House of Commons Hansard #25 of the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was culture.

Topics

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, floods, droughts and other weather disasters are becoming increasingly common around the world. Today's UN report indicates that even if all countries took action now to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures would continue to rise until 2050.

In response, our Prime Minister has adopted a laissez-faire attitude and abandoned our commitments. Why has he made such a bad choice for Canada and the world?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Ottawa West—Nepean Ontario

Conservative

John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that the world must take action. Here in Canada, we are showing true leadership with our plan for absolute targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020.

Perhaps the NDP leader should read today's La Presse. André Pratte wrote that the Prime Minister's attitude is “perfectly reasonable”. He said that the Prime Minister “is right: everyone, including the United States, has to sign on to the post-Kyoto strategy”. We are taking action.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, in the UN report, Desmond Tutu wrote:

...the problems of the poor will arrive at the doorstep of the wealthy, as the climate crisis gives way to despair, anger and collective security threats....

Our planet is dying and the direction that the Prime Minister is taking is taking us further and further into a pollution-driven, fuelled economy.

When will the Prime Minister understand that it is time to change direction to put Canada on track to the 21st century green economy? When will he do the right thing for our children, our planet and our future?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Ottawa West—Nepean Ontario

Conservative

John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to real action. We are acting today. We have programs in the transportation domain and energy efficiency conservation. We are regulating the big enterprises to reduce pollution.

The leader of the NDP should have listened to the prime minister when he said:

I have made absolutely clear that we would need to see clear-cut commitments from the major emitters from the developing world for us to become party to that agreement.

Does the member know which prime minister said that? The prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd.

AirbusOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS

Mr. Speaker, Karlheinz Schreiber is in a provincial institution under federal custody at the request of the minister. Section 42 of the Extradition Act states, “The Minister may amend a surrender order at any time before its execution”.

Why will the government not guarantee that Mr. Schreiber's extradition will be delayed long enough for him to appear and tell the truth at the House committee and at the public inquiry? What are the Conservatives trying to hide?

AirbusOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Niagara Falls Ontario

Conservative

Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

I guess the Liberals are halfway there now, Mr. Speaker. They have figured out that it is a provincial correctional institute. I congratulate them for that. It took a bit of time but I am sure they will get there and get this thing figured out.

I should indicate to the House that, with respect to this matter, a stay application has been filed in court and is scheduled to be heard Friday. Therefore, I think it would inappropriate to comment any further on that.

AirbusOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS

Mr. Speaker, the minister has already acted in conflict. Surely he should have known that stepping aside from this file upon entering cabinet was the prudent and wise thing to do.

Yes or no, will the minister do everything in his power to ensure that Mr. Schreiber is present before the ethics committee on Thursday and the public inquiry to follow, or will the minister's loyalty to Mr. Mulroney cause him to be in contempt of Parliament?

AirbusOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Niagara Falls Ontario

Conservative

Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, I have already indicated that I would not stand in the way of that individual either testifying today, as I indicated last week, or testifying this Thursday.

AirbusOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

Mr. Speaker, Conservative members have said that they do not feel comfortable sitting on the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics while it examines the Mulroney-Schreiber affair.

These members say that the Minister of Justice does not have the power to amend his own extradition order. Experts, on the other hand, say that he is the only one who has that power.

It is official. The Minister of Justice is handcuffing the Conservative members of the committee. He is cracking the whip to make them say what he wants to hear. Why? Because he wants to sweep this whole affair under the carpet.

AirbusOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Niagara Falls Ontario

Conservative

Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, just because the member says that it is official does not mean it is official.

I must say that with respect to the members on the Conservative side of the ethics committee, they are completely devoted to their country and to doing the right thing on behalf of Canada, and we all owe them a ton of thanks.

AirbusOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

Mr. Speaker, by attempting to paralyze the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, the Minister of Justice is playing with fire. He is on the verge of being in contempt of Parliament.

By signing Conservative members of the committee up for the crusade to save Brian Mulroney's skin, is he also asking his own colleagues to be in contempt of Parliament?

AirbusOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Niagara Falls Ontario

Conservative

Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, what is contemptuous is to be throwing around inflammatory accusations in a case such as this.

The committee has instituted a process and it is welcome to proceed with that. I indicated I will not stand in the way. I will live up to my responsibilities as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and I resent any suggestion that I would not live up to my oath of allegiance to the Queen.

Manufacturing IndustryOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, when they met yesterday, Premiers Charest and McGuinty again called on the federal government to do its part and help the manufacturing sector. Elected representatives, employer associations, the various manufacturing sectors and unions are joining together to cry out for immediate federal action, given the urgency of the situation.

Will the Minister of Industry listen to them and put as much energy into helping the manufacturing sector as his government is putting into padding the coffers of the oil companies?

Manufacturing IndustryOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Pontiac Québec

Conservative

Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to review what the government has done. We brought out an economic statement that contains very specific measures to help the industry. But what did the opposition do? Once again, the opposition let its own interests dominate, meaning that it left on the table $12 billion over five years earmarked to help Quebeckers and companies. That is what it did.

Manufacturing IndustryOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, we wonder what the minister will tell the people who worked at the six plants that have closed in his riding.

The minister would have us believe that he has acted on the unanimous recommendations of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology concerning the manufacturing sector. Yet nothing could be further from the truth, because only one recommendation has been implemented, and only halfway at that. All the federal government has done is reduce taxes, a measure that benefits rich oil companies, but does nothing to help manufacturers that are making no profit.

Will the minister stop playing with words and introduce a real plan to help the manufacturing sector?

Manufacturing IndustryOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Pontiac Québec

Conservative

Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, if my hon. friends in the Bloc Québécois had bothered to read the economic statement and the throne speech, they would have seen that, yes, the government will be taking action. And that action has begun. But what is the Bloc Québécois doing? The Bloc members are not really working for Quebeckers. They have a unique opportunity to take action that will help Quebeckers, by lowering personal taxes, reducing corporate taxes or decreasing the tax on capital. They are not there for Quebeckers; we are there.

Older WorkersOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Christian Ouellet Bloc Brome—Missisquoi, QC

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of workers at Collins & Aikman plants in Farnham and Lacolle find themselves without any prospects after many years of service. Many of the laid-off workers, experts in their trade, are over 55 and do not have a high school diploma. One of them said that he had worked for 36 years and will have very little in the way of employment insurance.

When will the government implement a real income support program for older workers?

Older WorkersOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Medicine Hat Alberta

Conservative

Monte Solberg ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, this is a serious issue. We see workers being laid off in many parts of the country. That is why we have moved to put in place initiatives like the targeted initiative for older workers.

Twenty of the 40 projects in the country are operating in Quebec today to ensure older workers have some options. This is important. The government sees the tremendous potential in these workers. Overwhelmingly they are being hired today. Many of them are going on to great new opportunities in Quebec and outside of Quebec.

We see the potential. I do not understand why the Bloc does not see the potential in Quebec workers.

Older WorkersOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Yves Lessard Bloc Chambly—Borduas, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is all fine and well to empathize with workers but that does not put food on the table.

It is obvious that this minister from Alberta has a great deal more empathy for his province's oil companies, which have benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars in tax cuts, than he does for workers who lose their jobs. That is the truth.

When will the government make available its surpluses and billions of dollars to workers who lose their jobs rather than to fat oil companies that make indecent profits? When will it do that?

Older WorkersOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Medicine Hat Alberta

Conservative

Monte Solberg ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, the fact is the economy today is creating tremendous numbers of jobs all around the country. In fact, in Quebec 90,000 new jobs were created this year alone. That is tremendous news.

However, I need to point out to my friend that the tax revenues coming in from all taxpayers today allow the government to invest more in training than any government in the history of our country. I am proud of that. We think the path from poverty is employment, and this is a tremendous initiative to make that happen.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Mr. Speaker, what we saw from the Prime Minister at the Commonwealth Summit gives all Canadians great concern. His my way or the highway approach to international relations is not what Canadians expect from their Prime Minister.

We can no longer afford to make aspirational statements. We need binding international commitments. We should be doing everything we can to get all countries on board, including China, including India, by aiming higher by reaching for the top, not racing to the bottom.

What can we expect from the Prime Minister in Bali? The same shameful and disreputable tactics used in Uganda?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Ottawa West—Nepean Ontario

Conservative

John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. My way or the highway, it could be the way of the National Post, which stated:

Once again, [Prime Minister] has taken a sensible stance on global warming—this time at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda....The Prime Minister should be proud of his performance....

We could do it Kevin Rudd's way, the prime minister of Australia. We could do it André Pratte's way. However, we will not do it the way the Liberal Party did, the way that caused greenhouse gases to go up by 33%, the way the Liberals gave a free pass to the big polluters. We will not do it.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Here is the problem, Mr. Speaker. Nobody believes him.

Because of the Prime Minister's shameful behaviour at the Commonwealth conference, Canada is being shunned by the rest of the world. The Australians kicked out John Howard for refusing to support the Kyoto protocol. Only the White House is still in the Prime Minister's camp. He would like us to stay in this two-member club against 190 countries.

Why is the Prime Minister always the only one who is right?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Ottawa West—Nepean Ontario

Conservative

John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, I will agree with the member for Ottawa South. It is unbelievable that the Liberals allowed greenhouse gas emissions to go up by 33%.

I have another quote from a colleague of the leader of the Liberal Party, who said this. “The current Leader of the Opposition did absolutely nothing to fight global warming when he was the minister of the environment and the band of misfits who surround him were even worse”.

Who said that? The current member for Ottawa West—Nepean.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, aspirations will not stop climate change. The world agrees that in order to fight climate change, we need firm targets and binding commitments, but the Prime Minister refuses both. He says one thing in Canada and another on the world stage. Is this why he wants to sabotage the Bali conference, to hide the fact that the government is a fraud?

The Prime Minister keeps repeating his empty phrase, “Canada is back”. Back to the back of the line? Back to the dark ages? When will he come back to his senses?