House of Commons Hansard #5 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was economy.
Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Mr. Speaker, not only has this government decided to ignore the priorities put forward by Quebec's National Assembly, but it is also attempting to reduce Quebec's weight and influence by proceeding with its electoral representation plan.
Will the government admit that, now that it has used the budget to seduce Ontario, it will not hesitate to sacrifice Quebec's political weight for purely electoral purposes?
Electoral RepresentationOral Questions
Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia Manitoba
Conservative
Steven Fletcher ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, the representation of Quebec will certainly not be less than the 75 seats that it currently enjoys. We will be introducing legislation that will ensure Canadians are properly represented in the House.
I look forward to the support of all members of the House to support democracy.
Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Mr. Speaker, one does not need a math degree to understand that this will have a negative impact on the percentage of members from Quebec.
Ontario's premier has stated that the federal government will be giving even more seats to Ontario, thereby further diluting Quebec's political weight.
For the record, will the government confirm that it agreed to amend its electoral representation bill in favour of Ontario, while continuing to ignore Quebec?
Electoral RepresentationOral Questions
Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia Manitoba
Conservative
Steven Fletcher ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, one does not need a degree in math to see that 75 seats today is the same as what will be the number of seats in Quebec in the near future. We will ensure that all Canadians, including Quebeckers, are well represented in this chamber.
Again, I look forward to working with all parties to ensure that the principles of Canadian democracy are maintained and enhanced.
Dawn Black NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to program reviews, Canadians know they cannot trust that government. They know its record: cuts to the Food Inspection Agency, hidden cuts to status of women, ideological cuts to the Canadian arts and $7.6 billion in allocated spending that never went out the door. Now it is planning hundreds of millions in new spending cuts.
Could the government please outline the programs it ideologically disagrees with and which ones are now up on the chopping block?
Dean Del Mastro ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that the budget, which she intends to vote against, contains significant new investments in Canadian arts and support for artists.
Our government believes that we should carefully review every dollar spent in Canada. That is why we are conducting strategic reviews to ensure that every dollar we spend is absolutely as effective as it can possibly be.
Dawn Black NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, trust is in very little supply with the government. ThePrime Minister talks tough about crime and law enforcement, but when it comes time to stand by those on the front lines, he leaves them in the cold.
The budget continues the government's betrayal of the RCMP wages by rolling them back after having signed a new contract with the RCMP only in November.
RCMP members are rightly disillusioned by this betrayal by the Harper government. If the RCMP can no longer trust the government, how can Canadians?
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I would urge the hon. member, who is experienced in these matters, to avoid referring to hon. members by name. She will want to refrain from that activity.
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, we value and respect the good work the RCMP is doing to keep our communities safe. It is critical, given our current economic circumstances, that we all tighten our belts. Everyone is being asked to do their fair share to help manage government expenditures. The RCMP is no different in this regard, and we appreciate its help.
Dawn Black NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, most Canadians think the RCMP is different, but that is the opinion of the government.
The government is full of lofty words and promises, but Canadians who actually look at the budget can see that the proof is not in the pudding.
The Conservatives are again making big promises to Tri-City residents about the Evergreen transit line. Yet the budget says only that the project could be funded. The Evergreen project still has to find millions in private capital, capital that simply is not there because of the credit crunch.
How does the government have the gall to continue to promise something that clearly may not happen—
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to working co-operatively with the Government of British Columbia on the Evergreen line. The one big hurdle in the Evergreen line getting funded is the NDP voting against our budget.
The member opposite should support the government, support public transit and support British Columbia.
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, Genome Canada will run short of funding to honour its 2010 commitments, and what is more, it will be unable to fund long-term projects scheduled to begin this year. Since its inception in 2000, Genome Canada has received dedicated funding in each budget, but not this year.
Do the Conservatives realize that, in this time of crisis, some 2,000 highly skilled individuals working on 33 research projects will lose their jobs thanks to them?
Gary Goodyear ConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology)
Mr. Speaker, let me be as clear as I was yesterday. In fact, I spoke to the chair of Genome Canada, Dr. Calvin Stiller, and he assured me that he was very satisfied and happy with the budget. In fact, this morning on the website it says, “Genome Canada is pleased with the federal government’s 2009 budget”. It goes on to say, “This is good news for the scientific community across the country”.
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of State should have a look at today's Globe and Mail.
Dr. Martin Godbout, president and CEO of Genome Canada, says that government funding does not coincide with project funding. Genome Canada cannot even ask anyone to propose research projects if it does not have money in the bank.
What does that mean? It means stagnation or, in other words, an end to growth in the cutting-edge research sector and an end to the creation of jobs of the future. What are Canadians going to believe: what Genome Canada says or the Minister of State's blah, blah, blah?
Gary Goodyear ConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology)
Mr. Speaker, I would certainly believe the facts. I would not do my research through newspapers. I would do my research through pure facts.
This government is absolutely committed to the scientific community across this nation: researchers, infrastructure, labs. That is why, prior to this week, we put 2.4 billion new dollars into science and technology and this week we put $3.5 billion into the science and tech community. I appreciate the member agreeing to support this budget.
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Speaker, during the budget lock-up, federal finance officials informed provincial finance officials that the federal government will amend the O'Brien formula through its yet-to-be-delivered budget implementation act by deleting the option of a province to exclude 50% of its non-renewable natural resources, thereby leaving only the 100% exclusion option.
Is this true? I remind everyone that other changes to equalization were previously announced, like the GDP-based cap. However, this one is very different. It was never before discussed. Is it true?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member from western Labrador is representing his constituents by asking that question. Let me state the facts. This government continues to respect the Atlantic accords. In fact, Newfoundland and Labrador will receive a projected $1.2 billion in offset payments between 2009-10 and 2011-12. This $1.2 billion is on top of the $2 billion upfront payment for Newfoundland and Labrador in respect of the 2005 accord.
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Speaker, west Labrador is a beautiful place, but so is Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, where I come from.
All Canadians are looking at their government, their ministers and parliamentary secretaries, the ones who are responsible for this budget, to lead us in a time of crisis. That leadership is missing. Providing straight answers to direct questions is what this is all about. It is what Canadians expect.
The O'Brien panel of experts made one specific, key recommendation concerning the handling of non-renewable natural resources: “A 50% exclusion option strikes the right balance”. Yet, this is the very recommendation, the one option now apparently being deleted by this government. This is not the time—
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, my apologies to the hon. member. I guess it just proves that I need to spend more time in Newfoundland and Labrador. My apologies for that.
In fact, the transfers continue to climb for Newfoundland and Labrador, as a matter of fact, $372 million this year alone through the Canada health transfer. That is an increase of $11 million. The Canada social transfer which is $164 million on top of $3 million last year. However, let me quote Premier Williams: “The have-province role in fact means more money for us. We receive less money from—”
Claude Guimond Bloc Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government expects to revive the Quebec economy with this new budget. However, there was not one word about development of the regions, such as the Lower St. Lawrence, which have already been affected by cuts to non-profit economic organizations announced by this government .
Will the Minister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec) restore funding to non-profits such as Technopole maritime du Québec and Corporation de soutien au développement technologique des PME?
Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of QuebecOral Questions
Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière Québec
Conservative
Jacques Gourde ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and to the Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec) will work in partnership with all economic stakeholders from every Quebec region in order to implement a strategic plan to stimulate the Quebec economy.
Claude Guimond Bloc Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
The government has given more handouts to Ontario, in particular by creating a southern Ontario development agency. When can we expect this government to adopt a comprehensive and constructive approach for Quebec regions by restoring funding to these organizations?