Debates of Nov. 2nd, 2007

Remembrance Week

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, throughout Canadian history, Canadians have been on the front lines fighting for freedom and democracy. The sacrifices and bravery shown by Canadians is legendary, and we will never forget or take for granted the gift of liberty that they have given to us. Far too many have given the greatest gift of all, the gift of an unfinished life.

Remembrance Week is very important to this country. It is when we take a moment to honour those Canadians who have served and who are currently serving in the name of freedom, peace and democracy throughout the world. Fifty-nine of my constituents are currently serving Canada abroad, and I am very proud of their service, as are all members of the House.

As the annual parade passes by, we see the stalwart veterans marching straight and dignified.

We will never forget.

Remembrance Day

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

Mr. Speaker, next week on November 11 Canadians from coast to coast to coast will pay tribute to our valiant veterans who fought and died to preserve our freedom, our rights and our democracy.

It is also important for all of us to offer our thoughts for our soldiers who continue to fight today. They are the brave men and women of the Canadian Forces, our veterans of tomorrow.

From Afghanistan to Bosnia, Haiti to the Golan Heights, Sierra Leone to Sudan, our soldiers serve with courage and distinction. Their sacrifice stands as a continuing reminder that Canada recognizes its responsibility to protect and will always stand on guard for the principles and ideals that our country and our citizens cherish.

As we prepare to mark Remembrance Day, I know all members of the House will join with me in paying tribute to those men and women who continue to wear the uniform of the Canadian Forces and to remember the huge sacrifice of those who have led the way.

We will remember them.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, as Remembrance Day approaches, I am reminded that this year Remembrance Day will hold particular importance in my riding of Macleod.

On September 24 of this year, Corporal Nathan Hornburg was killed in action in Afghanistan. Corporal Hornburg had very strong ties to the riding of Macleod. His mother, Linda Loree, resides in Nanton and his family has farmed in the area for many years.

As a reservist in the King's Own Calgary Regiment, Corporal Hornburg believed that service in Canada's military to bring security to Afghanistan was the right thing to do. It is my hope that all my colleagues in the House of Commons will honour the memory of this soldier and the memory of every soldier who has worked to defend our values and protect those whose fortune does not guarantee their rights this coming Remembrance Day.

Remembering the sacrifices that Canada's brave soldiers have made in past wars and in current conflicts is important for all Canadians who enjoy freedom, safety and security granted by their efforts.

Lest we forget.

Manufacturing Sector

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I recently learned about the imminent closure of the Basell plant in Varennes. This closure will result in the loss of about 100 high paying jobs and will certainly have a negative impact on many of the activities of the chemical industrial park.

Yet, the Conservatives prefer to turn a blind eye to these job losses, just as they turned a blind eye to the tens of thousands of jobs that have already been lost in the Quebec manufacturing sector.

Indeed, Tuesday's economic statement gives a very clear indication of the crisis facing the manufacturing sector. Thus, it is with full knowledge of the facts that the Conservatives chose to ignore our manufacturing industry's difficulties. Yet, the Minister of Finance knew he could count on a cushion of over $100 billion over the next five years.

Meanwhile, the list of jobs lost continues to grow. Superficial measures are no longer enough. It is offensive to see the gifts being handed to banks and oil companies. Urgent action is needed immediately, not six months from now.

Skilled Trades

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Blackstrap, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Skilled Trades Day in Canada. On November 5, Skills Canada will raise awareness through events across the country emphasizing that skilled trades offer rewarding careers for Canadians.

In the days that follow, I would encourage Canadians to take part in community activities and learn more about the skilled trades. We are committed to helping Canadians thrive in skilled trades. Our government has taken concrete steps through new initiatives, such as an apprenticeship incentive grant, an apprenticeship job creation tax credit, and a tradespeople tool tax deduction.

I would also like to inform the House that 29 talented Canadians will be representing Canada at the WorldSkills Competition in Japan from November 10 to 21. I would like to wish them the best of luck. We are also looking forward to Canada hosting the WorldSkills Competition in Calgary in 2009.

Finally, I would like to thank Skills Canada for helping us all focus on the fundamental role of the skilled trades in building a strong future for our country.

Silver Cross Mothers

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, next week, Canadians will mark Remembrance Day. We will remember those who made the supreme sacrifice, and we will also remember the mothers of those who lost their lives in the service of their country.

This year's Silver Cross Mother is Wilhelmina Beerenfenger-Koehler of Embrun, Ontario. Mrs. Beerenfenger-Koehler will lay a wreath of flowers at the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who children died while serving in the Canadian Forces or the merchant marine.

She will no doubt be thinking of her son Robbie, who was killed on October 2, 2003 while on patrol near Kabul, Afghanistan. Our thoughts are with her.

The role of Silver Cross Mother is an honour, but also a burden.

On behalf of my friends in all the parties in this House, I express our sincere condolences and our eternal gratitude to Mrs. Beerenfenger-Koehler and all the mothers who share her burden.

Economic Statement

[Merv Tweed, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, citizens of Brandon--Souris and throughout Canada will have more money in their pockets as a result of our government's fall economic statement, wherein we provided a historic tax relief package.

Since coming to office 21 months ago, we have reduced the tax burden of Canadians by $190 billion, and that is billion, not million.

Our fall economic statement provides an additional $60 billion in broad based tax relief over this and the next five years for individuals, families and businesses. This includes reducing the GST to 5%, as promised. This includes cutting personal income taxes as well as cutting business taxes over the next five years.

These measures are in stark contrast to the policy flip-flop of the Liberal Party, which used to be in favour of eliminating the GST but is now saying it would raise it.

Once again Canadians have a clear choice: weak leadership and higher taxes with the Liberal Party or strong leadership and lower taxes with the Conservative Party of Canada.

Governor General's Awards

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

Mr. Speaker, I had the honour of being present at the Governor General's residence this morning to witness one of my constituents, Rose Fine-Meyer, receive the Governor General's award for excellence in teaching Canadian history.

She created an interdisciplinary studies course entitled “Archives and Local History”. It is accredited as part of the Ontario curriculum and couples an understanding of primary historical documents with first-hand research of communities and local history as they stand today.

This teacher being honoured today discovered that historical documents from World War I are not being scanned and housed electronically for safety. Rather, these old documents are being left to crumble with age. These precious documents tell the stories of many brave Canadians who gave their lives for this country.

We need to preserve the memory of our veterans and their sacrifices so that we can pass it on to our children like Ms. Fine-Meyer has done for so many years at Humberside Collegiate.

The government needs to take urgent action so that our veterans' stories and the sacrifices of the past can serve as a lesson for future generations of Canadians.

Remembrance Day

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last Remembrance Day, 28 young Canadians serving in Afghanistan were among those who stood to honour fallen friends and a century of sacrifice by our nation's veterans.

This Remembrance Day, they are among those we pause to remember. They are among the more than 116,000 Canadians who have given their lives in the wars of their time so we could have peace in our time.

In their silent moment on November 11, Canadians should reflect on the price of the peace that surrounds them and remember that every year lived in freedom is a year owed to a veteran.

Interculturalism

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the second annual Intercultural Week will be held in my riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges from November 5 to 10, with the theme “Discover the colours of the world”. It is with pleasure and great pride that I will be the honourary chair of this event.

Everyone has been working hard to provide workshops and highlight the contribution of immigrants in the region.

This week provides an opportunity to celebrate Quebec culture, to heighten awareness of a multitude of issues related to increasing cultural diversity, and to learn more about different cultures. Together, we will highlight the Quebec model of integration which hinges on interculturalism.

We want to share the best of ourselves to help new immigrants integrate into our beautiful region.

Remembrance Day

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Remembrance Day is a time to acknowledge the courage and determination of the men and women who have served our country with such dedication throughout its history.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask everyone to strive to preserve the peace for which they gave their lives.

Lest we forget, wars have often had a terrible impact on the Canadians who have taken part in them. People of all ages and backgrounds have lost their lives or been injured on the battlefield.

And many who have come back from the front have not returned unscathed. Everywhere they have served, abroad or here in Canada, veterans have answered the call to serve their country.

In remembering all those who have served in wartime, we recognize the many people who suffered for us so that we could live here in peace.

We thank them from the bottom of our hearts. Let us never forget.

Economic Statement

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the tax man cometh.

Yes, that is still true, but the good news is that he will not get nearly as much as he did when we had a Liberal government across the floor.

The tax relief people felt when they filled out their 2006 tax forms was noticed and appreciated, but the tax refund my constituents will get when they fill out their 2007 tax forms will be a pleasant change indeed.

In fact, the Conservative government will leave $190 billion in the pockets of hard-working Canadians over the next five years.

What was the Liberal response? The Conservative--

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

Order, please. I am sorry to interrupt the hon. member, but his time has expired. We will go to oral questions.

Airbus

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear about this. Had the RCMP known in 1997 that Mr. Mulroney received $300,000 in cash from Karlheinz Schreiber, Canadian taxpayers would not have had to pay Mr. Mulroney $2 million.

The government must act on this troubling new information about Mr. Mulroney.

What is it waiting for? Will it call a public inquiry immediately?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have shown that they do not mind making serious accusations related to this issue in the House. However, outside the House, they did not mind telling journalists that they had “no evidence of any wrongdoing”. I am quoting the member who asked the questions. He is the one who admitted that.

That says a lot about how the Liberal Party works. That is how the Liberals have dealt with everything in the House over the past few weeks. No honourable, respectable Canadian would expect that kind of behaviour from his or her elected representative.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I know this is very difficult for the Conservatives. Many of them are close personal friends of Mr. Mulroney. Some even served in his government. But that does not excuse the government from taking immediate action to clear up this matter.

Until it opens a full public inquiry, will the government immediately order the Canada Revenue Agency to investigate whether Mr. Mulroney declared the $100,000 in cash when he returned to Canada from New York, as Canadian law requires?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat in English that on this issue the Liberals have shown they are quite content to come into the House and launch smears and accusations and then go outside the House and declare quite happily, as the member himself did, that they have “no evidence of wrongdoing”. That is what he said.

That tells us everything we need to know about how that Liberal Party operates. It is the same way that it has been operating throughout the past few weeks in the House and it is conduct that really is unbecoming of any elected member of Parliament.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, what are they afraid of? If everything was above board, the government would be trying to help Mr. Mulroney restore his reputation. We must not forget that Mr. Schreiber also has friends in the current government. After all, the Minister of National Defence used to work for Mr. Schreiber.

Maybe the Conservatives do not want anyone to find out the whole truth. Why not call a public inquiry immediately?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Because, Mr. Speaker, the last time those folks raised this issue it cost Canadian taxpayers $2 million for false accusations. That is what they had to pay.

If they are in the business of wanting us to launch politically inspired inquiries, I was thinking there are some things we could do. We could continue to try looking for that $40 million. That could be a special inquiry. Perhaps Shawinigate and that golf course could use a special inquiry. Perhaps the HRDC billion dollar scandal could use an inquiry. Perhaps the millions of taxpayers' dollars that went to Canada Steamship Lines are worth a public inquiry.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the government wants this Mulroney cash payment issue to simply disappear. Is it concerned that members of the current government could be drawn into a public inquiry?

Paul Terrien, who was with Mr. Mulroney and Mr. Schreiber in that infamous hotel in Switzerland, now serves as the transport minister's chief of staff. Faced with this new and disturbing information, the government must act.

Can the transport minister say what role his chief of staff played in the exchange of money between Mr. Schreiber and Mr. Mulroney?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, I am astonished that those members continue this line of questioning. They have decided to pursue it as a political vendetta from when they were in government. It cost Canadian taxpayers $2 million. It was a settlement they entered into, not this government. Their government entered into that settlement to deal with the fact that they were pursuing false accusations.

Now they want us to pursue those false accusations.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week we found out that Brian Mulroney received $300,000 from Karlheinz Schreiber in 1993. This is a fact that has been covered up for over a decade. Clearly the Department of Justice did not have all of these facts when it recommended a $2 million settlement with Brian Mulroney in 1995.

Now we have the facts. Will the government instruct the Department of Justice to get taxpayers' money back from Mr. Mulroney?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, I will make the same point again.

It was the previous Liberal government that launched a political vendetta against one of its enemies and it had to pay the price for it. However, it was not the Liberals who paid the price for it. The Canadian taxpayers paid for it.

I invite the Liberals, if they want to pursue it again, to go outside the House and this time they can pay the price, instead of Canadian taxpayers, for making false accusations.

Justice

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety justified his decision to not seek clemency for Ronald Allen Smith, a Canadian sentenced to death in the United States for murder, on the grounds that he was convicted by a democratic country. Yet, Canada refuses to deport refugees to their country of origin, whether or not the countries are democratic, if they risk facing the death penalty.

How can the Minister of Public Safety reject the same criterion when Canadian citizens, even if they have received a criminal conviction, are facing death in another country, although the death penalty was abolished in Canada some time ago?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, murderers who have been found guilty in a democratic country and convicted based on the rule of law are not brought back to Canada. To do so would send the wrong message.