Debates of April 8th, 2008

Citizenship and Immigration

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we still do not know how the minister will decide which types of people will be able to immigrate to Canada, and which will not.

Could the minister give us some concrete examples of the new categories she will create to help decide who will be told, “Welcome to Canada”? Specifically, what are the categories?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we want to welcome more immigrants, earlier and faster than before. We will designate which categories of people the country needs. We will respect the Charter and the law. We will welcome the people we need—to reunite families and to fill jobs.

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister claims that the new rules will eliminate the backlog. On what date will the backlog in fact be eliminated?

The minister claims that she wants to have an efficient immigration and refugee system. Then why has she failed to fill 58 IRB vacancies, resulting in the tripling of pending refugee claims?

The minister claims that she is pro immigration. Then why has the Conservative government accepted 36,000 fewer landed immigrants into Canada?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to helping genuine refugees. That is why I recently announced in the House that we will be doubling the number of convention refugees that we receive from Iraq.

Coming to Canada is a privilege and not a right. To make sure that we have the best people in place to do that, we have made over 100 appointments to the IRB, but the difference between us and the Liberals is we make sure those individuals are qualified and competent to do their job. With us, they actually have to pass a test to get in.

Manufacturing Sector

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

Mr. Speaker, in Beauce, the Baronet furniture factory: closed; the Éclaireur printing works: closed; Romaro roofing manufacturers: closed; Cavalier textiles: closed. A total of 1,200 jobs lost in 2007. The Minister of Industry, like his predecessor, the member for Beauce, are sticking to their Conservative laissez-faire ideology.

Can the Minister of Industry explain why, since the Conservatives came to power, the number of manufacturing sector jobs in Beauce was at its lowest point in 10 years last year? Can he explain why that is?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Yes, Mr. Speaker, the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec exists to support entrepreneurs who want to start businesses and those who want to grow their businesses. We put new tools in place and we also created a $1 billion trust to better support the manufacturing sector, in addition to bringing in capital cost allowance measures to enable entrepreneurs to buy new equipment and benefit from accelerated amortization.

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

Mr. Speaker, because of the Conservative government's laissez-faire policy—which was advocated by the former minister of Industry, the member for Beauce, who has been bragging about being in power—the manufacturing sector has been in crisis for two years.

Is the Minister of Industry aware that his tax cuts are not helping the manufacturing sector, which is not making a profit, and that this measure is putting even more money into the pockets of big oil companies?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, my friend might speak to some of the great things that are happening in the province of Quebec and, in particular, in the aerospace industry. It is an industry that is flourishing. It is a Canadian industry. We are among the best people in the world. Factories are full. The individuals in that industry are trained to a high level of capability to work in this industry. In fact, industry continues to try to find more workers to work in aerospace in Quebec.

Instead of naysaying what is happening and what we are achieving in the Canadian economy, we should celebrate our successes.

Mining Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, more than 200 workers at the Jeffrey mine in Asbestos will lose their jobs in a few months, when the mine closes for an indefinite period next July. Many of these workers could benefit from an older worker support program, which would allow them to reach retirement age with dignity.

Does the minister plan on making this program available to them or will he tell them, as did the Minister of Labour recently, to go to Alberta?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, since coming to power in 2006, this government has approved almost 700 projects throughout Quebec, for a total of some 16,000 jobs maintained and created. Of course we have tools in place and soon the Blackburn II plan will arrive with new tools.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Jonquière—Alma, QC]

It will arrive with new tools, well-suited to the Quebec regions.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, order. Members are entitled to use their own names. It is other names they have trouble with.

The hon. member for Richmond--Arthabaska.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was not referring to a virtual program, I was referring to a POWA. I will try another question.

After 130 years of operations, the Bell mine in Thetford Mines is closing its doors putting 140 minors out of work. The Secretary of State (Agriculture) and member for Mégantic—L'Érable has just applauded his colleague who wants nothing to do with an income support program for older workers. What does he think of this situation? Will he also tell these miners to go work in Alberta?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government sees the great potential in older workers. That is why we continue to provide all kinds of support to help them make the transition from businesses and industries that are struggling to those that are vibrant.

I would remind the member that over 90,000 net new jobs have been created in Quebec over the last year. We need to fill some of those jobs, so we are providing all kinds of new training, including the targeted initiative for older workers, among a suite of programs, to make sure they can make that transition successfully.

Ethics

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the adviser chosen by the Prime Minister himself published a report that fails to understand the fundamental characteristic of a public inquiry—that it be public.

Setting limits on the mandate and holding parts of the inquiry behind closed doors will only leave Canadians with more questions. In particular, did Mulroney preserve the integrity of the Prime Minister's office?

The Prime Minister must stop protecting Mulroney. Will the commissioner have all of the powers laid out in the Inquiries Act? Yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, the inquiry will be public. That is clear in the recommendations. The question then becomes what questions will be dealt with there. Professor Johnston has laid out quite clearly the 17 questions that touch on the public interest that he believes should be resolved. We expect that will happen very soon.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for a public inquiry lies with the Prime Minister. He cannot hide behind David Johnston or anybody else.

Important evidence in this affair should not be examined behind closed doors. It is precisely because Mulroney concealed his dealings with Schreiber that we are faced with all of this in the first place. Unless the mandate and the investigative powers are broad enough to actually follow the money, this exercise will not achieve the finality Canadians deserve.

It is in the Prime Minister's hands. Will he give Canadians a serious public inquiry, yes or no? Will the inquiry cover Fred Doucet?

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

Mr. Speaker, from the start, we indicated that we would be looking to an independent third party to provide advice on how to go forward in this matter, so as to remove it from what would otherwise be partisan political exercises. For that reason, we asked Professor Johnston to take on that very serious responsibility, which he has done with the appropriate level of seriousness and diligence.

His recommendations are on the table. It was always our intention, we said, to follow those recommendations before they were tabled. Now that they have been tabled, we still intend to follow those recommendations.

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wanted to bring down the Liberal government in May 2005. The problem for him--

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, order. The hon. member for York Centre has the floor.

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

The problem for him was that the vote would be so close that Mr. Cadman's vote might make the difference.

Mr. Cadman was terminally ill and had a big incentive not to defeat the Liberals, the parliamentary life insurance policy. Even if an offer to him would only neutralize an incentive which should not exist, the problem was that such an offer would be illegal. It would be about buying a vote to bring down a government. That is as bad as it gets.

To the Prime Minister: Is that what happened?

[James Moore, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics]

Mr. Speaker, yes, we did want to bring down the Liberal government in May 2005. However, we are pleased that the Liberals are not interested in bringing this government down today.

Over the last two years the Liberals have allowed the Conservative government to pass three budgets and two extensions to the Afghan mission. They passed our crime package and our environment plans. This week or next, they are going to pass our immigration proposals and our immigration reforms.

With political enemies like that, who needs friends.

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in 1972 there was a break-in at the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee in Washington. Described at the time as a third-rate burglary, with the obstruction of justice and perjury which followed, it brought down a president.

Here, if the Cadmans are right and the Prime Minister's words say what they seem to say, this is no third-rate burglary. This is about buying a vote to bring down a government. Imagine how CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post would cover this.

To the Prime Minister: Tell us how all this happened.