House of Commons Hansard #19 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was money.
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, one would think that lazy government would have gotten the work done on time.
Will the minister admit his mistakes in the future, as when he gave an illegal contract to his friend, or will he hide them, as in the case of the broken promise on income trusts and the famous 22 pages of censored documents? As regards his future mistakes, how much transparency can we expect?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, this government is all about transparency. In fact, if we recall, this government is the one that brought forward an incredible Federal Accountability Act. I do not think I need to remind the hon. Liberal member why we had to bring in an accountability act. That is still very fresh in our memories.
Let me quote the Liberal leader:
We're in a crisis. We're in a serious crisis and I would rather err by doing it fast and making the occasional mistake - which then...the voters...punish us for later.
The Liberal leader made that statement.
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, with small businesses desperate for credit, business people have told us that the Business Development Bank of Canada will take its own sweet time, measured in many months, before getting credit out the door, and if one is not already a BDC client, one need not apply.
Will the minister force the BDC and EDC to flow credit quickly, or will it be one of his many, many, many mistakes that he lets this money stay under a mattress in Ottawa?
Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we have already infused credit to the BDC. It is already actively making loans to small and medium size enterprises. We have a new $12 billion credit facility that the finance minister and I announced.
We are undergoing a few consultations to make sure we get it right, that we cross those t's and dot those i's. We are there for the small business person and we are there for medium size enterprises, because we care about the future of business in this country.
Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC
Mr. speaker, our national broadcaster has a special role to play. The CBC and Radio-Canada are real showcases for Canadian content. They are a key instrument of support for diversity of sources of information and one of the pillars of our system of democracy. They also provide an income for thousands of artists, craftspeople, technicians and journalists across the country.
What specific action will the minister take so Radio-Canada and the CBC may continue to provide Canadians with quality content?
Dean Del Mastro ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, as we all know, all broadcasters, private sector and the CBC, are currently facing some challenges, but this government has stepped up. We are providing over $1 billion in taxpayers' money in support. We fully expect that the CBC will continue to deliver the quality programming that Canadians have come to expect of it.
Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, I hope that the $1 billion the parliamentary secretary has just mentioned is not just a promise in the wind but that CBC and Radio-Canada will actually see the money.
The economic crisis has not spared the media. Advertisers face sharply lower revenue. They are reducing their advertising budgets and this translates into revenue shortfalls for networks. The CBC and Radio-Canada are also affected by this situation. The decrease of ad revenue increases the risk of service cuts.
I want a promise from the parliamentary secretary that the money will effectively flow very quickly.
Dean Del Mastro ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
I promise, Mr. Speaker. I have just indicated that the government is providing almost $1.1 billion to the CBC. To give some scope, that is almost one thousand one hundred million dollars of taxpayers' money to the CBC, because we believe in that valuable Canadian institution.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, thanks to an article in the National Geographic, the whole world can now see, with pictures to prove it, that operations in the Alberta tar sands are a real disaster for the environment. Just yesterday, however, the Minister of the Environment and the Liberal leader were refusing to recognize the responsibility of the oil companies in this environmental catastrophe.
Will the Prime Minister assume his responsibilities and force the oil companies to do their part and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions?
Jim Prentice ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the Bloc to do its homework. In Canada, 73% of our electricity and energy is produced from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases. In the States, on the other hand, 73% of the country's energy is produced by sources that pollute. The Bloc does not want to admit it, but we have a good reputation in the area of green energies, and the member should be congratulating us.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have seen better stand-up comics.
That said, homework will reveal that Quebec has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 2.8%, while Alberta has raised its by 36.6% and Saskatchewan has raised its by 63%. That is what doing homework is about, rather than acting as a lobbyist for the oil companies. If he is serious, let him make 1990 the reference year and set absolute targets. Otherwise, we will conclude that he is not the environment minister, but a lobbyist for the oil companies—period.
Jim Prentice ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, we disagree. As I said, the Bloc needs to do its homework. Unfortunately, it is trying to fool the public with its questions and its partisan accusations.
We are committed to reducing our emissions by 20% by 2020. Those targets are higher than the Americans'.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment is going off to the United States on a campaign to defend the oil sands, and what is more, with the support of the Liberal party. It is a disgrace. Now we have an environment minister working for polluters, with the backing of the Liberals. It is a good thing ridicule never killed anyone.
Can the minister explain to me what his role is: defender of the environment, or defender of the oil companies?
Jim Prentice ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, it is not so. I disagree with the Bloc. It needs to acknowledge that Canada has put a great deal of effort into producing green energies such as hydroelectricity and cleaner gas. We have invested a great deal of money from the budget into the carbon capture and storage system in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, if the minister and the Liberal leader had not become lobbyists for the oil patch, they would understand that what needs defending is not the oil sands but 1990 as the reference year, absolute targets, a territorial approach, and a real carbon exchange. That is what defending the environment is all about.
When are we going to be entitled to a real minister who will defend common sense and not the polluters?
Jim Prentice ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, criticism and more criticism, that is the good old Bloc recipe.
The clean energy dialogue that we have commenced, which the Prime Minister and the President agreed to last week, will announce and lead to co-operation on many fronts between our two countries with respect to clean energy. We will expand clean energy research. We will develop clean energy technology. We will build a more efficient electricity grid across North America. We will harmonize the eco-centres. All of this will lead to a cleaner environment and reduce greenhouse gases.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, now that the Conservatives and the Liberals are in bed together, they have been teaching each other their tricks. How does one create a slush fund like the sponsorship scandal? Just say that there is an emergency, that it is serving a higher purpose and therefore the normal rules will not apply.
For the Liberals, the emergency was national unity. For the Conservatives, it will be the economic crisis. Millions were stolen by the Liberals, billions are in the trough for the Conservatives. Exactly what types of mistakes was the Minister of Finance predicting yesterday?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the only mistake we have seen in the House of Commons is that the Bloc and the NDP voted against Canadians.
This party recognized that we needed to stimulate the economy. We put an economic action plan on the floor of the House. The Liberals recognized that we needed to put this forward. Unfortunately, the Bloc and the NDP voted against Canadians.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, let us imagine a scrum with Alfonso Gagliano before the sponsorship scandal broke, in which he announces: “There is an emergency, you know, and national unity is at stake. There will be mistakes made.” We know the rest of the story.
The Minister of Finance announces his own mistakes, and his own scandals, in advance. Today, we learn of the creation of a hidden $3 billion fund at Treasury Board for Conservative cronies.
Is the minister going to follow the American model of transparency for these funds, or the Liberal model of the sponsorship scandal?
Vic Toews ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, last month this government set out an ambitious multi-year action plan to stimulate the economy and support Canadians during these difficult global economic times. I am thankful the Liberals are supporting the budget in order to help Canadians.
What disturbs Canadians is the fact that NDP members said no to helping Canadians even before they saw the budget. They have been fully briefed on what this stimulus package means. They are simply playing politics with the lives of Canadians.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General and the Gomery commission were extremely critical of this type of secret Treasury Board controlled fund. This time it is even worse. A whole year's carte blanche to spend and to reward people just as they please. We are talking of $3 billion.
Are these Conservatives, with their tendency to moral outrage, prepared to produce the investment plan for this $3 billion? Will they make public the objectives and conditions? Or will they follow the Liberal model three years down the line?
Vic Toews ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, this is another classic example of that member speaking out of both sides of his mouth. In fact, what all opposition members have said is that we need the stimulus package in place in a hurry. What did that member say? He said that the NDP favoured a significant spending program for shovel-ready infrastructure projects. Those members say that on the one hand. On the other hand, they are doing everything they can to stop the implementation of the plan.
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
Mr. Speaker, today the information commissioner tabled a damning report that cites the lack of leadership at the highest levels as the root cause of the pathetic state of access to information in our country. Four out of ten departments are on red alert in a system that the Conservative government has driven to crisis, and Canadians access to information is being held hostage as a result.
Why has Canada, once a beacon of information to the rest of this world, had its light snuffed out by this Prime Minister?
Vic Toews ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, the member knows well that it is the public service that makes the decisions in respect of the release of the information.
We know that under the prior government, it had the CAIRS program, which in fact was a mechanism to manipulate the release of information.
This government got rid of the political interference in the release of information. Furthermore, this government opened up the crown corporations. The CBC, the Wheat Board and others are now directly accountable to the people who pay the bill, the taxpayers.
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
Mr. Speaker, nice try, but under the government's watch, the increases in the number of access to information requests have been denied and prolonged. That is why the information commissioner has cited the government with contempt.
The Prime Minister campaigned on a false promise to open the windows on government. Instead, he has closed the blinds, locked the doors and turned out the lights. His government now operates in darkness not seen since the days of Brian Mulroney.
President Obama began making his government more accountable to Americans on day one.
In Canada it is three years, and access to information continues to be stifled.
When will the government end its practice of systematic cover-ups?