Debates of Nov. 24th, 2008

Securities Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting how in retracting his statement, he was able to say it one more time.

I would remind the hon. member, however, that I did say industrialized countries. This is to strengthen our regulatory system and that is very important. We have said many times in the House that we will respect provincial jurisdiction. We cannot force it on provinces. We encourage them and we will welcome all willing participants into this common securities regulator.

Arts and Culture

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the International Exchange for the Performing Arts, CINARS, is calling for a replacement program to offset the effects of the recent cuts, otherwise its 2009-10 programming could be affected.

CINARS points out that $4.5 million in government assistance to replace the PromArt and trade routes programs would be worth between $20 million and $40 million in foreign contracts.

Given these figures, does the government not realize that culture is very profitable when it gets a little help?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that arts and culture are important to the future of our country. That is why the Speech from the Throne says, “Cultural creativity and innovation are vital not only to a lively Canadian cultural life, but also to Canada’s economic future.”

If my colleague wants to walk the talk, she should vote for the Speech from the Throne. She should know that it was the Conservative government that increased spending on arts and culture by 8%. We are the ones who are defending arts and culture, and they are the ones who voted against that.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here we have another minister who is misleading the House. We know full well that the additional money for the Department of Canadian Heritage went to the Vancouver Olympics. If the government does nothing for artists, the 2009-10 agreements will be affected and 10 years of hard work will go down the drain.

Does the government realize that planned tours will be cancelled and that many organizations could close their doors forever because of what this government has done?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, we increased our spending on arts and culture by 8%. This is not an increase for the department, but for arts and culture programming. We will spend $2.3 billion this year. We increased spending. The Bloc Québécois voted against that. It was not present for Quebec. It was against these spending increases. We are the ones who are defending arts and culture in our country, and we will continue to do so in the future.

Infrastructure

[Lise Zarac, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities denounced the administrative delays that are suddenly plaguing the building Canada program.

Now that the financial crisis is likely to lead us into a recession, it makes sense to expedite investments in infrastructure projects, in order to create jobs that would compensate for layoffs.

Will the Conservatives continue to sit on the $3 billion in the building Canada fund in order to cover up the new Conservative deficit?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say hello to our new colleague from LaSalle—Émard.

We were very proud to meet with Jean Perrault and representatives from the municipalities three times last week. We decided to do two things: we must make decisions as quickly as possible and we must give the green light to important projects, not only for the building Canada program, but for Canada's economy. We will work with the municipalities to find solutions that will lead to real results.

[Lise Zarac, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Federation of Canadian Municipalities denounced the delays and red tape that plagued the building Canada program under the Conservatives.

Why on earth will the Conservative government not allow municipalities to access the $3 billion infrastructure fund that is just sitting there, so our cities can create new jobs and help stimulate their local economies? Is the government hoping to use that already-allocated money to hide its new Conservative deficit?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, no, that is not the case. We are committed to make quick decisions on important infrastructure projects in Quebec and around the country, so that we can take advantage of the federal funding that was provided in last year's budget.

We also want to expedite green-light approval to infrastructure projects in every region of the country. We had a very positive meeting with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. We are working well with the provinces. We are committed to working hard and getting the job done.

I say to the member for LaSalle—Émard that we would be very pleased to work with her and we would welcome any suggestions she might have on how we can achieve these results, working together.

Forestry Industry

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' poor decision making and bad management has cost the forestry sector thousands of jobs, leaving many people in northern Ontario without work and unable to support their families. Now the Prime Minister says we are in a technical recession as if it is no big deal. Unemployed workers in my riding think it is a very big deal.

Where is the plan to help the suffering, technically, unemployed forestry workers?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we understand the pressures on hard-working Canadians, especially those facing transition in times of economic instability.

In the Speech from the Throne, we committed to continuing assisting their industries through new market opportunities and through investments in innovation. We understand that Canada's traditional industries, like forestry, sustain the economic well-being of many regions and communities, and that is why we will get this job done.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government understands from a distance.

We are talking about people's livelihoods here.

Forestry workers in my riding and ridings in Northern Ontario lost their jobs because the Conservatives refused to take action.

What am I supposed to say to a laid off worker who asks what the Conservative government is doing to help him or her?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, that is why we have acted to support the workers with the creation of the community development trust. Let me share with the House how the creation of this community development trust is helping workers and families in the forestry industry. Frank Everitt, President of the United Steelworkers Local 1-424, said:

This program has helped our members and other forest workers in the north make the early transition to retirement possible, and in the process created job opportunities for others--

We are getting the job done.

Air Transportation

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to rise for the first time in this House as the first Conservative member of Parliament in over 50 years from the great riding of Brant. I wish to thank all the voters who made this possible.

Constituents in the riding of Brant have seen media reports that their personal information, including travel history, may be disclosed to U.S. safety authorities when they travel abroad.

Would the Minister of Transport please share with this House the measures he is taking to address any impacts this policy may have on all Canadians?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for all members of the House by welcoming the new member for Brant. All of us are looking forward to working with him.

Our government is committed to respecting the safety, security and privacy of each and every Canadian. I can assure the House that the secure flight program does not apply to domestic Canadian flights, nor does it apply to Canadian airline flights which pass over Alaska.

We will work with the new administration in the United States to do our part to promote the highest level of aviation security we possibly can. The U.S. has indicated that the secure flight program will be exempt for countries with a comparable security system, and we will work with our counterparts in the new U.S. administration on that important issue.

Finance

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the economy continues to spiral downward, more and more Canadians are turning to credit cards even to pay for day to day fundamentals. Millions of credit card holders are alarmed to learn that in a few days banks are going to slap on an automatic 5% increase on interest rates. This is on top of the already punishing interest rates of over 20%.

When will the government step in and protect hard-working Canadians from getting further gouged on credit cards during this time of economic crisis?

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

Mr. Speaker, might I remind hon. members that we as a government do not regulate the fees charged in the financial sector on exchange rates. It is a competitive system. No one is forcing Canadians to use those cards. If the card charges are too high, I would suggest to Canadians that they may lodge that complaint with their financial institutions or actually stop using them.

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian consumers need action, not platitudes.

Even before this latest ripoff, the prime rate had plummeted, yet ordinary consumers are getting no breaks on their credit cards. We have had enough of consumers being gouged. That is the same government that failed on ATM fees. Does it not realize it is the government that regulates the banks, not the banks that regulate the government?

Will the minister finally step in and make it clear that consumers must be put first in these difficult times?

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

Mr. Speaker, if the concerns are valid, the Competition Bureau will be looking at this. However, I remind the hon. member that it is not a federally regulated jurisdiction.

International Trade

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on the weekend, and even against the recommendations of the Standing Committee on International Trade, the Prime Minister went ahead and announced a free trade agreement with Colombia. By signing such an agreement, there is no doubt that he is in favour of protecting Canadian companies' investments rather than human rights. Colombia has one of the worst human rights records in the hemisphere.

How can the Prime Minister justify such an agreement with Colombia when we know that union activists and indigenous peoples are assassinated with total impunity?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, it was an honour for me to sign the document mentioned by my friend. I would like to encourage him to read it because it contains very precise and specific sections. In chapter 16 in particular, I believe sections 16.3 and 16.4 relate to human rights and the rights of workers. The wording is very clear and strong.

[Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by signing the free trade agreement with Colombia, the Prime Minister is ignoring human rights and is an accomplice to the corruption within the Colombian government.

Does the Prime Minister realize that he is sending a very poor message to the international community by ignoring the most basic human rights?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate we have more or less just returned to session and people are busy. This is a very thick document that was signed, but the sections that are being referred to by the hon. members are very clear. There is a very clear protection on human rights. The enforceable standards to comply with the International Labour Organization on everything from child labour to health and safety and occupation issues are very clear provisions.

This is not just for the many companies that are investing in Colombia. There are other companies there that have not been subject to these rules. They are now subject to them, along with rules on the environment and corruption.

Poverty

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in the report card on poverty released last Friday, Campaign 2000 said one in nine children in Canada is growing up in poverty. That is 760,000 children. As Canada slides into recession those figures are only going to increase. This report means the Conservatives cannot say they did not see it coming.

However, there is no plan. There is no poverty reduction strategy to ensure that more Canadian families in need do not fall further behind. Why not?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, back in budget 2006 “Advantage Canada“, we outlined the beginning of our plans to help eliminate poverty, particularly for children. That is why we introduced the universal child care benefit. By the way, the universal child care benefit removed 55,000 children from the low income classes.

There is also the child tax benefit and the child disability benefit. There are a number of ways in which we have already taken action to help remove children from poverty.