Debates of May 28th, 2007

The Environment

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is with a baseline of 2005 instead of 1990.

According to the Minister of the Environment, Canada should not put any pressure on the United States at the next G-8 summit. That is ridiculous.

The United States is against the Kyoto protocol, against long term targets and against a global action plan.

The Bush administration is standing in the way and Canada stands by in silence.

Why is the Prime Minister refusing to support the calls of the other G-8 partners for a global action plan?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned the baseline of 2006. If our plan had been introduced and we had been in government 10 years ago, we would have reached the Kyoto target.

The fact is that 13 years of the Liberals' inaction created an environmental mess. That member himself said they did not get it done. We are getting it done.

Festivals and Special Events

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government promised to allocate $60 million over two years for festivals and special events. However, the eligibility criteria for the program have not yet been announced. As we all know, the vast majority of festivals take place in the summer. Millions of dollars in spinoffs and thousands of jobs are therefore on the line. The National Assembly of Quebec has the solution. Ottawa should transfer the funds to Quebec, because it already has a similar program with well-established criteria.

Does the Prime Minister plan to proceed with the unanimous motion of the National Assembly and transfer a fair share to the Government of Quebec?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government announced new funding for a new program, not a transfer to provinces. This program is to celebrate arts and heritage events, both small and medium, not only large festivals.

We want to benefit the communities across Canada, not take advantage of them. There will be wide consultation, with criteria that are transparent and accountable. This program is to help communities celebrate their arts and heritage and to make sure that it really benefits the communities.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I do not understand how the minister can say it is to help communities, when the money will not be available until September. She needs to wake up and realize that festivals take place in the summer. The Montreal International Jazz Festival is not held in February in the streets of Montreal; it will take place this summer. Yet, the minister was quick to ask only her colleagues for suggestions, in order to give them an advantage.

Will she respond favourably to the National Assembly of Quebec, the Government of Quebec, and allocate the money? The criteria are already in place; festivals need it and communities throughout Quebec need it.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said, this is new programming. In fact, the festivals that the member referred to are already getting funding from the federal government through existing programs. Quebec events this year will receive over $13 million in support for festivals.

These current programs will continue. They exist. Therefore, the new program will be formulated to address new needs and real needs and benefit communities right across Canada.

[Maka Kotto, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, those answers suggest a certain degree of stubbornness, so I will ask the question again. The $60 million over two years to fund festivals taking place this summer is gathering dust in government coffers because the Minister of Canadian Heritage has so far been unable to determine criteria for the allocation of funds. This is unacceptable and threatens the survival of many of Quebec's 300 festivals.

Will the Prime Minister yield to the National Assembly's unanimous demands and transfer Quebec's share immediately given that the province already has criteria in place that members of the cultural community agree on?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said, there is festival funding support from the federal government. Those applications were received from festivals right across Canada, including Quebec. Quebec is receiving $13 million to support those festivals that are occurring this year.

We want to make sure that the new program certainly will meet the needs of the communities and will support the communities right across Canada in small and medium size festivals, not only large festivals.

[Maka Kotto, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the National Assembly and festival organizers believe that the Government of Quebec is the only appropriate intermediary to distribute these funds. This would also make it possible to avoid another sponsorship scandal.

When will the Prime Minister transfer Quebec's share of the $60 million over two years, thereby avoiding negative financial and cultural consequences for many festivals?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for reminding us about the sponsorship scandal. That is why this government is coming up with a brand new program to address the real needs of community based festivals. We are going to make sure that communities benefit, not use taxpayer dollars for political gain. It is about helping communities celebrate their arts and heritage, not just flowing money into party coffers.

Corporate Takeovers

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are concerned about the foreign takeovers that are taking place.

After 13 years of promoting the foreign takeover of our economy, the Liberals have finally taken notice of a problem they helped cause. In fact, over the past 20 years, over 11,500 foreign takeovers have been approved. Not a single one was turned down. Liberals and Conservatives would have us believe that this is because there were no problems or difficulties or negative consequences for Canada or Canadian workers. Tell that to the workers on the street right now.

Will the Prime Minister support our request for emergency hearings, yes or no?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, there are of course foreign takeovers going on in Canada and likewise growing Canadian investment overseas. That is part of being in a globalized economy.

I would point out to both the official opposition and the NDP that the budget did promise the government would review competitiveness policies, including foreign investment legislation, and we are in the process of doing that.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are in the middle of an emergency. I was in the Saguenay region last week, and if the minister responsible for that region was not so busy hiring his friends and hiding his travel expenses, the Prime Minister might be aware that Alcan workers are worried about their future. People in the region are wondering why the government is not doing anything. Maybe he would understand that their concerns are serious and well founded.

Why is the Prime Minister still applying the Liberal policy of approving any and all foreign acquisitions?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised at the NDP leader's question about acquisitions by foreign interests here in Canada. Let us talk about the automobile industry. Everyone is concerned about the future of the auto industry. Nevertheless, there has been a lot of foreign investment in that industry, and the NDP did not oppose those investments. We now have a law in Canada, the Investment Canada Act, which ensures that Canadians benefit from foreign investment. That law will be respected.

Afghanistan

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there was something cynical in the Prime Minister's diversionary surprise visit last week. Everyone knows why he was in Afghanistan: crisis management and polls. But it gets worse. It seems as though the Prime Minister has two different lines on the status of the combat mission after February 2009, depending on his audience.

At a time when the Dutch are showing transparency and are starting a debate on extending their mission, will the Prime Minister act like a statesman and admit once and for all that his true intention is to have our sons and daughters still fighting after February 2009?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, and as the Prime Minister has said a number of times, our current military mission is to the end of February 2009. The government will consider the future at some date later this year or into the next year, at which time if any changes are proposed they will be brought forward to Parliament for debate and discussion.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not what the Prime Minister said in Afghanistan.

If there are any doubts about the incompetence of this government, we need only look at the Afghan detainee scandal. There now have been media reports that the government has taken absolutely no steps to verify the claims of abuse and torture that have been raised in this House over the past month. Either nobody knows or nobody cares, and neither one of those options is acceptable.

My question is pretty simple. Why does the Prime Minister not show transparency and accountability when it comes to respecting the Geneva convention? What is he hiding from Canadians?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member should know, what this government has done is expand and enhance the previous agreement that was put in place by his government.

We have taken significant steps to include the independent monitoring of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. We have tasked our ambassador in Afghanistan to work very closely with Afghan officials so that they clearly know their responsibilities and Canada's expectations when it comes to detainees.

National Defence

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every member of Parliament in this House supports our troops in Afghanistan. Now the Government of Canada must support our fallen soldiers and their families.

Clearly I want to ask the Prime Minister, will he now inform this House that effective immediately this government will now pay the full costs of the funerals for our Canadian fallen heroes?

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

Mr. Speaker, since I have been in office I have directed the department to pay the full funeral costs of fallen soldiers. I also directed the department to review the previous Treasury Board policy set by the Liberals to come to a proper resolution and line it up with current realities.

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is fairly clear that Canadians do not care about bureaucratic submissions to the Treasury Board, as we learned yesterday, asking for more funds. Canadians want funeral cost aid in full right now.

Will the Prime Minister give a personal guarantee—which we have not heard—here and now, that effective immediately, the Government of Canada will pay the full costs of the funerals for our soldiers who have paid the ultimate price? Yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will give a better guarantee than that. We have been doing it since I have been in office. Any family that has had to bury one of its loved ones is entitled to full recompense for the funeral.

Summer Career Placements Program

[France Bonsant, Bloc, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada summer jobs is another example of the government's masterful bungling. Last week, the government tried to put out the fire it had lit itself by getting in touch with groups that had been arbitrarily refused jobs.

Rather than trying to save face by allocating these jobs at the last minute, will the government agree to transfer this program to Quebec, as requested by the Quebec Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs?

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, the government moved very quickly to ensure that groups that felt they were not getting a proper hearing were getting it.

The truth is that under Canada summer jobs today, thousands and thousands of groups and students are getting high quality jobs at higher than average rates. This is something we should all celebrate. It is terrific news.

[France Bonsant, Bloc, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the government is not saying is that, this year, it has managed to keep up appearances. But the reality is that, next year, it will cut funding for this program by over half or $45 million. This job training program falls within Quebec's jurisdiction.

Will the government listen to reason and not make any cuts to the program and transfer it to Quebec?