House of Commons Hansard #164 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was trafficking.
Bev Oda ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated before, the festivals referred to, the large festivals in Montreal are receiving money and have been receiving money. This year they will receive the same amount of money.
In fact, the Just for Laughs Festival will be receiving $1.2 million from the federal government and there will be $825,000 for the Montreal jazz festival.
This program will be there to support all festivals in every province and territory across Canada.
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, this year the Festival d'été de Québec is celebrating its 40th anniversary. To mark this event, the festival submitted a special request to the Economic Development Agency of Canada—a request that was supported by the minister responsible for the Quebec City region. However, the organizers still have not heard anything, and the festival takes place in just a few weeks.
Will the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec follow the recommendation of his colleague from the Quebec City region and quickly accede to this request?
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, first of all, my fellow minister and member for Quebec City never made any such recommendation. This flatly contradicts what the hon. member just said. Second, I would like to say that the Festival d'été de Québec is currently getting $907,890 over three years. The Economic Development Agency of Canada does a tremendous amount for the various people who organize festivals all across Quebec. We help with the marketing as well as the renewal of the product. We are going to continue supporting these festivals. Currently we are giving them about $7 million a year.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying that we must take particular situations into account in implementing the Kyoto protocol because not all countries are starting at the same place. If there is one point on which we could agree, however, it is the reference year and the territorial approach.
If it is possible to adopt the country by country approach at the international level, what is there to prevent us from doing the same thing in Canada, so as to take into account the efforts made by Quebec and its manufacturing sector since 1990?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, we signed an agreement with the European Union yesterday. It is an agreement that contains a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Angela Merkel, President of the European Union said that she was heartened by Canada's plans to bring down greenhouse gas emissions. Our approach has been well received.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government's approach is more megatonnes of pollution and no fewer megatonnes of GHG emissions. That is the reality. Every group of ecologists and all of the opposition parties in the House are rightly calling for the resignation of the Minister of the Environment. The government has to understand that by failing to set absolute targets and a ceiling on prices for each tonne of CO2, it is preventing the creation of a carbon exchange in Montréal.
Why is the government not applying in Canada what it is preaching on the international scene?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, the member is well aware that we have a concrete plan for the ultimate reduction of greenhouse gases by 20% by 2020. We will be happy to discuss our plans with our G-8 and G-8 plus 5 counterparts to share that commitment with the other countries, in particular the big emitters like the United States, India and China. We must have commitments from all the big emitters in order to achieve success for the environment.
Lucienne Robillard Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities believes that festivals contribute to the economic development of all regions and is therefore calling urgently for the money earmarked for festivals to be distributed. But the Conservative government and the Minister of Canadian Heritage are turning a deaf ear.
Why does the Minister not adopt the solution suggested to her and transfer the money earmarked for Quebec to her colleague at Canada Economic Development, who has a program for festivals and who would be able to deliver the funds this summer?
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, there are two departments involved in assisting festivals: the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. At Canadian Heritage, $60 million is on the way to assist festivals. The criteria are being developed and will be ready at the end of the summer. At Canada Economic Development, we give $7 million to assist festivals every year. Again this year, there will be assistance for a number of festivals, not just the festivals in Montreal and Quebec City. I have a few here. The Festival du film de Mont-Tremblant will receive $177,900 over three years and the Festival des rythmes du monde is receiving $21,791 for 2006-2007. It continues like that.
Lucienne Robillard Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec has confirmed exactly what I said. Why does his colleague not transfer the $30 million to him, since she is not capable of deciding on criteria at this time? Why does she not transfer the money to him? He has criteria and he has clear objectives. The festivals could have the money this summer. Why not honour the promise they made in the budget? Why not have an interim procedure for giving the festivals the money this summer?
Bev Oda ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, the response to the question is very simple. If there is a sincere support for festivals in Quebec, in Canada, if the member would like to see more support for festivals, I suggest she support the budget. There is going to be no increased funding for festivals unless the budget passes.
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, the budget bill is coming back to the House for a vote. Conservative members of Parliament and Progressive Conservative premiers agree that the budget guts the Atlantic accord for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Conservative MPs from these provinces know that supporting this betrayal would be akin to walking the political plank and some are getting cold feet.
Will the Minister of Finance deal with the growing problems over this budget betrayal and will he fully honour the intent of the Atlantic accord?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, that is very kind, especially coming from a Liberal member.
That is the party that is led by the current leader who said that there is no fiscal imbalance in Canada. The Liberal leader said in 2006 that “the fiscal imbalance is a myth”. Here is what he said in 2007:
Don’t ask me to pretend there is a fiscal imbalance and elect me and (hope) I will fix it. I don’t want to create these kinds of expectations.
We do not need any lessons from a party that does not even believe that there is a—
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister did not hear the question.
A philosopher said, “figures lie and liars figure”. The people of the accord provinces know that his answer is a sham and so do their members of Parliament, regardless of political stripe.
I ask the minister again. Will he support those members of his caucus who have the courage to stand up for their constituents? Will he fully honour the intent and the letter of the Atlantic accord?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, let the record show that everyone got up but Ralph.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order. I am not sure who the Minister of Finance was referring to, but I suspect it might have been the hon. member for Wascana. If so, I know he would want to refer to him by that title rather than any other nomenclature. The hon. Minister of Finance will want to comply with the rules in every respect.
Jim Flaherty Conservative Whitby—Oshawa, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member from Nova Scotia raises the budget. This is the budget he is going to vote against. This is the budget the Liberal Party is going to vote against. Here is the announcement in the budget—
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order, please. We have to be able to hear the answer the Minister of Finance is giving. He has the floor. I know he enjoys the applause, but we have to have some order, please.
Jim Flaherty Conservative Whitby—Oshawa, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member opposite from Nova Scotia is going to vote against an increase in funding for the province of Nova Scotia of $313 million in 2007-08, more money for equalization, more money for health, more money for education, more money for labour market training, more money for infrastructure, and more money for a clean environment, all of which the member proposes to vote against.
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Mr. Speaker, Liberal stalling on important government legislation continues. The Liberals want to delay passing the budget implementation bill which delivers the funding outlined in budget 2007.
Can the Minister of Finance tell this House and all Canadians what will happen to the year-end funding if passing of the budget is delayed?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I swear I heard that question earlier.
The measures in the budget bill that the Liberals opposite propose to vote against include: $1.5 billion for environmental measures through the ecotrust; $600 million to support provinces and territories to put in place the wait times guarantee for health care; $570 million to Ontario for post-secondary education; $54 million for the Northwest Territories to cover payments relating to the previous formula arrangements; and environmentally, $30 million to the Great Bear Rainforest and the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia. All of these fine measures we need to have—