House of Commons Hansard #3 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Speaker, instead of going public about the leak at Chalk River, AECL cited “technical challenges” and the Safety Commission was silenced. Once again, Canadians were kept in the dark. While thousands of litres of radioactive heavy water continue to flow into the Ottawa River, the minister cannot be pinned down.
Since the cause of the leak remains undetermined and it could happen again, what exactly do the Conservatives intend to do?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned with the issues that have been raised in the media recently about the Chalk River facility. The health and safety of Canadians is our number one priority. That is why I have asked officials in the Department of Natural Resources and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to get to the bottom of this.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister fired Linda Keen, it sent shock waves of fear throughout the public service. Just as in that case, the lack of truth and transparency with respect to nuclear safety continues under his government.
If the minister is so certain that the events at Chalk River had no adverse affect on human health or the environment, will she immediately release the test results that would demonstrate to the House what levels of tritium have been and are being released into the Ottawa River as we speak?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, as we have indicated, this government has great concern for the health and safety of Canadians. That is our number one priority. That is why we have asked the officials to get to the bottom of what happened on December 5, both through our Natural Resources Department and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, if my hon. friend from St. John's South—Mount Pearl is so upset with this budget, I invite her to join us in opposing it.
The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador said that yesterday's budget gave his province the shaft. Back door changes to the equalization formula will cost Newfoundland and Labrador $1.5 billion when it needs it most. He said that it was the equivalent to Ontario losing $22 billion or Quebec losing $14 billion.
The Conservatives said they had some consultations, but they did not actually listen. Premier Williams asked for EI reform and quick infrastructure investments, not the meanspirited slap in the face that was delivered.
Will the finance minister withdraw his offensive changes to equalization?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, there has been no change to the offset agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador. In fact, our estimates show that $1.6 billion of offsets will flow in the next three years. That will keep Newfoundland and Labrador on track with all of the other provinces. As I have said many times in the House, this Conservative government treats all provinces equally and with the same respect.
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, the member is not telling the full and real story. His own officials in the Department of Finance last night confirmed to officials in Newfoundland and Labrador that their figures are correct. There is good reason that the people of my province did not believe the government. It cannot be trusted to keep its word. The Conservatives broke their promise on the Atlantic accord; now they are unilaterally changing transfer payments.
How could any member from Newfoundland and Labrador have any confidence in the government?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, it was this Conservative government that actually recognized the inadequacies in equalization and fixed that. The Liberals sat on that issue for many years. We realized there was a problem; the Liberals denied it and said it did not exist. It is this government that has made all provinces equal.
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, could the Prime Minister please inform the House of recent developments regarding the planned visit of President Obama to Canada?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to inform the House that President Obama will be visiting Ottawa on Thursday, February 19.
This will be, as all Canadians know or are delighted to learn, his first foreign visit as President of the United States. This is a testament not just to the size of our trading relationship and the closeness of our alliance, but also to the strength of our friendship. I look forward to an important and productive working visit.
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
There are now as many as 300,000 civilians in Sri Lanka who find themselves caught in the desperate last days of fighting between the government and the Tamil Tigers. The United Nations Secretary-General and the European Union, as well as our fellow federation in Switzerland, have all called for specific action to be taken to protect the lives of these civilians, whose lives are quite desperately threatened by the events.
I wonder if the minister can tell us why Canada has not been more forthcoming in attempting to say something and do something together with our friends--
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, of course Canada does continue its efforts with like-minded countries to deliver strong messages to all parties involved in this conflict in order to protect civilians by allowing them safe and voluntary movement from combat zones and by ensuring unhindered access for humanitarian workers.
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government's budget is unacceptable for farmers, who say it completely misses the mark. The government is deliberately ignoring the needs clearly expressed during the election. The president of the Union des producteurs agricoles, Christian Lacasse, denounced it as a budget that shows a troubling insensitivity towards the agricultural community.
How dare the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food claim to implement the AgriFlex program, while excluding measures to ensure income security, which is what Quebec farmers are clearly asking for?
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture)
Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that under the growing forward program, we already had $1.3 billion set aside to support the agricultural sector, and we have four business risk management programs: AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance
Furthermore, yesterday, we added $500 million to the budget to support our farmers under a new program called AgriFlex.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday's budget is what happens when the government fails to invest in the green economy of tomorrow. Not only did the government do nothing to create green-collar jobs, it axed what little funding did exist.
U.S. President Obama gets it. There is more than $55 billion to transform their economy. There is cash for solar, wind and other renewables. From this government there is money for nukes and dirty coal. For those of us who realize that The Flintstones was not a documentary, this budget was an unmitigated disaster.
Why will the government not wake up and start to invest in the real economy of tomorrow?
Jim Prentice ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, my friend goes too far, even by the standards of this House.
Our commitment to the environment has never been clearer than it is in this budget. There is a new fund for green infrastructure, support for eco-energy retrofits, and a dedicated fund for new, clean technologies and energy projects, including carbon capture and storage.
These investments in green technologies of tomorrow will not only combat global warming, but they will also create the employment of tomorrow while cleaning up our air.
Daryl Kramp Conservative Prince Edward—Hastings, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry.
Canada is a world leader in providing Internet access to its citizens. However, across Canada in rural communities like mine, gaps in access to broadband remain. We believe gaining access to broadband is critical for these communities, not only for the ability of rural Canadians to communicate but also for our local businesses to compete in the global economy.
Could the minister today please inform this House what Canada's economic action plan does to help promote broadband access to rural and remote communities?
Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for the question and congratulate him on his boundless advocacy and his great work on this particular file. He really has been an excellent MP in working for his constituents.
As a representative of a large rural riding myself, I can tell the House that I know the necessity of expanding broadband access for jobs, hope and opportunity in the future. Budget 2009 is meeting that call. It is providing $225 million over three years to extend broadband coverage to all unserved areas. This expansion is important for rural and remote communities, but most important, it is nation building. It is important for the future of Canada.
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to come back to the minister again on the question of Sri Lanka.
If we were really serious as a country, surely there would be two things we would be doing. The first would be to call for the appointment of a UN special envoy to attach some international focus to what is taking place in Sri Lanka, and the second would be to increase our humanitarian aid.
Could the minister at least commit to doing those two things?
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I am actually very pleased to come back to the member for Toronto Centre to reiterate to him that it is extremely important and that Canada is deeply concerned on this issue, of course.
Recent developments in this conflict underline the urgent need for a meaningful and durable political solution that is acceptable to all communities involved in the conflict.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of a parliamentary delegation concerning its visit to Australia from August 22 to 31, 2008.
Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation ActRoutine Proceedings
Okanagan—Coquihalla B.C.
Conservative
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of International Trade
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention ActRoutine Proceedings
Ottawa West—Nepean Ontario
Conservative
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Canada Not-for-profit Corporations ActRoutine Proceedings
Calgary Nose Hill Alberta
Conservative
Diane Ablonczy ConservativeMinister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-4, An Act respecting not-for-profit corporations and certain other corporations.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)