Debates of Oct. 2nd, 2009

Government Communications

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, apparently the minister could not answer a question so simple that every school kid in this country could answer. Look at the flag. The Canadian national colours are red and white, and I understand that it might be frustrating for the minister that they are not the same as his Conservative political party colours, but covering taxpayer paid, partisan, pat on the back government ads and websites in Conservative Party blue is wrong and it is an abuse of taxpayers' money. When will it stop?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, order. The hon. Minister of Transport.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, my friends in the Bloc Québécois remind me that blue is a nice colour too. I appreciate that helpful intervention.

We are working hard to restore jobs and opportunity in this country. Our economic action plan is beginning to show some good signs. I read this morning in the Montreal Gazette: “Canada to lead recovery, IMF says”. Is that not great news?

Taxe Harmonization

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is acting in bad faith in the matter of the harmonization of the GST and Quebec's sales tax. Although his own minister privately acknowledges that the GST and the QST are harmonized, the Prime Minister is now demanding that Ottawa collect the Quebec tax.

By telling us that Quebec will be compensated only if it falls into line with the other provinces, is the Prime Minister admitting that he is axing for good what he calls “open federalism”?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we supported open federalism. It was very welcome, not only in the province of Quebec, but throughout Canada. We respect provincial jurisdictions, which is very important. It is known that Canada has already paid $1.7 billion to Quebec since collaborating on the issue of the GST. That is a very important point in this debate.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is misleading the House. Quebec was paid for services rendered. This was not compensation.

It is not just over harmonization of the GST that the Government of Quebec is being treated unfairly by the federal government. In fact, the Conservative government is depriving Quebec of $8 billion, including $800 million for post-secondary education and the billions of dollars in equalization payments.

What is the government waiting for to give Quebeckers the money that is theirs?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that last year we paid $130 million to Quebec in connection with harmonization of the GST and the QST. That is very important to point out in this debate. The Minister of Finance has spoken with his counterpart, Quebec's finance minister about this policy. We will continue to work with the Government of Quebec, not with the Bloc.

The Environment

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not only is this government refusing to take action on the environment, but it does not hesitate to spread misinformation to justify its inaction. Its latest intellectual spin would have us believe that the Canadian standards for reducing greenhouse gases are the same as the North American standards. That is not true. Comparing U.S. absolute targets with Canadian intensity targets is intellectual fraud.

Instead of insulting our intelligence, why does this government not admit that it has decided to protect the oil lobby at Quebec's expense?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that we have answered this question over the last two years. Canada's target has been a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and those are absolute reductions. That is what we just heard that the Senate is doing. Those are the toughest targets in Canadian history and one of the toughest targets in the world. The member needs to get on track.

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is behaving so poorly that it has just received a fossil award in Bangkok for blocking an agreement to establish 1990 as the reference year.

Instead of looking for ways to cover up the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, what is Canada waiting for to adopt a responsible approach to combating greenhouse gases, namely absolute targets and 1990 as the reference year?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and President Obama recently met and reaffirmed that, given the high degree of the integration between the Canadian and U.S. economies and energy markets, we will cooperate closely as we develop respective approaches to climate change.

They also reiterated the urgency of taking aggressive action to combat climate change and to reaffirm their commitment toward a comprehensive and effective international agreement that puts the world on a clean energy path. After 13 dark years of Liberals doing nothing, we are getting it done.

Royal Canadian Mint

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it has been almost a year since over $15 million of gold vanished from the Mint and nearly four months since the government called in the police, but it is still not clear whether or not the Mounties have launched any kind of criminal investigation.

Could the minister tell us if he no longer suspects that the missing gold has been stolen? If so, how does he account for the whereabouts of nearly half a tonne of riches from one of Canada's most heavily guarded buildings?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Minister of State (Transport)]

Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that I take very seriously and so do Canadians. We brought in the RCMP for an investigation. We have an ongoing investigation.

We have made sure that no bonuses are going to be paid out until this matter is done. I will expect an answer very soon and I will hold the Mint management accountable. That is what Canadians want and that is what will happen.

Canadian Heritage

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, first $15 million vanishes without any explanation and then the government has to come up with $100,000 to buy back antiques that it sold on the Internet for $2,000. It tried to sell off royal portraits. Speculators are out there watching eBay to see when the Peace Tower is going to be listed.

What is really missing is competence and accountability. Why do taxpayers have to continue to pay for the embarrassments of the government?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that this was not a decision made by the government. This is was a decision made by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General and our government was outraged by this decision.

We are reforming the process through which these unique and attractive items are dealt with by making appraisals mandatory. We are outraged by what happened.

Tobacco Products

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after Philip Morris threatened to shut down its facilities in Quebec City, the Conservatives proposed an amendment to allow flavoured cigarettes targeting young people to be manufactured. The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and the member for Beauce have advocated for the manufacturer, in the name of protecting the freedom of choice of adult smokers, they argued.

Why is protecting the freedom of choice of those adult smokers more important to them than protecting our children's health?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, during the last election we committed to take real action to protect our young people from tobacco marketing practices. We recently announced that our government will crack down on the marketing strategies used by tobacco companies to entice our youth.

Promises were made and promises were kept. This will include setting a minimum package size for cigarillos and blunts that is less affordable for children, prohibiting flavour and additives that would appeal to children, and banning all tobacco advertising and promotion that may be viewed by youth.

Thanks to the action of this Conservative government, Canada is a world leader in tobacco control and we are very proud of that.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, they have defended the interests of tobacco companies instead of those of our children and young teens.

The executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, Cynthia Callard, stated that the Conservatives tried to water down the legislation simply to please cigarette manufacturers.

The only reason they are backing down now is because we have forced them to, not out of conviction.

Knowing the devastating effects of tobacco, is it normal en 2009 to have to fight the government in order to protect our children's health?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member is being totally ridiculous. After 13 years of doing absolutely nothing to protect our children, it was this Conservative government that put this bill forward. I would like to remind him that this bill passed through the House and passed through the Senate without amendment. He has to get his facts right.

International Aid

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition is always quick to quote rock stars like Bono and Geldof, and have often determined their policies on foreign aid by mimicking celebrities. Time and time again they drop the ball. In contrast to the Liberal opposition, our government honoured Canada's commitment and doubled aid to Africa. The opposition is constantly spewing rhetoric and pretending that Canada is not performing up to standard.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation tell the House what Bob Geldof had to say about this government's performance when it comes to foreign aid?

[Jim Abbott, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, Bob Geldof had this to say on national television this week, “It's almost a cliché now, but it's true. You do exactly what you say you do”. What was he talking about? The fact that our government doubled aid to Africa. He went on to say, “Canada was the first of the countries to achieve what was agreed to at Gleneagles in 2005. Canada almost predictably and gloriously was the first country to get there”.

Let us set the record straight. Contrary to the opposition rhetoric, we are moving Canada forward.

Afghanistan

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are keeping mum about Canada's future in Afghanistan. At the same time, they are making things difficult for the Military Police Complaints Commission. In fact, the government has successfully stalled the investigation.

Why all the obstruction? What is the government trying to hide? Why are they preventing Richard Colvin from testifying?

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

Mr. Speaker, the NDP and the Liberals should get together on their questions. There are a number of procedural matters before the tribunal. It is ongoing. It is not appropriate to comment on day-to-day proceedings.

We are committed to fully cooperating with the MPCC. We have been doing that from the start. When it is operating within its mandate, which the Federal Court has recently confirmed, it is limited to military policing matters.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Military Police Complaints Commission is being blocked in its attempt to uncover the truth about torture in Afghanistan and the government's knowledge of it. This systematic obstruction has got to stop.

Federal lawyers are blocking the testimony of key witnesses, human rights and security expert Richard Colvin, for example. He has information relevant to the commission's investigation.

Could the foreign affairs minister explain why he wants to prevent Mr. Colvin from testifying, and while he is at it, could the minister tell us if his department has passed on that testimony, that evidence, to the MPCC? I ask the minister that question, not someone else.