House of Commons Hansard #165 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was drug.
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, that question comes from a member of a party, the leader of which says that fiscal imbalance is a myth. Therefore, whatever that party has to say about equalization does not really matter because the leader of the party himself says that there is no fiscal imbalance.
Jim Flaherty Conservative Whitby—Oshawa, ON
I know the member for Wascana wishes that his leader had not said that but he did say that. He said that the fiscal imbalance was a myth.
We are fixing the fiscal imbalance--
The BudgetOral Questions
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister broke his promise to Nova Scotians.
The so-called minister from Nova Scotia broke his word to a brave MP. The so-called minister from Nova Scotia values his cabinet seat more than his own province.
I would ask the hon. member for Central Nova what loyalty means. Were those not his words? Why can he not stand up for Nova Scotia? Is it because he cannot or because he will not? Will he resign as the minister irresponsible for Nova Scotia?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, personal attacks like that always say more about the person saying them than about the person receiving them. It is unattractive, I must say, to have those kinds of personal attacks here.
However, on equalization--
The BudgetOral Questions
The Speaker Peter Milliken
Order, please. The Minister of Finance has the floor and we will have a little order, please.
Jim Flaherty Conservative Whitby—Oshawa, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Province of Nova Scotia has the option of electing the new system, the modified O'Brien system, this year or continuing with the Atlantic accords. The province has chosen, for this year at least, to elect the new modified O'Brien system.
What that means for the province in terms of transfers in budget 2007 is $256 million more than in the previous fiscal year. That is good for--
Todd Russell Liberal Labrador, NL
Mr. Speaker, the ranks of Atlantic Conservative dissenters keeps growing. First it was Progressive Conservative premiers, then a list of Conservative candidates condemned the attack on the Atlantic accords and then those Conservatives booted out one of their own after last night's vote.
Now John Crosbie, a Progressive Conservative, has been added to the growing list with a blistering memo proving that the finance minister betrayed my province and Atlantic Canada.
Those Conservatives are like jellyfish: totally spineless, no backbone and sting us when they can.
How can the former Progressive Conservative ministers continue to sit in that caucus and represent their provinces?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that we have the greatest respect for Mr. Crosbie, who was a Progressive Conservative minister of finance in this place. I had the opportunity to speak with him about these issues during the course of the past several months and we value and respect his views.
However, in terms of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, which have accord agreements, the plain fact is that those accord agreements are the status quo agreements which they can choose to continue with or they can go with the modified O'Brien formula. However, no province will be worse off in Canada as a result of the new equalization scheme.
Todd Russell Liberal Labrador, NL
Mr. Speaker, last night, the newly independent member from Nova Scotia did the right thing and stood up for his province and his region. He voted with the Liberal Party and against the Atlantic accord betrayal. His five former colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia fell in line with their bully boss, the Prime Minister, and voted, not just with their own party but with the separatists.
We had problems with harp seals and now we have problems with trained seals.
With one more vote to go, will Conservative ministers and members from Atlantic Canada finally stand up for their constituents and their province?
Atlantic AccordOral Questions
St. John's South—Mount Pearl Newfoundland & Labrador
Conservative
Loyola Hearn ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, let me remind the hon. member and the House that it was a Tory government, a Conservative government, that gave us the original Atlantic accord. Let me remind him that it was a Tory opposition that forced the Liberals, including some of them sitting there, to get the second Atlantic accord. Let me also remind him that while they are sitting, sniping from the sidelines, like the Premier of Newfoundland, we are working to deliver to our provinces.
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, no mother should have to make the choice between abandoning her Canadian-born daughter and being sent back to her country of origin, and taking her daughter with her and being unable to protect her from the enormous risk of brutal genital mutilation.
Will the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration intervene and stay the removal order for as long as it takes for Ms. Touré's application to be reviewed on compassionate and humanitarian grounds?
Ed Komarnicki ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, we will not comment on the specific case or on the specific facts. We have a process in place. A number of procedures can take place. There is a hearing before the board and applications for humanitarian compassionate grounds. There is also pre-removal risk assessment and applications to the higher courts. That process needs to be respected and this needs to take place.
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, in some circumstances, the interests of the child are inextricably linked to those of the parent. Oumou Touré and her two-year-old daughter, Fanta, are facing deportation to Guinea. The minister has the power to intervene on humanitarian and emergency grounds, grounds that should apply in this case.
Consequently, will the minister reconsider her decision to deport Oumou Touré, and thereby protect the future of her Canadian-born daughter?
Ed Komarnicki ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, as much as the member would like me to comment on the specifics of the particular case, I have indicated that I will not, and I shall not. However, I can say that there is a process in place. There is an application for humanitarian compassionate grounds in that process. Those processes need to be respected. People wanting to avail themselves of that process are entitled to do so.
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Mr. Speaker, based on information obtained through access to information, the Journal de Montréal reported this morning that wrongdoing and questionable behaviour on the part of RCMP officers had gone unpunished. Officers who abused prisoners or committed sexual assaults got off with a reprimand and a suspension with pay. Such acts were perpetrated at all levels of the RCMP, from the lower ranks to the senior ranks. This is in addition to many other disturbing facts.
Enough is enough. What is the minister waiting for to order a public inquiry?
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, first, there have been 114 cases where incidents happened and officers had problems. It is, however, false to say that every case involved sexual misconduct.
In addition, I have concerns with the list referred to by my hon. colleague. I have spoken to the commissioner and I will review all cases to determine whether all of these were extreme cases.
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Mr. Speaker, about the RCMP again, but in connection with something completely different.
The government has recently made a number of unilingual appointments at the top of major agencies. We will recall, for instance, the appointment of a unilingual English-speaking ombudsman for victims of crime.
Will the minister give us the assurance that, this time, the new Commissioner of the RCMP will have equal mastery of both languages?
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated last week or the week before, we will soon have a new commissioner. Also, changes will be made to the procedure for investigating instances where officers may have done something inappropriate.
I think that even the members opposite will support this new procedure.
Gary Merasty Liberal Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, yesterday a courageous Nova Scotia MP decided that he could no longer stand idly by while the Prime Minister broke his word to his home province. He decided to keep his honour and stand up against the Prime Minister's promise-breaking ways. Unfortunately, not one of the Saskatchewan Conservative MPs has the same courage.
Today the StarPhoenix called Saskatchewan Conservative members:
—a group of political sycophants willing to bend the truth with constituents and try to convince them that black is white, instead of standing up for what they know to be true.
Why could at least one Conservative MP not stand up for Saskatchewan?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative members for Saskatchewan have certainly stood up for Saskatchewan, for a budget that delivers $878 million in new money for the province of Saskatchewan. This is the largest per capita gain of any province in Canada.
Why the Liberals would be against that, I do not know. It is good for Saskatchewan. It is way more than the member for Wascana ever did for the province of Saskatchewan when he had the chance to do it.
