Debates of Nov. 26th, 2008

Automotive Industry

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

What is sad, Mr. Speaker, is when we compare what is happening in Canada to what is happening in the United States.

Earlier this year, the U.S. government already allocated $25 billion to transform its auto industry to build the new, green, fuel efficient vehicles of the future. It is fighting for the jobs of the future while the Canadian government is doing nothing. No wonder nobody wants to meet with this minister in Washington.

Will the minister at least come to Windsor tomorrow to meet with the leaders from industry, unions, suppliers and municipalities to explain what the government will do? Will he at least show his face to the workers, the families, and the businesses that are on the brink of losing everything?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, these kinds of issues affect everybody throughout the country. They affect my riding as much as the hon. member's riding perhaps, or at least in the same industry.

We have been active. The hon. member should know that we created an auto innovation fund, which we have agreed in our platform, in our throne speech, to continue to improve and augment as well. We are there for auto innovation. We are there to ensure that the cars of the future are built, in part at least, in Canada

The fact of the matter is we want long-term solutions and that is exactly what Barack Obama and Dalton McGuinty are saying.

The Economy

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the looming economic crisis demands daring and creativity. To date, these qualities have been lacking in the government. Difficulty in balancing budgets may be more widespread especially in municipalities where, if nothing is done, there will be inevitable increases in property taxes.

Does the Minister of Finance plan on adopting, in his economic update, the Bloc Québécois proposal to immediately increase to 5¢ the gasoline taxes transferred to municipalities, to move up the date?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the government intends to run the economy and the budget in a responsible way. That is an important thing to do. That includes creating stimulus in the economy by reducing taxes, personal income taxes, and leaving more money in the hands of Canadians. I know this is a foreign idea to the members opposite in the Liberal Party.

We reduced the GST by two percentage points, leaving this money in the hands of Canadians to spend and stimulate the economy, and we reduced business taxes, all of which the Bloc voted against last year in this House.

Transportation

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, meanwhile, the Conservative Party ridiculed the Bloc Québécois proposal for a high speed train between Quebec City and Windsor and is doing nothing until next spring's budget.

Why is the government not making a concrete commitment to the high speed train that all stakeholders support and that would ensure sustainable development, protection for the environment and support for the manufacturing sector?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, when my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was the Minister of Transportation, he announced on this government's behalf that we would be working with the Governments of Quebec and Ontario to review the study carried out 15 years ago. Public transportation is very important. This is a major project. It is not something that can be carried out immediately but we are working with both provincial governments to see what can be done in the future.

Automotive Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, if the government House leader cannot even count cabinet spots, it is not surprising these Conservatives cannot balance their budget.

Faced with the crisis in the automotive sector, the Minister of Industry does not see the need for a joint Canada-U.S. response. Therefore, he is preparing us for the transfer of thousands of jobs to the United States. If he becomes involved in the negotiations too late, he will have to make big concessions to the U.S.

Are the Conservatives incompetent or negligent?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we did manage to bring in the tax reductions that meant a great deal in the auto innovation fund and a great deal to the auto industry.

What we will not do in order to balance the budget is what the Liberal Party of Canada did in the mid-1990s, the shameful legacy of the Liberal Party of Canada balancing the budget on the backs of schools, colleges, universities, families, poor people in Canada. That is the legacy of the Liberal Party of Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the Conservatives that was in response to their $42 billion deficit. At the time, however, they told us that the cuts were not deep enough.

On the auto sector, the Conservatives just do not get it. If the U.S. makes repayable loans, all the money has to be spend in the U.S., not Canada. If Canada does not act well before January or February, Canadian auto subsidiaries would likely go bankrupt.

Is the finance minister refusing to act because of his huge deficit or is it because of his infamous view that Ontario is--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I was looking for an authority on the terrible job that the Liberal government did in the mid-1990s, hurting ordinary Canadians, balancing the budget on their backs, and I found an authority. The authority said:

The [Liberal] government balanced its books by slashing transfers to the provinces by forcing the provinces...to...face deficits and health care systems and education systems in a crisis as a result of its inability and irresponsibility to actually tighten its own belt more significantly.

That authority was the member for Kings--Hants.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, a government spokesperson has admitted that the employment insurance fund is insufficient. This is no way to manage money, especially money that belongs to Canadian workers. People who pay employment insurance premiums must be able to receive that money if they lose their job.

Given the fact that we are in a recession and unemployment is rising, will the government finally reform the employment insurance program? Will it ensure that Canadians who contribute can qualify for a program that belongs to them and not to the Conservative government?

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, the employment insurance fund is being reformed to ensure that those premiums that are collected go directly to the benefit of the workers who have suffered the losses, and it will be there when the workers need it to be there.

We will ensure that the fees collected will be paid for benefits. We have put in $2 billion to ensure that we can backstop that. If we need to go beyond that, we will backstop it further.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that answer is cold comfort to unemployed workers in Ontario. EI claims in that province are up by 14%. They are up 30% in Windsor and up a staggering 96.4% in the finance minister's own backyard of Oshawa, and those numbers do not even take into account the countless workers who should be eligible but are not.

To add insult to injury, it has been estimated that the average unemployed, laid off worker in Ontario receives $4,600 less in EI benefits than those in the rest of Canada.

Will the government ensure that all unemployed workers get the benefits they have paid for and get equal treatment regardless of where they live in this country?

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, the employment insurance program is applicable to everyone across Canada. Everyone is entitled to apply and receive what they are entitled to.

In addition to that, we have obviously done the community development fund that helps those in regions where they suffer losses that are particular and peculiar to those regions. We have also had the Canada labour agreement that allows workers who lose their jobs to get trained and to move up in the job scale to find other work.

We are doing everything we possibly can to soften the blow and ensure that Canadians are protected, are able to work and continue to raise families and take care of those who are close to them.

Violence Against Women

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the good people of Miramichi, New Brunswick for their confidence in me.

Violence against women is an important issue for all Canadians. The government has taken concrete steps to address violence against women, from passing the Tackling Violent Crimes Act to endorsing the Iqaluit declaration.

Could the minister of state tell the House of any recent accomplishments the government has made in combatting violence against women, domestically and internationally?

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Minister of State (Status of Women)]

Mr. Speaker, our government has consistently demonstrated its commitment to women's issues. The Prime Minister appointed the first minister of state who is solely dedicated to the Status of Women.

I am also very proud that our government recently joined the UNIFEM campaign to say no to violence. Canada joins 159 ministers and heads of state from 60 governments in supporting UNIFEM's call to see an end to violence against women.

The announcement is particularly important as we mark the 16 days of activism against gender violence, including Canada's day of remembrance, December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Infrastructure

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, jobs are disappearing in this country and yet to date the promised investment by the Conservatives on infrastructure has not happened, investment that could see jobs created.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has said that the $3 billion the Conservatives committed to has not been spent.

Why have the Conservatives not invested this money, which would create hundreds of jobs, not only in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but thousands of jobs throughout the cities and towns of this country?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, let me be the first to congratulate the member on her election to the House of Commons. We are looking forward to working with her on what we could do to flow infrastructure funds and what we could do to help create jobs and open opportunities.

We had some good meetings with the Canadian Federation of Municipalities, four last week alone and one with the Prime Minister. We have agreed to make changes to the process so we will see decisions made quicker and the federal green light given as soon as possible.

We are committed to working with the provinces to get the job done. If the member opposite has specific suggestions, we would be more than happy to meet with her and to look at them.

Justice

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everyone agrees that young Omar Khadr should be immediately removed from Guantanamo and brought back to Canada—everyone but the Conservatives, that is. The Supreme Court of Canada, senior Foreign Affairs officials, the Canadian Bar Association, the Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal, the opposition parties, everyone condemns the government's inaction and insensitivity. We are talking about a child soldier, a Canadian citizen, who has been tortured and mistreated.

Instead of giving us empty rhetoric about something that is tarnishing Canada's reputation, will the Minister of Foreign Affairs take his role as a diplomat seriously and do the right thing by bringing Omar Khadr home?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our position remains unchanged because, unlike many prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Omar Khadr has actually been charged with serious crimes. He is in a judicial process to determine his guilt or innocence. We support this process entirely.

Finance

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business fears big banks will move merchant fees for credit card transactions to an unfair percentage system. This means that independent businesses could be looking at increases on fees of up to 10,000%, much of which will get passed on to the consumer.

Another hike on interest for credit cardholders and new fees for small business all add up to the lowest consumer confidence in 20 years.

When will the government recognize it has a responsibility during tough economic times to protect consumers not just banks?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

We already have, Mr. Speaker. We recognize that obligation, which is why we fund the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada and why we fund financial literacy in Canada. It is to give Canadians, particularly young Canadians, an opportunity to understand interest rates, to understand compound interest and to understand the benefits of paying bills on time.

These are important matters that we want Canadians to be educated about so they can make intelligent choices in what is a competitive financial system in Canada.

Oral Question Period

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I recall your reference to decorum and discipline at the time you were campaigning for the position of Speaker, and how you said that we were going to have to change the way things were done. I do not wish to cast any aspersions whatsoever on my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but during oral questions on November 24, in connection with an extremely serious question in which there was no place for joking, he said that he was speaking of Omar Khadr and not of Coderre.

Mr. Speaker, some may find this amusing, but this House is respectful and at no time are members' names to be used. I would therefore like the minister to make amends for this and to withdraw his words. I would also, Mr. Speaker, like you to take it into consideration so that such a thing will never be repeated, since you let it go by.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right, it was an extremely serious matter. However, it was people in the opposition who said “not Coderre” to which I replied that no, it was not “Coderre” but “Khadr”. Yes, this is a serious matter. Obviously, I regret that my friend and colleague was put in this situation, but I repeat that it was members of the opposition who said this.