House of Commons Hansard #128 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was money.
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec was asked to contribute some $70 million to rebuild this airport runway. You will agree that, in view of our total budget of approximately $200 million, it is a considerable sum of money.
Nevertheless, we shall see what we can do and what all the parties involved will contribute. A serious analysis will be undertaken once the formal application is submitted.
Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance insists on interfering in Quebec's and the provinces' jurisdictions by establishing a pan-Canadian securities commission. Quebec, the territories and all provinces except Ontario already have a mechanism for facilitating securities transactions and they reject the minister's proposal.
How does the minister reconcile his position with his government's commitment to respect the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, this is an area of discussion in which the provincial ministers and the federal minister have engaged over the period of some 14 months or so. There are a number of studies.
One of the key concerns is that having 13 securities regulators in Canada creates a great deal of red tape and a great paper burden without much benefit. If we are going to look at making our economic union function better, it is one area in which we might well gain some ground. It is a continuing matter of discussion. I look forward to having more discussions with the finance ministers about this in Quebec in June when we meet again.
Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the minister that Quebec is against his plan and has said so loud and clear. A passport mechanism already exists to facilitate inter-jurisdictional transactions. According to a recent OECD study, it is a model of efficiency.
Why does the minister insist on wanting to change a mechanism that works and impose another that would strip Quebec of an area of exclusive jurisdiction?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is right. There has been significant progress among the provinces in working toward a system that will work better for all Canadians and work better for Canadian businesses. That is exactly where we want to go.
We think we can go further together in terms of a common securities regulator for Canada. I emphasize to the member, this is not a federal securities commission; this is a securities commission for all of the governments in Canada. That is what we have been discussing. It certainly would not be a national regulator.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives used the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission as a shield, claiming to have funded it when in fact they have paid it nothing. The director of the commission in the Kandahar region says he cannot monitor all the prisoners and that torture and abuse are rife in Afghan prisons.
The defence minister is either grossly incompetent or he callously disregards human rights. He is not fit to run the Canadian armed forces.
When will the Prime Minister start supporting our troops, do us all a favour and fire the defence minister?
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the member says, I spoke with the representative in the Kandahar area. He personally assured me that he could do the job, and that is he will monitor our detainees in the Afghan system and if he finds any fault, he will report it to us. He has personally confirmed that.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, I do not know why we should believe him when he has already misled the House and has had to apologize for it.
He has misled us once again with regard to the Afghans. Last week he stated that his department was not attempting to interfere in the investigation into the condition of detainees. However, a letter confirms that DND is actively attempting to block the Military Police Complaints Commission.
When will the minister own up to his political interference?
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, on three or four other occasions I have said specifically that all four investigations, that is, the National Investigation Service, the board of inquiry and the two Military Police Complaints Commission investigations will proceed.
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax—Pickering, ON
Mr. Speaker, on Friday former MP Jim Hart said that an offer of compensation was made to all Alliance MPs by the public safety minister at his first caucus meeting as leader. The minister has claimed that there was no such deal or discussion prior to Mr. Hart's decision to leave.
Not only does this contradict Mr. Hart's statement, the facts fly in the face of new documents which point to a negotiated compensation package in advance of Mr. Hart's resignation, an action that would be illegal.
Given the allegations are now before the RCMP, can the minister responsible for the RCMP confirm that his agency is investigating their own minister?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, this is an old story.
The member for Ajax—Pickering could be helpful. While he is busy finding lost property and returning it to its proper owners, perhaps he could help taxpayers by finding the $40 million the Liberals took in the sponsorship scandal and returning it to its proper owners, the taxpayers of Canada.
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax—Pickering, ON
Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives had not left behind thousands of pages of documents, they would be right in that this would not be a new story, but in their rush to government, they left the truth behind.
Jim Hart does not dispute the authenticity of the new documents provided to the RCMP. He does not dispute that a negotiation between him and the minister's then chief of staff took place in advance of the resignation, a scheme which appears to not only contravene the Criminal Code but also points to the illicit use of taxpayers' dollars.
By not stepping aside, the minister responsible for the RCMP is tacitly placing pressure on the investigation and blocking the truth. When will he step down?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, offering inducements to someone to step aside for another Liberal is something the Liberal Party knows an awful lot about. After all, does everyone know that the leader of the Liberal Party, the member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, was elected to Parliament only after a Liberal MP, Shirley Maheu, was given an appointment to the Senate so that he had a place to run? The Liberals seem to know something about inducements.
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, British Columbians finally have a federal government that is acting on our priorities.
While the previous government watched and did little, the mountain pine beetle infestation grew from a few city blocks to an area almost three times the size of Vancouver Island. The truth is the previous government did not contain this beetle. The infestation now threatens Canada's vast pine forests and the well-being of some 180 communities.
Could the Minister of Natural Resources tell this House what our government is doing to combat this disaster?
Gary Lunn ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the member for Kelowna—Lake Country and also the member for Cariboo—Prince George for their work on this file.
One of our government's first actions when taking office was to commit $1 billion over 10 years to combat this infestation. In our very first budget only months after taking office, we committed to $200 million. We have 100% fully funded the British Columbia forest service request for mitigation this year. We were pleased to announce $25 million. We will continue to ensure the long term sustainability of communities and that these communities are protected, this after the 10 years of inaction by previous Liberal and NDP governments in the province.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, it has come as no surprise to Canadians that the government has become a follower rather than a leader when it comes to the issue of the environment.
The Conservatives should be thoroughly embarrassed by their handling of the climate change file, regulating air pollution, and now they are being scolded by American governors about polluting our waters. The governor of Montana, hardly one known for his tree-hugging ways, has demanded that the environment minister conduct an environmental assessment on an open pit coal mine in British Columbia.
Will the minister immediately order an assessment on the project, do his job and get the job done for once?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the Government of British Columbia has just completed its pre-assessment process and will be establishing the terms of reference for its environmental assessment of this process. We will await its hard work. I have a lot of confidence.
Should the government of the United States at the national level like to request the involvement of the International Joint Commission, that would certainly be a request we would be open to considering.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the governor of Montana has requested this of the minister. Now the people of British Columbia are demanding this and the minister is away on the file.
When will the Conservatives learn that everyday Canadians expect leadership when it comes to the environment, not spinning and further delay?
The government has made a travesty of the Canadian international reputation on climate change. It has already lost a minister. It has lost control of its only environmental bill.
When are the Conservatives going to do something for a change and do something about this open pit coal mine being proposed in British Columbia? Will he order the assessment, yes or no, now?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I say to the member opposite he is certainly contributing a terrific amount to global warming with that type of rhetoric.
The Government of British Columbia is conducting an environmental assessment on this issue. We will wait and watch that take place and look at what it comes forward with and recommends. At the end of that process, should our neighbours south of the border at the national level wish to request the International Joint Commission's involvement, we would be very open to receiving such a request.
Andrew Telegdi Liberal Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, despite the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration's claims that only 450 Canadians have lost their Canadian citizenship due to arcane citizenship laws, in reality the number could be upwards of 200,000 individuals, whose lives potentially could be devastated by this injustice.
Will the minister admit that she has downplayed the magnitude of this issue and misled Canadians and will she take immediate steps to review the Citizenship Act to better protect Canadian citizenship in the future?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I really think it is time that the party opposite stops trying to mislead Canadians about these numbers.
Four hundred and fifty people have come forward and have been identified as having this kind of problem with their citizenship.
That is why we have put together a special hotline, dedicated case agents and a streamlined process to address them. I am pleased to say that we have already been able to grant 33 of them citizenship and resolve their problems.
Andrew Telegdi Liberal Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is abysmal that the minister is satisfied with a piecemeal and reactionary approach to protecting Canadian citizens.
Why has the minister minimized the impact of the issue, played favourites, failed to proactively seek out those who remain unaware that their citizenship status has been affected and ignored demands to undertake a full review of Canada's Citizenship Act?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, it is the party opposite that should be apologizing to Canadians, first, for creating this situation and, second, for doing nothing about it over four mandates, six ministers and three majorities. Third, it should apologize for scaremongering people about the extent of the situation.
We are the ones who are getting the job done. People know that.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will soon have the tainted results of his discredited plebiscite with barley producers.
KPMG is now counting the numbered ballots. However, KPMG has called some producers to see which of their ballots they want counted. Canadians should know that in this vote the ballots were numbered and traceable, there was no voters list and there were no scrutineers from opposing camps.
Will the minister explain what happens to those voters that KPMG cannot reach? Or is that just the side that favours the government approach and is it the more votes the merrier?
