House of Commons Hansard #171 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was water.
Carol Skelton ConservativeMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, we do no such thing. When people come to the office, they must verify the living conditions they are in and no one under any circumstances is denied their basic rights.
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, that is pretty lame after a year.
Over and over again the government continues to fail ordinary working Canadians. Today's Conference Board report tells us Canada is failing citizens in all kinds of areas including poverty eradication. It is failing because women and children have to rely on food banks and crisis centres because of unnecessary paperwork. The government is failing because it does not have a strategy to protect and create manufacturing jobs.
How many more reports and studies does it take for the Prime Minister or his representatives to stand up and tell workers when they will have a made in Canada strategy—
Monte Solberg ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Social Development
Mr. Speaker, while the NDP want to talk about studies we are acting.
The government moved immediately upon coming to government by putting in place the universal child care benefit which supports 2 million children and 1.5 million families.
We have moved to provide $500 million a year to the provinces so we can reach out to people who have never been in the workforce and help them get the training they need to succeed. We have helped with a $1.4 billion housing trust. We are acting while the NDP sit and snipe, complain, and see the glass as only 90% full.
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Mr. Speaker, this dishonest Conservative government has been caught breaking yet another promise.
During the election campaign the Conservatives promised to create a Canadian agency for assessment and recognition of credentials. Then in budget 2006 they pretended they were moving forward on that promise. Now the minister has admitted that they have no plans in implementing that agency after all.
Will the Prime Minister explain if he was dishonest when he made that promise or just--
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The hon. member knows that there is no such thing as a dishonest member. The member in making that kind of suggestion is out of order.
The hon. parliamentary secretary is rising though to answer the question.
Ed Komarnicki ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. The previous government said it would tackle the issue. It failed to tackle it for 10 years. It said it would do it and it never did.
We did do something about that. We created an office that will in fact deliver on our commitment to help foreign trained individuals and their families with the launch of the first phase of the foreign credentials referral office. It is in place and it is working.
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Mr. Speaker, talk about revising the truth. Not only--
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order, please. The hon. member for Mississauga—Erindale has the floor. We will have to be able to hear what he is saying.
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Mr. Speaker, I hope this time we are going to get a real answer.
Not only does that referral office duplicate the work of the previous Liberal government's going to Canada immigration portal, but it offers no additional value to those who seek help. This is a far cry from what the Conservatives promised during the last election.
Why will this parliamentary secretary not admit that the government broke another promise and it is incapable of delivering what it promised?
Ed Komarnicki ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, once again, nothing can be further from the truth. The office is functional. It is working. It is a task finding and referral service through a dedicated phone line. It has in person service centres in various places: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
There are pilot orientation sessions overseas in China, the Philippines and India. We are training more officers, more personnel, 320 in service centres, that will be operating by the end of 2007. We are getting the job done.
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. On May 29, 2007, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration with much fanfare announced her solution to the issue of lost Canadians.
According to the minister, this magic date is January 1, 1947. The second world war ended in 1945. The war babies, children of Canadian servicemen who fought for our freedom, were born before 1947.
When will the Prime Minister instruct this incompetent minister to withdraw the appeal of the Joe Taylor case and recognize Joe Taylor and others like him as Canadian citizens?
Ed Komarnicki ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, the issue of lost Canadians goes back for a long time. For at least 13 years it was in existence and that member and other members did nothing about that.
This particular minister has indicated in a practical way what will be happening and has said there will be legislation coming in the fall to deal with this issue.
Mr. Chapman, who is a champion of lost Canadians, said, “Obviously there are a lot of things in there that please me. Overall it's a wonderful start. This is a jump start forward. There's no question about it, we're starting down the road on a much better path than we were before”. Those issues will be addressed.
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Speaker, we just heard from Tweedledum. Maybe now we will hear from Tweedledee. In her announcement the minister stated:
--anyone born to a Canadian citizen abroad...is a Canadian citizen and will have their citizenship confirmed if they are the first generation born abroad. But no further.
This dishonest government is denying the birthright of Canadian children if they and their parents were born outside Canada.
When will the Prime Minister recognize that a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian, and stop playing with our children's birthright? When will the Prime Minister instruct this--
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
Ed Komarnicki ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, the Minister through proposed legislation is saying: --anyone born in Canada on or after January 1, 1947, anyone born to a Canadian citizen abroad, mother or father, in or out of wedlock on or after January 1, 1947, will be given citizenship, it will be confirmed, notwithstanding the losing provisions under the act.
In addition, she said she would use her discretionary powers under section 5(4) for those cases that require it. Here is what Mr. Charles Bosdet said, “It is the most extensive proposal by far of anything I know of proposed for citizenship in the last few years, short of actually rewriting the entire Citizenship Act”.
Just be patient--
Robert Bouchard Bloc Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, on the weekend, Colonel Pierre Ruel, Commander at CFB Bagotville, said that the restoration of the primary runway was his top priority since the structure has almost reached the end of its operational life. He went on to say that the future of 3 Wing Bagotville depended on it.
Why did the minister responsible for regional development announce that the work would begin in 2009, when the base commander said that for safety reasons the work needs to start right away?
Russ Hiebert ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the member raises the issue of recruitment and training. I want to emphasize for the House and for the member opposite that we are having a great deal of success when it comes to recruiting and training. One of our commitments in the last election was to increase the regular forces by 13,000 and the reserve forces by 10,000. We are making great progress in achieving that goal.
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, the disappearance of the winter marine link between the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island has really complicated the lives of Magdalen Islanders. The people of the islands have bemoaned this situation year after year, yet the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities does not seem to care. Last week, a delegation from the Magdalen Islands met with Transport Canada representatives to work on bringing a permanent marine link into service.
What will the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities do to respond to their demands?
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question.
He is right in saying that last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with the delegation from the Magdalen Islands, including, of course, Mayor Arseneau. We agreed to take a close look at the changes that have taken place in the years since the last study. We agreed to meet again to decide on a plan of action.
Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, North Dakota turned on the tap to drain Devils Lake into Canadian waters for the first time in over two years.
Two years after Canada and the United States reached an agreement to install an advance filter to prevent invasive species and pollutants from entering our waterways, we are still waiting for the installation to be done. When I asked about this issue in the House last month, the Minister of the Environment laughed and brushed off my concerns.
Why has the government not asked the United States to turn off the tap until it honours its agreement?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I did no such thing. We take this issue of Devils Lake incredibly seriously.
With the President of the Treasury Board, I met earlier this week with Christine Melnick, the minister of water stewardship. She asked two things of the federal government. I was happy to agree to do both within 24 hours.