Debates of June 20th, 2006

The Environment

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government is turning federal websites into Conservative Party propaganda, thanks to the NDP. The Conservatives are now banning the use of certain words on these sites.

Natural Resources Canada has not only erased all references to Kyoto from its website, it has also entirely eliminated natural resources climate change sites. Environment Canada's only surviving reference to Kyoto links to a site that has not been updated in over a year.

Why did the Minister of the Environment give the order to censor the word “Kyoto” from current Government of Canada websites?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, that is ridiculous. I have done no such thing. The Environment Canada website is a very dynamic website full of all kinds of excellent information provided by our department.

No website has ever been turned off. No links to international sites have been taken down. One can still access the Kyoto accord site through the department website. This is ridiculous.

This government has absolutely nothing to bury and nothing to hide. The only thing we are doing is making sure that we have an environmental record that we can be proud of.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the question is quite simple: who gave the order to remove the word Kyoto from the Government of Canada's current Internet sites? Which one of these ministers made this decision?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, maybe we will talk about something substantive instead.

For 13 years the Liberals focused on rhetoric instead of substance--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. The hon. Minister of the Environment has the floor. The member for Don Valley West in particular will want to hear the answer.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Edmonton—Spruce Grove, AB]

Mr. Speaker, what I would like to talk about is what is important to Canadians, and that is the health of Canadians in regard to our environment. For 13 years the Liberals focused on voluntary action and were afraid to regulate, afraid to ban and afraid to create new pollution laws.

In just four months we have created two new pollution laws, and just this week, the health minister and I acted and Canada has become the first country in the world to ban a known toxin that causes cancer in Canadians. That is action to protect the health of Canadians.

Program for Older Worker Adjustment

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the request of the Bloc Québécois, the government agreed to include POWA in the throne speech. Again at the request of the Bloc Québécois, the government mentioned it in its budget. We forwarded our cost studies to the Minister of Finance, at his request. We also forwarded our research on this subject to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. In brief, the Bloc Québécois has done everything it can to help the government put a POWA in place.

What is the government waiting for to take action?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows since he is on the committee, we are studying employability. I welcome all of the suggestions he has to help us with the older workers program.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Magog, Huntingdon, Montmagny, the Gaspé, Saguenay and Quebec City are all cities and regions experiencing the serious problem of layoffs of older workers and calling for the establishment of an assistance program for older workers. There are individuals and families whose last vestige of hope is fading with the government's inaction.

When will the government show that it is sympathetic to the plight of older workers who have lost their jobs? This session of Parliament is coming to a close and so time is of the essence.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we are in fact going to be studying employability this summer. We have a feasibility study right now. It was marked in the budget and I welcome any suggestions the member has for our programs.

Firearms Registry

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the reform proposed yesterday by the Minister of Public Safety with regard to the firearms registry reinstates the requirement that firearms retailers keep a record of the weapons they sell.

Does requiring a retailer to keep a record of the firearms he sells not send the message that it is important to register firearms? Does the minister plan to clearly set out this requirement in the act?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, some things are important. It is important to reduce the number of crimes committed using a firearm. That is exactly what the Conservative Party will do. It is also important for the men, women and companies that sell firearms to keep their records up to date. In my opinion, this is important, and I would like to know whether the hon. member agrees.

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister is not answering the question, it is probably because he does not know what to answer.

Here is another question: does the minister not realize that with the abolition of the firearms registry as we know it and its replacement by a multitude of smaller registries kept by firearms retailers, it will be possible to monitor the purchase of new weapons but nearly impossible for police to monitor subsequent resales of these weapons?

Does the minister realize that he is making life easier for street gang members than hunters?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General said that there is currently no control over the long-gun registry.

I wish to say to the hon. member that it is important to remind people who want to own a firearm that they must have a licence.

If the member has concerns about this issue, why is he opposed to mandatory minimum sentences for people who commit crimes using firearms? Why is he opposed?

Marriage

[Belinda Stronach, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when did taking away the rights of Canadians become one of this government's five priorities? The Prime Minister is insisting on having another vote on same sex marriage when Parliament voted on this a year ago. The only way we are going to have a different result this time is if the NDP continues to compromise its principles on equality to support the government.

When will the Prime Minister stand up for all Canadians and start to defend the rights of same sex couples?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, prior to the last election the Prime Minister promised there would be a free vote on this particular issue. That was a promise we made during the campaign and this government will keep its word. The Prime Minister is a man of his word.

[Belinda Stronach, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a recent poll shows that 62% of Canadians believe that this issue has been settled. Even the Minister of Fisheries does not want this issue revisited. Does the Prime Minister want to keep on having votes on this issue until he gets his way, like separatists on a referendum?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as a matter of principle the Prime Minister indicated that there would be a free vote on this particular matter, and there will be a free vote on this particular matter. We are not governed by polls.

Education

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government provided $1.5 billion for access for students who need it most so that if they have the grades, they get in. They get to go.

Instead, the government wants to build a few wheelchair ramps, but if the students cannot afford tuition, they still cannot get in. We know the NDP betrayed students for 10 more seats, but why is the minister not focused on the needs of all students who need help, not just one group?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of improving results and of fostering a well educated and highly skilled workforce. We believe in the 2006 federal budget, in which we announced significant support for education. We offered it for training. We invested in post-secondary education and infrastructure. We improved tax assistance for education. We introduced both a new tax credit and a new grant for apprentices.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last week this House adopted the Liberal economic plan that put great emphasis on post-secondary education, the same plan the Conservative-NDP alliance abandoned last fall, a plan that offers substantial support for every student who needs it, not $78 for a textbook.

Will the government respect the will of this House, invest in real measures to reduce financial barriers for students and not tinker with the tax system?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but notice a pattern today. The Liberals seem to think that the NDP is the government.

I do not know if we can allow the member for Toronto--Danforth to answer any of these questions, but what I can say is this. The Liberals seem worried that Canadians who want a left-wing party with principles are obviously not opting for the Liberal Party.

Federal Accountability Act

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after 13 years of Liberal waste and corruption, Canadians want their federal government to do things differently. Canadians voted for change and this Conservative government is delivering with the federal accountability act.

The Liberal member for York South--Weston praised the federal accountability act, saying that it was an “important piece of legislation”. Could the President of the Treasury Board possibly explain why some of the Liberals are working against openness, transparency and accountability?

[John Baird, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, the good news for Canadians, who are demanding accountability in law, is the moment of truth will soon be upon us. On April 11, the new government tabled the toughest anti-corruption law in Canadian history. Every member in the House will soon have an opportunity to stand up and be counted on accountability.

Let us replace darkness with light. Let us replace accountability with corruption.