Debates of Feb. 26th, 2009

Opposition Motion--Municipal Infrastructure

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. member for Cape Breton—Canso.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I totally concur with my colleague for Timmins—James Bay in his concern that size should not matter. Smaller communities should certainly qualify. That was the fairness in the gas tax plan. That is why we thought all communities would benefit from the initiative put forward by the previous government, and it has proven successful.

This is why we would like to see the government move in that direction. It would be much to the benefit of all Canadians.

[Alan Tonks, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, those of us who have been in municipal government, and there are a considerable number of us in the House, have gone through the difficulty that municipalities have in raising money for capital programs and projects through debentures. At this time, the credit crunch affecting consumers is also affecting municipalities.

Could the member apply himself to the concept of the federal government working with the provinces to front-end load a revolving account through CMHC that would allow, on the basis of those projects that contribute substantively to the reduction of carbon, work on retrofitting housing, building transit systems and so on?

Would the member give some consideration, especially when we are getting quarterly reports, that—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. member for Cape Breton—Canso.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, we are very fortunate on this side of the House to have members in our caucus who have vast experience with municipal administration, like my hon. colleague. He has made a huge contribution toward past legislation developed by this caucus.

That is an idea that merits investigation. I would hope the government would seize on that potential suggestion.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to this Liberal opposition motion. As you know, I served two terms, six years, as a municipal councillor in Edmundston, where I was born. It was an extraordinary experience. You should see all the infrastructure projects a municipality may have to carry out during the life of the municipal government in order to provide quality service and give people a better quality of life. The municipalities must provide these services. And we must never forget that the mayor and municipal councillors form the level of government that is closest to the people, and they know best what the people need.

Today, the Liberal motion is relatively simple. It asks that the Conservative government agree to take a portion of the money that should be invested in the infrastructure program to stimulate the economy and transfer that portion to the wonderful gasoline tax rebate program that we, the Liberals, put in place.

Today, municipalities, cities and towns of all sizes are realizing that they need to carry out their infrastructure projects now. If we want to help our communities and stimulate local economies, we must put people to work, and the infrastructure programs are certainly a good way to do that. But money is not flowing to communities at present. They have infrastructure projects and they are waiting. This government is telling cities and towns that their turn will come and that they will be able to go ahead with their projects at some point.

In fact, according to the Conservative government, there is money in the budget for infrastructure. This means that there should be shovels in the ground right away, and people should be working now. But these cities and towns are being told that their projects will have to wait. We have to wonder why there is a pressing need, yet they are being told to wait.

These municipalities need appropriate infrastructure so that they can serve residents appropriately. If we want to make sure that these services are available and these municipalities continue to develop, if we want to stimulate the economy by funding infrastructure, then we also have to make sure that the municipalities can have the money not in one year, two years, three years or 10 years, but right now—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I am sorry to interrupt the hon. member for Madawaska—Restigouche, but as it is 2 o'clock, we must move on to statements by members. The member will have seven minutes to continue his remarks when debate resumes.

Robert Horner

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memoriam of a superb parliamentarian, the late Dr. Bob Horner, who served as the member of Parliament for Mississauga North and Mississauga West from 1984 to 1993.

Sadly for all who knew him, Dr. Bob passed away last June and the people of Mississauga bid their farewell to him, most fittingly, on Canada Day 2008.

Dr. Bob was born in Shawville, Quebec and graduated from the University of Guelph. He served first as a member of the RCMP and subsequently as a veterinarian for 25 years in Mississauga. As a member of Parliament, he chaired the parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice and Solicitor General.

During his professional and political career, Dr. Bob saw Mississauga grow from a largely rural community to the vibrant, diverse and prosperous city of over 700,000 people that it is today.

Dr. Bob reached out to and connected with Canadians of all backgrounds, made them feel welcome and represented their views with passion in the House of Commons. He was always ready with a helping hand and a generous sense of humour. He is survived by his lovely wife Elayne, daughter Catherine, sons Christopher and Mark, and five grandchildren.

I thank Dr. Bob. May my friend rest. He served his family, his community and his country well.

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce the official opening of the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts which will occur on February 28. The centre will be a home for Richmond Hill's diverse arts community and will present an array of artists from across Canada and around the world.

A strong economy must be strong in arts and culture, which is why I continuously supported this important endeavour.

Opening night will feature Canadian superstar, Louise Pitre, the debut of the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra and the 130 voice choir from the Bayview Secondary School.

Planning for the 2009-2010 season is already under way and will include touring Broadway productions, internationally renowned performers and the world premier of a new work from Modern Times Stage Company.

The centre will be a great addition to Richmond Hill and will also be the largest and the most technologically sophisticated performance venue in York region.

I would like to acknowledge the leadership of the mayor and council and Michael Grit, the theatre manager.

As Canada's former prima ballerina, Karen Kain, put it well.“Where the arts flourish, life flourishes, where the arts are ignored, life is impoverished”.

L'Arrière Scène theatre

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the economic strength of culture in Montérégie is undeniable. It represents thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic benefits.

The L'Arrière Scène theatre in Beloeil is part of this economic force. It is a concrete example of the devastating impact of cuts to two programs, namely PromArt and Trade Routes. Since 1980, this dramatic arts centre for children and youth has gone on eight European tours, in Scandinavia to be exact. This year they cannot go.

By voting for this budget, the Liberals and the Conservatives have voted against promoting Quebec and Canadian culture abroad.

According to a study, 59% of tours scheduled for 2009-10 are threatened by the cuts to these programs. For the following seasons, 90% of tours are jeopardized. This is the result of a Conservative-Liberal coalition. Good work.

Shaughnessy Park School

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, remarkable is the only word that can describe the students at Shaughnessy Park School in my constituency of Winnipeg North who won the National Stop Racism Video Competition.

It is remarkable especially since this marks the ninth time out of ten years the competition has been in existence that Shaughnessy Park School students under the direction of Mitchell Rygiel have won, this time with two commercials entitled “We're all Wieners!” and “Racism: Inappropriate for All Ages”.

Fighting racism is important and this award highlights how it can be done in a positive way.

In recent weeks we have seen flashes of racism and anti-Semitism in Canada, particularly on some campuses.

Shaughnessy Park School students offer us a model for vigilance and persistence in speaking out against hatred, racism and anti-Semitism and raising important issues in the context of democratic debate, tolerance and respect.

Tackling Violent Crime

[Lee Richardson, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to talk about violent crime in Calgary.

While crime is growing in our city, we are fortunate to have the leadership of police chief, Rick Hansen, Alberta justice minister, Allison Redford, and our federal government working together in a positive, coordinated way to combat this scourge.

Last spring, Parliament passed Bill C-2, the Tackling Violent Crime Act. Among other things, this legislation implemented new bail provisions that will keep those accused of serious gun crimes off the streets while awaiting trial.

This government is continuing to move forward on its anti-crime agenda. Earlier today, the Minister of Justice introduced Bill C-14, the next step in our anti-crime agenda.

The new law will target gang violence and organized crime, including gang murders, drive-by shootings and additional protection for police and peace officers.

Calgarians want action on crime now and that is what we intend to deliver.

Hockey

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, February 21, 2009, will no doubt remain forever etched in the memories of the citizens of Campbellton and Restigouche for it was on that date that the 9th annual Hockey Day in Canada was broadcast live from Campbellton.

Every year, two famous CBC personalities, Ron MacLean and Don Cherry, move their studio to a Canadian community located away from the major centres.

The hosts used the day as an opportunity to talk about those who actively contribute to the region's vitality and economic prosperity through hockey. They paid tribute to the players, the parents, and the volunteers.

Hockey clinics were held throughout the day, attended by former players of the National Hockey League, and local teams played against one another.

Another popular attraction of this event was of course the presence of the Stanley Cup at the Civic Centre in Campbellton. For several hours, fans were able to have their picture taken with the famous NHL trophy.

The event's organizing committee made the day a great success both regionally and nationally. We owe a vote of thanks to them for working so hard for the people of Restigouche.

Robert Thomas James Mitchell

[Larry Miller, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today to remember Corporal Robert Thomas James Mitchell, a son, a soldier, a husband and a father of three. He was also a member of Canada's Forces in Afghanistan.

Corporal Mitchell was killed on October 3, 2006 when Taliban insurgents attacked Canadian soldiers assisting in road construction near Kandahar.

His mother, Carol, recently delivered a message to newly trained soldiers in Meaford while accepting a Canadian flag from Parliament Hill's Peace Tower. She stated that her son wanted everyone to know that he believed in the mission, was proud to serve in Afghanistan and that he had the best training and equipment possible.

I want to thank the Mitchell family for their continued support for Canada's armed forces.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, Bob and Carol, his wife, Leanne, and children, Cameron, Ryan and Jaylyn. His family and, indeed, all Canadians, can be very proud of his service and dedication.

Talking Books

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to present Magnétothèque, a unique organization dedicated to making the written word accessible in audio format to clients who are visually impaired. It is the only centre providing this service in Quebec. It records more than 600 books per year.

From its founding, in 1976, until 1985, Magnétothèque helped visually impaired children by providing recordings of educational documents. In 1986, it changed its mission to include the recording of pleasure reading books. In 2001, it developed the Service québécois du livre adapté and, in 2005, it became a production centre for talking books. It recently added a sales arm for talking books and its radio station broadcasts a six-hour loop.

My Bloc Québécois colleagues and I wish Magnétothèque a long life.

Israel

[James Lunney, Conservative, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in another attack on Jewish people worldwide, anti-Israeli groups on university campuses today are marking the beginning of what they have dubbed infamously as “Israeli Apartheid Week”. They must not have a clear understanding of apartheid itself.

Unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa, Arab citizens of Israel have full political rights. They vote and participate in the political process. Arab Knesset representatives cross the spectrum, from the Communist and Arab nationalist parties through to the Likud. Salim Jubran, an Israeli Arab, is a judge on Israel's supreme court.

Acts of ignorance such as these protests should offend not only all Canadians, but Parliament as well. Why? Because an NDP student union is a co-sponsor. The very notion of a political party's connection to this brings shame to this chamber. These protests have become a haven for thugs who practice bully tactics and promote intolerance of the Jewish people.

I implore both the NDP and misguided campus groups everywhere to stand down from this week's long attack and recognize Israel for the vibrant democratic society that it is.

Black History Month

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February is Black History Month, a time when we recognize the many achievements and contributions of black Canadians who have done so much to make Canada such a culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation.

We celebrate their great contribution to Canada's cultural, social and political development.

Black History Month is an excellent opportunity for all Canadians to get to know the richness of our past and to celebrate our diversity.

I would like to acknowledge Rick Gosling, the former chair of the Race Relations Committee in Toronto, who is in Ottawa today with young guests from the Children's Breakfast Clubs.

After question period today, all members are invited to a reception with the children in the Commonwealth Room where this year's Black History Month poster will be presented.

All members are welcome and we look forward to seeing them there.

Racism

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the editor of Le Québécois, a French language newspaper, has threatened violence against Quebecers. The editor has advocated that a Quebec radio station be burned down, and yet the Bloc continues to finance this racist newspaper.

The same newspaper has also made unfounded allegations that Jean Charest wants to increase immigration in order to turn francophone Quebecers into a minority, thereby hurting the cause of separatism in Quebec. This newspaper even made racist remarks against President Obama. In its last edition, Pierre Falardeau wondered why everyone compares Barack Obama to JFK. He instead proposed that the president be compared to Lassie the dog, and yet the Bloc continues to finance this bigoted newspaper.

The Bloc only cut its ties to this newspaper after it was exposed by the courageous work of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Racism and extremism of this kind have no place in our country. I ask the House to condemn these Bloc-funded extremists.

James Reaney

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this past summer our nation lost a literary icon of remarkable stature.

James Reaney, celebrated author, playwright, opera librettist, painter, poet, teacher and community activist, died at age 81. Professor Reaney was a great humanitarian and a great Canadian in the eyes of all who knew him. His contribution to Canadian art and culture was a gift to us all. He was the winner of the Chambers Award for best Canadian play, a three time winner of the Governor General's Award and in 1975 the recipient of the Order of Canada.

Among his most famous works was the trilogy dramatizing the story of the legendary Donnelly family of Lucan, Ontario.

Londoners are proud to claim James Reaney as one of our own. His was a life of great achievement and compassion. He was no less than an artistic giant. We will miss his generous spirit and dedication to telling the stories of Canada.

Bloc Québécois

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has been feeling the effects of the global economic crisis. While this government has been working to help the hardest-hit Canadians and to implement economic stimulus measures, what has the Bloc been doing?

The Bloc has been trying to win political points by reviving a 250-year-old battle. It has been trying to divide Quebeckers. The Bloc is using artists as pawns in its “operation division” by systematically failing to acknowledge the economic action plan's significant investments in culture.

This is in addition to the intolerance of the Bloc's allies, who condone the use of violence to achieve their agenda. All the Bloc's actions do is show just how out of touch the party is with the Quebec values it claims to be defending.

Quebeckers want a government that will work tirelessly to get through the economic crisis, but the Bloc has only one goal: divide the people to promote its sovereignist agenda. I vow to defend the Quebec nation against the Bloc's antagonism.

Minister of Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance set up an economic advisory committee to provide him with periodic advice on overall economic strategy during prebudget consultations. The minister chose to have only finance and business representatives sit on this committee.

As for representatives of unions, women, the unemployed, seniors, aboriginals, artists, the poor, environmental groups, community groups, and consumer advocacy groups, none were to be found in the minister's committee.

By choosing to have only the business point of view in his advisory committee, the Minister of Finance has proven once again that, in order to be heard by this Conservative government, what counts is not good ideas but money.

Coast Guard

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

Mr.Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the crew of the Coast Guard ship, Leonard J. Cowley. If there were ever any doubt of the need for the government to invest in the Coast Guard, the activities of this week, which saw the loss of a Spanish fishing vessel and the rescue of its crew, should put any such doubt to rest.

Because of the actions of the Canadian Coast Guard, the lives of 22 fishermen were saved in a quick and dramatic rescue off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Once again the Canadian Coast Guard demonstrated their competence and professionalism in carrying out this rescue.

The crew of the Leonard J. Cowley dispatched two boats to rescue the crew. Medical treatment was provided on board for several men who were suffering from hypothermia and smoke inhalation and later a man was airlifted by a search and rescue helicopter to a hospital in St. John's.

The people of Newfoundland and Labrador who earn their living from the sea know only too well how important it is to have the services of the Coast Guard readily available in the event of a disaster at sea.

I ask members of the House to join me in expressing our appreciation to the Canadian Coast Guard and, in this case, the captain and crew of the Leonard J. Cowley.

Bloc Québécois

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the editor of Le Québécois made threats of violence against Quebeckers when he stated that he would applaud anyone who set fire to Quebec radio stations.

The Bloc Québécois continued to fund this newspaper in spite of such remarks. This radical newspaper has accused Quebec immigrants of placing francophones in the minority in the province and of harming the sovereignist movement. This newspaper made racist remarks about President Barack Obama. Its columnist, Pierre Falardeau, compared the president to Lassie, a dog.

Yet the Bloc continued to support this racist newspaper. Its funding was cut only after pressure was exerted by the courageous Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. We must all condemn the racism and the extremism funded by the Bloc Québécois.

The Economy

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he would make many, many, many mistakes in getting his stimulus package out the door.

Will the government commit to proactively disclose these future mistakes as they happen, or will we have to submit access to information requests and then wait forever for that deeply secretive government to come clean?

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not think there were quite that many manys in the minister's statement, but it was a fact that the minister did state, and it was only in repetition to what the Auditor General has said, that under these extraordinary circumstances, we are asking our public servants to deliver money to Canadians as quickly as possible. We need to admit that there may be minimal mistakes, not the many, many, many mistakes that the hon. member mentioned.

We need to make sure that we get this out the door, but we cannot get it out the door unless we can get that budget out the door.