House of Commons Hansard #112 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was office.

Topics

6:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Mr. Speaker, during the consultations, the City of Windsor indicated that complying with the regulations would cost $1 million per year and force it to hire at least 15 drivers.

During the sham consultations, the Canadian Urban Transit Association expressed concern that the Conservative government would impose these changes on provincial and territorial authorities. In fact, according to the Canada Gazette,

On behalf of its 120 members, the Association requested that the Government refrain from doing so because of their safety record, the need for more research, and the existence of other safety legislation.

Will the government consult and, more importantly, will it listen to the 120 association members before forcing this decision on everyone?

6:40 p.m.

Conservative

Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am very glad the member brought up the city of Windsor. The city and people of Windsor are very happy because this government has taken the initiative to invest more in the city of Windsor than any government, I believe, in this country's history. In fact, more money is invested in Windsor to create jobs and ensure there is a great border crossing there than any other place in Canada. That is great news.

However, do not take my word for it. The Canadian Construction Association said:

We are starting to see a lot of competition for infrastructure projects...Many of our members say they are very busy and it will be one of the busiest seasons on record.

In fact, John Beck, the president and CEO of construction giant Aecon, said, “I've been in this business for 45 years. I've never seen as strong a pipeline of work as we see today”.

It is very clear that our government is protecting Canadian jobs and families, and getting the job done.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

Judy Foote Liberal Random—Burin—St. George's, NL

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak again to the issues with respect to the lighthouses and the de-staffing of the lighthouses not just in Random—Burin—St. George's but in all of Newfoundland and Labrador and in British Columbia.

Lighthouses have existed for hundreds of years and have provided exceptional service to mariners. It does not matter what industry we are talking about, whether it is the fishing industry, the trade industry, the tourism industry or the offshore industry, lighthouses are very important to those who make a living from the sea. It is important that they continue to be staffed by individuals who are familiar with what happens on the ocean. These individuals know all too well how dangerous the sea can be. Any suggestion to de-staff these lighthouses has been met with great consternation, certainly in my riding, where 8 of the 23 lighthouses that are staffed in Newfoundland and Labrador are located. People are very concerned about the suggestion that there should only be automated lighthouses. Tragedies will occur. They ask that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans continue to allow lighthouses to be staffed.

I know the minister has put on hold her idea to de-staff the lighthouses pending a review of the situation and looking at the extra services that are provided by lighthouse keepers. I asked the minister, as part of this review, to include a consultation process so that those who would be affected by any decision to remove lighthouse keepers would be consulted and could have a say in her final decision. Certainly the lighthouse keepers and those involved in the other industries want to be heard.

I do not know where the minister is on this path in terms of a timeframe. We are very anxious to hear how far the review has progressed and whether or not she intends to consult with lighthouse keepers as well as those who benefit from having lighthouse keepers at all of the lighthouses.

I want to talk about the benefits of having lighthouse keepers, of having lighthouses that are staffed. People who are not familiar with lighthouses or who have no involvement with them probably would not recognize the benefits. I would like to let them know of some of the things that lighthouse keepers do.

According to a report by the Canadian Coast Guard, there were 400 instances of marine incident detection and assistance direct to marine interest and to official government agencies. There were 3,000 on-site weather and sea state reports through the atmospheric environment service. There were 40,000 on-site weather, sea and ice reports directly to mariners. There were 2,500 ice and iceberg reports to government agencies. In Newfoundland and Labrador, there were 300 marine mammal reports to Memorial University in Newfoundland. There were 500 on-site weather reports to helicopter operators. There was information and guidance to 74,000 out-of-province visitors and information and guidance to 70,000 local visitors.

6:45 p.m.

Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission B.C.

Conservative

Randy Kamp ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Newfoundland and Labrador for her interest in this topic. On this side we certainly agree with her that lighthouses in Canada and abroad have been and continue to be an important symbol of our rich history and are necessary for the protection of all mariners.

It is true, though, that over the decades the nature of the work traditionally done by lightkeepers has changed considerably. In the past lightkeepers played a very key role in maintaining the lights, hence the name, and ensuring the operation of our aids to navigation system. Mariners have relied and continue to rely on that system.

The important work of lightkeepers was certainly integral to the safety of every mariner here in Canada and in fact all around the world. We appreciate and respect their contribution.

However, the reality is that with today's proven technology, the same aids to navigation service is being delivered just as safely through increased reliance on technology. These changes in technology, such as the use of solar power and accurate marine charts, real-time radio communications and the use of a differential global positioning system, have been happening all over the world and provide mariners with a far more effective and reliable aid to navigation service.

In these days of electronic charts and precise marine navigation, the fact is that having lightkeepers present on automated aids to navigation sites is not the best way to provide the necessary aids to navigation services to mariners.

Automated de-staffed light stations have been in operation successfully in Canada for more than a decade throughout the maritime provinces, on the Great Lakes, in Quebec and all throughout the world, even in the most difficult terrain such as Alaska and Norway, without affecting marine safety. Every developed country in the world has de-staffed their automated light stations.

It is important to note that in Canada, over the years, some lightkeepers have taken on the provision of services, in addition to their regular function of keeping the lights, and that mariners and aviators have grown accustomed to these additional services.

In fact, some stakeholders have reported that services, such as being the ears and eyes of the federal government on the coast for safety, security and environmental purposes, providing weather and sea state information, for example, wind speed and direction, ice conditions, wave heights, cloud types and sea lanes, etc., for mariners and aviators are important to them. We understand that.

For this reason on September 30, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans asked the Canadian Coast Guard to undertake a further review of those additional services provided by lightkeepers in British Columbia and in Newfoundland and Labrador. In advance of that review, no light station will be de-staffed.

The Canadian Coast Guard is now defining the terms of that review, but let me assure members that it will include the proper consultations with lightkeepers and stakeholders to ensure that the true essence of those additional services provided and their importance to Canada are adequately captured.

If, following that review, it is determined that a staffed presence is the only way to ensure the delivery of those additional services, then this option will receive full consideration.

In closing, de-staffing of automated light stations can be done and has been done in every other developed nation in the world, most importantly, without affecting marine safety. Over the years, mariners and aviators have become accustomed to receiving additional services from lightkeepers, and I think it is important that those services be reviewed before we proceed any further on this file. Our government is committed to doing so.

6:50 p.m.

Liberal

Judy Foote Liberal Random—Burin—St. George's, NL

Mr. Speaker, I was a little concerned when my colleague first started to respond to my issue, because he tended to talk about the fact that we really did not require staffed lighthouses to carry out the responsibilities that were normally carried out by lightkeepers.

I am relieved, somewhat, to hear that the review is in fact under way, that the Canadian Coast Guard has been instructed, as of September 30, to look at the situation.

Contrary to what my colleague said, I think it is important to recognize that we should not be looking at everything through the one lens. For instance, if we speak to the captain of a ferry that runs between Newfoundland and Labrador and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a little bit of Europe off the coast of North America, he will tell us that in the area between Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and Newfoundland and Labrador, the winds vary there so much that while he can look around him in Fortune and find out what the situation is and he can call ahead to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and get a reading there, he really does need to have the eyes and ears of the men who are staffing that lighthouse at Green Island, which is located at midpoint.

He has told me time and time again that if he did not have access to those individuals, it would be very irresponsible—

6:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

6:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Kamp Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC

Mr. Speaker, I do thank my colleague for that additional clarification. I know information like that will be taken into consideration by the Coast Guard and the minister as she reviews their results.

However, let me assure all members of this House that the Canadian Coast Guard is not walking away from its obligation to provide a safe and efficient aids to navigation system to Canadians. The safety of mariners remains the Canadian Coast Guard's top priority.

The fact is that the Coast Guard is working to fully employ the benefits of technological improvements that other countries have been benefiting from for decades now. Given current technology, the safety of mariners in many places in Canada does not require lightkeepers at automated light stations.

Again as the minister has stated, the process that we are going through will allow the reviews of relevant stakeholders to be heard and considered, so I would urge all members of this House to let the announced review unfold in its due course.

6:55 p.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

Mr. Speaker, last October 19, in this House during question period, I asked a question concerning how taxpayers' money got into the coffers of a company that Senator Housakos had on his payroll at the time the contract was given out.

The answer that I received from the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities was clearly unsatisfactory, so I would like to put some facts before this House.

Senator Housakos, before he was a senator and even after he was named as a senator, was on the payroll of a Montreal engineering firm, BPR, when it won a $1.4 million contract to study the Champlain Bridge.

The same day the port authority for the Champlain Bridge opened bidding on the contract, May 20, Senator Housakos was a member of the organizing committee for a major Conservative fundraiser in Montreal, and lo and behold, four executives from BPR, the firm that he was serving with, was employed with, was on the payroll for, as well as two government officials from the agency awarding the contract, were also present at this fundraiser, and lo and behold, this violated the code of ethics of that agency.

Mr. Housakos' declaration to the Senate ethics officer on February 4 indicated that he worked for BPR. On October 1, over four months after the bidding was opened on the contract, after the fundraiser for which he was one of the organizers, Senator Housakos sent a notice to the Senate ethics officer indicating that he was no longer working for that company. It was previously indicated on his website that he was a vice-president of BPR. This reference, however, was removed on October 15, after he was questioned by the media.

In addition, there have been allegations made in the public arena by serious people, including the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec, that there were problems with the finances of that party. Mr. Housakos was the chief fundraiser for that party.

On November 13, Liberals asked questions again, and this is part of the questions that we have asked in public, not just in this House.

Liberals are asking the Prime Minister if he was aware of allegations concerning Conservative Senator Leo Housakos’ techniques for financing the Action démocratique du Québec, a provincial party, if the Senator uses the same methods in his role as fundraiser for the Conservative Party, and whether the Mr. Harper approves of his senator’s actions.

The Privy Council always investigates before a senator is appointed, and the RCMP is responsible for part of the investigation. Members of Parliament asked the government to table the report on the investigation concerning Senator Housakos that was carried out before he was appointed to the other place.

Once again—and I see that the parliamentary secretary is here—I would ask the government to table the report on the investigation concerning Senator Housakos that was carried out before the Prime Minister appointed him to the Senate.

7 p.m.

Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to be here to answer these questions. However, I have to say that once again the Liberals are doing what they normally do and that is to try to create a scandal where no scandal exists.

Senator Housakos has asked the Senate ethics officer for a complete investigation of this matter. That in itself, I think, speaks volumes about the innocence of Senator Housakos on any of these charges made by the member opposite.

I always find it very amusing whenever a Liberal, particularly from Quebec, rises and asks a question about financial wrongdoing and scandal. We all know, and every Canadian knows, that the biggest financial scandal in Canada's parliamentary history was the sponsorship scandal.

We have seen documented evidence through Justice Gomery's commission of the theft of taxpayer dollars that ended up in Liberal riding association bank accounts. That is well documented.

Of course, we again hear the caterwauling from the side opposite because, whenever we talk about the sponsorship scandal, it is like touching a raw nerve of the members opposite.

I would also point out to my hon. colleague that at the parliamentary ethics committee, my colleague, the member for Peterborough, has brought forward a motion to ask the Auditor General for a complete investigation of the more than $40 million still missing that Justice Gomery was prevented from investigating because of the terms of reference of his commission.

I would suggest that any Liberal member from Quebec should welcome such an inquiry, because there are doubt and aspersions cast on every single Liberal member from Quebec, which is where Canadians may believe that some of that missing $40 million could have ended up, in those Liberal riding association bank accounts to finance elections.

Rather than trying to fight this initiative and deny the Auditor General going forward and launching a full-scale investigation into the missing $40 million, one would think that Quebec Liberal MPs would welcome this to try to prove their own innocence and demonstrate that their reputations are above reproach.

However, we do not hear this; we do not hear this at all. All we hear from the members opposite is deny, deny, deny and their attempt to try to pretend that they were the victims of this massive parliamentary scam, this massive scandal, that outraged Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

However, what we do hear, any time there is any opportunity for a Liberal to try to accuse the government or government members of some impropriety, is them doing so. However, let me say once and for all, they always do so and it is without any substance.

7 p.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

Mr. Speaker, given that the member opposite has raised the issue of the sponsorship program and the public judicial inquiry headed by Justice Gomery, I would like to point out that the inquiry was put into place by a Liberal government. It was a Liberal government that appointed Justice Gomery and allowed Justice Gomery to write his own mandate.

Moreover, it is the Toronto Port Authority that is begging this Conservative government to allow the Auditor General to audit its operations because of doctored board minutes at a time when the Minister of Natural Resources of the Conservative government sat on the board, and to audit her authorization of her own expenses, where she signed off on her own expenses. The government is refusing to give the Auditor General an exemption to allow her to do an audit of the Toronto Port Authority at its request, whereas when the Auditor General pointed out to the Liberal government that she was unable to audit VIA Rail, because it was an arm's length corporation, the Liberal government gave her that exemption and allowed her to audit VIA.

Therefore, I would suggest that that member should—

7 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

7 p.m.

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK

Mr. Speaker, I merely point out to the hon. member, of course, that when it comes to the Auditor General, the Liberal colleagues on the ethics committee are trying to prevent this motion asking the Auditor General to find the $40 million in stolen money that is still missing. Liberal members of that committee, including the chair, are trying to prevent that from happening. No matter how we slice and dice this, it is clear that the Liberal Party is still under a cloud of suspicion, until such time as that $40 million of stolen taxpayer money is recovered, or is at least found.

Every member of the Liberal Party who has a riding association in Quebec is under suspicion, and I would suggest that the member opposite should take the bit in her teeth and ask the Auditor General. As the members opposite are so proud to point out, the Auditor General was asked by the Liberal Party to investigate the sponsorship scandal, and now they should go the final step and ask the Auditor General to try to do another full scale investigation of the missing $40 million.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:05 p.m.)