Debates of Nov. 20th, 2007

Municipal Infrastructure

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our government has brought in tax reductions for all Canadians, individual Canadians, Canadian families, and Canadian businesses. The only thing they all have in common is that the NDP voted against every one of them.

The NDP also voted against the infrastructure program. The NDP says “where is the government?” I will give an example. The billion dollar FLOW project to aid public transit infrastructure in the greater Toronto area, that is where we were. Where was the leader of the NDP when we announced that?

Justice Canada

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that in 2006 the justice department started to take another look at whether the $2.1 million payment to Brian Mulroney should be set aside but mysteriously the whole process just stopped.

Now the justice minister refuses to answer questions and threatens those who ask questions.

Why all the secrecy from the justice minister? Who stopped the justice department from discharging its duty to Canadians?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be absolutely clear. I did not shut down anything in the justice department.

I think this would be a good opportunity for the member for Brampton—Springdale to get up on her feet and apologize and withdraw the remarks that she made about me.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, justice department officials wanted to review the Mulroney settlement in light of new evidence that his story had changed, but that was before the cabinet shuffle.

After the cabinet shuffle, when the former Mulroney caucus member became justice minister, there was no more talk of a review.

Will the government confirm that based on this new information it now has relaunched this review and, if not, why not?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the allegations by the hon. member are completely false. They are a fabrication.

I invite her to make those comments outside the House. It is one thing to slander an individual in the House of Commons. I say that she and each of them should have the guts to say it outside this place.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the Minister of Justice is caught in a conflict of interest. He knows nothing about the review by his own department and refuses to be fully briefed on these files. He is doing absolutely nothing to help Canadian taxpayers recover the $2 million from Brian Mulroney's pockets.

Will the Minister of Justice agree to step down while his former boss is being investigated?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, my responsibilities are very clear and they are related to me as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. If they have any allegations to make, anything of that kind, they should do it outside the House.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice is proving that accountability means absolutely nothing to the Conservative government. The minister has done everything in his power to do nothing within his power, and it is the Canadian taxpayer who is paying the price.

If the minister is unwilling to stand up for Canadians, will he get out of the way and let someone else do his job for him, someone who is prepared to stop the cover-ups and get to the bottom of this scandal?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I am always willing to accept good advice, but the very last group of people I would get advice from are members of the Liberal Party of Canada.

About a week ago, the Liberals were advising us to release private tax information of a Canadian citizen. Members can appreciate that I, and I think everybody in the country, should be pretty skeptical about any suggestions or advice coming from the Liberal Party.

Manufacturing Industry

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Premier of Quebec said: “The federal government has the financial ability to provide immediate assistance to the hardest-hit companies”.

Despite a surplus of $11 billion, the government failed to allocate one single dollar in its last economic statement to help the embattled manufacturing sector. Instead it offered tax cuts to a manufacturing industry that is not making a profit and that therefore pays no taxes.

When will the Minister of Industry wake up and actually do something to help the manufacturing industry?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, in the budget this year, the federal government brought in an accelerated capital cost allowance, recommended unanimously by the industry committee of the House, a 100% reduction in capital cost allowance over the course of two years, a very important incentive for Canadian business. We are seeing an acceleration of investment in machinery and equipment.

Then, in the fall economic statement, we brought in historic corporate tax and business reductions, including for manufacturers in Canada. I invite the province of Quebec and other provinces to emulate the federal government's actions.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question was for the Minister of Industry. I wonder whether there is one in the House.

The Premier of Quebec also noted the absence of measures for workers, so he asked the federal government to use part of its $11 billion surplus to bring in transitional measures like those proposed by the Bloc Québécois and those put forward by the Quebec government for the forestry industry. Those are real solutions.

What is the government waiting for to implement them?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we disagree. We understand the importance of the products produced by the manufacturing sector. We reacted positively to the committee's 22 recommendations on the manufacturing sector. We will help companies innovate, prosper and create jobs.

Forestry Industry

[Yvon Lévesque, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since April 2005, the forestry industry has lost 21,000 jobs in Quebec alone. The forestry crisis is creating new victims every week. For instance, Norbon has been forced to close indefinitely two of its plants in my region, one in Val-d'Or, the other in La Sarre.

Does the government realize that its laissez-faire policy is sucking the life out of all the regions of Quebec? Will it immediately implement programs to help the workers and communities affected by this crisis?

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, any time a mill is shut down, the government moves immediately to contact both the company and the union through Service Canada.

I point this out for the member. Since we put in place the targeted initiative for older workers, out of 40 projects operating across the country, 20 of them are operating in Quebec precisely because we see the tremendous potential of these workers. We want to help them transition into jobs and that is exactly what they are doing in Quebec and around the country today.

Manufacturing Industry

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since January 2006, 65,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in Quebec. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and member for Beauce is advocating a laissez-faire policy, inspired by his friends at the Montreal Economic Institute. This policy is so effective that 150 jobs have recently been lost in the minister's own riding. Baronet, a furniture manufacturer, must close. He should be ashamed that he is not defending the interests of the people in his constituency.

When will the government decide to take action, follow the recommendations in the report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology and put in place real measures to support and help the manufacturing industry?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.

In recent weeks, manufacturers and exporters in Quebec have said this:

The reduction of federal corporate tax rates is an important measure that will enable Canada to maintain the level of private investment and attract foreign investment. We are therefore preserving our long-term global competitiveness...we congratulate the Minister of Finance on recognizing the—

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Beauséjour.

Airbus

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the justice minister claims he was never briefed on allegations related to Mr. Schreiber. Yet on two occasions he wrote to Mr. Schreiber to turn down his requests because he claimed there was no new information.

How would he know?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has set a process in place by which there will be a full public inquiry. The House should listen and have a look at what Professor Johnston has to say when he reports to the Prime Minister.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the minister ordered that Mr. Schreiber be kept in Canada for another two weeks.

If the Prime Minister believed that Mr. Schreiber's allegations were baseless, he never should have called for a public inquiry.

Since it was Mr. Schreiber's sworn statement that set everything in motion, will the government guarantee that Mr. Schreiber will remain in Canada long enough to testify under oath before the public inquiry?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as justice minister and attorney general, I am seized of this matter of extradition. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to comment further.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we all know that Mr. Schreiber sent many letters to the Prime Minister, including at least two outlining serious allegations since June 2006. The Prime Minister continues to say that only senior public servants saw these letters, as well as a few from PMO.

Will the Prime Minister finally shed some light on this? Will he table in the House the official correspondence routing records, what staff saw these records and on what date?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has set in place a course of action that I think most Canadians would appreciate is reasonable. He asked a very eminent Canadian, Dr. Johnston, to have a look at this and set the parameters for a public inquiry. We should await his report.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives have nothing to hide, what is the problem?

The Prime Minister's Office claims that these troubling allegations stayed in the Privy Council Office. Are Canadians supposed to believe that PCO did not warn the Prime Minister to keep his distance from Mr. Mulroney while they were repeatedly arranging meetings between the two men?

The Prime Minister praised Mr. Mulroney in a speech just last April, after these allegations were sent to his office. When the Prime Minister said that Mr. Mulroney would be remembered as Canada's greenest prime minister, was he talking about the money?