Debates of Oct. 1st, 2009

Orangeville District Secondary School

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, October 3 the Orangeville District Secondary School will be celebrating its 125th anniversary.

Orangeville District Secondary School was the first high school in the town of Orangeville and district. It was originally constructed in 1884. At the time of construction, the building was considered one of the most modern schools in the province and was thought to be more than enough room for the 150 students in attendance under principal Alexander Steele.

Now, 125 years later, ODSS is home to almost 1,600 students and 133 extraordinary teaching and support staff. The school has remained a central institution in the town of Orangeville since 1884, despite a tragic fire that destroyed the building in 1948.

The halls of the school have been home to thousands of students throughout its 125 years and will remain a central part of Orangeville and district's unique identity.

Congratulations to the stellar staff at ODSS on 125 tremendous years.

Guy Laliberté

[Pascal-Pierre Paillé, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our man is in space. The founder of Cirque du Soleil has once again shown himself to be a worthy ambassador for Quebec's culture and know-how, bestowing a great honour on the whole Quebec nation by pushing back the limits of imagination and creativity.

His action is all the more significant since he will have to orchestrate, from the international space station, a worldwide artistic event on behalf of his foundation, One Drop. The foundation seeks to raise public awareness regarding access to clean drinking water. Let us hope that this event will inspire the government in the fight against poverty, which is directly related to this issue.

On behalf of all Bloc Québécois members, I offer our support to this great Quebecker, and urge everyone to follow this worldwide artistic event on October 9, because it will send a message of peace and hope.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Liberal leader instructed his party to vote against our government's bill to help long-tenured workers. The bill provides extra weeks of EI to Canadians who have worked hard and paid premiums for years, while they look for new employment.

Voting against this bill is further proof the Liberals do not care about the unemployed. In fact, the Liberal leader could not even be bothered to show up for the vote. He should be ashamed.

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. The member for Kitchener Centre should know that it is improper to make reference to the presence or absence of members in the House, as he has done in his remarks. I would urge him to refrain from such comments.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on what matters to Canadians, our economic recovery, getting Canadians back to work and helping those hardest hit.

In contrast, the Liberal leader wants to force an unnecessary and opportunistic election. The Liberal leader needs to explain to Canadians why he is against the unemployed and why he is fighting our economic recovery.

Foreign Affairs

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, amid our domestic preoccupations, we often lose sight of the international suffering around us.

In the Philippines, unprecedented flooding has caused a humanitarian disaster. I extend my sympathy and support to the Filipino community in my riding and beyond.

In Sri Lanka, hundreds of thousands of Tamils suffer in camps for the displaced, eclipsed from the international radar, while NGOs and journalists are silenced and imprisoned.

In Burma, we witness crimes against humanity against the Burmese people, as attested to by the distinguished Burmese delegation here today, whom we assure of action on their behalf.

In Iran, we witness the innocent under assault and the criminalization of innocence, for which Canadians Maziar Bahari and Zahra Kazemi are both metaphor and message.

We will not be silent and indifferent. We will act and prevail.

Bloc Québécois

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in Montreal last Sunday, many people, including Conservative Party members from Quebec and Manitoba, took part in a march to stop the trafficking of children. Who stood out, by their absence? The members of the Bloc Québécois. Not one of its 49 members attended to support the cause of children who are victimized, not even the members from Montreal.

Since the introduction of Bill C-268 against human trafficking, the Bloc members have systematically sided with the rights of criminals. Their party leader says over and over again that he only votes in the interest of Quebec. Imagine that. They continued to vote against this bill. So, for the Bloc, voting in favour of Bill C-268 is not in the interest of Quebec, and even less in the interest of Quebec's children, who are the future of our nation.

By choosing to vote for the rights of criminals instead of showing compassion for children who are the victims of human trafficking, the Bloc leader and his members are clearly showing where their priorities lie.

Richard Wackid

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is with much sadness that I acknowledge the passing of Richard Wackid, long-time assistant to the Liberal whip.

Beyond what happens in front of the cameras, political parties work together, and Rick and I often worked together. His knowledge of the machinery of Parliament was impressive.

This Parliament depends on the trust we have in our colleagues and we could always trust Richard.

We also knew that Richard had a life outside Parliament. He was a family person. He enjoyed downhill skiing and playing golf.

When he was diagnosed with ALS last summer, we were devastated and in disbelief that this could happen to someone so full of life and vigour.

On behalf of the New Democratic Party, I want to extend our deepest condolences to Richard's wife, his daughter and his colleagues.

Richard, we are going to miss your quick wit and your mischievous smile. Rest in peace my friend.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today, the International Monetary Fund released its world economic outlook. It is a report card on the global economy. The report states that Canada will be the fastest growing G7 economy next year.

This proves what we have been saying all along. Canada has been better positioned than most countries to weather the global recession. However, the recovery remains fragile and we must stay the course to continue to implement our economic action plan.

Shockingly, the Liberal leader proves he does not care about those hardest hit by the recession, as he voted against the home renovation tax credit. Earlier this week, his party voted against measures that would help hundreds of thousands of unemployed Canadians. How did the Liberal leader vote on that? He did not.

Our government's number one priority is the economy. The Liberal leader's priority is to force an unnecessary election that would halt our recovery. This proves he is not in it for Canadians; he is in it for himself.

International Seniors Day

[Carole Freeman, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on International Seniors Day to acknowledge the contribution seniors make to society and the fine values they pass on. The Bloc Québécois has always had the utmost respect for those who paved the way. I would like to take this opportunity to remind hon. members of the importance of providing better living conditions to the thousands of financially vulnerable seniors.

That is why we continue to call on the Conservative government to take action on the guaranteed income supplement. In addition to full retroactivity of the money the claimants were deprived of, we continue to call for a $110 monthly increase in benefits, automatic registration of persons 65 and older who are entitled to this supplement and continued payments for a period of six months for a bereaved spouse.

We denounce the government's inaction on this matter, which is depriving thousands of seniors living below the poverty line of better living conditions.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister claimed that in Canada we have no history of colonialism.

Canada in fact has a history of dispossessing aboriginal peoples of land and resources. We have a history of denying public services most Canadians take for granted. We have a history of using aboriginal people, such as in the high Arctic relocation. And Canada has a history of assimilation, of denigrating aboriginal spirituality, language and culture.

We may never have had an empire, but it is historical revisionism to deny Canada's own form of colonialism. It denies decades of progress that first nations, Inuit and Métis peoples have made. It frustrates efforts to build on that progress. It undermines the historic residential schools apology.

Our party has acknowledged that history. Aboriginal peoples have lived this history.

The Prime Minister should stop denying reality, live in the truth and work honestly with all aboriginal people for a better tomorrow.

Governor General's Awards

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this year we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Person's Case. On Thursday, the following six exceptional Canadians will receive a Governor General's Award:

Jeanette Corbiere Lavell for advancing the cause of aboriginal women;

Daphne E. Dumont, for her work on women's rights in the legal system.

Bev LeFrancois, for her work in the area of violence against women here and abroad.

Karen Messing, for her work on women's autonomization in the workplace.

Mary Scott, for women's information sharing and network building; and Youth Award recipient Pauline Fogarty, for being a leader to many young Canadians.

We salute these exceptional women who are an inspiration to all Canadians. We are proud of these women.

Government Policies

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a government that does not believe in government, that is not protecting today's jobs, that is not creating the jobs of tomorrow, that does not protect technologies made in Canada, that does not protect the health of the most vulnerable and that does not protect our health care system when it is attacked in the United States.

When will this government admit that its ideology is to weaken the Government of Canada's ability to protect Canadians?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition leader is looking for a reason to trigger an election no one wants.

It is clear that on the issue of unemployment, for example, this government is taking action. We have introduced Bill C-50, which is very important for this country's unemployed workers.

I encourage the opposition leader and his party to support these important benefit increases for unemployed workers, instead of voting in favour of a needless, costly election.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve better. They want a government that reflects their values, the values of mutual help and compassion.

They want a government that understands the words “compromise”, “collaboration”, “cooperation” and “respect”.

They want a government that unites Canadians instead of dividing them.

Why has this government so abused Canadians' trust?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this country has a government. This country just elected a government that is taking action on the economy. It needs an opposition with alternatives to offer.

I invite the Leader of the Opposition to present those alternatives, if he really has any, so that we can debate them in the House, instead of triggering an election no one wants.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want a government that will focus on their needs, give them hope and help them build for the future and yet we have a government—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

Order. The hon. Leader of the Opposition has the floor. I know the Prime Minister wants to be able to hear the question.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that side of the House is convinced of the proposition. We certainly are not.

That is a government that uses every opportunity to treat its adversaries as enemies, every opportunity to sow division for partisan gains, and every opportunity to use public money to spread untruths.

How can Canadians continue to have confidence in that government?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, again the Leader of the Opposition is flailing around trying to justify an election that nobody wants for a reason nobody understands on a policy that nobody has heard of.

This government has important measures before the House, tax measures to help the Canadian economy, to help homeowners and the population. It has important measures before the House to help the unemployed and help workers in this country.

I would encourage the Leader of the Opposition and his party, rather than trying to create a needless and unnecessary election, to work with us on these policies, or at least suggest some alternatives we can debate.

Infrastructure

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is the worst recession in more than 70 years. At a time like this, it does not matter where people live, what party represents them. They are Canadians and they need help, so government money goes where the need is greatest, except it has not. It has gone far more to Conservative ridings, far more.

Does a person, a Canadian living in a Liberal, Bloc or NDP riding suffer less by losing his or her job? Confidence? No. At a time like this, Mr. Speaker, how could they?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, if any Canadian is looking for work and cannot find it, it is simply unacceptable. Job creation, economic development, tax measures and infrastructure spending are all designed to help each and every Canadian who needs a hand up.

I want to say very directly to the member opposite that one of the largest infrastructure projects this government is supporting, and on which work has started this year with more than $660 million of public resources, of federal money, is in his own constituency. It is the Spadina subway expansion.

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is not the point. The point is how much each riding receives compared to others and how much, given the needs of the people living in that riding. That is the test, the only test.

How could the Conservatives play games at this moment, when people are most vulnerable, when they need their government most? How could they, Mr. Speaker? How could they?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell him the point. I will tell him the point of the investments we are making in Windsor, Ontario. It has one of the highest per capita unemployment rates in the country. One of the highest per capita infrastructure stimulus grants is being made in that community.

I will tell him about Sault Ste. Marie, a community that is really suffering. The Prime Minister announced more than $47 million of federal infrastructure spending to give a shot in the arm to that local economy.

I will tell him about the people in Newfoundland and Labrador who are struggling like everyone else in this global economic recession. This government gave full per capita formula funding to that province, because we want to instill hope and opportunity in every corner of that province.

If the Liberals will not do that, they should step aside and let this team get the job done.