Debates of Sept. 22nd, 2006

Airline Industry

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is committed to aviation safety, as everyone knows, and recognizes the important contribution that flight attendants make, particularly with respect to the orderly evacuation of aircraft.

Because we are continuing to study this issue, we will not table any changes to the flight attendant ratio in the near future. We will continue, indeed, to consider feedback to help facilitate a decision in this matter that ensures the highest level of security to Canadians.

Afghanistan

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know from talking to Afghan women in Canada and in Afghanistan that the counter-insurgency is making things worse for Afghan women.

Yesterday at the UN General Assembly, speaking in reference to the combat violence, Hamid Karzai said, “That is why today 200,000 of our students who went to school two years ago are no longer able to do so”.

Is it not time for the minister to admit that counter-insurgency is in fact making things worse, not better, for Afghan women?

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

Mr. Speaker, when I listen to members of the NDP, it is like I am listening to a bunch of diletantes. They come up with one loony idea after another.

We and NATO have to leave the military in Afghanistan to provide security. It is because of the Taliban trying to burn schools that we are there reacting against the Taliban.

If the NDP had its way, the Taliban would return and turn the country into a nightmare.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, aside from the minister's personal attacks, Afghan women tell us that life is getting worse, not better. Today I heard from Afghan women in Canada. Only 12% of women in Afghanistan have access to medical care. Many die from complications during pregnancy. Women are still subjected to forced marriage and abduction. We know that we cannot destroy terrorism by bombing villages.

Is it not time to refocus this mission on building peace and bringing real security to all Afghan women, and not waging war?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are devoting considerable funds and effort to development. We are also devoting a lot of effort to governance. However, we also have to provide security.

If the House wants an example of the Taliban, the most recent case where four of our soldiers died, an old man rode in on a bicycle and blew a bomb off in a bunch of children. The Taliban does not care about human life and they will not care about women if they return.

Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister publicly chastised Jan Wong for making racial slurs regarding immigrants in Quebec, and we agreed. Now we find out that one of his own Quebec MPs has voiced similar views and even suggested that Quebec's treatment of immigrants likely inspired the tragic shootings at Dawson College.

The Conservative caucus is harbouring a member who holds views that the Prime Minister has called absurd, prejudice, irresponsible and without foundation.

When will the Prime Minister of that minority government do the right thing and kick him out of caucus?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member in question did the right thing. He recognized that the remarks he made were totally inappropriate. He has taken those remarks back. He has apologized for those remarks.

We are still to this day waiting for the Liberal member for Bourassa to apologize for suggesting that Canada should deport immigrants that he does not like.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

First, Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, I am not sure if the member did apologize. He may have withdrawn his remarks. It would be nice to hear him say “I am sorry”.

That is simply not good enough, though, on behalf of the Prime Minister. What kind of message does that send about the minority Conservative government's views toward immigrants?

The government member has the honour of sitting on the justice and human rights committee. Will the Prime Minister have that member immediately removed from that committee, and take it one step further and kick him out of caucus?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that member has done what members should do when they say something that is inappropriate. He has retracted his words. He has recognized that they were wrong and inappropriate, that he misspoke.

I wonder why the Liberals had a former cabinet minister, who is sitting on the frontbench over there, who said that immigrants he did not like should be deported. When will he at least apologize, let alone being kicked out of his caucus?

[Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we often hear members of that minority government say that Canada was built by immigrants. It is now obvious the Prime Minister does not have the courage to stand up for immigrants, particularly those who have chosen Quebec as their home. This is scandalous and it must be addressed.

When will the Prime Minister fire the MP for the riding of Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles and send a clear message that racism will not be tolerated?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member has apologized.

However, speaking of immigration, this is the government that immediately cut the right of landing fee in half, the head tax, that had been imposed by the Liberals on immigrants. This is the government that has created a national agency for the recognition of foreign credentials. This is the government, under the leadership of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, which is doing what it can to attract quality immigrants to help build our country. This is the government that apologized for racist immigration acts of the past like the Chinese head tax, for which the former Liberal government never had the guts to apologize.

[Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as is the tradition of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, he has been stonewalling and Canadians will not stand for it.

The government has not done any favours for immigrants. It should practise what it preaches and stand by a zero tolerance policy against racism and those who perpetuate it.

When will the Prime Minister of the minority government fire the Quebec MP who spewed these absurd, prejudice and irresponsible remarks?

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member raises the issue of immigration. There is no government in history that has a worse record on immigration than the former Liberal government. In 1995 it froze funding for settlement agencies which meant that people arriving here, who had trouble with the language and trouble integrating, received no help from the government.

We reversed that in the budget by announcing $307 million in new funding for settlement agencies to help immigrants get better outcomes. We are a pro-immigration party. We want more immigrants. We want them to have better outcomes.

Program for Older Worker Adjustment

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development says that she is continuing to examine the feasibility of the Program for Older Worker Adjustment, several unemployed workers from Huntingdon are being told by a departmental employee that the program will be announced in two or three weeks and that he would be pleased to have coffee with them to celebrate.

Rather than having this employee keep an entire community on tenterhooks—a community still reeling from recent plant closures in the area—should the minister not immediately announce the introduction of this program?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, because I have said it in here on so many occasions, the government truly is concerned about what happens to our displaced workers, our older workers, in various sectors. That is why we are undertaking a feasibility study to examine long term solutions for this sector and we will be making announcements soon.

Teleglobe Canada

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Teleglobe Canada—sold to private interests a few years ago—has announced that it will streamline its activities in Canada and move more than 200 employees to India in the next few months.

Is this decision not a red flag for the government and should Canadian laws be reviewed in order to deal with the new economic reality resulting from globalization?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that Canada was built with foreign capital. The coast-to-coast railway was built with money from England and from the U.S. We are open to foreign capital. That being said, Canada does have the Investment Canada Act, which we enforce. This law states that any foreign investment must be reviewed for net benefits to Canada and to Quebec. We respect this law.

Public Works and Government Services

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on June 15, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services announced that the matter of leasing or buying Minto Developments' JDS Uniphase building would be moved “to a new competitive process”.

Public Works chose to use the advance contract award notice process, which, according to the Auditor General, is not a competitive process.Given that the parliamentary secretary misled the House, why has the Prime Minister not demanded his resignation?

[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, this government has corrected mistakes made by the Liberal government. We showed transparency by giving potential suppliers the opportunity to tender, but none did. We saved taxpayers money, found a suitable location for the RCMP and did what we had to do for Canadians.

Agriculture

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, as part of our platform the Conservative government promised to give western grain farmers the freedom to make their own marketing decisions and the choice of participating in the Canadian Wheat Board.

Could the Minister of Agriculture please tell us what actions he has taken to provide agriculture producers with freedom of marketing choice?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for the question because I certainly do not get any questions on agriculture from the Liberals or the NDP. This is a refreshing change.

This summer I met with producers and industry representatives to discuss marketing choice for people to create a vibrant, voluntary Canadian Wheat Board. Last week I appointed Ken Motiuk, a committed advocate of dual marketing choice, to the Canadian Wheat Board. He has the harness on and he is working on behalf of all farmers. Just this past Tuesday I appointed a task force to give the framework for what a voluntary wheat board might look like.

We are moving ahead with marketing choice. It was a campaign promise and farmers deserve it as quickly as possible.

Child Care

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the OECD issued an international report on child care and Canada is at the bottom of the list. It recommends that each country should invest at least 1% of the GDP on child care and Canada has an investment of 0.03%.

Given that child care is very much connected with productivity and economic growth, will the minister commit to success rather than failure and support the NDP child care act in the coming debate on Monday?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad the hon. member brought this report up because this report just underlines the 13 years of neglect by the previous Liberal government when it comes to child care.

I am so very proud of Canada's new government for taking action immediately with our two step, universal child care plan. Parents of children under six are now receiving $100 a month to help toward their child care choices that meet their needs.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, communities in my riding are suffering due to a lack of commitment by the government to reform the west coast fishery: two-thirds of the decision-making here in Ottawa but very little on the west coast; enforcement officers that would stop illegal fishing cut to the bone; a licensing system that leaves small fishermen out in the cold, where it costs them more to go to work than they can earn; and the sellout of seasonal processing plant workers because they cannot access EI.

Will the fisheries minister please tell us when he will take concrete action to resolve these long-standing issues for the sake of the west coast fishing industry.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that this government is continuing a comprehensive Pacific fisheries renewal program. It is a comprehensive program that looks at a number of issues. It enhances compliance and enforcement, salmon enhancement, all the things she is concerned about.

The minister is very concerned about making this a strong and sustainable fishery, unlike the previous government, and we will meet that goal.