Debates of Feb. 5th, 2008

Forestry Industry

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we also noticed the minister said not a nickel would get spent until after the end of March. The Liberal opposition demanded that the bill be passed as quickly as possible. We have to make up for the time lost by the Conservative games.

Will the government explain, specifically, how the aid to the communities hit by the forestry downturn will be targeted? How will the Conservative government ensure that the U.S. lumber industry will not use its billion dollar bonus from Canada to reignite the softwood war, targeting this new Canadian program?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are very pleased that we have the opportunity to work with the provinces to deliver this funding.

We remind hon. members that this money will go all across this country. It is not just one region that has been impacted by the softening of the softwood lumber industry in the United States. It will take time to deliver. We would encourage hon. members to work with us rather than against us in trying to get this money out to those people and those communities that need it.

Manufacturing and Forestry Industries

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

Mr. Speaker, fearing that his guests would get indigestion, the Prime Minister offered the community development trust as an appetizer to his provincial counterparts when they dined together at 24 Sussex. The government tried to pass off a few appetizers as a main course, but this program is not enough to reopen closed plants or prevent other plants from closing.

Does the Conservative government have a main course to offer, or is the cupboard bare?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the new trust announced and adopted here is a measure that will help vulnerable communities directly. It is a measure that not only Canadians, but all the provinces called for.

We have given in and agreed to that request. I am happy that this government has kept its promises to all those communities and to the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, after much pressure from the Liberal opposition and the provinces, the government has reversed itself. However, it still does not have the trust established, negotiations with the provinces are still not complete, and there is still no clarity about the distribution. Worst of all, despite today's legislation, nobody will get any money until after the end of March.

Why has the government been so flat-footed and so indifferent to those who have lost their jobs?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, clearly, my colleague should have thought of this question before. Obviously, we are waiting for the Senate to give its adoption. So maybe he might insist, on behalf of the Parliament of Canada, to speak to his buddies over in the Senate to get it done.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is totally absurd. Quebec accounts for most of the jobs lost in the manufacturing industry, yet the aid money will be distributed on a per capita basis. That means that Alberta will get proportionately more than Quebec, which has been hardest hit by the crisis.

How does the government explain this twisted logic?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc Québécois voted for this program or this legislation just a few moments ago.

It therefore seems fair and reasonable that funding should be allocated on a community-by-community basis.

The wording of the law refers to the community or communities affected. That is how things are done in Canada. It is fair and reasonable to proceed in this way.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the communities affected will be poorly served by this fund. When Alberta was hit by the mad cow crisis, the money went primarily to Alberta, as one might expect. But when a crisis hits Quebec for the most part, the money is distributed on a per capita basis, even though there is no crisis in Alberta's manufacturing industry.

Is the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, who supports this measure, prepared to explain this to workers in Donnacona, Lebel-sur-Quévillon or Roberval?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of hypocrisy, there are limits. Facts are facts. The Bloc Québécois voted in favour of this bill and now wants to criticize it. The very least they could do is be consistent.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Government of Quebec announced the development plan for fisheries and aquaculture, following the Forum québécois des partenaires des pêches held in November 2006. Some 8,000 people working in the fisheries sector in Quebec are still waiting for the federal government's plan.

As the fishing season fast approaches, can the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans please tell us what is taking so long for him to present his plan for the entire Quebec fishing industry?

[Loyola Hearn, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.

Last Friday, I spoke with Mr. Lessard, the Quebec fisheries minister. He and I will work together for Quebec fishermen and fisherwomen.

We will do that. We will continue to work with the fishermen, for the fishermen. Together, working with the government in Quebec, we can solve the problems. We can do that. Those members cannot.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has taken so long to appoint an independent examiner in the sealing file that the recommendations cannot be implemented this season, thereby allowing Newfoundland to grab 70% of the Gulf of St. Lawrence quota for yet another year.

How can the minister pretend to govern these maritime resources fairly, when he is simply stalling for time for the benefit of his province?

[Loyola Hearn, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, to listen to the member speak, one would think this was a new allocation that was set up since I became a minister. These are historic allocations. But in fairness, because of concerns raised, we have set up that an independent individual will look at sharing. However, the report will not be ready for this year, so we will roll over what has happened historically and Quebec will get the share that it always did, no more, no less, the same as everybody else.

Manufacturing Industry

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's pitiful community development fund is too little and too late. For two years the Conservatives sat back and watched the manufacturing sector bleed. They waited until after the jobs were lost at Chrysler, GM, Ford and auto parts companies all across the GTA.

Despite continued warnings, they have done absolutely nothing to stop this loss of jobs. They chose instead to wait until it was too late to come forward with a band-aid solution.

Why does the government not care about the workers in the manufacturing sector?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is a ludicrous statement to make after the hon. member was probably in this House and just voted for the community development trust fund. We are glad that she did to get that moving. We might also talk about the $8 billion in tax relief that was brought forward in budget 2007 and our economic statement. But let me read a supportive statement by the member for Halton:

This was a good announcement. The $1 billion is desperately needed by tens of thousands of people in communities in the Atlantic, Quebec, northern Ontario and British Columbia.

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for York West.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

Order. The hon. member for York West has the floor now.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the only reason that money was brought forward is because of the work that was done by this opposition party here, otherwise it would not have been done, just more rhetoric and more laissez-faire, “I don't care” from the government.

Last week the industry minister and the finance minister met with auto industry executives, but in the midst of contradicting each other they made zero commitments to provide any assistance to the auto industry. Is the government's indifference to the crisis in the auto sector just another example of the Conservatives' anti-Ontario attitude?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The reason the community trust legislation was passed is that this government is listening. If Canadians listened to the member's party, we would be running deficit budgets and no one is interested in that.

Let me point out--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

Order. The Minister of Industry has the floor. Everyone wants to hear his answer and I cannot hear a thing. The Minister of Industry has the floor. Order.

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, since the hon. member wishes to speak about the auto industry, I can assure her that on Friday I was at the Oshawa plant. I met and spoke with representatives of another major auto company. Today I am meeting with Mr. Hargrove and other individuals.

The real question for Canadians is why the Liberals got a flat tire when they had an opportunity in government to deal with the auto industry and the competitive issues and did not deal with them.

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last year Neelon Casting closed its doors in Sudbury and 240 employees lost their jobs. This plant, which made brake parts, is an example of the crisis in manufacturing and the auto industry in particular.

That is 240 families devastated by a loss of income, and only now is the government coming forward with a bit of help for those in one industry towns. These particular workers will not be able to access this help.

Where was the government eight months ago when this crisis began for Neelon Castings? Where is it now?