House of Commons Hansard #42 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was asbestos.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, it was irresponsible of the government to cancel the EnerGuide program. That is reality. The government's inconsistency is having direct negative effects on the development of energy systems. The government seems to be alone in not realizing this.
Is the Minister of Natural Resources aware that by not reinstating these programs, he is sending the same message as his environment colleague who scorns the Kyoto protocol?
Christian Paradis ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, one thing the Minister of Natural Resources is aware of is that the opposition is asking us to use the Liberal approach, which did not work and which led to a 35% increase in greenhouse gases. That would be irresponsible. We have a real plan that will work.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, 112 softwood lumber companies have taken legal action against this government, because it is preventing Canadian companies from winning their case before trade tribunals and receiving full reimbursement.
The National Association of Home Builders in the United States confirms that the agreement would have had disastrous consequences. This agreement would have destabilized prices and created uncertainty. Fortunately, this government failed.
Will the Prime Minister finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and announce loan guarantees for the industry?
Jason Kenney ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we have already announced an agreement with the United States that will secure the future of the forestry industry.
This agreement will put an end to years of expensive legal wrangling and will put more than $4 billion U.S. back in the coffers of Canadian softwood lumber companies. That is good for the industry and good for Canadian workers.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary should ask the Alberta industry how it feels about that.
The Conservatives failed. They botched the deal because they are horrible negotiators. What government hands over all the cards to the other side before negotiations begin? That one does and the Conservatives are flogging a dead horse, which is worrisome, because it means they will sign anything to try to save this badly botched deal.
The minister of trade failed as an MP, and now he has botched the work in his ministry.
Why does the government not do the right thing and unsuspend the ECC challenge that will lead to the illegal tariff stopping and win this thing once and for all?
Jason Kenney ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade deserves praise from all members of the House. He fought hard to establish a good deal for Canada.
This government will stand up for Canadian interests, as we have done in this agreement, as opposed to the Liberal Party which was supported by the NDP at the time, which allowed seven years of costly litigation to suck $5 billion out of the industry, out of Canadian pockets, and allowed the Americans to ride roughshod over Canada's interests. We will never allow that to happen.
Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
Mr. Speaker, it has become more and more obvious that Sergeant Schultz from Hogan's Heroes is preparing the briefing books for the defence minister: “I know nothing”.
Sovereignty is an issue in a new airlift capacity for the Canadian armed forces. The minister must tell the House, will new planes be based in Canada? Will the repair and maintenance be done by Canadians? Will Canadians control where the planes go and what they can do? Yes or no?
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, as I said, no decision has been made on any equipment. Whenever we acquire aircraft, the aircraft are under the control and ownership of the air force. They will be dispatched under the control of the air force.
I do not know whether I can answer the question with a yes or no. The air force will control the aircraft.
Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
Mr. Speaker, Newkirk and Kinch would not be surprised by that answer.
Denial is not support for the military. Neither is designing sole source contracts to curry U.S. favour or please the minister's lobbyist friends.
I will ask the question again, and instead of insulting the intelligence of Canadians, I would like to have an answer. Why is the minister supporting an airlift contract that will curtail Canadian sovereignty?
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, talking about insulting Canadians, that member's party, the previous government, spent $600 million on paper instead of on helicopters.
The Liberal government, when we needed to lift our troops and equipment, had to beg the Americans or go to the commercial market to get used aircraft to move our troops. That is the proud record of the Liberal government.
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government is preparing to announce the purchase of three supply ships worth $2.1 billion. Less than three years ago, the Minister of National Defence was a very well-paid lobbyist for three of the firms in the running for these contracts. This casts doubt on Canada's reputation and credibility on the international market.
When will the Minister of National Defence do the only honourable thing and withdraw from this file?
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I will do the honourable thing and that is to get the armed forces the equipment it needs. We are going to overcome the 13 years of decay that the previous government did to the armed forces. We are going to recruit 13,000 new regulars and 10,000 more reserves. We are going to restore pride and operational efficiency to the military. That is what we are going to do.
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence constantly claims that he meets all the past and present conflict of interest rules. That is because no prime minister ever dared appoint a well-paid lobbyist to the department he had lobbied. Even Sir John A. Macdonald never did that.
Why does this government not recognize that this is unacceptable? Why does the government not amend the Accountability Act to avoid situations like this?
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order. Before the minister answers, if members wish to carry on discussions, they are free to do so in the lobbies. We are in question period now and these constant conversations that are making it very difficult for those of us who are concentrating on question period to hear must terminate. Members may continue them elsewhere, or stay quiet in here.
The hon. Minister of National Defence now has the floor.
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, there is such a case of envy on the other side. For 13 years those members did nothing in defence. They allowed the defence department to deteriorate. In four months this government has moved quickly to restore pride and efficiency to the armed forces and those members have this great envy that we are doing something that they did not do.
Pauline Picard Bloc Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, on December 19, 2005, the Prime Minister came to Quebec and made a solemn commitment to correct the fiscal imbalance. However, we are concerned by the finance minister's comments and especially by those of the Prime Minister who are both saying, barely five months later, that the fiscal imbalance has been corrected by 50%.
In saying this, is the Prime Minister not simply reneging on his promise?
Diane Ablonczy ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we are studying the O'Brien report carefully. Other reports have come out. We also will be talking to the provinces and territories about the fiscal balance soon and over the summer. Resolution will come. We expect to introduce legislation in the fall, but only after full discussions.
Pauline Picard Bloc Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, how can the Prime Minister assert that the fiscal imbalance is currently being corrected, even though he ended the child care agreement, causing Quebec to lose $807 million for the next three years, and given that the amount in transfer payments for post-secondary education is still lower than it was 10 years ago? Not only has the fiscal imbalance not been corrected, but this government is only increasing it.
Diane Ablonczy ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I certainly reject the premise of that question.
The fact of the matter is that this government has worked very hard to make sure that transfers go ahead. The member will know that in the budget, transfers on those issues did take place. In pursuance of achieving a resolution of the fiscal balance, discussions are ongoing and will culminate in legislation in the fall. I urge the member to give input into this process because we want to make sure that the resolution is good for all of Canada.
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Telefilm Canada approved funding for seven of 36 feature film projects submitted. While Quebec movies have been setting attendance records year after year, Telefilm Canada, whose budget has been frozen for five years, no longer has the resources to provide adequate support.
When will the Minister of Canadian Heritage increase the budget of the Canada Feature Film Fund by $50 million, in order to promote rather than hinder the development of Quebec film?
Jim Abbott ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, our government is very proud of the success of the Quebec film industry. We are very respectful of the industry's needs. We are currently reviewing the feature film policy.
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Some of the projects rejected are by prestigious filmmakers such as Robert Lepage, Charles Binamé, Francis Leclerc and Robert Morin. Furthermore, the amount of Telefilm Canada support for Denys Arcand's movie is placing its production in jeopardy.
Does the minister intend to support the Quebec film industry and its artists or does she prefer to be responsible for its decline? Funds must be released now.
Jim Abbott ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated to the member, we are very proud of the Quebec film industry. We are reviewing our policy. As a matter of fact, the minister is going to be meeting with the producers next week.
Roger Valley Liberal Kenora, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's PR scheme to ram through a bad softwood deal at the expense of our producers is coming off the rails. As well, the U.S. Court of International Trade has denied a U.S. government request to prevent a determination on the case that challenges the illegal U.S. tariffs on our softwood.
With this ruling set to come over the summer, will the government do the right thing and assure our producers that any softwood deal Canada signs will respect NAFTA, its dispute settlement mechanism will respect Canada's sovereignty, and that it will get fair trade for our producers?