Debates of April 1st, 2008

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Just to review the file, Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals were in government, there was an announcement made by the former finance minister about certain dividends going back to corporations.

Surprisingly, there was a spike in the price of shares and share volumes just before that and it was a member of the NDP who asked the RCMP to look into this.

The RCMP did look into it and Mr. Kennedy has now observed in his report that there was no political involvement by the RCMP. He suggested recommendations and those recommendations are being put in place.

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this matter is extremely urgent. During an election, if an RCMP investigation were re-opened into Brian Mulroney's financial transactions, would the government care how the announcement was handled?

During an election, if the RCMP were to investigate the tape on which the Prime Minister described an offer to Chuck Cadman, would the government care how the announcement was handled?

During an election, if charges were laid against the environment minister for his role in interfering in the Ottawa mayoralty race, would the government really not care how the announcement was handled?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, instead of some exasperated rhetoric, maybe we should just ask some other questions. Does the member recall, since he wants to review the election, that during that election the public was absolutely fed up with the former Liberal government that was living under the worst levels of corruption seen at the federal political level?

We also had a very clear program of reducing taxes and programs for families, and paying down debt. Frankly, the public responded to all of that. Now, the recommendations which Mr. Kennedy is asking for are being put in place right away, so we are taking action.

Space Industry

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian astronauts inspire Canadian youth to reach for their dreams and become our next generation of space explorers. Canadians are proud and inspired when they see our astronauts in space participating in the creation of the world's most unique science laboratory, the international space station.

With each flight of the space shuttle and launch of the Soyuz spacecraft, the world comes even closer to completing this spectacular project.

Can the Minister of Industry tell us what the government is doing to ensure Canada remains a leader in the space industry?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I announced that the Canadian Space Agency will initiate a national astronaut recruitment campaign. Highly educated, skilled, experienced and talented young Canadians will be able to determine whether they have the right stuff. Those successful candidates will see their names alongside our Canadian space heroes: Julie Payette, Dave Williams and Bob Thirsk.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

I judge from the clamour on the other side of the House that there are Liberals who would be interested in applying. It would seem to me that spending time in outer space certainly would not affect their voting record here on earth.

Afghanistan

[Dawn Black, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to a question from the leader of the NDP on the extension of the war in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister said, “I have always been clear that if our conditions are not met, we will withdraw”.

Reports indicate that French President Sarkozy will not deploy 1,000 troops to Kandahar. Will the government make it clear that, without an agreement from NATO member nations at the summit, Canada will withdraw from Kandahar as the Prime Minister said in this House yesterday?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made it very clear in the House yesterday when he answered a similar question. In fact, we are encouraged by the confidence our allies have shown in supporting our objectives in the mission in Afghanistan. We continue to talk to our allies at all levels: military, civilian and political. We expect to announce some progress on this by the end of the NATO summit.

Whether it will be the final announcement or not, I do not know, but this is in accordance with the mission in Afghanistan as laid out. It is in accordance with the Manley report. It is in accordance with the motion passed by this House.

We are going to get the job done, as usual.

[Dawn Black, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's position yesterday was clear until the Minister of National Defence suggested that a deal was not necessary by the end of the summit. Now, we have the Minister of Foreign Affairs suggesting that we have 11 more months to find the 1,000 soldiers.

Will the government be straight? Will it be straight with the Canadian people, with Parliament, with our brave troops, and with their families? Which is it: Does this decision for additional troops need to be made before the end of the NATO summit in Bucharest, or is there now a new deadline?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question and take this moment to wish her a happy birthday, at the risk of adding good news.

We have been straight with Canadians all along. That is why we commissioned the Manley study to come up with some guidance to show the way ahead. That is what we are following.

The Prime Minister is in Bucharest right now, along with the Minister of National Defence. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will be joining them shortly and we are going to get the job done. We are in close contact with our allies all the time. We are united on this and we are going to get the job done.

Seal Hunters

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the human tragedy in the Magdalen Islands deserves some compassion; it is a must. The families affected by the tragedy deserve to have the federal government's full support.

Yesterday, the minister indicated that he would cover the cost of bringing the fishers' bodies back home. Will he do the right thing today, now, and work with his department to bring the fishers' bodies back to the Magdalen Islands?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, we will make sure the bodies are returned at no cost to the families.

I wish to notify him and the House that we will be doing this immediately with the help of our friends from the Department of National Defence. The bodies will be brought back by chopper as quickly as possible to the Magdalen Islands.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the people affected by this tragedy are entitled to get answers to their questions. The reality is clear: a crew member is missing and his family is waiting.

Will the minister see to it today that a Coast Guard representative goes to the Magdalen Islands to answer the questions of this family and the other Magdalen Islands families in their own language? Will the minister go there himself to meet with the families affected by this tragedy?

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

Mr. Speaker, again, let me inform the member that we have already sent people to the island. They are already there representing the Coast Guard and the Department of Transport. We also have other officials there, and when we get away from the hype, the sadness and the concern around this, I will be delighted myself at any time to talk to anybody who will find themselves in this situation.

Foreign Affairs

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs says she is back on the Brenda Martin case. I am sure this news will only add to the fears Ms. Martin has for ever gaining her freedom. I want to recognize the other Secretary of State for Multiculturalism for his cameo appearance on this ongoing failure by the government to stand up for a Canadian citizen.

Now that the minister is back, will she find out who within her department and her party leaked personal and private information about Ms. Martin to the media, or will she be using it herself to smear a Canadian who has suffered enough injustice and bungling by the government?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am quite pleased to work with the secretary of state. I am quite pleased to work with my cabinet colleagues. I would like to say that we regret that personal information about Ms. Martin's case was made public, in violation of the Privacy Act.

My officials are looking into where the leak might have originated from. We will keep the House abreast of this investigation.

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we also hope the Privacy Commissioner will now be able to determine why Brenda's rights were not only violated in Mexico, they were violated right here in Canada.

Mohamed Kohail is also well aware of this government's incompetence. The Minister of Public Safety is incapable of meeting with the Saudi representatives in charge of this case and when Mr. Kohail's lawyer was being threatened and kicked out of the courtroom, the Conservatives did nothing.

Will any of the ministers responsible for foreign affairs officially protest the denial of fundamental legal rights of another Canadian citizen abroad?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, that is what we have done and what we are doing. As the hon. member knows, we have an important policy that promotes human rights.

In consular cases, that is what we do. I personally have done so and so have a number of other ministers. We raise these cases when that needs to be done in order to defend Canadians abroad.

Food Safety

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's failure to monitor imported products is resulting in a lower level of compliance for foodstuffs, thereby threatening food safety for consumers in Quebec and Canada.

Will the minister implement food safety measures, as recommended by Michel Labrosse, the federal government's national import operations manager?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, we have done exactly that, building on the announcement made by the Prime Minister just before Christmas. Working with my colleague from health, we are moving forward with exactly those recommendations.

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec and a number of experts have criticized the lack of monitoring of imported foodstuffs. While this endangers consumers, it is also a problem for producers, because imported products do not comply with the same standards as domestic products, according to Christian Lacasse, president of the UPA.

Can the minister explain why it is that chemicals prohibited here are used on foreign foodstuffs and that those chemicals and foodstuffs can be found on our supermarket shelves?

When will the government demand reciprocity in terms of standards as a prerequisite for import?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, as he sits on the agriculture committee, there have been some hearings on this and the committee is planning on doing some more in the near future.

But having said that, we have actually started to move ahead with the changes that will be required to the product of Canada label, made in Canada label, to give consumers a much more educated viewpoint of what is in that container.

They need to know exactly where those products came from. Even though they are packaged in this country, they need to know the genesis of those particular products. It is also going to help safeguard and make sure that Canadians know that it may cost them a little bit more for that better product in the container, but it is Canadian right through to the core, and that is what they are happy to pay for.

Housing

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the last time that provincial and territorial housing ministers got together in this country, the federal minister decided not to show up. Tomorrow they will try again to meet and to discuss the future of the federal affordable housing program set to expire in March 2009.

Will the minister leave the provinces and the municipalities to fend for themselves or will he finally show some leadership and take some action to ensure long term funding to end the crisis of affordable housing and homelessness in our country?

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend for the question and welcome her back from wherever.

This government is spending more money on housing for vulnerable Canadians than any government in history. The last thing we want to do is go back to the Liberal way and actually reduce the amount of money that is going to provinces and individuals. We will not do that.

This government is standing up for vulnerable Canadians from coast to coast and we will continue to do that in the future.