Debates of March 30th, 2007

Human Rights

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw the attention of the House to a disturbing development in the Social Republic of Vietnam where an innocent man is about to face prosecution for exercising his basic religious and political freedoms.

Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Vietnamese Roman Catholic priest, was previously sentenced to more than a decade in prison for giving candid testimony to a subcommittee of the United States Congress on the dire human rights situation in Vietnam. Later this month he will again stand in the dock on yet more fabricated charges.

The situation for political reformers and dissidents in Vietnam is dire, with opponents of the regime being routinely rounded up, imprisoned and denied the basic right of due process. Religious minorities are being persecuted for their beliefs. Father Ly is the latest victim of this.

I call upon the Vietnamese government to allow independent foreign observers to monitor Father Ly's trial and to allow Father Ly to choose his own attorney.

The government in Saigon needs to respect fundamental freedoms. Canada's new government will always stand on the side of human rights and freedoms, and it will do so proudly.

Ransom Myers

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness I bring to the attention of the House the loss of one of Canada's greatest world renowned advocates for biodiversity and conservation of ocean life. Dr. Ransom Myers recently passed away of cancer at the age of 54. He is survived by his wife, Rita and five children.

Dr. Myers was born in the United States, but came to Canada. He became instantly known as an advocate for conservation and all aquatic life in the oceans, not just off Canada's coast but around the world.

He sounded the alarm with other scientists about the upcoming cod collapse prior to 1992. He has raised alarms on all kinds of species throughout the entire world. His work will carry on, although his voice now remains silent.

On behalf of all of us in the House of Commons, we extend our sincere condolences to the family, to all his friends, to everybody at Dalhousie University and to the thousands of students whose lives he touched.

Dr. Ransom Myers was indeed a wonderful and kind human being.

Grands Prix du Tourisme de l'Outaouais

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, I was delighted to participate in the 22nd annual Grands Prix du Tourisme de l'Outaouais gala.

I would like to congratulate the evening's honorees: the Keskinada Loppet, the Théâtre des Quatre Soeurs, the Wakefield Mill Inn and Spa, Les Suites Victoria, À l'Orée du Moulin, the Cabines de la Chute, Parc Leslie Campground, the Penstock restaurant at the Wakefield Mill Inn and Spa, the Clos Baillie Vineyard, the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, the Canadian Ski Marathon, the Forêt de l'Aigle Management Corporation, Le Nordik-Nature Spa, Khewa, Réservation Outaouais, Annie Spooner at the Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light, Renaude Poirier of Laflèche Adventure, Marie-Blanche Spearson at the Auberge Restaurant Viceroy and Pierre Normandin, who received the 2007 personality of the year award.

My sincere congratulations to these people, who will represent the Outaouais at the Grands Prix du tourisme québécois gala on May 4.

Annette Paiement Brassard

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on March 7, Annette Paiement Brassard of Gatineau celebrated her 100th birthday. Mrs. Paiement Brassard was born to a large family and, with her late husband Alfred Brassard, founded her own family of three children, Suzanne, Denise and Claude.

In addition to being an exemplary mother, she worked at the Canadian International Paper mill cafeteria in Gatineau, as well as at the Pogan, Bryson and Rapide Farmer factories in the Outaouais. Mrs. Paiement Brassard was active in her community as a member of St. Vincent de Paul and the Daughters of Isabella and as a founding member of the Anneau d'or club.

Mrs. Paiement Brassard is very good at cards, an experienced gardener, and an excellent cook known for her succulent strawberry jam. She is much appreciated by her family members and the residents of the Champlain seniors' home in Gatineau.

The Bloc Québécois and I wish her a happy 100th birthday.

Hockey Night in Canada

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, this week Canadians got great news, in particular, those Canadians who love two great national institutions, hockey and the CBC.

On Monday the National Hockey League announced that it renewed its relationship with Canada's national television network, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The deal will keep Hockey Night in Canada on the air through to 2014, and I, for one, along with many others, am thrilled.

For 56 years, Canadians from coast to coast to coast have tuned into the CBC to watch the greatest game on earth. It goes beyond sports. It is part of our culture. It is part of who we are.

On behalf of my colleagues on this side of the House, let me congratulate the NHL, the CBC and hockey fans everywhere. Hockey Night in Canada is alive and well and where it belongs, on the CBC.

The Budget

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader was complaining again yesterday about our 2007 budget.

Let us look at just some of what he claims is unfair: $39 billion in new funding for health, education and infrastructure to restore the fiscal balance; $4.5 billion to clean up Canada's air and water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change; cutting taxes for 3 million families with a new $2,000 tax credit for every child under 18; a working income tax benefit to help 1.2 million people over the welfare wall; a tax fairness plan that reduces taxes for seniors by more than $1 billion every year; and $1 billion for the Asia-Pacific gateway and corridor initiative.

Our budget cuts taxes for working families, pays down the nation's debt, and invests in the priorities of Canadians. That is much better than fair. That is simply awesome.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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

Mr. Speaker, when asked about the serious allegations concerning the RCMP pension fund, the Minister of Public Safety simply stated that he will appoint an investigator, and this comes after having done nothing for four months. There is nothing, absolutely nothing in yesterday's comments by the minister to reassure Canadians that he is finally taking the accusations seriously. He said nothing about the legal framework for the investigation or about the powers of the investigator to question witnesses.

Faced with such a serious situation, why is the minister improvising? The process he has put in place lacks credibility.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, this government is concerned about the allegations made before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts regarding the poor management and abuses of the RCMP pension fund. That is why our government is taking immediate action to shed light on the matter. Public investigations will complement our understanding.

Canada's new government wants answers now. Canadians deserve nothing less.

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

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. It was the Auditor General who raised the alarm about the situation within the RCMP in her November 2006 report.

As is always the case, the minister would have received a briefing by the Auditor General before the release of her report. That means the public safety minister has known since November.

Why the cover-up? Why did the public safety minister do nothing until he was forced to finally act?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, this is actually a little amusing coming from the Liberal Party. It was actually back in April 2004 when the member for Crowfoot, a Conservative, asked that this matter be investigated and said:

My question is for the Minister of Public Safety. Are the Ottawa police investigating the commissioner's conduct as well as the misappropriation of funds?

To which the deputy prime minister and minister of public safety at the time, who was a Liberal, said:

Mr. Speaker, let me reassure everyone in the House that there is no conduct on the part of the commissioner that needs to be investigated.

If there was a cover-up, if there was a delay, it came from the Liberal side obviously.

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

Mr. Speaker, the cover-up started in November under the Conservative government. Let us be clear here.

The allegations we are now hearing were detailed in a report by the Auditor General. Traditionally, the Auditor General meets with the Minister of Public Safety to provide him with the details. At the time, she stated that she did not have all the facts to substantiate all the allegations made.

Why is it that, when the minister was told directly—

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

Order, please. The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons has the floor.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, the allegations cover abuses committed between 2000 and 2005. The former Liberal government was incapable of dealing with it but we will take things in hand.

In fact, it is kind of funny. I was listening to the radio today and I heard a Liberal complaining that perhaps we are taking action too fast, we are going to get answers too quickly and, gosh, guess what, it might happen before or during an election that the truth comes out. It was thought that was a bad thing for the Liberals.

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have been witness to shocking testimony from RCMP officials, not just about misuse of pension funds but allegations of corruption and cover-up, intimidation and obstruction of justice, fraud and breach of trust, investigations sidelined and investigators punished.

The Minister of Public Safety was advised of this four months ago. Why did it not set off alarm bells at the time? Why now only a limited investigation? Why no independent judicial commission of inquiry to finally get at the truth in the transparent and accountable fashion that the new government always speaks about?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I think there were six questions and four declarations. I will try in 35 seconds to address them.

We want to get to the answers right away. We do not want to wait. The RCMP has the right to know and the people of Canada have a right to know.

We should also be aware that RCMP Chief Superintendent Fraser Macaulay, who testified and was one of those people who bravely brought forward the information just a couple days ago that we are acting on immediately, unlike the Liberals, said that he was pleased that an independent investigator will look into the allegations and believed that interim RCMP Commissioner Bev Busson was taking the matter seriously as well. He felt satisfied the matter will be independently investigated.

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member said that he wants to get at the answers right away. How does he get at the answers when he does not set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry? How does he get at the answers when there are no compellable powers? How does he get at the answers when he cannot subpoena witnesses or subpoena evidence?

If he wants to get at the answers then he has to set up an independent commission of inquiry to leave no stones unturned and to get at the truth, as we did when we set up commissions of inquiry both in Arar and with respect to Gomery.

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the last time the Liberals set up an inquiry like this, it took years to get the answers. We want the answers right away and we can get them.

If the investigator finds that he is not getting the answers and that he needs more power, that will be given to him immediately.

My question is: When that member who just indignantly raised these questions, why when he was justice minister, did he do nothing on this file?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

I know it would have been too much to have asked the House to give up yelling and screaming for Lent, but there is only one day left before the Easter break. Perhaps we could just give it up for this one question period.

The hon. member for Rivière-du-Nord.

National Defence

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to a recent annual report from the Pentagon, the C-130J aircraft, which the government is planning to purchase to replace its Hercules fleet, would be ineffective for operations in dangerous environments, and in some extreme weather conditions, the aircraft would not even be able to airdrop soldiers or materials.

Why is the government so bent on purchasing an aircraft that a number of reports claim is unreliable and poorly adapted to the missions for which it is intended?

[Gordon O'Connor, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, our government is committed to rebuilding the armed forces. One of those rebuilds is the tactical air fleet.

The C-130J has been selected and it is being used by five countries at the moment. In fact, the United States is increasing its purchases of C-130Js. We believe it will meet the military's requirements.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this aircraft's problems are so numerous that the Pentagon even looked into dropping it because none of the 50 aircraft it had acquired between 1996 and 2004 were able to enter combat zones.

How can the government justify spending $4.9 billion for an aircraft that, according to experts, cannot do its job?

[Gordon O'Connor, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the new secretary of defence in the United States in fact has decided to acquire more C-130Js. The Americans are increasing their fleet because they have faith in the aircraft.

Aerospace Industry

[Thierry St-Cyr, Bloc, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government's entire approach to procurement is quite flawed. First it was submarines taking on water, then it was military planes unable to perform the tasks they were intended to do, and now it is untendered contracts, like the contract awarded to Boeing without requiring over 55% in economic spinoffs for Quebec.

Does the government not think it is high time to review its procurement policy?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the announced defence procurements will ensure that Canadian troops have the equipment they need to do their job at home or abroad.

The industrial benefits from these procurements will ensure a dollar spent on procurement will be a dollar spent right here in Canada.

Canada's new government will not tell contractors whom to work with. Contractors have many competent Canadian R and D companies to choose from.