Debates of Jan. 28th, 2008

Manufacturing and Forestry Industries

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, when we speak of the manufacturing industry, let us speak of the auto sector and the record of the government.

The government has been working on all the issues that affect the auto industry ensuring, through the leadership of the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister, that we have solid fiscal policy, but beyond that, dealing with issues such as regulatory harmonization with the Americans, dealing, as the Minister of the Environment is, with the question of a stringent North American fuel standard and dealing with infrastructure issues.

It is a record to be proud of and it is yielding results for Canadian workers.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, more than 130,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared in the past year under the Conservative do nothing approach.

With the high Canadian dollar, record energy prices and the downturn in the United States, the situation will only get worse.

Will the finance minister take off his blinders and concede that his government must respond with targeted assistance to those sectors that are hardest hit?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is essential that we have sound fiscal policy and fiscal management, which is what the government has created. We have the most solid fiscal finance record anywhere in the G-7. Canadian unemployment is at a 33 year low, taxes are low and industrial confidence is high in this era.

For sure, as the American economy has softened, there will be structural adjustments but we are poised in this country to deal with that and to deal with it because of the sound fiscal finances that we have. That is something in which all Canadians should take pride.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, all the statistics the minister quoted are the ones he inherited from the previous government and then proceeded to empty the kitty, and Canadians know it.

Eighty per cent of Canadians believe the political leadership should be doing more to help prevent an economic slowdown in this country. It is not only manufacturing jobs. It is forestry jobs, jobs in the tourism industry and jobs in the livestock industry.

When will the government take action to help Canadians who are losing their jobs and their livelihoods and, in some cases, particularly in the auto sector, their homes?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that when we look at the Canadian economy there are certain structural adjustments that are being made, specifically in the manufacturing sector.

However, it is important that we have responsible statements in the House because employment in the country continues to be at an all time high. In those areas where the structural adjustments are taking place, we are creating high quality employment in the area of computers, in the area of public administration and in the area of construction. More jobs are being created than jobs that are being lost.

We will continue to have a sound economic record in this country.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, clearly the government will not help the struggling industries because it has already spent all of its money on tax credits for political reasons and on the 13.3% increase in spending over two years, which is unbelievable.

Is it not completely incompetent to spend left and right when everything is going well, and not to leave a cent to help Canadians when the economy takes a downward turn?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is rather ironic that the hon. member stands in the House and raises that sort of a question. We are talking about jobs.

I would add to the hon. industry minister's comments. Canada's economy created more high paying jobs in 2007 boosting the quality of employment by the most since 1999. According to CIBC, the employment quality index jumped by 2.8%.

The government is reacting to the concerns of Canadians who are losing jobs. We are building on that strength.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is not the time for silly PMO speaking notes.

The member should understand that tonight at dinner real Canadians will be troubled about the economy. The stock markets are in turmoil. Last month, far from adding to jobs, the Canadian economy lost 51,000 private sector jobs in a single month. The manufacturing sector is losing tens of thousands of jobs every month with forestry not far behind.

The minister just sits there and smirks. Is this a policy of laissez-faire or an attitude of “I don't care”?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I might remind the hon. member that we are in the second longest period of economic expansion in our history and that is thanks to this finance minister and this government.

I might also suggest to the hon. member that he might pay a little more respect to the CIBC's numbers because those are the numbers that I was quoting. Perhaps he should talk to his former colleagues about the strength of this economy.

Chalk River Nuclear Facilities

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the Chalk River nuclear reactor affair, the government waited 19 days after the reactor shut down before looking for other sources of isotopes. During those 19 days, the government could have been seeking ways to avoid a shortage. Yet, instead of admitting its mistakes, the government chose to blame the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Will the minister admit that he is trying to place the blame on others, even though he is ultimately responsible for this fiasco?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate once again that it is false to say that Health Canada or the government failed to act. Once I had the information, I took action. The same is true of my hon. colleague, the Minister of Natural Resources.

Once it was clear there was a problem, we contacted the other companies and firms in Europe.

We acted because we wanted to ensure the health and safety of Canadians was protected. We acted quickly and we acted in a situation where 65% of the isotopes that were--

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Beauharnois--Salaberry.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, France, Belgium and the Netherlands could have supplied medical isotopes to Canadian distributors while we waited for the Chalk River reactor to meet safety standards. However, that probably would have caused Atomic Energy Canada to lose market shares.

Will the government admit that it was more interested in protecting commercial interests than acting in a safe, responsible manner?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, that is false. The reactor in Belgium does not have the capacity to produce isotopes. Europe does not have this capacity.

It is a fact. The capacity did not exist. We did ask. We asked each company in Europe and companies on other parts of the globe. We were scouring the globe.

We acted to restore the NRU reactor because we knew that if we did not do so the health and safety of Canadians and other citizens around the world would be affected. We acted, we took leadership and we are proud of that.

Forest Industry

[Ken Boshcoff, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's support for forestry is $1 billion too little and two years too late.

Workers and communities were shocked to hear that the fund will be handcuffed until June. The government has the funds in hand to help today. Why are hurting families being held hostage by personal agendas?

If the Prime Minister truly wants to help forestry workers, why will he not make this money available right now?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the hon. member is pleased with the community trust fund that has been put forward by this government. I am glad that he sees that it will provide the opportunity for structural adjustments across our country.

Of course, this will require agreement with the provinces that are affected. We certainly intend to work forward with all of the premiers to ensure that the trust is put in place in a way that is effective and timely. Hon. members should not make any assumptions about when that will happen.

International Treaties

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as part of our promise for a more open and transparent government, we committed to bringing international treaties before the House of Commons to give Parliament a role in reviewing them. The Liberals were against this, wanting these important decisions to be made by a select few.

Would the Minister of Foreign Affairs inform the House and, of course, the Liberals as well, how this will benefit Canadians?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that we have fulfilled another election promise today. Effective immediately, any international treaty we sign will be tabled in the House of Commons.

This will allow Canadians and parliamentarians to debate these treaties. This is a testament to democracy and to the fact that our government believes in transparency and democracy. We are proud to have an open and transparent government, unlike the previous government.

Chalk River Nuclear Facilities

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources said that on December 3 he knew of an impending medical isotope shortage. He claimed that the lives of cancer patients were at risk and that Parliament was put in a literal do or die situation.

We now know that other isotope suppliers acted quickly to mitigate the shortage of radioisotopes. Belgium heard about it near the end of November and increased its supply to offset any potential threat to human life.

Why did it take until mid-December for the minister to even ask if the world's isotope producers could help? Was this a manufactured crisis?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

No, Mr. Speaker, that is completely false yet again. In fact, our supply of radioisotopes was down by 65% at the time that Parliament acted. That is where we were just in that very week and it was going to get worse.

We already had hospitals that were stopping treatments because radioisotopes were not available. The Victoria Hospital in British Columbia was on the verge of shutting down, as well as other hospitals in the Atlantic provinces and in Ontario. We acted for the health and safety of Canadians because the supply was not there.

We took leadership. We take responsibility and accountability but we did it for the health and safety of Canadians.

Transport

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are untrustworthy. The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities is refusing to provide $1.5 million to maintain the ferry service between the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island. Not only is the Conservative's inaction on climate change making the banks of the islands disappear and threatening the existence of the Magdalen Islanders, but the minister is also preventing their ferries from running.

Does the minister want to sink them entirely? Why is the minister refusing to provide the necessary money to help the Magdalen Islanders?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat surprised at the NDP's question.

Nevertheless, I must admit that the department has already conducted a feasibility study. This study was conclusive.

I have contacted Mayor Arsenau and I told him that it was too late to do anything this year, but next year we could certainly work on acquiring the necessary funding to ensure year-round service. I told him this would allow for continuing development of the business plan.

Manufacturing Industry

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is the government saying to the workers laid off—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

Order. We have to be able to hear the question.

The hon. member for Honoré-Mercier has the floor. I am asking for order in this House, please.