Debates of June 19th, 2007

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, honestly, if the member opposite had spent as much time reading the report instead of poring over editorials and finally finding one, the Edmonton Journal, the source of all truth, that supported her position, she might have discovered that Mr. Brown said that the problems are not over just with the replacement of one individual, but the problems can be addressed by changing the governance structure, by having a task force look at how they can have an organization that is open, transparent and accountable.

That is much better than her approach, which was to do nothing as far as four years ago when the Liberals knew this problem was there.

Age of Protection Legislation

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, not only have Liberal senators been threatening to delay a vote on the budget but they are also stalling legislation that will make Canada safer for our children.

Just yesterday we learned about a worldwide pedophile ring that involved some Canadian children who, thankfully, were rescued. Our government is taking action to make it harder for pedophiles to exploit our young people by increasing the age of consent from 14 to 16.

Could the Minister of Justice tell the House and the Liberal leader why this bill is important and needs to be passed before the summer?

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

Mr. Speaker, the need for change in this area is absolutely clear. We cannot have a situation where 40 and 50 year olds can be preying upon 14 and 15 year olds who are in need of protection. That is why the Canadian Chiefs of Police, child advocacy groups and just yesterday, the attorney general of Alberta, said let us get Bill C-22 passed.

I say to the members of the Liberal Senate, do it for the children, do it for Canada and get Bill C-22 passed.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, class actions and judicial reviews are under way by farmers and Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board. They want to know if the agriculture minister overstepped his bounds in his zeal to remove barley from the Canadian Wheat Board.

I would like to know whether the minister received an opinion from the Department of Justice on whether he could or could not use regulations to remove the single desk on barley. In other words, I would like to know where exactly the minister received his opinion that he could remove barley from the Wheat Board by order in council.

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, 10 days ago the minister was in Winnipeg to announce that we were going to open up the barley market for western Canadian farmers on August 1. That day the price of barley began to rise. The price of barley went up consistently until yesterday when it stopped. Why? Because the Canadian Wheat Board said it would try to take the government to court.

The Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board are not the friends of the farmers. This government is. We want to see farmers get freedom in marketing their barley on August 1 and get the benefits from doing that.

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard this spin over and over again as the scenario plays out. This is the last straw. The minister has been manipulating the outcome of the barley plebiscite from the beginning.

I want to know if the minister will finally do the right thing for farmers and put an immediate hold on the order in council until the courts can determine once and for all whether the government's actions are legal.

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is doing the right thing for farmers. It was another area where farmers actually had some choice.

The best they can do under the Canadian Wheat Board, with regard to wheat, is to get producer daily price contracts. Yesterday, 650,000 tonnes of that grain came onto the market for farmers. In an hour and a half they took up every option on the 650,000 tonnes. It is the only small way that they have to respond to the market, in terms of their wheat production.

The minister has moved to protect western Canadian farmers. He will do more on August 1, and our producers look forward to that day.

Firearms Registry

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not only has the DeSouza family called on the government to keep the gun registry, but the Premiers of Quebec and Ontario have also demanded the federal government abandon its plans to scrap gun control in Canada. The Canadian Professional Police Association and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police have also told the government to back off on the gun registry.

Why does the government ignore every stakeholder, including the police, when it comes to the gun registry?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, it is simply not entirely true what the member says. She knows very well that many representatives of police forces across the country have in fact recommended the very course of action we are taking: to take the funds, the precious resources that are directed against farmers and duck hunters, and start to address those resources toward those who are committing crimes.

She should also quote those well-known police officers and police figures who support exactly what we are doing. I commend the Toronto city police for the action it has taken, with more police on the streets and more aggressive action against those committing crimes with firearms. It has seen those crimes go down.

Public Safety

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, community crime prevention organizations in Quebec do not have enough money.

Seven months after the Minister of Public Safety and the unelected Senator Michael Fortier promised $10 million to fight crime and street gangs, the money is still in the Conservative government's coffers.

[An hon. member]

Shame on them.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

If they really intend to keep their promise, if they really want to fight street gangs, when will these organizations receive the money?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Liberal member is still talking about the announcement we made in November about a $10 million fund for Quebeckers, nearly $5 million of which has already been approved.

Some groups have received their funding. In the province of Quebec, 22 groups have been approved, and that is more than anywhere else in Canada.

Air Transport

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the no-fly list is posing a number of problems and raising concerns about certain charter rights.

How does the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities plan to correct the mistakes and inaccuracies that could affect innocent Canadians?

Until a few days ago, Maher Arar was still named on the American no-fly list. How many other similar cases can we expect to see with the minister's new system?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member appears confused in his question and his comments. He is jumping to conclusions about the new list that protects Canadian passengers, along with the American list.

In this case, he should rephrase his question, because, in our case, not only are we completely and entirely protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but everyone was consulted in putting together this list.

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister consults, among others, the RCMP and CSIS when he draws up this list. Those same agencies consult with Homeland Security as it draws up its own list for the American no-fly list. Someone can be wrongly on the Canadian list and on the American list.

How does his office of reconsideration get Canadians removed from the American list? How long will it take and how much will it cost?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, once again, had the hon. colleague taken the time to look at the way the list is put together, he would have noted that in every case the Canadian list had gone through three years of consultation.

The Canadian list has been put through scrutiny. Stakeholders have been in a position to make their opinions known. People who are civil libertarians have been able to make their comments known, as well as our air carriers throughout the country.

Our list is a solid list. It contains the names of those who have committed terrorist acts against—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Châteauguay—Saint-Constant.

Exporail

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

Mr. Speaker, on May 8, the Railway Association of Canada told the government that it supported the idea of recognizing Exporail as a national museum given that its collection, infrastructure and staff are of international calibre.

Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women explain why Exporail, with all the support it has received, is not on par with the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg, which has been recognized as a national museum?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have explained, I have met with the Exporail representatives and I look forward to hearing more of their plans as we continue our meetings.

The government has committed over $267 million annually to museums across the country. We will ensure that our museums are supported adequately and continue to serve Canadians in every community.

Trois-Rivières Airport

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the City of Trois-Rivières has attempted to obtain funding from the federal government on several occasions in order to lengthen the airport runway. Unfortunately, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities is refusing once again to adapt the criteria of the ACAP program to community needs.

In view of the intransigence of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, is the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec prepared to help the City of Trois-Rivières improve its airport infrastructure, just as he did for the Alma airport in his riding?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my honourable colleague. I have met on two occasions with the mayor of Trois-Rivières and individuals employed in economic development in the Trois-Rivières area to discuss this matter. I told the mayor that we would review a certain number of programs.

When I am in a position to make announcements, I will do so. Naturally, the member will also be consulted and informed of the decision.

Agriculture

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, earlier the Minister of Agriculture parliamentary secretary's failed to answer the question on providing any legal opinion supporting his actions to use regulations to undermine the Canadian Wheat Board.

Will the parliamentary secretary confirm that justice officials warned against using regulations in his attempt to undermine the board, or is the government just flaunting the law? Further, is the minister now prepared to compensate producers for losses that occur as a result of the government's actions?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that the minister has acted as fully as he can. Barley producers look forward to August 1.

The member has consistently sided with the huge malting companies against western Canadian producers. Barley prices have gone up 20% in the last 10 days. He is trying to take that away from farmers. The real question we should ask is, why?

Justice

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken action to increase the level of safety for vulnerable people in our society. We have brought forward legislation increasing the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16. We established a federal ombudsman for victims of crime. We eliminated the use of house arrest for people who commit serious crimes.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration say what action our government is taking to further assist victims of human trafficking who have come to Canada from abroad?