOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Calgary Southeast Alberta

Conservative

Jason Kenney ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the sellout occurred through six years of Liberal inaction as it permitted the United States to take $5 billion U.S. in money that belonged to the Canadian forestry industry. It took the leadership of this Prime Minister to get $4 billion of that money back, plus interest.

If the Liberals were still in power, the Americans would still have all $5 billion. It would not be repatriated to Canadian pockets and the U.S. would still be taking billions more out of the Canadian economy. That is not happening under this government.

Indian Affairs and Northern DevelopmentOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Larry Bagnell Liberal Yukon, YT

Mr. Speaker, over the last 13 years, the Liberal government gave more attention to the north than any government in history and we are very proud of that fact.

It is incomprehensible that the government created an entire throne speech and an entire budget without even mentioning the northern half of Canada. There is no northern strategy, no northern economic development fund, no northern search and rescue planes, no northern contaminated sites and, in fact, the word “north” is not mentioned at all.

When will the Conservatives stop leaving the north out in the cold?

Indian Affairs and Northern DevelopmentOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Winnipeg South Manitoba

Conservative

Rod Bruinooge ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

Mr. Speaker, our government is very interested in the north. We actually took some of our first initiatives, especially on behalf of the minister, who toured the north and met with many of the stakeholders. In the budget we indicated that we would be spending $300 million on northern housing. We also put forward $500 million for a socio-economic fund for the Mackenzie Valley basin.

We believe that this is a vision for the north and we are looking forward to working with all stakeholders.