Debates of Nov. 24th, 2009

Climate Change

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, we will defend the interests of Canada. Emerging countries, primarily China and India, will be responsible for 97% of future increases in emissions. That is why developed countries are asking for the next agreement to include all emitters.

Our government is sending the best team of negotiators to the table in Copenhagen to ensure that the next treaty truly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and that Canada's interests are protected.

[Christian Ouellet, Bloc, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government will defend the economic interests of Alberta oil companies in Copenhagen. These interests go against the interests of Quebec, which is prepared to do its part in the fight against climate change. Because of federal dogma, Canada will have only one voice in Copenhagen.

Will the government acknowledge that when Canada speaks with a single voice, this voice excludes Quebec?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, Canada will speak with a single voice. Canada is so respected at the Copenhagen negotiation table that it was invited to the last meeting in Copenhagen with the other international ministers. The Government of Canada and its negotiators are well known for their constructive work. Their goal is to sign an agreement that is in the best interests of Canadians.

Election Expenses

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the Federal Court, the Conservative Government stated that Elections Canada does not have the power to demand additional documentation when the information provided raises doubts. That is exactly what raised suspicion about the in and out scandal, the Conservatives' strategy for getting around election expense limits.

Will the Minister of Justice tell us how many millions of taxpayers' dollars the Conservatives are wasting to intimidate Elections Canada?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Two elections ago, Mr. Speaker, Conservative candidates spent Conservative funds on Conservative advertising. The national campaign transferred funds to local candidates. How did Elections Canada find out about it? We told them, and why would we not? After all, it is legal and all the parties do it.

They singled us out and we took them to court, but the Canadian people knew all of these facts when they went into the last election and they gave us more votes and more seats.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the court case the Conservatives launched is nothing more than a political ploy to delay the election commissioner's investigation and it has cost taxpayers well over $1 million. The justice minister knows that electoral fraud is illegal. Conspiracy to commit fraud is criminal, and exceeding election spending limits is also illegal.

Are obstructing investigations and weakening Elections Canada part of the Prime Minister's commitment to electoral reform, or does accountability only apply to non-Conservatives?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, two elections ago Conservative candidates spent Conservative funds on Conservative advertising. The national campaign transferred funds to local candidates. How did Elections Canada find out about it? We told Elections Canada, and why would we not? After all, it is perfectly legal and all parties do it. However, Elections Canada singled us out so we took it to court.

Canadians knew all of these facts in the last election when they re-elected us with more votes and more seats.

Political Party Financing

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Senator Housakos organized the Conservative Party fundraiser held on May 20, during which decision makers and service providers rubbed shoulders. Among those in attendance were representatives of Senator Housakos' employer, BPR.

The fact that these parties signed a contract shortly after the event strongly suggests conflict of interest.

What steps have the Conservatives taken to ensure that the senator was not in conflict of interest with any federal department or agency?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government is tremendously concerned about political financing. That is why the very first piece of legislation we brought before this House was a bill to ban all corporate donations to political parties. We also banned all unions from donating to political parties. We reduced the maximum amount from $5,000. The Liberal Party loved its $5,000 cocktail parties. We reduced that to $1,000.

We have brought in more political finance reform than any government in history. We have cleaned up the mess. We have cleaned out the barn that we discovered from the previous Liberal government.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister did not answer my question.

Have the Conservatives taken steps to prevent Senator Housakos from being in conflict of interest again, yes or no? If they have not, is that because they prefer to turn a blind eye?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, again the member for Hull—Aylmer comes forward with a question that I can only call fact-free.

If the member has any serious allegations or any allegations whatsoever based on any facts, he should put them before the House. More so, he should have the courage of his convictions to go outside this place and repeat them.

Royal Canadian Mint

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during these tough economic times Canadians are focused on ensuring they are careful with every penny. Canadians expect the same from their crown corporations, which is why there has been concern over reports of theft from the Royal Canadian Mint.

Could the Minister of State for Transport please give the House an update as to the ongoing investigation of missing gold from the mint?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government takes very seriously the matter of the mint not being able to account for some of its gold. That is why we brought in the RCMP to do a thorough investigation to see if there was any possibility of theft. I can announce to the House at this time that the RCMP has concluded its investigation and there was no theft from the mint.

An external review that has gone on provides an explanation regarding the gold that is unaccounted for. That review is currently in the hands of the Auditor General for her validation.

Employment

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it was reported today that the member for South Shore—St. Margaret's referred to the hardest hit in my riding as “those no-good bastards sitting on the sidewalk in Halifax”.

The member's comments are inexcusable--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order. I have interrupted one hon. member on this point today already and said that the use of this word is not proper. I would urge the member for Halifax to avoid doing something she could not do otherwise by using the word in a quote. I have done this once already today. I hope it will not be necessary a third time.

The hon. member for Halifax.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

It is unparliamentary, Mr. Speaker, and I am glad that you agree.

The government has offered only the most grudging support to the unemployed. It just cannot stop its true colours from shining through.

My question is for the Prime Minister. What is he going to do to convince the people of Halifax that he does not endorse the member's remarks?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, as you pointed out, things happened earlier today. The member for South Shore—St. Margaret's made a sincere and complete apology for his remarks.

Let us move on. Let us look at what we are doing to help those who have been unfortunate enough to lose their jobs in this global recession. We are offering unprecedented training to them. We are offering unprecedented economic supports while they look for new work.

We have provided numerous things to help those unfortunate enough to be unemployed. Unfortunately, opposition members in the NDP have not supported those moves.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, an empty apology just will not cut it, because the member's comments are more reflective of the government's opinion than is his apology. After all, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development once said:

We do not want to make EI lucrative for [the unemployed] to stay home and get paid for it.

During this recession alone, tens of thousands of Canadians have been thrown out of work, and families from coast to coast to coast are being forced out of their homes. Where are hard-hit Canadians supposed to turn when their own government clearly thinks so little of them?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, this government is the one that brought in an additional five weeks of EI benefits for everyone across the country. We enhanced the work-sharing program, extending it and making it easier to get into. It is now protecting some 165,000 Canadian jobs. They voted against that one too.

We are supporting our long-tenured workers. We are providing an extra five to twenty weeks of benefits, giving them a hand up while they go looking for a new job so that they can care for their families the way they want to.

Electric Vehicles

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is consensus in Quebec that we must reduce our oil dependency, particularly by developing electric vehicles. Since nearly 40% of all greenhouse gases come from the transportation sector, electric vehicles represent an important tool in the fight against climate change.

What is the government waiting for to actively support research and development, as well as the infrastructure needed to encourage the use of electric vehicles?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, this government has taken a very expansive approach to all issues having to do with reducing energy consumption and increasing energy efficiency, dealing with homes and also dealing with transportation, from curbing tailpipe emissions to taking part in the road map towards bringing electric cars to fruition.

We have been a partner in that with industry, and we are very happy with our record of accomplishment on that.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is trying once again to avoid the question. Specifically what we are talking about here are measures to encourage the development of electric vehicles in Quebec, not programs to provide billions of dollars in subsidies to the traditional automotive industry.

Why does the government refuse to introduce strong incentives to encourage consumers to buy rechargeable electric vehicles or hybrids?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, of course we support the research and development of new electric vehicles.

I can tell the hon. member that we have the automotive innovation fund, which her party voted against. It is specifically designed to make sure that Canada is front and centre when it comes to the new vehicles that could be using new batteries, electricity or whatever would work to reduce our carbon footprint. We are supportive of that and we have the automotive innovation fund to prove that point.

Health

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the isotope shortage is having a profound effect on Canadian patients and their health care providers. The nuclear medicine community is worried. They have seen a 10% to 25% drop in patient referrals for nuclear, cardiac and cancer tests. Disease will be detected too late.

The government was given four specific recommendations by the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine. Will the government commit today to implement all four recommendations and do the right thing for worried Canadians?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank all those doctors who have done so much to mitigate this issue. I share the concerns of Canadians regarding the shortage and that is why I have taken swift actions to deal with that.

Our focus is ensuring that Canadians have a predictable and reliable supply of medical isotopes and we continue to take every step necessary to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Our government has also taken action to identify alternatives to medical isotopes such as thallium and sodium fluoride and the options that are available to those Canadians who require the testing. This means that more medical isotopes are available for those individuals that need them.