Debates of Feb. 13th, 2008

Political Donations

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I am not sure this question falls within the administrative responsibility of the government but we will hear from the government House leader in case there is some argument for putting it there.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, the government is very concerned about tonight's illegal Liberal fundraising event. It follows on the illegal Liberal fundraiser with illegal corporate sponsors that took place last October, which was spoken of in the House.

This is a very serious matter. I was surprised to hear a Liberal Party official actually defending this illegal practice. We do not know how widespread this illegal activity is, however, it does appear to be viewed as a normal practice within the Liberal Party.

Chalk River Nuclear Facilities

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on November 22, 2007, officials from MDS Nordion informed the government of a possible medical isotope shortage. On December 1, Canadian Press was the first to report an impending isotope shortage. On December 3, the Minister of Natural Resources was informed of the shortage. On December 5, the Minister of Health was informed of the crisis.

My question for the minister is very simple. Why did it take so long, nearly two weeks, for anyone in the government to inform the health minister of an impending health crisis?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, a lot of information was shared at committee level. The head of MDS Nordion, at committee or at the scrum thereafter, said, “I think the government was doing what they could do, frankly”.

As soon as we learned that this was not just a shortage but a crisis that was going to affect the health and safety of Canadians, we acted. We put a bill before Parliament and made sure that Parliament had all the relevant information that was necessary to make a decision. We acted to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, either the health minister is not telling the truth or he is incompetent.

Let us look at the facts. MDS Nordion issued a press release on November 30 outlining a problem. CBC The National ran a story on the implications of the shortage on December 4. MDS Nordion met with officials in natural resources on November 22.

Yet the minister expects us and Canadians to believe that no one, not one official, thought it important enough to bring to the minister.

Is the minister lying about this or is he simply incompetent?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

If I heard that correctly, it is the second time we have had this word used today. I must warn hon. members that these words are unparliamentary and not permitted.

The hon. Minister of Health has the floor.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is, indeed, a serious issue and it requires all members to take the issue seriously.

The record is clear. My depositions before two parliamentary committees were quite clear and they were supported by my deputy minister and assistant deputy minister.

When we learned of the issue on December 5, we acted swiftly. We gathered information throughout the country. We realized that this was not merely a regional shortage, that this was a national crisis. We gave that information to the government. The government acted, the Prime Minister acted and all of Parliament acted. We did so to benefit the health and safety of Canadians.

The hon. member now wants to sully what was a unanimous agreement in the House. Shame on her.

Homelessness

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister was part of the Harris government in Ontario that wanted to make homelessness a crime and called it “tough love”. That “tough love” was applied to his last federal budget, which shut out the homeless, aboriginals, children and seniors living in poverty. However, he paid his good friend MacPhie $122,000 to craft that “tough love” budget speech.

Why does the government's anti-poverty plan help just one group: old, tired Mike Harris cronies who were thrown out of Queen's Park?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, in the last budget, as I am sure the hon. member will recall, we created and funded the Canadian Mental Health Commission, which is now headed by Mr. Kirby. This is a very important body that will help address important issues in Canada, including homelessness, which, as members know, relates, to a significant degree, to mental illness and mental challenges faced by people living on the streets.

These are important measures that we have taken.

We have also gone forward with the working income tax benefit to help low income Canadians who are capable of working to get to work. That is something the member's party looked at but--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for York West.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister's history speaks for itself no matter what he tries to say.

Poverty is a national problem. The Conservatives have refused to take leadership in the fight against poverty, preferring a laissez-faire, I do not care attitude.

The Liberal Party has a plan. Quebec and Newfoundland have plans in place and Ontario will implement one this year.

Do the Conservatives have a plan to fight poverty, or is it the minister's typical old plan, which is to cut programs for the poor, jail the homeless, slash child care and swipe another $5 billion from the aboriginal community?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the views expressed by the hon. member do not reflect what is happening.

As the United Way of Greater Toronto said, with respect to the working income tax benefit, WITB is a positive change “that will help to improve the situations of low-income families”.

That is what the United Way report stated about that important social program.

What this is not about is idle talk, like the former government did. This is about bringing forward important programs to help people get to work. We got it done.

Government Programs

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, companies can make their voices heard because, with the tax system, they can pay for their voices to be heard. Community groups cannot. That is why past Liberal or even past Progressive Conservative governments offered them support. They knew these voices were critical as part of a mix of voices that make Canada work.

The Prime Minister has cut the funding for literacy, aboriginals, women, those with disabilities, child care, students and the poor. He has cut these voices off. His message, “In my caucus, in this country, it's only my voice that counts”.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Why do these voices not matter too?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, this government is a government that is standing up for the working people, the people who are trying to make a better life for themselves.

Who is it that the Liberal Party listens to? Who has a voice there? Who gets to talk to the member for York Centre? A corporation that is willing to pay the sky is the limit donation tonight to his party. That is who gets to talk to them about policy. That is who they listen to. What is more, it is illegal. He should apologize and he should--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. The hon. member for York Centre.

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's game is a cynical game. For literacy, aboriginals, women, those with disabilities, child care, students and the poor, it cuts off funding and makes people feel powerless, makes them beg and makes them grateful for crumbs. It then gives them a choice: if they say something, they get nothing; if they do not say anything, they lose their voice. Canada loses their voice. Canada loses Canada's voice.

When will the Prime Minister start acting like a prime minister and not the Bytown bully?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, from time immemorial, the Liberals' game has been a cynical game. They use power to line their pockets, as they did in the sponsorship scandal, and find every way they can to break the rules for their own personal benefit.

Tonight there is a fundraiser. The invitation reads:

The evening will include a live auction. You can bid on the following:

Watch a live Canadiens vs. Senators Hockey game in the company of the [member for York Centre]

The sky is your limit during this auction!

A successful bid is not a political contribution and is not eligible for a receipt for income tax purposes. Your successful bid will not affect your annual political contribution limit....

That is against the law and he should stop--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Terrebonne—Blainville.

Government contracts

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are seeing more and more instances of political interference in the Prime Minister's Office. His press secretary interceded in support of Rosdev and met with a company seeking government contracts in the military sector accompanied by a Conservative Party fundraiser, Leo Housakos. That same press secretary, in cooperation with the office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, pushed hard with the Port of Montreal's board of directors in order to ensure that one Robert Abdallah, a former manager with the City of Montreal, was appointed to run the port.

Will the Prime Minister admit that political interference is a common occurrence in his government—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, regarding the appointment of the CEO of the Port of Montreal, as my colleagues in this House know, that decision was made by the port's board of directors, which followed a procedure that they themselves had established. The result, of course, was a new CEO of the port. This was endorsed by the board and by this government.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister said, “We need a new government to ensure that these important public appointments are merit based.” We have learned that the Prime Minister's Office, together with the staff of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities flouted the law that requires the manager of the Port of Montreal to be appointed independently by the board of directors and, furthermore, that his office conspired to appoint the protege of the Mayor of Montreal, the former boss of Soudas and Housakos.

Is that what the government was promising: interference and patronage?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, there was no interference, cronyism or patronage. The board of directors had a number of candidates to choose from. And that is what it did. It chose the best candidate.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Australia's prime minister issued a formal apology to the country's stolen generation for policies that degraded its indigenous people. He said, “For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations...we say sorry”.

Since 2006, Liberals have demanded an official apology to the survivors of residential schools. After much delay, the government grudgingly committed to one.

When will the government follow Australia's lead? When will Canada finally say, “We are sorry?”