Debates of March 2nd, 2007

Finance

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, is that not just precious? Neither the parliamentary secretary nor the minister appear to know the difference between up and down: 15.5% is higher, 15% is lower; 15% is lower, 15.5% is higher. These basic concepts in economics and mathematics appear to be lost on both the minister and the parliamentary secretary. It is very disturbing.

When The Globe and Mail reports that the economy is rapidly decelerating, Canadians have every right to be worried about the competence of this government--

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.

[Diane Ablonczy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. Budget 2006 provided $26 billion in tax relief for Canadians, $20 billion of that to individual Canadians. That is over two years.

Budget 2007 will provide further tax relief. The tax relief offered by our government took 655,000 people off the tax rolls, over half a million people who will no longer pay tax because of our tax relief.

This is a government that is delivering for Canadians, unlike the incompetent government that we replaced.

Fisheries

[Dick Harris, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the fisheries critic from Sackville—Eastern Shore says that he defends fishermen while, in the same breath, says that he would kill the new Fisheries Act in a heartbeat. His own province of Nova Scotia says that the new Fisheries Act is overdue and it supports it.

Would the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans tell the House whether Nova Scotians want a new Fisheries Act or do they believe it should be killed?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right about Nova Scotia's support for the new act, and this is not just coming from the government. In a recent press release, Nova Scotia's fisheries minister, Ron Chisholm, said:

We have been talking with many fishermen over the past few weeks and almost all agree that we need a new Fisheries Act. There are concerns but most are based on a lack of detail about what the new act will do, or misinformation.

Much of that misinformation is coming from the member for Sackville—Eastern Shore. It t is about time he stood up for Nova Scotia's billion dollar fishing industry and supported the new act.

Public Appointments Commission

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been waiting for the long promised public appointments commission, one they expected would be accountable and transparent. Well, that did not happen.

Instead, we learned that a Public Appointments Commission Secretariat was quietly created on April 21 with terms of reference that are completely different from those in the Federal Accountability Act.

Could someone explain on behalf of the Prime Minister why he will not follow his own rules and give Canadians an appointments process that is truly transparent and end cheap pork barrel, rum bottle, patronage politics?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, it looks like somebody has already passed the rum over to the NDP members because it is they who held up the implementation of a public appointments commission when they savagely attacked the reputation of Canada's most respected business leader.

We were in the process of setting up a public appointments commission at the time but, because of the partisan attacks that were led by Liberals, separatists and socialists, we were not able to do that.

We are now working hard to get that public appointments commission in place. We are putting in new bans on political patronage and we will ensure that all public appointments made by the government are qualified.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like a hamster on a wheel that has drunk too much rum. The Prime Minister is the minister responsible for the secretariat that has been operational since last April.

Since taxpayer money has been invested in the secretariat, Canadians have a right to know who is minding the store. Where is the money going? Let us look at the equation: no merit, no accountability and no transparency equals no difference.

Will the government promise Canadians again to do things differently and give the real public appointments commission, the one that we fought for in the Federal Accountability Act, the attention it deserves and put it in place now?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, mixed metaphors aside, we are working hard to implement the Federal Accountability Act. I note that we have opposition members, particularly in the Liberal Party, who are now demanding to have it implemented after they delayed it for many months.

We will implement the act as quickly as possible. It does take time to get it right. We have put in place a schedule that was in the act. Do members know who voted for the schedule? It was the NDP.

Now the NDP should support the government in implementing the Federal Accountability Act. We are keeping our promises, we are keeping the faith and we are doing what is right.

Fisheries

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, in a callous manner that is both uninformed and misleading, the German minister of agriculture has condemned the Canadian seal hunt and wants to ban seal products in Germany.

All parties in the House support the seal harvesters on the east coast but yet the Prime Minister has said absolutely nothing about this situation. When will he act and when will he say something to condemn Germany for its actions?

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

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question from the fisheries critic for the Liberal Party. We have been waiting with baited breath for some questions.

Over the past year, the government met with EU parliamentarians, ambassadors, senior officials and media to dispel myths and make them aware that Canada's seal harvest is sustainable and humane.

The minister has been very active on this file, as well as foreign affairs, and we will continue to be.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to ask questions when one does not get a decent answer whatsoever. I would implore the parliamentary secretary to push hard on this one.

Each year, Germany slaughters over one million deer and over half a million boar pigs, including the young. It attacks our seal hunt with lies and conjecture and now is the time for us to fight back.

Will the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and his colleagues unanimously support my motion to ban the importation of deer and pork products from Germany?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, our government is taking a very proactive role. The member has taken a wrong-headed approach. Instead of trying to demonstrate to Europeans that it is a sustainable and humane harvest of seal products, he wants us to say that ours is not as bad as theirs, and this is just wrong-headed.

Trans-Labrador Highway

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, during the last election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to cost share the completion of the Trans-Labrador Highway.

The provincial transport minister, John Hickey, said last fall that a cost sharing agreement must be signed by the end of October or the first of November. One does presume he meant October or November in 2006. At one point he even said that the deal was signed and sitting on his desk. And there it is was, gone.

It is now March 1. Would the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities tell the House what the hold up is, what he is waiting for and where the deal is?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact it is March 2 and we are working with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. I have had the opportunity to meet Minister Hickey to discuss this issue with him and the discussions are ongoing.

Fisheries

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery is in crisis. Sealers are being targeted. Small boat fishers are being hung out to dry. The inshore fleet is depleting before our eyes.

Now banks are taking over people's licences and the minister is missing in action.

Even the minister's predecessor, John Crosbie, who was a Progressive Conservative, had the guts to stand up and fight for the fishery.

When will the minister stand on his own two feet at the cabinet table and provide assistance to the many fishers who need his help and stop the banks from taking their licences?

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

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House will know that nobody has stood up more for the fisheries industry in Newfoundland and Labrador than our current fisheries minister, certainly more than anything that was done in the last 13 years.

If the Liberals really want to support the fishery in Newfoundland, they ought to get behind Bill C-45 and come up with a new Fisheries Act that actually modernizes and supports the industry there.

Aviation Safety

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities indicated in this House, with regard to Mr. Moshansky's testimony on aviation safety, “This expert's testimony could not have been clearer. He said that the proposed system, the system that is now in place, will improve transportation safety”.

How can the minister ignore the fact that this same expert said, on the contrary, that Bill C-6 will create the perfect conditions for other aviation tragedies?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I said yesterday in this House. The new system is an add-on, an umbrella, that provides more safety for those travelling in Canadian skies.

It is obviously in addition to the many inspectors already in place. Contrary to what the hon. member is saying, the number of inspectors has not decreased, but increased during this same period of time.

I understand that there are concerns about this, but I want to reassure my hon. colleague that we continue to be extremely vigilant in this matter.

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister can keep defending his safety system, but that does not change the fact that he is completely ignoring the recommendations of Mr. Moshansky on the need to have adequate human and financial resources as far as inspection is concerned.

Will he finally realize that a safety management system necessarily goes hand in hand with an effective inspection system, as strongly recommended by this expert?

Why is the minister so bent on eliminating the inspection system that is currently in place?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, again, I want to reassure my colleague that such is not the case. As for the proposals or comments by the expert who testified the day before yesterday, I refer him to the “blues”. I will read the question my parliamentary secretary asked him:

“So if we would have had a safety management system that we're proposing today, plus the existing regulatory oversight, the incident at Dryden would not have taken place”.

The answer is that it is very unlikely that it would have.

We are continuing with our program.

National Optics Institute

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this minority government will soon table its budget and everyone is talking about which programs and organizations will be targeted by the government.

One of Quebec's gems is the National Optics Institute, which is a leader here and abroad. Canada must invest in knowledge. That is the key to development in the era of globalization.

What does the minister intend to do about INO's request for $32 million in funding?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, our government has supported the National Optics Institute for many years.

Last year, we renewed a funding agreement of $6 million annually over a three-year period. The announcement was made six months ago. I was at the press conference. Naturally, they are asking for additional funds. All organizations tend to ask for more from the government. However, we also have budget constraints and we have entered into discussions with the Minister of Industry to determine how we can further support the National Optics Institute in Quebec City.

Status of Women

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, next Thursday marks the 30th anniversary of International Women's Day. Established in 1977 by the United Nations, this important day provides an opportunity to celebrate the progress made to advance women's rights and to assess the challenge that remains.

Canada's theme this year is “Ending Violence Against Women: Action for Real Results”. Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women share with the House what actions our government has taken to provide real results in eradicating violence against women?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, the priority of this government is to take concrete steps to end violence against women and girls. Our government has increased funding to on reserve family shelters. We are supporting the Sisters in Spirit initiative. We are helping victims of human trafficking. We have put forward legislation to raise the age of protection and to put an end to conditional sentencing for serious sexual offenders.

On March 8, I encourage all Canadians to celebrate women's achievements and to reaffirm their commitment to take real action to end violence against women.