Debates of April 26th, 2007

Canadian Heritage

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is not a case of another rogue bureaucrat. This is a case of a rogue minister. She has failed the arts sector, the voluntary sector and the museum sector and, by personally involving herself in this boondoggle, she has abused her role as a minister. She has failed to meet any standards of ethical accountability.

This is not the first time she has stepped over the line. She is personally going around asking for ideas and she is personally telling other members of Parliament that she has no funding.

When will the minister do the right thing and finally resign?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government wants to meet the real needs of our communities. This government believes that with full and robust consultations we will establish a program that will meet the real needs of those communities in celebrating their arts and heritage.

I have asked all members of the House to give me their input because we want to ensure we get input and ensure the process is accountable and transparent.

Afghanistan

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister to confirm the new, new, new version of his government.

The Minister of Public Safety said that, in the last weeks and months I guess, it has been Correctional Service Canada that has protected and ensured that every detainee was monitored regarding their rights under the Geneva convention. It has been done. These are not paper records. These are people who have been protected.

After all these weeks of our asking questions of the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence, they did not say so because I guess they were not aware of what the security minister was saying.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I committed to the opposition earlier in the week when these allegations were first made that the government would consult with its officials and with its Afghan counterparts and that we would respond with any evidence we received. We are doing that and we have done that today. More is to be learned and I will have further reports for the House.

What is obvious is that the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues are making up their QP lineup as they go today.

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we are only trying to follow the contradicting versions of the government.

The Prime Minister must understand. His security minister not only said, “We have no proof of the allegations”, he also said, “We know that it is false that people have been tortured”. He knows that this is false because they have monitored the situation with Correctional Service Canada. This is his new version.

Does the Prime Minister confirm this new version?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the fact that the Leader of the Opposition has totally lost it today.

However, I just want to say that I said that we were upset about the false allegations and that how very quick they are to believe a Taliban individual but are not prepared to believe the hard-working, dedicated men and women in our military and in our correctional services.

I want to make it clear. They believe false allegations. We want to ensure prisoners rights are respected. Now they are taking what we have said today and trying to torque it and twist it again into something else. We are there and we are observing. We cannot provide perfect protection, but we--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor.

The Budget

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

Mr. Speaker, the most controlling Prime Minister in the history of Canada seems to be losing his grip on the Afghanistan mission and now the same is happening in his own caucus. Here is the latest.

A report last night from Radio-Canada says that his Atlantic colleagues are seeing the light, or perhaps feeling the heat. Now they are considering voting against the budget, the budget that is hammering them and is hammering Atlantic Canada.

What is the Prime Minister going to do to put out the fire in his own caucus?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I see that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has tabled a budget today that involves record spending, paying down the debt and decreasing taxes. It sounds like a good Conservative budget to me. It also sounds like it is having awful rough treatment and it wants it to continue.

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

Mr. Speaker, the last thing the Conservatives did was break their promise. That is what the government prides itself on doing.

Recently, even the great Progressive Conservative, John Crosbie, says that he supports Premier Williams and admits that a promise was indeed broken.

This week we have learned the Prime Minister's need to cover up anything that may tarnish his sterling facade.

How will he cover up the fault lines in this budget that is opening up all over this country of Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, this is wishful thinking on the part of opposition members. They seem to indulge in a lot of that and a lot of false allegations.

The fact is this is a good budget for Canada, a good budget for Newfoundland and Labrador, and we are proud to support it.

Government Appointments

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on April 23 the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and the Minister of Public Safety announced the appointment of Steve Sullivan to the position of federal ombudsman for victims of crime.

There is no doubt that Mr. Sullivan is qualified and compassionate. However, the problem lies in the fact that he is a unilingual anglophone, which is unacceptable.

Does the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada agree that it is unacceptable for a person to hold a position as strategic as ombudsman for victims of crime when that person is not functional in French?

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

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Sullivan has promised to improve his French. He has the necessary resources to do so.

One thing is for sure. This man is an outstanding advocate on behalf of victims in our country. He will give a voice to victims and he will do it in both official languages.

Canadian Heritage

[Carole Freeman, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after several attempts, the Minister of Canadian Heritage still stubbornly refuses to tell us what her government plans to do to implement the conclusions of the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage concerning national status for the Delson-Saint-Constant railway museum.

Through her refusal to meet with the stakeholders from my region, the minister is demonstrating once again the disdain her government has for the people of my region, as well as her indifference to the majority will of this House.

Can the minister simply tell us why her government is hesitating to grant Exporail this status?

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

Mr. Speaker, in fulfilling my duties I am always willing to meet with any organization or representative group.

We have a request that is being analyzed and reviewed by the department. I will meet with the representatives as soon as that analysis has been completed.

Employment Insurance

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the government House leader.

Bill C-278, an act to amend employment insurance, deals with Canadians battling illness with no financial support. On two separate occasions in the House, the bill was voted for, not to mention receiving approval of the Standing Committee on Human Resources and Social Development.

Will the government bring forward the necessary royal recommendation in order to allow the bill to be voted on at third reading?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Speaker has ruled. The answer is no.

Health

[Wajid Khan, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, respiratory diseases affect more than 3.5 million Canadians. According to the World Health Organization, lung disease will be the third leading cause of death in the world by 2020.

The government has delivered by introducing patient wait times guarantees with the provinces and new Canada food guides and we have provided funding for heart disease and cancer.

Could the Minister of Health inform the House how our government is working to improve the respiratory health of Canadians?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that earlier today Canada's new government contributed over $1 million in funding and support to develop a national framework on lung health. This represents a coordinated approach for better policy, leadership, research, innovation, education to combat asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis and the like.

Once again, on the same day the opposition issues sound and fury signifying nothing, we are getting the job done.

Business of the House

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the leader of the government could advise the House of the agenda he intends to follow for the rest of this week and through next week. In particular, could he tell us when he will bring forward the bill on clean air, namely, Bill C-30, for final consideration in the House?

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

Mr. Speaker, today we will continue debate on an opposition motion.

On Friday, we will resume debate at second reading of Bill C-43, the senate consultations bill. That is the bill to strengthen accountability and democracy by giving Canadians a say on who they want representing them in the Senate.

Next week we will focus on making our streets and communities safer by cracking down on crime. It will actually kick off tonight with the Prime Minister's address to the annual police appreciation night in York region where I live. Getting tough on criminals is the best way parliamentarians can show our appreciation for those brave men and women who put their lives in danger every day while protecting and serving their communities.

Our plan for next week's focus in cracking down on crime will begin with Bill C-48, the bill dealing with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. There will hopefully be an agreement to pass that bill at all stages.

Following Bill C-48, we will consider Bill C-10. That is the bill to introduce mandatory minimum penalties for gun and violent crimes. Our government will be proposing amendments at report stage to restore the meaningful aspects of the bill to ensure that violent criminals actually serve time in jail, all of which was gutted by the Liberals in committee.

Bill C-22, the age of protection bill, was reported back from committee and will be considered at report stage and third reading.

Following Bill C-22, we will move on to Bill C-27, the dangerous offenders legislation, which would require criminals who are convicted, for example on three separate occasions of a violent sexual assault, to prove to the court why they would not a danger to the community.

Tuesday, May 1 shall be an allotted day.

If time permits, we will seek to call Bill C-52, the budget implementation bill.

With regard to the question on the environment, our government is taking action on the environment. Later today he can look forward to seeing a cornerstone step in taking action to reduce greenhouse gases with the environment minister's announcement, action that has never been taken by another government and more action than any government in the world is taking.

Comments During Oral Questions

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it remains to be seen whether the government House leader's final comment with respect to the environment happens to come true, but I do have a separate point of order.

At 2:25 this afternoon during question period, on two separate occasions, in comments that were heard by many people on this side of the House as well as a number of members of the press gallery, the President of the Treasury Board pointed to the opposition benches and said “you and your Taliban buddies”, obviously an intention to very harshly and falsely demean the character of members of the opposition. In fact, it could be taken as an accusation of a criminal offence. It therefore does impinge upon the privileges and the good name of members of the House of Commons.

I wonder if the President of the Treasury Board would take the first opportunity to simply remove those intemperate remarks from the record. Surely he must agree, as all Canadians would agree, there is not a person in this country who is a buddy of the Taliban.

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

Mr. Speaker, I believe the President of the Treasury Board was making reference to the fact that the Liberal opposition has been very quick to accept any allegations of maltreatment that the Taliban prisoners have made in Afghanistan, and it seems to be a cause that is taken up by the Liberal Party. That was his meaning.

I would welcome the opportunity to invite him to expand further on that when he gets a chance to return to the chamber.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, what is important to note for the record, in support of the member for Wascana, is that if this side stands in support of the Geneva convention, it does so on behalf and for the purpose and benefit of our fighting women and men, who in this conflict or future conflicts could be prisoners of war. We would expect that they be treated in accordance with the Geneva convention. The best way to do that is to—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I think we are getting beyond the point of order here. We will wait and if the President of the Treasury Board has something to say, we will hear from him in due course, as indicated by the government House leader.