Debates of June 16th, 2006

Softwood Lumber

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the hon. member that it was in fact this government that was able to negotiate a deal, where the previous Liberal government failed miserably.

The committee has heard from many witnesses and they have told us time and again that tens of thousand of jobs have been lost because of the softwood lumber dispute. The industry has told us that it must have stability. This is exactly what the Prime Minister is providing.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, some deal. At current market prices, this deal will leave our producers worse off than the current status quo. If the prices fall further, the deal will get worse.

Producers in Ontario predict a 20% job loss. Now Domtar has joined the long and growing list of critics. This deal is failing because the Prime Minister put his own PR scheme and rehabilitation of his trade minister ahead of Canada's softwood lumber industry.

Instead of misleading Canadians about the endless litigation when a final determination could be heard within weeks, will the government allow Canadian industry to secure some leverage and justice before we agree to go back to the table and not sell us out?

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, while the opposition may be happy to continue to play politics with the thousands of families and lives that depend on lumber for a paycheque, this government is not. This government is focused on reaching stability.

Witnesses have also told committee time and again that continued litigation is what to be expected without this deal. The only people who benefit from continued litigation are lawyers. This government and the Prime Minister are focused on the families and the communities that have been devastated by the softwood lumber dispute.

[Don Bell, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every day more and more stakeholders affected by the softwood lumber agreement are taking a second look at how this deal is bad for Canadian producers. The latest is the Council of Forest Industries, which is very concerned about protecting British Columbia's market based timber pricing and the U.S. attack on our value added industry.

When will the Prime Minister or his minister stand up for B.C.'s lumber remanufacturers and stop working for the benefit of U.S. mills?

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member that it was his party that was content with 100% of nothing for the softwood lumber industry.

The Prime Minister is focused on an end to litigation. We are focused on guaranteeing stability for the industry. We are focused on rejuvenation for the softwood lumber industry. We are also working toward the return of billions of dollars back to Canadian lumber producers.

[Don Bell, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the record will show that the minister did not answer the question.

The American lumber lobby has successfully manipulated the Prime Minister's softwood lumber agreement and is punishing remanufacturers with a border tax. The Prime Minister says he is not a puppet of the Americans, but he sure seems to be a lapdog of the American lumber lobby.

When will the Prime Minister or his minister stand up for Canada?

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that it was not too long ago in the House that the member for Outremont was actually asking us to speed up the process on the softwood lumber deal. Then we had on the very same day the Leader of the Opposition telling us to slow down.

I suggest to the House that this is the reason why the previous Liberal government was not able to negotiate a deal on the softwood lumber dispute.

The Prime Minister has focused on the families and communities that have been devastated by this dispute.

Justice

[Bradley Trost, Conservative, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, just last fall the previous Liberal government introduced a bill that doubled minimum sentences for gun crimes. That bill was seconded by the member for Wascana. This week the same member and his party voted against a Conservative bill that called for minimum sentences. Canadians are wondering why just six months ago someone could vote for something and now against something.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice explain to the members opposite why minimum sentences are necessary to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians?

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot explain to the hon. member why Liberals say one thing during an election and then do another after an election.

I will tell him what Canadians told us. They said they were fed up with violent gun crime and they were fed up with a Liberal revolving door answer to crime.

With Bill C-10 we introduced tougher gun crime laws to ensure that serious and repeat firearms offences will be met by appropriately stiff minimum penalties. I am very pleased that Bill C-10 passed second reading and is being referred to committee despite the Liberals' flip-flop on this important issue.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 100 Ontario first nations chiefs joined the Caledonia blockade last week to show their support for Six Nations. Chiefs in Manitoba announced this week that they will blockade railway lines to protest the lack of action on land claims.

Will the Conservative government admit today that it has the responsibility for land claims in this country and its delay in settling those land claims led to the Caledonia dispute?

[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, our government is very committed to the settling of land claims and it should be pointed out that there were many unresolved issues that were inherited by this government from the previous Liberal administration.

We are committed to the communities that are involved in the Caledonia process. The minister has appointed a very senior former minister, Barbara McDougall, to be our representative on the ground and we look forward to seeing this situation resolved peacefully.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government keeps trying to wriggle out of its responsibilities when it comes to this fundamental relationship between the Crown and first nations. The Ontario government has just bought out the Henco lands estimated at being worth $45 million. Yet this government only budgeted $30 million this year to settle land claims in the entire country.

Will the minister admit that the government continues to avoid the settlement of land claims and it has abandoned leadership on this issue?

[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, as I have said, we have been very engaged in the process. We have been involved at the table, in terms of the Caledonia discussions, from the beginning and, thankfully, we have seen progress. We have seen many of the barricades removed and some real progress being made.

I would like to once again state that in fact there are a considerable number of outstanding claims and our government will proceed with them as soon as possible.

Trans-Labrador Highway

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, in an election letter to Premier Williams, the Prime Minister supposedly promised, “Yes, a Conservative government would support a cost-shared agreement to complete the Trans-Labrador Highway”.

The Trans-Labrador Highway was defined by the council of ministers responsible for transportation as the entire length from Labrador City to L'Anse au Clair, including phase III between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Cartwright.

Can the transport minister confirm that by “complete” he means the construction of phase III and paving the entire Trans-Labrador Highway?

[James Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics]

Mr. Speaker, we saw the degradation of a number of Canada's very important highways across this country for 13 years. We made a number of commitments throughout the course of the election campaign and we are going to fulfill all of our campaign commitments.

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that the Liberals put $360 million into the Trans-Labrador Highway. We are building the highway there.

Premier Williams was also quoted as saying that the Prime Minister has committed to a fifty-fifty cost share for the Trans-Labrador Highway. Some commitment. It did not make it into the budget and the Minister of Transport says in writing that it does not even qualify for his measly infrastructure program.

The Labrador construction season will soon be over. Can the transport minister confirm that the Conservatives promised to cost share the Trans-Labrador Highway fifty-fifty? Will he keep his broken promise or are we just naive to think this in the first place?

[James Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics]

Mr. Speaker, we will not be keeping any Liberal broken promises. We will be keeping our own promises, of course. Canadians voted for change on January 23 and that is exactly what we will provide. We made a number of commitments over the course of the campaign and we will deliver on our campaign commitments.

Child Care

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that Canadian women are involuntarily dropping out of the workforce and researchers linked it directly to a lack of child care spaces. Most of the dropping out is concentrated in the west, which is already experiencing a labour shortage.

Recently, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development indicated that she viewed women dropping out of the workforce as a success story. In light of this report, does the minister still consider women dropping out of the workforce because they cannot find child care a success story?

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, the statistics point to multi-faceted reasons for those findings. They also point to encouraging developments regarding an increased participation in post-secondary education.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government obviously does not even recognize a worrying trend when one appears.

Women dropping out will exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers Canada is already facing. The supply of child care spaces is not a women's issue; it is about productivity and therefore is a national issue.

What will the minister do to reverse this trend and help women who are dropping out because of a lack of child care spaces?

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, the government supports equality. We will continue to support policies and programs which contribute to the well-being of all Canadians, men and women.

First World Outgames

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, from July 29 to August 5, 2006, the World Outgames will host 12,000 athletes and sports enthusiasts from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. In a spirit of inclusivity, these first World Outgames are first and foremost a celebration of sport, culture and human rights regardless of sexual orientation.

These games will be the most important sports event held in Montreal since 1976.

Does the Prime Minister intend to participate in the opening ceremonies of the Outgames to be held at Olympic Stadium on July 29, together with his Quebec counterpart, Jean Charest, and the mayor of Montreal, Gérald Tremblay, and to welcome the athletes participating in these games?

[Michael Chong, Conservative, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's schedule has many demands on it. Many requests are made, many more than could possibly be filled by the Prime Minister's Office. Each event is considered on its own merit, and in this case, there is no exception to the rule either.

Events like this will be considered on their merits and in the fullness of time, the Prime Minister's Office will determine and announce his schedule for the summer months.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the Prime Minister realize that his refusal to participate in the opening of the Outgames sends a negative message to the whole world with regard to respect for this very important event?

[Michael Chong, Conservative, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated a number of times in the House, there are many demands on the Prime Minister's schedule, many more demands than could possibly be met within the time constraints that he has.

Each and every event request that is given to the Prime Minister's Office is considered on its own merits, and this event will be no exception to that rule.