Debates of June 22nd, 2006

The Environment

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member of a couple of things.

First, I am working very closely with the Minister of the Environment on some issues that are of great importance to Canadians, whether it is reducing toxins in our environment or protecting the quality of the water that we drink by establishing drinking water guidelines. We are also tackling air pollution which, as we know, is not only an environmental issue, it is a health issue for the air that we breathe.

I have every confidence in the Minister of the Environment. I used to be a minister of the environment and I have seen a lot of federal ministers of the environment, but this Minister of the Environment will protect our country and our environment.

National Defence

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the House adjourns today and miraculously the government is ready next week to make five announcements about $15 billion in defence procurements, all of which we have asked about in this House for the last two months and for which the government has had no answers.

Is this not convenient timing and all their repeated denials just a smokescreen to hide the fact that the Minister of Defence is deeply conflicted.

This is the chamber of ultimate accountability and Canadian democracy. Why will the Minister of Defence not answer one question in this House?

[Gordon O'Connor, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, there is a great case of envy over here. The Liberals had 13 years to straighten out the armed forces and instead they hollowed it out. They only had three major projects in 13 years.

We have only been in office four months and we will move on the military and give the military what it needs.

This is just sheer envy.

Challenger Jet use

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last fall, while in opposition, the Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary criticized going from Ottawa to Edmonton “aboard a luxury jet that costs $11,000 an hour to operate, rather than share a commercial flight with ordinary taxpayers”.

While ordinary Canadians are barely coping with high gasoline prices, the Prime Minister and his privileged backbenchers did not share such mundane concerns when they went to Edmonton.

Will the Prime Minister cut a $50,000 cheque to taxpayers and pay back the money wasted on this luxurious boys night out?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will know that the Prime Minister does not travel by commercial aircraft for security reasons. It is also well known that I was travelling out west for the World Urban Forum in any case, but we saved the taxpayers money by taking four members of Parliament who otherwise would have been flying by commercial aircraft.

Canada Pension Plan

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that was a pretty feeble answer.

Little creates more angst among Canadians than government actions that put their pensions at risk. Yesterday the finance minister gave two non-answers on this subject.

If the minister is serious about topping up the Canada pension plan with unplanned surpluses to pay for premium reductions while also preserving the soundness of the system, could he tell us how much it would cost to produce a minimal 0.1% premium reduction?

[Diane Ablonczy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I wish that the member would actually stick to the facts. The fact is that the 2006 budget indicated that the government was open to considering allocating unplanned surpluses to the CPP and the QPP. Obviously this will require some discussion with the provinces which are also part of this program.

Nothing has happened yet. Discussions will be ongoing. The hon. member knows full well that with nothing happening he should not be asking hypothetical questions about a very important program for Canadians.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, someone has to do the work of the finance minister.

Yesterday I called the Office of the Chief Actuary and was told that what was needed was a one time injection of $15 billion to get a minuscule 0.1% premium reduction.

Since the government says that there is no way it will have that kind of money, will the minister acknowledge that there is absolutely no chance of lower premiums for Canadians, or does the government plan to cut premiums irresponsibly and put the pension system at risk? Those are the only two choices.

[Diane Ablonczy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows very well that if unplanned surpluses were being directed into the CPP and the QPP the contribution rates in the future could be lowered. However, there are no plans, as the hon. member knows, to reduce CPP premiums in the short term.

He also knows that there will be a joint federal-provincial conference of finance ministers happening later this month and this will be the first opportunity to even discuss the issue. I ask the hon. member to be patient and wait for some actual facts before he shows the kind of outrage that the Liberals are so famous for.

Pay Equity

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women tabled five reports in this House, including the one on pay equity, a report that was tabled last year under the previous government.

Beyond the excuses that interdepartmental committees never come up with anything concrete, will the government finally promise to do justice to women by introducing pay equity legislation, like Quebec did a number of years ago?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I will say again to the hon. member that the interdepartmental committee looking at this issue is composed of representatives from the Department of Justice, Status of Women, Finance and the Treasury Board Secretariat.

We are reviewing various proposals, including the one in the Bilson report, what is currently being done in Quebec and Ontario. In the fall we hope to be able to make proposals in this House.

Black community

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in May, the Black Coalition of Quebec sent a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to designate August 23 as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

The purpose of this request is to ensure that we never forget these human dramas that marked the lives of millions of people around the world. The Black Coalition of Quebec is still waiting for an answer from the Prime Minister. Can he promise to designate International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, as the Quebec national assembly did unanimously, so that on August 23 we can commemorate this episode in the history of humanity?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, Canada always shares in international days of recognition. It is not exactly clear from the member's question what it is she is seeking from the Government of Canada.

We clearly participate in international forums. We participate in recognition of days of mourning and recognition of tragedies that have taken place on the international scene.

If the member would like to bring this matter forward, either through the House in a formal mechanism in the fall or to speak with me personally about the matter, I would be more than happy to receive the information.

Agriculture

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, we know the government is doing all it can to undermine farmers' rights through the Canadian Wheat Board.

Therefore, while the official opposition is awaiting a response from the Minister of Agriculture to a formal access to information request, could the minister inform the House whether he, by order in council or in any written form, electronic or otherwise, issued any directive, order, instruction, request or advice to the board, its directors, officers or management, and what was the legal authority for that attempted intervention?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure exactly what he has in mind. It is interesting how the hon. member from Prince Edward Island would like to direct the activities of western Canadian farmers. However, this government is not interested in throwing farmers in jail just for selling their own grain, which is something the Liberals did.

When we are looking for answers to help the agriculture sector, we do not have to wait long. Under the Liberals over there, they had to wait until Easter.

Federal Accountability Act

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after 13 years of Liberal waste, mismanagement and corruption, Canadians are looking for government to do things differently.

The Conservative Party campaigned on a promise to restore accountability and transparency to government. Canadians voted for change and the government introduced the federal accountability act.

Could the President of the Treasury Board confirm that the promise has been kept and update us on the status of the federal accountability act?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made a solemn commitment to introduce the federal accountability act as the very first piece of legislation into the House, a promise that he delivered on.

Yesterday the House of Commons voted to ban corporate donations to political parties, voted to oppose a five year ban on ministers becoming lobbyists when they leave office and voted to beef up the powers of the Auditor General to allow her to follow the money.

Accountability is also about standing up and making a stand. I know where the NDP stands on accountability. I know where the Bloc Quebecois stands on accountability. I know where this team and the Conservative Party stands on accountability. The only group not to make up its mind is the opposition Liberal Party.

The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-3, An Act respecting international bridges and tunnels and making a consequential amendment to another Act, be read the third time and passed, and of the amendment.

International Bridges and Tunnels Act

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, regarding Bill C-3, the international bridges and tunnels act, in the spirit of cooperation, discussions have taken place among the parties and you will find if you ask that there is unanimous consent for the following:

1. That the amendment from the member for Windsor West be withdrawn.

2. That Bill C-3, Clause 7, be amended by adding after line 5 on page 3 the following:

The Minister may, if in the opinion of the Minister it is necessary having regard to all the circumstances, consult with the other levels of government that have authority in the place where the international bridge or tunnel is, or is to be, situated and with any person who, in the opinion of the Minister, has a direct interest in the matter.

And

3. That, Bill C-3, Clause 24 be amended by adding after line 31 on page 10 the following:

The Minister may, if in the opinion of the Minister it is necessary having regard to all the circumstances, consult with the other levels of government that have authority in the place where the international bridge or tunnel that is the subject of the application is situated and with any person who, in the opinion of the Minister, has a direct interest in the matter.

And then that the bill, as further amended, be deemed to have been read a third time and passed.

I would suggest that this speaks volumes about the Prime Minister, the minister and this government in cooperating to get the job done for Canadians.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the parliamentary secretary have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

(Motion adopted and bill, as amended, read the third time and passed)

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on another point of order.

We often hear from the government that one region cannot be responsible for another. My colleague from Malpeque, who is the agriculture and agri-food critic asked an important question of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. In his reply the latter gave the impression that because my colleague is from Prince Edward Island he is unable to look into the affairs of the west.

I would like a clarification and an apology on behalf of all Canadians. He is a full Canadian.