Debates of Oct. 20th, 2009

Le Cendrillon Cheese

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the best cheese in the world comes from Quebec. Le Cendrillon cheese, made since 2005 in Saint-Raymond by La Maison Alexis de Portneuf, a division of the Saputo group, recently won top honours at the 2009 World Cheese Awards. The producer describes Le Cendrillon as an ash-covered goat's milk cheese with an acidic taste that becomes more pronounced as the cheese matures.

The World Cheese Awards are handed out every year at the World Cheese Convention. This British competition has been held for 21 years and it is the largest of its kind in the world. This year, over 150 judges from 24 countries sampled 2,440 different cheeses before awarding their prestigious award.

On behalf of my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois, I want to congratulate the artisans of La Maison Alexis de Portneuf. It is thanks to people like them that Quebec's vibrant agrifood sector has achieved international recognition.

RCMP

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to stand today in the House and welcome and thank the great Mr. Curt Wentzell.

Curt Wentzell of Nova Scotia served his RCMP detachment throughout all of Canada for 35 years. On October 7, he reached his 35-year milestone.

He served in Toronto. He served on the musical ride. He served in Newfoundland, and now he serves the great province of Nova Scotia and resides in the beautiful community of Sackville, represented by yours truly, in the riding of Sackville—Eastern Shore.

Mr. Wentzell epitomizes exactly what the RCMP is all about: a proud force serving our country, doing the job that all Canadians want him to do.

At this time I want to thank his beautiful partner, Nadine, for sharing Curt with all of us and with the RCMP. We thank all the members of the RCMP, serving from coast to coast to coast, for the tremendous job they do. We salute Curt and Nadine. We congratulate him on his 35 years of service and may God bless.

Haying in the 30's

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give recognition to an exceptional annual heritage event that takes place in Mallaig, Alberta. The 11th annual Haying in the 30's is a volunteer and donation-driven fundraiser that raised over $200,000 this year toward the fight against cancer.

Haying in the 30's takes participants on a trip back in time, before tractors and swathers replaced the horse team. It brings people from all walks of life together to respect and relive a time when the community and its members supported each other through good times and bad.

The Haying in the 30's support society used the money that it raised this year to send cheques to over 2,500 cancer victims to help deal with and bear some of the burden of an unpredictable and indiscriminate disease that touches us all.

I would like to thank Edgar and Cecile Corbierre for this great initiative as well as all of the volunteers and donors who make this such a special event to thousands, including the 3,000 people who attended this year. This event enriches the Lakeland community and the lives of all it touches. It shows true rural hospitality.

Rail Service

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the government is continuing its partisan advertising campaign, at taxpayer expense, to mislead Canadians about its failing economic action plan.

The government is out of control and its economic plan has gone totally off the rails.

Last week, a Conservative MP from Ontario took part in its partisan advertising campaign by touting VIA Rail service for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

I would like to ask the member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry just one simple question: Where can I catch a VIA Rail train in Newfoundland and Labrador? The answer: nowhere.

For the information of the government, there has been no train service in Newfoundland and Labrador for over 21 years. It certainly needs to go back to the drawing board on this one and get its propaganda campaign back on the rails.

If this were not so serious, it would be funny.

The government is totally out of touch with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. While we want to improve protection for our fishery resources and improve search and rescue services, the government tries to improve something that does not even exist in our province.

It is no wonder we have lost confidence in the government. It is off the rails in more ways than one.

United Nations Human Rights Council

[James Lunney, Conservative, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, only weeks ago the Goldstone report was released, accusing Israel of “war crimes”. Now the UN Human Rights Council has come out with a contentious resolution endorsing the report. The resolution is entirely one-sided, accusing Israel of all kinds of atrocities. It somehow overlooks eight years of constant Hamas rocket fire and a covenant that openly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Even Mr. Goldstone is disappointed at the lack of condemnation against Hamas in the debate and in the resolution.

Former U.K. commander Col. Richard Kemp told the Security Council of the extraordinary measures taken by Israeli defence forces to warn Palestinian civilians ahead of impending missions. Two million leaflets were dropped; 100,000 telephone calls were placed. Col. Kemp testified he has never seen any military anywhere in the world take more precautions to protect civilians.

This is in direct contrast to Hamas, who deliberately expose civilians on both sides of the conflict to harm.

The next step for Israeli opponents is a referral to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The UN Human Rights Council is chaired by Cuba and dominated by countries with some of the worst human rights abuses in the world. It is time that all responsible nations repudiated this abuse of UN name and title.

Boucherville Volunteer Centre

[Jean Dorion, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 27, the Centre d'action bénévole de Boucherville will unveil a plaque commemorating 30 years of service to the community.

What a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to hundreds of volunteers who have given of their time and talents to improve the quality of life of their fellow citizens.

Volunteering is more than just helping, it is a real economic engine. Almost 385 million volunteer hours were logged in 2007 in Quebec alone. That is the equivalent of about 200,000 full-time jobs or an annual contribution of several billions of dollars.

Therefore, I am proud to highlight today three decades of dedicated service by the volunteers of this organization. Their involvement clearly demonstrates the concern for others that prevails in Boucherville. I sincerely thank them for their contribution to the community of Boucherville...

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière.

Justice

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if the Bloc wants to talk about influence peddling, it should really know what it means.

The Bloc is here, in this House, in the Parliament of Canada, financed by our taxes, and it promotes sovereignty instead of working to represent Canadian unity in the interests of Quebeckers. If that is not influence peddling and misrepresentation, I do not know what is.

If the leader of the Bloc and his representatives know anything about wielding influence, they will help this government fight to prevent children from being the victims of trafficking.

Speaking of victims, our government has listened to the victims of white-collar crime. That is why we want a system in which judges could require criminals to pay restitution to their victims. We know what kind of impact these crimes have on the victims.

Today, we are urging the Bloc to show that it is not soft on these types of crimes.

Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the work of Lise Routhier-Boudreau, a proud Franco-Ontarian who, in September, concluded a two-year term at the head of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, the FCFA.

Under her leadership, the FCFA had a very busy two years, particularly with the development of the community strategic plan and the fight against the elimination of the court challenges program.

I would also like to congratulate the new president, Marie-France Kenny, from Saskatchewan, who has been working on the issue of official languages for some 20 years. I have no doubt that her knowledge of these communities and associations, and her enthusiasm, will serve her well.

The new president will continue talks begun with the Canadian government on the slow to be implemented Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality.

Again I would like to thank Ms. Routhier-Boudreau and wish Ms. Kenny all the best.

Economic Action Plan

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow former Nortel employees will gather on Parliament Hill to make their concerns known. Our thoughts and empathy are with the people who have lost their jobs or suffered in any way during this global recession.

That is why our economic action plan provides up to two years in training, extends employment insurance by five weeks, and 20 weeks for long-tenured workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

We have lowered business taxes to attract high quality, well paid employment to this country. We have introduced the tax-free savings account to allow people some independence and security in their own savings for retirement.

Our economic action plan will get us through this difficult time and we will re-emerge from it stronger than ever.

Climate Change

[Bruce Hyer, NDP, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the House will vote on whether or not to further delay Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act.

I would like to read from an open letter sent to all members of the House by Nature Canada, Climate Action Network Canada, World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, and more than 40 other organizations. It reads in part:

The climate crisis represents the most urgent challenge of our time. Failure to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases will lead to catastrophic changes in our climate, threatening millions of people...Less than two months before international talks in Copenhagen, you have a historic opportunity and responsibility to prevent a climate catastrophe.

We are asking all Members of Parliament to join together to ensure that Bill C-311 is passed by the House before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen [this December].

I urge members to listen to Canadians from across our country and to show real Canadian leadership on the world stage.

Justice

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken a strong stand on all types of crime. We understand that victims of fraud are as much victims as someone who is physically attacked. That is why we are committed to cracking down on white collar crime and increasing justice for victims by providing tougher sentences for the criminals responsible.

The Liberal leader and his party have talked the talk on getting tough on crime, but everyone knows that the Liberal Party has already once gutted a bill meant to ensure that white collar criminals could no longer get house arrest.

Canadians want action on crime, all types of crime and this government is addressing their wants.

The Liberal leader needs to put an end to his partisan strategy to block, delay and derail justice issues, and let this government do the work that Canadians want.

Montreal Impact

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, to the delight of the spectators, the Montreal Impact was rewarded for its hard work with its third championship.

It was a home game, so Montrealers showed their enthusiastic support for the players and their skilful coach, Marc Dos Santos, who was named USL coach of the year. The Montreal Impact won its first two titles in 1994 and 2004. This year, in the final championship match of the league's first division, the Impact defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps three to one. They also won the first match in the series three to two.

I would also like to highlight team captain Mauro Biello's performance in his 40th career playoff match with the Impact.

My Bloc Québécois colleagues and I would like to congratulate our athletes most sincerely. They will have our unconditional support during the next season.

Arthritis Society

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, for 20 years some of Nova Scotia's most prominent citizens have been roasted to raise money for the Arthritis Society. These fun evenings are much anticipated and have raised a lot of money to fight arthritis. The roastees have been an incredible range of community leaders all the way from Day to Zed. On October 28 some of them will show their best moves and their talent, and a little bit of showbiz at the Cunard Centre.

I have heard it said that politics is showbiz for ugly people. That cannot be true.

I know that my colleagues from Halifax West to Kings—Hants, and everybody in the House want to acknowledge these great Nova Scotians: Frank Cameron, Fred MacGillivray, Denis Ryan, Jerry Lawrence, Robbie Shaw, Steve Parker, Dale Godsoe, John Risley, Jim Moir, Charles Keating, Paul O'Regan, Sir Graham Day, the fabulous Goldblooms, Dr. John Savage, Jack Flemming, Mickey and Colin MacDonald, Dr. John Hamm, Robert Zed and Dr. Bill Stanish.

My father was honoured to be included in this distinguished group. I congratulate them all. I congratulate the organizers. I wish everyone at the Cunard Centre a great night watching the moves and fighting arthritis.

Justice

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to getting tough on crime, Canadians know that the Conservative Party is the only party that they can trust.

Our government has put forward legislation to strengthen victims' rights and ensure that dangerous criminals are put behind bars, but every time we try to help Canadians, the Liberal leader says no. We have always known that he is soft on crime and now we are seeing it. Liberal senators are gutting Bill C-25 and now they want to stop another bill cracking down on drug traffickers and organized crime.

This is a pattern we see again and again from the Liberal leader. He says one thing in one place and then the opposite elsewhere. He denounces aid to the auto industry in B.C. and then he says we need more in Ontario. He says he is tough on crime and then he tries to use every trick in the book to stop our legislation.

Bill C-25 has the support of provincial justice ministers from all parties, as well as victims' groups and police associations. It should also have the genuine support of the Liberal leader.

Infrastructure

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, 55 Conservative members of Parliament tried to pass off $600 million of taxpayers' money as though it belonged to the Conservative Party. The key here is that we are talking about 55 MPs.

My question is simple. How are Canadians to believe that the Prime Minister himself is not responsible for this dubious strategy?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have an important economic action plan for Canada. This plan is working. We are seeing results if we compare Canada to other countries.

The hon. members in our party, in the government, are working very hard to ensure that this plan is a success and I encourage the opposition members to do the same.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is not an economic action plan. It is a plan to help the Conservatives.

Conservative MPs have now admitted that those cheques with the Conservative logos on them were designed and produced at taxpayers' expense by the Conservative caucus services, but yesterday the transport minister declared unequivocally that the Prime Minister was not aware of any of this and played no role. But the claim is unbelievable.

Will the Prime Minister now rise and admit what has been true all along, that his office is behind this scheme?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have a very important multi-billion dollar economic action plan to stimulate the Canadian economy. We see the results of that. We see the continued superior performance of the Canadian economy to those of others. We see thousands of projects across the country.

Obviously, it is normal that the members who are championing those projects would want to take credit for those projects. We insist that they follow the rules.

Obviously, we would encourage the opposition members to do the same thing. These are important projects for their ridings as well, and they should be backing them and pushing them forward.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is now looking into this affair. It is an ethical matter.

The money the government is splashing around does not belong to the Conservative Party of Canada. It belongs to Canadian taxpayers and party logos have no place on government cheques.

Will the Prime Minister stop the logos on those cheques and will he admit that what the government did was simply wrong?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I said clearly last week and the government said very clearly, when we heard of this abuse, that the use of a partisan logo on a government announcement was not correct.

That is why, of course, we endeavour not to do that, but the fact of the matter is Conservative MPs are working very hard to deliver important projects to their ridings but not just to their ridings. Last week I was in Toronto and the mayor of the city of Toronto had to praise the Conservative government for delivering 500 projects to a city that does not have a single Conservative member.

I would encourage the members over there to work hard for their constituencies.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that members of the Conservative caucus are handing out infrastructure money in the form of cheques with the Conservative Party logo on them, but now we learn that the money might also be going into the pockets of Conservative cronies.

If everything is so squeaky clean, then why was any mention of Senator Housakos' role at BPR deleted from his biography page once the media started investigating?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government has made significant investments in every region of this country to ensure that our bridges are safe. The decisions are made by the corporations responsible for those bridges. Those corporations are truly independent of this government and they have to operate openly and transparently.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to know what role the Prime Minister's Office played in this scandal.

Did the Prime Minister's Office know the senator was vice-president of business development for this company? Who altered Senator Housakos' biography? Did the Prime Minister's Office know that it was whitewashed? Did the Prime Minister's Office suggest that the senator's biography be whitewashed? Was this not a blatant attempt to hide the link between Senator Housakos, BPR and the Prime Minister's Office?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear in this place that neither me nor my office had anything to do with the awarding of this contract. It was done by a crown corporation operating at arm's-length.

The member opposite is making rather scurrilous allegations. If he has any facts with respect to this issue, I invite him to place them before the House, or he should have the guts to say what he wants to say outside this place.