Debates of Dec. 1st, 2009

Afghanistan

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, what again is so irresponsible, so inflammatory and so false is for the hon. member to try to parse her words and suggest somehow that the Canadian military was complicit in torture, suggesting that those hard-working, honest officials and military on the ground would deliberately transfer detainees, Taliban prisoners, to Afghan authorities knowing they would be tortured. That is a backhanded way to cast aspersions on the good work being done by our military and our professional public service. That is what those members are doing.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for months, the government turned a blind eye to the torture of Afghan detainees. Now, it is trying to get out of this mess by burying the truth. The government has threatened Richard Colvin with a lawsuit and refused to disclose various documents to the opposition. Now it has given an independent commission a set of heavily censored documents.

Does all of this obstruction not prove that the government is trying to evade responsibility in the matter of the torture of Afghan detainees?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Again, Mr. Speaker, we improved the situation. We invested more heavily in improving the justice system and human rights system in Afghanistan.

With respect to documents, we continue to provide all legally required documents, documents that are available, documents that have to be vetted by the Department of Justice for content to ensure no national security risks will occur, that no information was received by the Canadian government from other sources to ensure we protect the interests of the Canadian Forces for operational reasons on the ground.

I think even a member of the Bloc could understand there are security concerns that we have to protect.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on another note, NATO announced today that Canadian soldiers will be leaving Kandahar in early 2010 for the neighbouring district of Arghandab.

Can the Minister of National Defence confirm that this redeployment will not change the July 2011 end date of the mission for all Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, what happens on the ground with respect to operational deployment of troops really is a testament to the high regard with which Canadian soldiers are held by our allies, particularly the United States. With respect to the command structure that is in place, Canadian generals, Canadian commanders actually have command over other countries. We have assumed this type of responsibility.

With respect to territorial responsibilities, the Arghandab Valley is an area for which Canada had previously held responsibility. This is where the Dahla Dam project takes place, an important contribution, a signature project that provides water and irrigation for Afghans.

We can be very proud of the professionalism and the magnificent work of our men and women in uniform.

Employment Insurance

[Josée Beaudin, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, self-employed workers in Quebec will pay too much for EI compassionate care and sickness benefits. Instead of paying 41¢ per $100 of earnings, they will be expected to pay $1.36. It is too much.

The Conservative members refused to hear the former EI chief actuary, who maintains, as we do, that self-employed workers in Quebec are being ripped off.

Does the government's refusal to hear this credible witness not prove that self-employed workers in Quebec will not get value for their money?

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

Mr. Speaker, with Bill C-56, for the first time, we are offering self-employed workers in Quebec the opportunity to pay into the plan in order to receive compassionate care, sickness and injury benefits at an affordable price.

This is the first time these benefits have been offered outside private companies. It is a good thing for Quebeckers who are self-employed workers.

[Josée Beaudin, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government's employment insurance measures do not meet the needs of workers in Quebec. The program for long-tenured workers does not apply to Quebec forestry workers; the additional five weeks are a temporary measure; self-employed workers in Quebec already had access to parental benefits, and the contribution rate for compassionate care and sickness benefits is three times too high.

When will the Conservative members from Quebec stand up for Quebec workers?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is very important that Quebeckers understand what we have done to help them during this global recession.

First, we added five weeks of benefits for everyone, including long-tenured workers. Now they can receive from five to twenty more weeks of benefits. This measure will benefit forestry workers in particular.

We are offering Quebeckers and self-employed workers benefits they did not have access to before.

Infrastructure

[Gerard Kennedy, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for infrastructure. I have in my hand the status report every project promised federal dollars has to send in. It is a report that the minister and his officials denied even existed.

Will the minister finally tell the House how many actual jobs he has created to date with federal infrastructure stimulus funds and will he release the status report replies to the House so Canadians can see for themselves?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are working in partnership with the provinces and municipalities in every corner of the country, from coast to coast to coast. One of our main partners is the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The report it did for its prebudget submission said that for every billion dollars that all three levels of government invested in infrastructure, we would see about 11,000 jobs created. That is tremendously important. There is also the great number of spinoff jobs which help keep our economy strong.

The economic action plan is working. We are continuing to make announcements. We are seeing construction begin in every corner of the country.

[Gerard Kennedy, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us try this again. The government has misled Canadians with advertising claims on job creation without any proof. Tomorrow's report will be just another expensive fairytale.

The Conservatives have information about their promised infrastructure stimulus projects, detailed information. There can be only one reason why the minister is afraid to release it, because it proves he is an enormous failure in creating jobs and helping ordinary Canadians.

Will the minister stop trying to hide his incompetence and release all the project status reports today without delay?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the information the member opposite discusses is some three or four months old. However, I would encourage him to travel around the city of Toronto and around the province of Ontario and see the great work the federal government is doing with Dalton McGuinty's provincial government.

We have gone out of our way to put signs up, just for the member opposite, so he can see the amount of construction going on in every part of the country. There are signs of hope, signs of opportunity, signs that jobs are being created and that we are coming out of this economic recession stronger than ever.

The Environment

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians overwhelmingly want real government leadership on climate change and they are just not getting it.

The Liberal Party leader is committed to science-based targets in line with other industrialized countries, reductions to keep climate warming below 2°C. The Liberals have a solid plan to achieve it.

The Conservatives have had four years and three ministers and still no plan. Contrary to the Prime Minister's claims, even China's targets are more aggressive than Canada's.

Why has the government failed so miserably on climate change?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our position is clear, and that is harmonized North American targets within an international framework.

It is hard to take the Liberal Party seriously on this matter. The Liberals signed Kyoto, with unrealistic targets. Then beyond that, they spoke about a North American cap and trade with North American targets. Then they voted for European targets. It could not possibly get any stranger until they brought out their policy document that had no targets.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Équiterre, Environmental Defense, Power Up, all these leading environmental NGOs salute the Liberal commitment. Where is the Conservative commitment?

Here is what the Prime Minister had to say about climate change discussions in 2002, “I put the government on notice that this is only the beginning of the debate. We will fight this every step of the way”.

The Prime Minister has been blocking action on climate change for seven long years. Why should Canadians trust his government to change course now?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians certainly do trust this government because our position is clear and it is consistent. It is an international treaty. It is harmonized North American targets.

The entire world is focused on targets at Copenhagen. The debate at Copenhagen is about what targets people are putting forward. The Liberal Party comes forward with a policy document that calls for no targets. That is the Liberal way. Kyoto had no targets. We never know if the Liberals are for or against carbon taxes.

Infrastructure

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

Mr. Speaker, our government continues to make unprecedented investments in infrastructure from coast to coast to coast. We continue to work with our provincial, territorial and municipal partners to get projects approved so we can stimulate the economy and create jobs for Canadians.

Could Canada's Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities tell the House about the significant announcement he made today in the city of Toronto and how it will affect one of hockey's most iconic shrines and one of Toronto's most historic buildings?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to be in the great riding of Toronto Centre this morning with the Minister of Finance to make a historic investment of $20 million to help revitalize Maple Leaf Gardens, a building that has been left derelict for many years.

This government was pleased to partner with Ryerson University and Galen Weston of Loblaw Companies Limited. That $20 million investment will see more than $40 million from students and from the private sector to make things happen. That is great news.

We had to leave the announcement early because the construction workers were standing by to start construction work and to create jobs right away.

Tax Harmonization

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pensions are at risk and RRSPs are losing significant value. At a time when Canadian seniors are faced with poverty, the government is raising their taxes.

The Liberals have decided to abandon hard-working Canadians, but I rise today to speak on behalf of those they have abandoned.

Canadians are opposed to the HST. In fact, in Manitoba they have rejected the government's HST framework as it would impose more than $400 million in new taxes on families. Canadians cannot afford it. They do not want it.

Why will the government not listen?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, a couple of the provinces have chosen to harmonize their provincial sales tax with the GST. Three others did that before. We have a proposal before the House to deal with this issue.

My friend in the NDP is an expert on taxes. We have cut over 100 taxes and the NDP has voted against that each and every time. When we reduced the GST twice, from 7% to 6% and then 6% to 5%, each time the member voted against it. Yet he stands here and says he cares about ordinary Canadians.

Aviation Safety

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, members of the transport committee heard shocking revelations about Transport Canada's failed approach to aviation safety. Members learned that inspectors spend their time pushing paper rather than making sure it is safe to fly.

Government members on the committee claimed that the witnesses were fear-mongering. If this was just fear-mongering, why did the government halt its plans for safety management systems for small airlines? It recognized it was not going to work.

Will the government commit to review aviation safety, fix the problems and restore public confidence?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are tremendously concerned with civil aviation safety. At my department, that is one of our most important responsibilities. I do not support outsourcing safety testing or safety monitoring to the private sector. I think it is an important core responsibility of government and my department.

We are doing a lot of listening to our employees and to others who have come forward with some reasonable suggestions. I did hear one comment from Daniel Slunder, the head of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association, who said:

Transport Canada is to be commended for recognizing there are serious problems with its aviation SMS program. This postponement is absolutely the right thing to do.

We are committed to working with stakeholders to ensure the public is safe.

Agri-Food

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

Mr. Speaker, although the MAPAQ has authorized Fromagerie F.X. Pichet to market a raw milk cheese aged less than 60 days in Quebec, Health Canada objects. The result? A Quebec cheese maker is left with 2,500 wheels of cheese on its hands, even though Quebec health authorities have approved the product. For 15 years now, Ottawa has been getting in the way of Quebec cheese makers who are simply trying to respond to consumer demand by producing excellent raw milk cheeses.

When will the Minister of State for Agriculture stop being a milksop and actually defend Quebec businesses and consumers?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, our government takes food safety very seriously. We look at these matters. We look at the recommendations that are made to the government in this regard, and we are looking at them now.