Debates of Oct. 20th, 2009

The Environment

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a huge producer of energy, including clean gas. One of our biggest challenges is to find the cleanest way possible to produce energy. That is the case for the oil sands. Our plan will include absolute targets for all major emitters. That is also the case for the oil sands. Our government is working on developing other technologies, for example, carbon capture and storage. The Bloc should work with this government.

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

Mr. Speaker, how hard is it for the government to understand that the only way it can be fair in its treatment of all sectors in existing industries is to establish absolute reduction targets and to use 1990 as the reference year?

Can the minister assure us that he will require oil companies, like the other companies, to adhere to absolute reduction targets, targets that are based on the 1990 emission rates, which respect the polluter-pay principle?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, if I might repeat, the government is working forward on the proposition of a continental cap and trade system. Our plan will include hard caps for all major emitters, if that is the case.

The government strives to be a clean energy superpower. That includes oil and it includes as well clean technology, such as hydro and clean sources of energy, such as renewable.

We will continue to work and to support initiatives, such as the clean energy dialogue with the United States, carbon capture and storage. The Prime Minister made an important announcement in that respect last week.

We will continue to get the job done, something that has never before happened in this country.

Health

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are playing with the health of Canadians when it comes to H1N1. Yesterday the government announced that although the vaccines have been sent out, they are not yet approved for use. People are completely confused. Quebec has announced that it will begin vaccinating on Monday, while British Columbia tells us that it will not begin vaccinating until November. The vaccine has been distributed, but it has not yet been approved by Health Canada.

How can Canadians trust this Conservative government, which never gives a straight answer? When will it stop playing with the health of Canadians once and for all?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we are on schedule with the vaccine rollout. As the Chief Public Health Officer has stated, the vaccine will be widely available to all Canadians in early November. We continue to rely on the expert medical advice we receive and we will continue to work with the provinces and territories with a rollout of the vaccine.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, we are waiting for Health Canada's approval. That answer in no way clears up the confusion. The issue, and such an important one at that, is becoming more and more confusing every day.

The WHO says that the kind of vaccine the Government of Canada has sent to the provinces cannot be used on pregnant women, but Health Canada maintains that it can.

Who is telling the truth? Should this vaccine be administered, yes or no? We are talking about the health of Canadians. Why does the Conservative government not want to tell the whole truth in this matter, which is so important to all Canadians?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with the provinces and territories with the rollout of the vaccine.

We have prepositioned two million vaccines across the country. As soon as the authorization is issued, the provinces and territories will be able to vaccinate their populations.

As well, the Chief Public Health Officer has stated time and again that we will not skip a step in approving the vaccine and we will ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective before we inject it into the arms of Canadians.

Immigration

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Sri Lankan government is making life unbearable for the Tamil population, especially those who remain in detention camps.

New Democrats have long called on the government to pressure the Sri Lankan authorities to respect the Tamil people's human rights. Its failure to do so has only increased the desperation and attempts of these people to flee.

Now there are 76 Tamil refugees on the coast of British Columbia and we are hearing that the right to counsel within 48 hours is being violated.

Will the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism ensure that this is corrected and that there is fast, fair and legal adjudication of these men's claims?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House that any individual who arrives in Canada will be processed in full accordance with our Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

That means that people will undergo a screening for their admissibility and their eligibility to come to Canada. It means that if they are detained, they will have access to the IRB for detention hearings at the 48 hour, 7 day and 30 day stages and, of course, they have the right to legal counsel.

I understand that in this particular incident legal counsel has been offered to the 76 foreign nationals being detained in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Where is the Canada of mercy and fairness, Mr. Speaker? Shiploads of Irish and Vietnamese refugees helped build this nation.

Last year, Canada accepted the smallest number of refugees in 10 years.

An audit showed that a majority of refugee board members are not appointed based on merit and proper values. Coupled with a $4 million funding cut, we have a mess on our hands.

Instead of blaming people seeking shelter from violence and hunger, will the minister guarantee the Tamils a fair refugee hearing?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, without reference to any particular cases, we already have what the UN High Commissioner for Refugees calls one of the most fair and generous refugee determination systems in the world. It is a system with an acceptance rate for asylum claims that is twice as high as in comparable democracies, such as France and Britain.

This government has acted to fill vacancies in the IRB, now at about 94% of its full occupancy. Last year we welcomed over 20,000 refugees to this country, including those whom we brought from UN camps abroad, like the 5,000 Karen refugees who we are bringing from Burma.

The Economy

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with economic recovery in sight, small businesses across the country have shown resilience, determination and strength during this global recession.

Could the Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism please tell the House what our government is doing to help support these businesses during the recession and into the recovery?

[Diane Ablonczy, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague from Newmarket—Aurora works extremely hard for small businesses in her riding.

This being Small Business Week, it gives us all an opportunity to recognize the outstanding contribution of this key sector. Small businesses outperformed the rest of the Canadian economy during the recession and are leading the way to the recovery.

Through the economic action plan, our government is supporting them with increased access to financing, lower taxes and less red tape. We salute everyone involved in the dynamic small business sector.

Health

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has shipped not yet approved vaccines and nothing for pregnant women and infants.

Today, media reports that provincial authorities are surprised that the Public Health Agency is now recommending adjuvant vaccine, even for infants, since the non-adjuvant is lagging.

Could the minister tell this House how Canadians are supposed to know what to do when their government is so confused?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the Chief Public Health Officer has been quoted as saying that both vaccines are safe. We rely on the advice of the medical experts and the advice of the Chief Public Health Officer of this country that both vaccines are safe. Why will the opposition members not accept his advice?

Citizenship and Immigration

[Thierry St-Cyr, Bloc, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, every time I asked about Phares Pierre's appointment, the Minister of Immigration claimed he was unaware of the troubled past of this former chief of staff in Haiti's Aristide regime. La Presse has revealed that the government—his government—knew about Phares Pierre's dark past before the scandal broke.

Will the minister acknowledge that he misled the House about this Conservative activist and will he take the only acceptable action and revoke this partisan appointment?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, such drama! No, I quite simply was not aware of Mr. Pierre's involvement with President Aristide.

Pensions

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Nortel pensioners and former employees will gather on the front steps of Parliament to call for action and fairness from the government, a government that has done nothing to protect them. Nortel workers in the U.S. had their pensions protected while Canadian workers were hung out to dry because the government refused to act.

In June, the House unanimously supported the NDP's call for a national pension insurance system. That call will be echoed tomorrow by Nortel workers outside of this place.

Will the finance minister commit today to the creation of a national pension insurance program?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, first off, under this government's economic action plan, we have actually transferred $8.3 billion to a number of initiatives to assist Canadians in these difficult times, including enhancements to our EI plan.

However, in the case of pensions, there are other responsibilities and other levels of government. While we obviously have a lot of concern for pensioners, in this particular case the pension is before the Province of Ontario because it falls under provincial responsibility, and that is where the matter rests at this point.

Justice

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Mr. Speaker, organized crime is flourishing with the advancement of modern technology and Canadians recognize violence associated with organized crime. Our government has implemented a comprehensive approach to combat gangs in this country.

Our drug bill and our auto theft bill are both currently before the Senate and nearly two years later we are anxiously awaiting the passage of our identity theft bill that would give police the tools they need to fight this lucrative activity.

What is the status of our government's bill to combat--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Justice.

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, two years ago, we introduced Bill C-27. This was our first attempt to protect Canadians from the growing crime of identity theft. Unfortunately, that bill was hijacked by the opposition at committee.

We have had to reintroduce that important bill and I have been calling upon the opposition for months to get that passed. It is before Parliament today and is being debated. Let us get it passed.

The point is clear. Canadians know that when it comes to standing up for victims and law-abiding Canadians there is only one party and one government they can count on and that is this Conservative government.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in our gallery of Dr. Mario Aoun, the Minister of Social Affairs of Lebanon.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

National Defence Standing Committee

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I wish to inform you and the House that I inadvertently tweeted about matters that I ought not to have tweeted about; that is, the in camera proceedings of the defence committee. That was an error on my part and that entry will be deleted at the earliest possible opportunity, which is right after I get out of here.