Debates of Dec. 4th, 2009

Pensions

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I did indeed answer the question positively that day and said that the minister would meet with them, but we know how busy the finance minister has been in implementing Canada's economic action plan. I am sure that the meeting will be forthcoming, but I should remind all members of this House what the finance minister has done to protect the retirement incomes of Canadians.

We will be meeting with provincial finance ministers in Whitehorse at the end of the following week to discuss what the provincial jurisdictions, as well as the federal jurisdiction, can do to make sure that we protect those incomes.

Infrastructure

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after a year of competing with the heavily subsidized U.S. forest industry, Canadian companies have finally received some funding for environmental upgrades. However, this comes with a string attached. It has very strict short-term deadlines to spend the money.

Similarly, the City of Rossland recently received federal funding to fix its arena roof. This money must be spent by March 31, 2010, in an area that receives over 20 feet of snow per year, increasing the winter costs by 20%.

Why is the government imposing ridiculous deadlines instead of working with industry and communities to look at long-term, practical solutions?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition cannot have it both ways. On some days it gets up and says that the money is not flowing quickly enough, and the next moment it wants to see it drawn out.

In our economic action plan, we are working aggressively to stimulate the economy, to create jobs, to create hope and create opportunity. We were pleased with the 80,000 net new jobs that were created last month, but we are not going to celebrate. We are going to continue to work hard over the next 16 months to ensure that we fully implement the action plan and give more hope and opportunity to Canadians.

Consumer Product Safety

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberal leader has been trying to divert attention from his inability to lead his party, his colleagues over in the Senate were maliciously tearing apart our consumer protection bill. That is a shame.

Could the hon. Minister of Health please inform this House and Canadian consumers what this will mean for them?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party of Canada has hit a new low. Under the direction of the Liberal leader, Liberal senators gutted the consumer product legislation.

They have shown such contempt for Canadians that with these amendments the Department of Agriculture will have more effective tools to protect the health of animals than Health Canada will have to protect the health of Canadians.

The Liberal leader must either order his senators to stand down--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for St. John's South--Mount Pearl.

Transportation

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, Marine Atlantic is a vital transportation link to Newfoundland and Labrador, and Canada is obligated to provide ferry service under the terms of union.

The Auditor General reports that aging assets and insufficient capacity put it at risk of being unable to deliver. This lifeline brings in half of the goods of the province, including 90% of all perishable items. It is a vital trade and transportation link.

When is the minister going to take serious action on this issue, or is he waiting for a catastrophe?

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

Mr. Speaker, everyone in this House knows exactly what happened during the reign of the Liberals with regard to Marine Atlantic. They did absolutely nothing and watched it fall down around its ears.

We have invested over $400 million in the last two years in Marine Atlantic, and even more from stimulus spending, including another $9.5 million this summer.

We are getting the job done for Marine Atlantic and we have just started.

Museums

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, barely days after the CN strike began, the Minister of Labour introduced a special bill in this House to force workers back to work and to impose arbitration.

In the meantime, workers at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum are on their 75th day of strike action. They are calling for arbitration, but the minister refuses to intervene.

How can the minister explain her double standard?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, it is always a very difficult decision when workers decide to go on strike, but this is a legal strike. The union recently overwhelmingly rejected the latest offer from the employer.

I encourage both parties to get back to the table as soon as possible to work out their differences.

Airline Industry

[Jim Maloway, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the United States transportation department has imposed its first penalties in North America against Continental Airlines for tarmac delays, and has collected $175,000 from three airlines for leaving 47 passengers stranded for six long hours on a plane in Rochester. This sends a signal to the rest of the United States airline industry that it must respect the rights of air travellers.

Is Air Canada going to stop flying to the U.S. because of these tough new tarmac penalties? When will the government stand up for Canadian air passengers and vote for the air passengers' bill of rights?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we care significantly about Canadian families who experience delays, particularly over the holidays. We also have to look at Canadians who live in rural areas. We have to look at Canadians who need these important air services.

Look at what the Montreal Gazette said about the member's bill:

Our airline industry is financially fragile at the best of times, which these are not.

Altogether, this bill strikes us unwise.

I totally agree with the Montreal Gazette.

Employment

[Devinder Shory, Conservative, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week the Prime Minister and the finance minister delivered the government's fourth report to Canadians on the state of the economy. Canadians should be proud of the fact that our strong economic record in these tough times is making Canada the envy of the world.

Can the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities update the House and all Canadians on the progress we have made and how we are helping Canadians from coast to coast to coast to combat the effects of the global recession?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, obviously job creation is the government's top priority. That is why we have Canada's economic action plan. We were very pleased with the 80,000 net new jobs that were created in November.

We do see that south of the border the United States lost 11,000 jobs. This is the 23rd straight month of job losses in the United States.

This shows that Canada is standing firm, that our economic action plan is working and that the partnerships that we have with the provincial and territorial governments and municipalities on rolling out infrastructure are making a big difference.

Natural Resources

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on November 26, the Ethics Commissioner reported that there was clear evidence to launch a full inquiry into the ethical misconduct of the Minister of Natural Resources. Now we learn that the directors of the board have approved board minutes, allegedly to cover up political interference and gross mismanagement.

The Minister of Transport who is accountable for this federal agency also continues to refuse to take action, but under subsection 41(1) of the Canada Marine Act, he has the authority to call for an independent special examination.

Will he do that now, or will he continue this shameful cover-up?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner has made no such determination of ethical misconduct, as she is conducting an examination of the matter and I will trust her to do that job.

With respect to the Canada Marine Act, these special examinations are required every five years and one will be done this year.

Economic Update Announcement—Speaker's Ruling

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I am now prepared to rule on the point of order raised on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, by the hon. member for Toronto—Danforth regarding the tabling of a document by the Minister of Finance. The hon. member argued that the document should have been tabled in the House. He acknowledged, however, that the document in question had been filed with the Clerk on Tuesday, December 1, 2009.

Indeed, in responding to the point of order, the government House leader read the excerpt of the Journals of that day where the tabling is noted at page 1115.

The second edition of the House of Commons Procedure and Practice states on page 432:

As an alternative, the Standing Orders provide that papers required by statute, by Order of the House, or by Standing Order may be deposited by a Minister with the Clerk of the House. This is known as “back door” tabling. It is entirely at the discretion of the Minister involved as to which method to use for those documents that are required to be tabled;

As noted in the Journals, the document in question was tabled pursuant to an order of the House made February 3, 2009. I am informed that it was filed at 5:20 p.m.

However novel the lock up on the Prime Minister's aircraft may seem, I must conclude that there has been no breach of our procedures since the actual tabling of the document here at the House of Commons was entirely in keeping with our practice.

Oral Questions

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during question period, I directly quoted from a document signed by the Minister of Finance, and I feel honour bound to table that document. I ask the House's permission to do so.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. member for Etobicoke Centre have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Government Response to Petitions

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to several petitions.

Labrador-Inuit Land Claims Agreement

[John Duncan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the 2007-08 Annual Report of the Labrador-Inuit Land Claims Agreement Implementation Coordinating Committees.

Provincial Choice Tax Framework Act

[Jay Hill, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-62, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Health

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Health in relation to the supplementary estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010 and reports the same.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Jay Hill, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, because there was no customary Thursday question, I did not get a chance to respond laying out business for the next week. There are a couple of items about which it is important to alert colleagues on both sides of the House.

I would like to designate Monday, December 7 as the day to complete the debate on the motion to concur in the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.