Debates of Nov. 21st, 2007

The Environment

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are seeing no serious action, and the minister's answer simply underlines that. There is no sense of crisis with the government.

The fact is the Queen Charlotte Islands are sinking. We are losing the polar ice cap. We are watching it disappear before our very eyes.

Even the Conservatives of France are chastizing the Conservatives of Canada. Their effort is to put the climate change issue on the Summit of la Francophonie in Quebec City. Why? Because just like the previous government, the Conservative government is failing to deal with the crisis of climate change.

Why will the government not take it seriously? Why do we not see some real action on the biggest—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of the Environment.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the NDP talks about the previous government. The leader of the NDP made a deal with the Liberals for $4.5 billion. Why did he not make climate change one of those factors.

We could have acted two years earlier, but the reality is the NDP got in bed with the Liberals one last time and we had to wait two more years for real leadership from this Prime Minister.

Atlantic Accord

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the government insulted all Nova Scotians yesterday when a finance briefing on the phantom equalization deal was cancelled at the last minute. This is the fourth cancelled briefing in the last four weeks.

Nova Scotians have been kept in the dark about this deal since October 10. They have a right to see the details and to judge the deal for themselves. Yesterday was another Conservative betrayal of my province's interests.

Why is the government so intent on insulting Nova Scotians by hiding the details of their phantom deal?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, in response to a question from a Liberal member, the commitment we had made on this very complex bill was to have a briefing as soon as the bill was tabled. The bill will be tabled this afternoon. We look forward to having a briefing tomorrow. I hope the hon. member will be there.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, that regime has already betrayed Atlantic Canada and insulted Nova Scotia. Imagine it treating Alberta like that: never.

One cancelled meeting is understandable. But four? It is either gross incompetence, ministerial bumbling, or an effort to hide the truth.

Has the provincial government been given a copy of the draft legislation and has it given its approval?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite actually cared about what was in the bill, he would wait to read it. Once he reads it, perhaps he could form an opinion. Maybe he could listen to his own premier in Nova Scotia who said:

If Nova Scotia MPs...are not standing up and supporting this, that says to me, No. 1, that they're not in favour of us receiving the full benefits of the...(accord). I hope that our MPs, especially...our Liberal MPs...are going to stand up and be counted.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for weeks now, the Government of Quebec has been calling for a first ministers meeting. The provinces wish to discuss important files such as the rising dollar, the crisis in the manufacturing sector and problems facing the forestry industry. These files affect Canadians in all regions and have an impact on their daily lives. The Prime Minister, however, prefers to turn a deaf ear.

Why must the provinces beg the Prime Minister for a simple meeting? How many times do they have to push the matter for him to finally assume his responsibilities?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, that is incorrect. The Prime Minister tried to convene a first ministers meeting as early as last June. Unfortunately due to scheduling constraints of some premiers and provincial elections, we have now been trying to convene a meeting for either later this year, in December, or early in January.

The Prime Minister has already informed the chairman of the Council of the Federation, Premier Shawn Graham, that this is the case, and he looks forward to having the premiers at 24 Sussex for an informal meeting soon.

[Lucienne Robillard, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is unheard of. The Prime Minister refuses to call an official meeting among the provinces to discuss the problems created by the rising dollar. He refuses to help Quebec and provide immediate assistance to the manufacturing and forestry sectors. He even thumbs his nose at comments made by the provincial leaders and says he will go ahead with Senate reform without ensuring their involvement.

Will the Prime Minister admit that his open federalism is a mere illusion and that he has no intention of treating the provinces as real partners in this federation?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in a long time, the provinces are treated in a very businesslike fashion. The Prime Minister has a very professional relationship with the premiers and has an open door to them. He has regular meetings with the premiers and is always is accessible, just like all our ministers.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, in October, I informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs that a young Haitian boy adopted by Canadian citizens in my riding was abandoned in Haiti. Last Friday, the boy begged us to bring him back to Quebec as soon as possible so that he could, in his words, “have a decent life, where he could eat, drink, sleep and go to school”.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs confirm that he intends to repatriate the child as soon as possible?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade officers in Ottawa and Port-au-Prince are working together with the authorities of the province of Quebec to ensure the well-being of this child. The department is working very closely with Quebec social services, which is investigating allegations of neglect made by this child.

I assure the member that the department is working hard toward facilitating the child's return to Canada as early as possible.

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

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary knows that Haiti is on the list of countries under a deportation moratorium because of the ongoing instability in that country. Given that this young boy has to fend for himself in such a dangerous place, the government must act quickly.

Can the parliamentary secretary tell this House when he intends to repatriate this adolescent?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned, the department is working very hard toward quickly facilitating the child's return to Canada as early as possible. However, I assure the member that we are also working with the Quebec social services, which is investigating these allegations.

As I said, we are working very hard to get this child to Canada as quickly as possible.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, tasers should only be used as a next-to-last resort. They should only be used when the use of a firearm would be justified if the police did not have this paralyzing weapon available. By all accounts, this was not the case during the tragic events that occurred at the Vancouver airport. This means there are serious shortcomings in police training.

Under the circumstances, should the Minister of Public Safety not declare a moratorium on the use of this weapon by RCMP officers until the public inquiry is complete?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I think my colleague is mistaken. The last option for a police officer is to use a firearm, not a stun gun.

Furthermore, I have asked the RCMP complaints commission to review the matter. I have also asked whether we could receive the report before December 12. It is very important that we get answers to all these questions.

Justice

[Vivian Barbot, Bloc, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Council of Europe, a human rights body, was highly critical of the government's recent decision to no longer require that death sentences served on its citizens in foreign countries be commuted to life sentences. Commuting a sentence and clemency are not the same thing, as has been mistakenly suggested.

Does the government plan to change its mind and ensure that Canada goes back to actively promoting the abolition of the death penalty?

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

Mr. Speaker, we continue to oppose capital punishment at the United Nations and there are no plans to change the laws in Canada. However, I believe what has been made clear is if any Canadians go abroad to a democratic country where there is the rule of law, they cannot be guaranteed that Canada will intervene if they become multiple or mass murderers.

[Susan Kadis, Liberal, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, does the justice minister believe that the death penalty is always wrong?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear what the law is in Canada and there are certainly no plans to change that law.

[Susan Kadis, Liberal, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for at least 30 years, Canadian governments have had a policy of seeking clemency for Canadians on death row in foreign countries. Why has the government decided to ignore that long-standing policy? What credibility do we now have in fighting for Canadians who are facing the death penalty in places like China and Ethiopia when the government says it is okay in Montana and Mississippi?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to hear that the Liberals now want us to stand up on behalf of human rights in China. This is certainly a departure from some of their previous comments, but we will have a look at individual cases.

Again, we want to send a message out to anyone who is in the business of being a mass murderer or a multiple murderer in a democratic country where there is a rule of law that they cannot necessarily count on the assistance of the Canadian government.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Council of Europe, the top human rights body, has accused this government of subcontracting the death penalty; that it is okay to execute our citizens as long as it does not happen in Canada. The international community is urging the government to have Canadian citizens granted clemency to serve their sentences behind bars.

Why does the government endorse the use of the death penalty in other countries when it flies in the face of Canadian law?

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

Mr. Speaker, there are no plans to change Canadian law and this country will continue to seek assurances for all extradition cases with which we become seized.

Again, we will look at each of these cases on an individual basis and will take the best decisions in the interests of Canada.