House of Commons Hansard #143 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was rights.
Maxime Bernier ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. Under the leadership of the Minister of the Environment, greenhouse gas emissions are going to decrease for the first time in the history of this country.
I am proud of the Minister of the Environment and I am proud of what we are doing. Despite being in the opposition for 13 years, the Bloc Québécois did not manage to get the Liberals to come up with a credible plan of action for combating greenhouse gases.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, Al Gore said he was surprised to see that the Minister of the Environment's plan was based on intensity targets, which, by reducing pollution only by unit of production, allow overall greenhouse gases to increase with constant increased production, especially in the oil sands.
Will the minister finally understand that without absolute targets, he is siding with the large emitters, especially with the big oil companies, and pollution, to the detriment of the environment and the manufacturing industry in Quebec?
Maxime Bernier ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, our approach is balanced, sensible and realistic. Greenhouse gases will decrease across the country by 20% by 2020 in a tangible way. Furthermore, we will make sure that the economic prosperity and growth of this country can continue.
An eminent Quebecker said about the Bloc Québécois, “It is fun to come up with sound bites when you do not have the responsibility that comes with the exercise of power. You can say whatever you want”.
Who said that? It was André Boisclair, the big brother of the Bloc Québécois.
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Speaker, once again, Hockey Canada has shown its lack of judgment by selecting Shane Doan as team captain. This player has allegedly made discriminatory, racist and xenophobic comments about francophones.
Does the government, which heavily subsidizes Hockey Canada, believe that this is in keeping with the objectives that Sport Canada should be pursuing?
Helena Guergis ConservativeSecretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, the senior men's hockey team selection is the responsibility of Hockey Canada. It is not a decision made by the Government of Canada.
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Speaker, what the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade does not seem to understand is that Quebeckers cannot relate to a hockey team with Shane Doan as its captain.
How can the government, which does not hesitate to cut the funding of community groups, justify financing an organization such as Hockey Canada, which selects a captain who allegedly made disparaging comments about francophones?
Helena Guergis ConservativeSecretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member that this was not a government decision. I want him to know that, through our Sport Canada funding, we have an education program called Speak Out. It provides all participants, coaches, players, officials and parents with valuable information about harassment and abuse.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Public Safety told the House that officials from Correctional Service Canada had access all along to monitor detainees in Afghan jails. However, his ministerial spokeswoman contradicted him, as did our Correctional Service officer, Ms. Garwood-Filbert, who is one of the two officials in Afghanistan. Even the Afghan ambassador denied what the minister was saying.
Why can the government not just tell the truth for a change?
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, I will overlook the innuendo here because my colleague who just raised the question did not have the opportunity to discuss with the ambassador from Afghanistan, as I did, what is happening with our Correctional Service officers in Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan ambassador in Canada and I are totally on the same page as far as the good work our Correctional Service officers are doing over there.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, that was not my question but let us look at what other people are saying about the detainee situation. The member for Mississauga—Streetsville, the Prime Minister's Middle East adviser, said, “Torture a fact of life in war-torn Afghanistan”. A Correctional Service officer in Afghanistan said, “There hasn't been any significant work done with the prisons”.
When will the Minister of National Defence take responsibility for this farce and resign? When will the Prime Minister take responsibility and fire him?
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, our Correctional Service officers, only having been there since February, have already reported some progress. They have the ability to go into these facilities to help train Afghani officers in the prisons. They have been able to look at recommendations on how these prison facilities, which are basically third world facilities, can be improved. They have had the opportunity to talk to suspected terrorists who have talked to them about their treatment there. It has not happened overnight but progress is being made. I am glad they are in those facilities helping out.
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, echoes of the general's incompetence, contradictions and impulsiveness in this scandal concerning the treatment of prisoners in Afghan prisons have made it all the way to Europe.
While the Prime Minister and his Conservative government busied themselves with their daily cover-ups, the secretary general of NATO seemed to take the prisoners' situation very seriously at the Brussels forum. The hon. Fawzia Koofi, a member of the Afghanistan parliament who was also present, agreed with me when I spoke to her about the allegations of torture in Afghan prisons.
It is very troublesome that our international reputation is being tarnished.
When will the incompetent general be dismissed?
Helena Guergis ConservativeSecretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how many times we need to stand in the House to explain to the previous Liberal government that its inaction with respect to developing a policy on the transfer of detainees is unacceptable.
What also is extremely unacceptable is the fact that far too often the opposition is so ready to take the word of Taliban detainees over our brave Canadian men and women. Canadians are finding themselves offended at this.
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, what is unacceptable was the smile on her face when she answered that question.
After a Human Rights Watch letter, the U.S. state department issued a report a year ago that states that a credible observer reports “that local authorities in Herat, Helmand...and other locations...routinely torture and abuse detainees”. He goes on to say that we are talking about “pulling out fingernails and toenails, burning with hot oil...sexual humiliation...”.
When was the foreign affairs minister aware of that report? Since the government has proven itself incapable, when can we expect a NATO agreement that respects human rights and the Geneva convention?
Helena Guergis ConservativeSecretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, the accusations from the opposition are irresponsible. We have arrangements with the government of Afghanistan. We have arrangements with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. We believe the arrangements are working.
The Afghanistan government will be investigating these allegations and we will be working with it in this investigation.
Gord Brown Conservative Leeds—Grenville, ON
Mr. Speaker, a bill is languishing in a Senate committee. The bill is so reasonable, so practical and so realistic that it is hard to believe anyone would want to or try to oppose it. Yet that is exactly what is happening with the bill to limit the terms of senators.
The bill is simple. It seeks to limit the terms of unelected, unaccountable senators from the current maximum of 45 years to a more reasonable eight years.
Could the Minister for Democratic Reform inform the House of the status of this important bill?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, it is a sleepy nation that is watching the Senate study the bill to limit the terms of senators. How much detailed study is needed for a 66 word, 2 paragraph bill? So far, it has been over five days for senators to study each single word in the bill.
Today marks not just the Prime Minister's birthday, it marks 11 months since the bill was introduced for the Senate to bring in term limits.
For 11 months the Liberal leader's unelected, unaccountable senators have done everything they could to block and delay Senate term limits. It is a modest but important measure for accountability in the Senate.
The Liberal senators should listen to Canadians, stop their obstruction and delay, and pass the bill the immediately.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to fighting climate change, everybody knows that the Liberals did not get it done and the new Conservative plan will not get it done. It will put us 5% above our 1990 levels while Europe will be 20% below.
The common thread, and the reason they both did not work, is intensity based targets. It was a fraud under the Liberal government and it is a fraud under the Conservative government. These plans will not turn the corner. They will cut all the corners.
Will the government not bring back the real deal, reintroduce the clean air and climate change act so we can have a fair and democratic vote in the House?
Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the only fraud in the House was when the Liberals promised 13 years ago that they would do something about the environment and they did absolutely nothing. The fact is it was not nothing; they did worse than nothing. Emissions rose 35% above target. They owe the House an apology.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, after countless months of total inaction on trying to fix their abysmal record on climate change, we thought we would see something new from the government. All Canadians are left with is a certain sense of déjà vu.
With the first Conservative environment minister, we saw a failed climate change plan. Round two, a new minister and another failed climate change plan.
Is the government not tired of being the laughingstock of the international community? How many prominent international leaders lambasting the government will it take before it does the right thing?
Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the only people who are laughing are people in the Liberal Party, the NDP and the Bloc who are opposing a plan that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020. We will also reduce pollution levels by 50% over the next eight years. That is getting it done.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Speaker, under last week's green scam, large polluters will not have to start cutting emissions intensity until 2010, while start-ups will get a free pass for the next five years.
All this plan does is it allows for an increase in absolute greenhouse gas emissions. It is no wonder Suzuki calls it an embarrassment and Gore calls it a fraud. Now the head of the UN climate change office says that we can meet our Kyoto commitment, but that this plan falls well short.
Instead of lashing out at critics, why does the environment minister not demonstrate how this defeatist plan will actually reduce greenhouse gases in absolute terms?
Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I love the irony of a Liberal asking questions on the environment.
This is what David Suzuki said, “I certainly agree with the Conservatives that the Liberals just did not do the hard things that needed to be done to meet the target”.
There is another quote and it is one of my favourites. This is from a former Liberal minister. She said, “On the record, our record on delivering on any kind of greenhouse gas emission reduction on Kyoto was abysmal”. She also went on to say that it was the member for Wascana who was viciously opposed to Kyoto. No wonder they did not get it done.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the nonsense in that answer was intensity based or absolute.