House of Commons Hansard #11 of the 40th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was coalition.

Topics

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

Mr. Speaker, two months ago, we were in an election and the people of Canada made their choice. Those parties laid out their economic platforms and are now trying to form this unholy alliance. Only two months ago, the people of Canada rejected whatever they were saying.

The important point is that those members do not recognize the fact that they have made an unholy alliance. They have ignored what the Canadian people told them just two months ago. That will not get them any votes.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:20 p.m.

Saanich—Gulf Islands B.C.

Conservative

Gary Lunn ConservativeMinister of State (Sport)

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member who just asked a question talked about disgrace and about being ashamed, and then he turned around to his own members and asked whether that was all right.

Canadians in every corner of this country are ashamed with what is going down here. They are disgusted with all of us. They cannot believe this is happening after being back here for only two weeks.

What is happening here has the potential to cause irreparable damage to this institution and to our country. The Bloc is gleeful. Its mandate is to bust up the country. It failed to get Quebec out of Canada so now it is going after the rest with the support of the NDP and the Liberals. That is the truth. There is no respect. There is no respect for the good of this country. I ask members to think about what they are doing.

The member is from Alberta. I know he is listening to his constituents. Canadians are concerned and worried. They are asking themselves what the heck we are doing. They believe there is madness down here. What is the member hearing from Albertans about this madness?

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

Mr. Speaker, that party sitting over there only thinks about Quebec and about breaking up the country. This party sitting here thinks about the whole country.

I am from Alberta. We have British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Canada is a wide country and our party thinks about everyone, including Quebec. That party over there has elected to make a deal with one province only, which means that the Bloc can pull the plug anytime on that unholy alliance.

What are the people of not only Alberta but the people of Canada thinking? They are scared and cannot believe what is going on here. If Canadians wanted to give those parties power, they would have chosen them two months ago in the election but they did not. The people of Canada are scared of what is going on in this Parliament.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:25 p.m.

Bloc

Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that a parliamentary secretary could rise in this House, and rant and rave about all the other parties. Yet the Conservatives are the architects of their own misfortunes. Who decided to make the vote on the economic statement a vote of confidence? It was them, not us. From that point on, they reap what they have sown. This is what they have sown, and here we are.

During the previous Parliament, we heard the Conservatives question the relevance of the Bloc Québécois every day. Now they understand why the Bloc Québécois is here in this House. I will give three good reasons. First of all, the Conservatives did not win a majority in this House because the Bloc was here. Second, the only political party to present a plan to stimulate the economy was again the Bloc Québécois. And third, as he was saying, yes, the Bloc Québécois supported the coalition, because we believe that we will be poorly served by a Conservative government.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:25 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

Mr. Speaker, I will concede that the Bloc did give us a plan and we listened to that plan. We asked the other parties to give us a plan but they did not. We asked them to work with us but they would not. Why? It is because they wanted to play this power grab game.

What the leader of that party said to his caucus was that the plan was in the offing long before the stimulus issue came out. The Canadian people should not be fooled. The plan was on the table and it was hatched by that party long before the economic update. Those members should not lie to the Canadian people.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

December 2nd, 2008 / 12:25 p.m.

NDP

Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON

Mr. Speaker, there seems to be a lot of anger coming from members on the other side of the House. They should redirect that anger toward their leader and his chief of staff for bringing in an economic plan that hurts working Canadians, especially women, and removes the right to strike. If they had brought in an economic plan to help Canadians, we would not be in this situation right now.

We, the members opposite, have lost confidence in the Conservative government and it should resign right now.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:25 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

Mr. Speaker, those are games that those parties play. The memeber's leader told his own caucus that he had already talked to the separatists long before this. I do not know what the member is talking about.

I will tell the member that the government believes in the tax cuts it has implemented. We have already reduced the GST by 2% and we have created pension income. We have addressed the issues the seniors brought to us. We have been addressing the issues. We have been working with the auto industry and with the Liberal government in Ontario to come up with solutions.

The government has been proactive, which is the problem that party was having and the reason it came up with a plan.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:25 p.m.

Liberal

Shawn Murphy Liberal Charlottetown, PE

Mr. Speaker, I just want to give the member another opportunity to answer the first question asked about the actions of his own leader back in September 2004 when he was meeting with members of the Bloc Québécois and members of the New Democratic Party. He had meetings and he had agreements. They all signed a letter addressed and delivered to the Governor General asking her to consider other options.

I sat through that period of time, as did the member across, and I do not recall any anger in his speeches about the actions of his own leader. I do not recall him getting up in the House and vigorously objecting to what his own leader did. At the time, he sat there and said nothing day after day.

Why did the member not say anything back in September 2004?

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:25 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

Mr. Speaker, the answer is simple. At that given time we did not make a deal with the Bloc. We said, “Look at the options”.

The point is that the opposition parties made the deal immediately after having an election, and Canadians thought about it. That is the question. We came back with an increased mandate from the Canadian people. At that given time that party was going downhill.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:30 p.m.

Liberal

John Cannis Liberal Scarborough Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I want to be respectful to all members because there has been chatter over the document from which I quoted the Prime Minister. I would be glad to table the document.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to table the document?

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:30 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate you. I already did so personally yesterday. I congratulate you on your appointment as Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole. I know that it is a great honour and a great responsibility, and I congratulate you. I would also like to say that I hope you will continue trying, as you have already started doing, to maintain a minimum of decorum in this House. God knows we need it.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the voters of Laval—Les Îles who have elected me for the fifth time. And I would like to congratulate the other members of this House on their victories, whatever their party, whether they be in opposition on this side of the House or on the government side opposite.

Today I would like to talk about the economic statement delivered by the Minister of Finance last Thursday. Two things in that statement really shocked me. First, the Minister of Finance refused to accept that there was already a recession in Canada. Second, the Minister of Finance did not see fit to present a solution from the government in his economic statement, despite the number of companies, be they small, medium or large, that were starting to go bankrupt or were at risk of bankruptcy and were laying off their employees, who are now jobless.

It shocked me and it shocked the people in my riding, as it did the entire population of Quebec. I organized an event in my riding, Laval—Les Îles, last Sunday afternoon. Obviously we discussed politics, and people asked me how it could be that the government, as represented by the Minister of Finance, had not brought forward any solution to the problem that exists not only in Laval and in Quebec but everywhere in Canada.

In Laval—Les Îles, a lot of people come from other countries and have recently arrived in Canada. Many of those people have kept ties with their country of origin and do a lot of work in importing and exporting. Those people are afraid that their businesses will go bankrupt. The Minister of Finance was silent about this.

In terms of the economy, we have had no response. The Conservatives tell us there is no problem in Canada and our institutions are very safe. I hope so, but we always have to be prepared. When we, the Liberals, were in government, we got rid of the deficit and tried to set a little aside as a cushion, precisely to be prepared for this kind of disaster. When the Conservatives came to power, the cushion virtually completely disappeared, and the help we had prepared precisely to protect us against this kind of disaster is almost nonexistent now. What we are seeing here is a Conservative government that has both wasted the public funds that could have protected Canadian industries and failed to present any solution to try to help people who are without jobs, not because they did not want to go out and work, but because their businesses are no longer viable. The owners of those businesses, whether in the forestry industry or in the auto industry, can no longer sustain their budgets.

A long time ago, people used to say, “What is good for General Motors is good for the country.” That applied to the United States. Now, though, General Motors is almost completely bankrupt, and that may have a very serious impact on us here in Canada. From an economic standpoint, the statement is shocking and does not meet the needs of Canadians.

I was also extremely disappointed by another social measure, and that is the elimination of the right to strike.

The right to strike has been a fundamental right in our society for decades. It is not socialist or communist, it is simply Canadian. Men and women in Canada fought hard for such protection before, during and especially after the 1920s and 1930s, and they won it. Last Thursday evening, the Conservative government intended to eliminate federal public servants' right to strike.

The Conservatives may reverse their decision, as the President of the Treasury Board said yesterday during question period. They are going back on their decision, but the damage is done. Clearly, if the Conservative government had been elected with a majority, not a minority, in the House of Commons, federal public servants would have lost the right to strike. The Conservatives were forced to back down when all the members of the opposition fought back and said they could not let that happen. Because the Conservative government was afraid of losing the battle, it decided to back down and say it was giving public servants back the right to strike. I am very happy about this, but we need to look at what happened and realize that if the opposition had not reacted so strongly and so quickly, the Conservatives would have taken away federal public servants' right to strike.

Next, I will speak about the issue of women and employment equity. Let us not forget that employment equity is not only employment equity for women, it is for society as a whole. This means that it is for all kinds of minorities, be they people with a physical disability, visible minorities, or Canada's first nations people, who have an important role to play in our Canadian society.

The Conservative government decided, in its economic statement, that these minorities would no longer have the right to take their grievances before the courts. Once again they are being deprived of a right that has been fought for, not just by minorities, but by all Canadians. This right is in the process of being taken away from them. All of the opposition, not just the official opposition, rose up in arms over this. My colleagues in the other two parties spoke about this. The President of the Treasury Board has backed down and says he wants to respect employment equity and will revisit the decision. I am very pleased by that, but what would have happened if there had not been a hue and cry? We would be back with what the Conservatives first presented. This is another warning to be on our guard, because we see what would have happened if the Conservatives had a majority.

This descent toward anti-democracy did not just start last Thursday evening. I have seen it coming for a long time, two and half years at least—nearly three—or in other words ever since the Conservatives have been the government. I will give a little anecdote here if I may.

Two years ago, I was the official languages critic for the official opposition and therefore a member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. We were discussing the Conservative government's abolition of the court challenges program. For those who may not know exactly what this is, the court challenges program provided funds to language or other minorities so that they might defend their rights before the courts, possibly even against the Government of Canada. Minorities were given the tools to do so. The Conservative government came along and abolished the program entirely. This was at the official languages committee.

We soon found out by calling witnesses that the francophone minorities in Canada were stunned because they realized they had lost the financial muscle to protect their linguistic rights in Canada. It was not just francophones outside Quebec but the anglophone minority in Quebec too.

We fought hard in committee. What happened, then, to finish the story? On the day when we were supposed to put the finishing touches on the report, in which the three opposition parties asked, suggested and recommended that the minister reverse his decision on the court challenges program, what did we find when we arrived at 9 o’clock in the morning? The doors were locked. In other words, the chair of this House committee prevented the committee members from meeting. He slammed the door in our faces.

That was an insult, I think, not just to the members of Parliament but to the people of Canada who elected us. The chair did not have the right to do that. He did not have the right to decide to lock the doors. Why did he do it? I think it was simply because that meant we could no longer table a document in the House recommending that the minister change his mind about the court challenges program.

Why am I telling this story? Simply to explain to the House that the attack on democracy started a long time ago. The governing party across the aisle has long been doing everything it could, cutting here, cutting there. Rather than saying openly what it is doing, it often tries to hide it. There is always a way, though, to review things and find out what is going on.

I want to tell the House, therefore, that the finance minister’s presentation last Thursday night was totally unacceptable. It disappointed not only the opposition members, of course, but the people we represent as well. As I said earlier, I met more than 200 of them on Sunday, and they sure had a lot to say.

We believe that it is important and even absolutely essential to offer the people of Canada another possible kind of government. Why? It is not because we want to make a grab for power but because we think we have solutions to the economic crisis. We also have solutions to the anti-democratic practices of the governing Conservatives.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:40 p.m.

Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont Alberta

Conservative

Mike Lake ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I had a chance to ask a question of one of the Bloc members regarding the alliance. We know that 100% of the confidence measures proposed by the coalition government would need the support of the Bloc.

I asked if there were a throne speech that used strongly articulated support for a united Canada, which would include Quebec, would the Bloc support that. The answer was that it did not have to worry about it. As part of the agreement, the Leader of the Opposition would have to consult with the Bloc, so obviously there would not be any articulation of a united Canada in any kind of throne speech or government communication.

What are the member's thoughts on not being able to articulate the use of, or the censorship of, united Canada type language in any kind of government communication?

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

That question is in bad faith, Mr. Speaker. The leader of my party does not even have to state it. For his whole life, he has worked for a united Canada. When he was a member of a former Liberal government, he showed how important a united Canada, with Quebec in it, was to him. We know a united Canada with Quebec is important to our party.

Therefore, the question is really a false question.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:45 p.m.

Bloc

Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga, QC

Mr. Speaker, first of all, my congratulations on your new responsibilities. Far be it from me to comment on how long you will be in the Chair, but as long as you are there, I am sure you will give of your best.

I believe that there is a question that must be asked of our colleague for Laval—Les Îles. She is right to remind us of just what a disappointment the Minister of Finance's economic statement was. A disappointment, because a consensus could have been reached here in the House on a number of proposals made by the opposition parties. It is incredible to witness the angry and offended tones assumed by the government members in reaction to the events we are witnessing which, truth to tell, are making history. Must we not admit that the primary responsibility of a minority government is to make sure, in all circumstances, that it has the confidence of the House? What we have been treated to instead is a stubborn, arrogant, obtuse and disdainful government and Prime Minister wanting only to thumb their noses at the opposition.

I would like my colleague from Laval—Les Îles to describe, in parliamentary terms, which I have never known her to deviate from anyway, the attitude of the Prime Minister toward the energy and good faith shown by the opposition since the session began.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure what to add to the statements made by my hon. colleague. I completely agree with what he said.

I would like to add that the Prime Minister and the entire Conservative caucus have shown a general lack of respect for this House. I mentioned one anecdote that demonstrates this point very well. They have shown a lack of respect for this House. By that very fact, they have also shown a lack of respect for our citizens and for democracy. For my colleagues and me, this is a fundamental issue. We are here in this House because our constituents elected us to say what we have to say. The members across the floor, and particularly the Prime Minister, since he is the one who is ultimately responsible, give us the impression that they do not fully appreciate and respect the fact that an opposition exists to have its ideas heard.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Mr. Speaker, on that very theme, in this morning's Globe and Mail, Margaret Wente writes:

[The Prime Minister] was supposed to be the steady hand at the helm. But now, even his long-time loyalists whisper that he's lost it. They are right. You can put up with a bully. You can even put up with a paranoid, controlling bully. But a paranoid, controlling bully with catastrophic judgment is another matter.

Their leader is a brilliant brain—

Although I would dispute that. She goes on to say:

—with the emotional intelligence of a 13-year-old. The magnanimity of victory eludes him. He can't seem to shake the simmering resentments of the outsider who knows he's the smartest guy in the room but still can't get respect. Only a man with his unique mix of gifts could deliver his country into the arms of such a bizarre [situation].

I would be interested in the hon. member's comments on that.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have not read the article mentioned by the member. I do not make a habit of hurling insults at anyone. I said what I have to say about democracy. It is important to me. In my opinion, the Prime Minister should definitely reconsider his way of doing things within his own caucus, but that is his business. What does concern us in the opposition is what this Conservative government does for Canadian society as a whole and particularly for the Canadian economy.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Peter Goldring Conservative Edmonton East, AB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member across the way about the thousands of voters in Quebec who voted for the Liberals to support federalism, and particularly not voting for the separatists. What does she feel now about those thousands of voters who feel betrayed by this unconscionable alliance with the separatists, virtually turning the keys to Ottawa over to the separatists?

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I find the language of my colleague opposite to be a gross exaggeration. I am surprised because that is not like him.

That being said, I met with hundreds of citizens in my riding this past weekend, as I already mentioned. No one, not one person, felt that we had handed over the keys, that we had sold out Canada or anything like that. The only ones who believe that are those who sit opposite us here in Parliament.

I would like to repeat that we have a leader who believes in Canada. Not only does he believe, but he has proven it I do not know how many hundreds of times. When the members opposite say that we have sold out Canada, I take it as a personal insult.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:50 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Conservative

Laurie Hawn ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I am a little amused at some of the comments from across the way. The members do not make slanderous comments so they say, but they are quite willing to quote someone like Margaret Wente.

However, I would like to go back to something a little more serious, and that is the serious comments made by Don Drummond of TD Bank. When he spoke this morning, and I think it was on CBC, he spoke about the $30 billion structural deficit that the coalition's economic recovery plan would bring to Canada and how it would plan to get us out of that in the years down the road. That is as much as the coalition has announced so far.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I do not understand my colleague's question. The leader of the opposition said yesterday in his press conference that things have not progressed that far. At this time, the three opposition parties have decided to work together. The relationship between these three parties was explained and the leaders of the three opposition parties were very clear about the fact that absolutely nothing more had been done and that no more could be done as long as things were like this in the House of Commons.

So, where is this Mr. Drummond getting that $30 billion? It is a figment of his imagination. That certainly did not come from any opposition member.

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:50 p.m.

Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont Alberta

Conservative

Mike Lake ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, speaking on the G8 in July, an article in the London Telegraph lamented the lack of leadership in the world in this global situation. One thing it did single out was our Prime Minister, saying that if the rest of the world had comported itself with similar modesty and prudence, we might not be in this mess.

How can the party of the hon. member, along with the other two parties, justify bringing down the government?

Economic and Fiscal StatementGovernment Orders

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. As I explained in my speech, when the Liberals were in power, they got rid of the deficit and set money aside—I called it a “little cushion”—but now that money has all but disappeared. So when they talk about prudence, I have to wonder what, exactly, they are talking about.