Debates of Oct. 30th, 2009

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a well known fact that when it comes to justice issues the Liberal and Bloc Québécois members defend the rights of criminals.

Fortunately, Canadians know that they can count on our Conservative government to defend victims' rights. Since taking office, we have introduced stiffer penalties for criminals who commit crimes with firearms. We want to ensure that white collar criminals serve their sentences in prison and not at home. We have put in place strict measures to counter identity theft and car theft. We want criminals who abuse children to be put in prison and not be out on the streets, as the Bloc Québécois would like.

Canadians can count on us to ensure that our communities are safer.

I am asking the Liberal and Bloc members to put aside their political partisanship and to side with law-abiding Canadians.

Victims of Terror

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the foundational principle that victims of terror deserve a right of civil redress in Canadian courts against their terrorist perpetrators. At present, the exercise of this fundamental right is precluded by the operation of the State Immunity Act which immunizes state sponsors of terror from such suits.

After studying the government's proposed legislation in this regard, I regard it as necessary in terms of justice for victims of terror to have alternative legislation proposed and enacted that properly addresses the evil of transnational terrorism, that properly targets the impunity of those states that perpetrate, sponsor or finance acts of terrorism, that properly allows Canadian victims of terrorism to seek justice, and that removes the immunity that still operates even under the government's bill against state perpetrators of terrorism against Canadian citizens.

Simply put, we have an opportunity to provide redress for Canadian victims of terror anchored in domestic and international law.

Justice

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians from coast to coast support our government's legislation to target drug offences involving organized crime and gangs.

Drug trafficking and drug production is, without a doubt, the most significant source of illicit money for organized crime groups. That is why this government is working to ensure mandatory jail times for serious drug offences that involve organized crime, violence or preying upon youth.

Canadians want action. They want their government to stand up for victims and crack down on organized crime and gangs.

Despite the support from members in this House, Liberal senators continue to drag their feet and delay Bill C-15. This is yet another example of the Liberal leader's soft on crime approach. The Liberal leader needs to stand up and show some leadership.

Let us get this bill passed. Canadians deserve it.

The Children's Republic

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, next week, the Great Canadian Theatre Company will be launching the premier performance of the The Children's Republic.

This play is the story of Dr. Janusz Korczak, a champion of children's rights who ran a remarkable orphanage in pre-world war Poland. After the Nazi invasion, Janusz followed the Jewish orphans into the Warsaw ghetto to protect their rights and dignity.

This story was discovered through one of Ottawa's community leaders, Leon Gluzman, who was one of Janusz's orphans. Today, he is a businessman and a great philanthropist who supports the Ottawa School of Speech & Drama and has made our community so much better.

This powerful story of commitment and legacy has been captured in the play written by Ottawa-born playwright. Hannah Moscovitch.

I wish to congratulate the Great Canadian Theatre Company and the Ottawa School of Speech & Drama, particularly Amanda Lewis, for their joint effort in staging this timely play. I invite the community to see The Children's Republic at the Great Canadian Theatre Company.

Justice

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes the rights of criminals should not come before the rights of victims and law-abiding Canadians.

Canadians lose faith in the criminal justice system when they feel that the punishment does not fit the crime. That is why, this week, our government tabled Bill C-54 to impose consecutive sentences for multiple murderers, ensuring that the punishment fits the severity of their crimes. Canadians can rest assured knowing that victims and the families of murder victims remain a top priority for this government.

I am proud of the good work our government has done to make communities safer for law-abiding Canadians, in spite of the constant obstruction of opposition members who pretend they are tough on crime but whose actions do not match their words.

Canadians know they can count on this government, under the leadership of this Prime Minister, to continue to stand up for victims and their rights and the rights of law-abiding Canadians.

Visas for Mexican Nationals

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

Mr. Speaker, this week a CBC report showed how the sudden decision by the Minister of Immigration to require visas for Mexicans at the height of the tourist season damaged Canada's reputation in addition to being detrimental to the Quebec tourist industry. The minister's sudden and amateurish actions caused considerable harm to Canada-Mexico relations.

The large number of illegitimate refugee claimants is due to the fact that the decisions of IRB members are inconsistent. Some members accept almost every claim; others, virtually none. It is like a lottery. The only way to put an end to this chaos is to establish the appeal division, as provided for in the legislation, to ensure consistency in decision-making.

Unfortunately, the Liberal and Conservative governments have always refused to do so. It is high time that Parliament adopt Bill C-291 in order to uphold democracy.

Kids Playing for Kids Soccer Tournament

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is the fourth year that a group of my constituents, Sam Gabbay, Manouk Manoukian and Ralph Nahas, have volunteered to organize a soccer tournament based on the world cup model called “Kids Playing for Kids”.

This name is absolutely perfect, because all the money raised is handed over to Sainte-Justine hospital and the Montreal Children's Hospital. Healthy kids are playing for sick kids. Next year, the men's 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will serve as the model.

I would like to warmly congratulate all the volunteers who have directly or indirectly helped make this annual event a success.

I would especially like to acknowledge the three founders of this event, to thank them and let them know how much their involvement means to our community.

Olympic Torch Relay

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Olympic torch relay is beginning in Victoria this morning. Canada will soon host the world for the Winter Olympic Games.

Today, the Prime Minister is in Victoria kicking off the Olympic torch relay.

The torch is starting a cross-country tour that will visit 1,036 communities and places of interest, including my large riding of Vancouver Island North on Monday and on February 2.

This is the largest relay ever held within the borders of the host country, and the 45,000 kilometre route will ensure that every region of this great country will have a connection to the games.

Canadians are proud of our athletes, our communities and our country. We look forward to the next 106 days of the relay as we celebrate the Winter Olympic Games.

Health

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is such a profound contradiction between the experience of Canadians on the ground with respect to H1N1, where there are long waiting lines, where there are clinics that are being closed, where there are doctors who are having to turn people away because they simply do not have the vaccine, and the very benign statements that are being made by the government about how everything is under control and everything is going well.

How does the minister responsible explain this clear contradiction between the everyday experience of Canadians and the kind of unreality that is being expressed in the House of Commons by the ministers present?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, this government has worked tremendously hard with public health officials, with Dr. Butler-Jones, the Chief Public Health Officer, and with the provinces and territories to ensure that the vaccine was both safe and effective.

Last April, we set a goal to have safe and effective vaccines ready for early November. We are pleased that the efforts of the public servants at the Public Health Agency have been able to beat that by more than two weeks. What we have seen is more than six million vaccines in every corner of the country. On a per capita basis, that is better than any other country in the world.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has a credibility problem for a very simple reason: what it is saying is unfortunately completely at odds with the experience of the people in unacceptable waiting lines, people who do not have access to the vaccine and pregnant women in clinics inundated with people. That is the everyday reality.

I would like to ask the minister this question again. How does he explain the contradiction between the benign statements he continues to make in the House of Commons and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. This is one of the largest mass immunization campaigns in the history of Canada.

Our provinces and territories and public health units right across the country are working incredibly hard. More than six million doses are available in every corner of the country. Our public health nurses are responding in a way that is really unprecedented. They deserve our support.

We must take the politics out of this important public health issue.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would rather take the words of the manager of a health clinic in Vancouver over the words of the minister.

This is what Yvonne McLeod said:

Everyone is telling them to get vaccinated but we don’t have the shots and we can’t even direct people because there is nowhere to go....

I could easily give out 200 a day but I don’t have the staff or the vaccine.

That is the reality on the ground that Canadians are having to confront. That will be their experience this weekend and that will be their experience next week.

How does the minister explain this direct contradiction between what he is saying and what people are actually experiencing?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, this is the largest mass immunization campaign in Canadian history.

The government has worked diligently to ensure that there is a safe and effective vaccine. There will be a vaccine available for every Canadian who wants one.

The work of our public health nurses, our provinces and territories, and the Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Butler-Jones, is unprecedented. It goes without saying that the hard-working public health officials in every corner of the country cannot mass immunize 33 million Canadians in a single day or a single week.

They are working hard. Our government is working hard. We are putting politics aside.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there has been confusion, frustration and line-ups across the country as people rush to get the H1N1 vaccine.

Now we learn that the federal government has warned the provinces that they will receive less vaccine than promised and, in some cases, up to 50% less, forcing clinics across the country to delay as demand soars.

Why do Canadians have to wait? Was it the choice of only one company, the late ordering date or just a lack of leadership?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the tone of the question by the member opposite is rather unfortunate.

What I think Canadians expect of us is this government to work in cooperation with Dr. Butler-Jones, the Chief Public Health Officer, to work with every province and territory, and to work with public health units and nurses in every corner of the country.

We have six million doses available. The largest mass immunization campaign is well under way. More doses will be available next week and even more the following week.

We are working hard to ensure that every Canadian can get this vaccine, but let us be clear, more vaccines are available in this country than in any other country in the world per capita.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's ideology has left the provinces and territories to scramble on their own. The H1N1 outbreak is testing government resources and services, namely providing vaccine quickly to as many people as possible.

Will the Prime Minister show leadership and release the $400 million set aside in the 2006 budget for a pandemic response to support additional medical staff for vaccinations and patient care?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen an unprecedented amount of work and an unprecedented financial commitment from this government in dealing with pandemic planning. The Minister of Health, her officials, Dr. Butler-Jones, the provinces and territories and the literally thousands of public health nurses in every corner of this country are responding in a major way. The good news is we have taken the time to ensure that we have a safe vaccine, that the vaccine is effective and that there are more doses of vaccine available per capita in Canada than in any other country in the world. That is a credit to the hard-working public servants in the Department of Health.

The Environment

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by describing the findings of the study released by the Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute as irresponsible, the Minister of the Environment is confirming the Conservatives' bias in favour of big oil and their willingness to let the oil companies pollute with impunity.

Meanwhile, manufacturers in Quebec are being penalized and are unable to sell carbon credits to fund their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

How can the Conservatives be so snugly in bed with the oil companies, at the expense of the environment and the whole economy?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government is working very hard to have a strong and effective plan that will produce real results for Canadians in every province and territory.

The previous government did absolutely nothing in the last 16 years. It is our job to act, and we will continue to work hard with President Obama and the rest of the world in the coming six weeks before the international conference in Copenhagen.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is mistaken. There is no plan. It has been put off three times, and it will be put off again after the conference in Copenhagen. What he just said is a mistake.

According to the Minister of the Environment, Canadian unity could suffer if Alberta had to step up to the plate and do its share in the fight against global warming. But the Conservatives have no problem when serving Calgary's interests—at the expense of the environment and Canada's international commitments—hurts Quebec's economy.

Is this not further proof that Quebec always comes second in the Canadian dynamic?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to take a fair, balanced and pragmatic approach to climate change.

We will continue to strike a balance between the environment and economic recovery. We are working hard. The Minister of the Environment and his officials are working hard with the Obama administration in the United States and with our partners in the G20. We will continue to work hard to find a solution that meets our planet's needs.

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

Mr. Speaker, criticism of the Minister of the Environment is increasing. The representative from the Pembina Institute did not beat about the bush when he said that the minister's comments were verging on hysteria, that the government's inaction is irresponsible and that, in four years, the government could have come up with draft regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

Instead of accusing those who are trying to find solutions to global warming of being irresponsible, would the minister not be better off recognizing his responsibilities and producing a fair, effective and serious framework regulation?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member well knows that we now have a North American approach, a North American target of 20% reduction by 2020. Canada will continue to work within a North American target, with our allies, with the United States. That is why we are making progress on tailpipe emission standards, aviation standards, carbon capture and storage, a North American approach to carbon cap and trade. Why does the member and why does the Bloc continually vote against good environmental programs?