House of Commons Hansard #10 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was corporations.
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my colleagues in the House that my department has no knowledge with respect to these allegations. The Government of Canada has in the past objected strongly in instances where foreign agents claimed alleged links to Canada.
Robert Carrier Bloc Alfred-Pellan, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance maintains that the Income Tax Act, which allows double deductions, is a good deal for Canadian businesses because it allows them to remain competitive internationally. The United States, France and the United Kingdom prohibit double deductions for a single loan.
How can the parliamentary secretary justify this?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, as I said in the House, I believe it was just yesterday, there was an appointed expert panel of independent experts that provided an opportunity for every Canadian, including members of the Bloc Québécois to put forward their suggestions to this panel. They heard nothing from them other than the heckling that we hear in the House today, which is a little late because the expert panel made recommendations. We are moving forward on those recommendations. It is an opportunity for us to allow our Canadian companies to compete internationally.
Robert Carrier Bloc Alfred-Pellan, QC
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary said that the government made this decision based on recommendations from its fake advisory group.
But, can the parliamentary secretary deny that most of the stakeholders who were consulted by this fake group are the same ones who benefit from this double deduction, notably banks and oil companies?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, that is an incredible accusation for any member of the House to make.
These were respected experts in their field, businessmen, and he calls them fake. I am sure they are all duly offended by that reprehensible comment. I would suggest that the member retract that statement. We respect Canadians. We respect their advice. Most of all, we respect people who stand up when they have an opportunity to speak, instead of howling in the background after the decisions are taken.
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the government to act in a fair, accountable and transparent manner, especially when it is facing the biggest job losses in recorded history. However, it seems that 78% of all the infrastructure projects in the building Canada fund have been allocated to Conservative ridings. This is despite the fact that Conservatives only represent 46% of the seats in the House of Commons.
How can the government act so irresponsibly? Is it only Conservative roads that need to be fixed?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberal Party put out a list of projects. It said that grants were given to Conservative ridings. One grant that it talked about was in Kenora. The announcement was made on July 24. At that time it was a Liberal riding. When the people of Canada were consulted, they changed their minds.
We made an announcement on February 22 last year with the Premier of New Brunswick to support a new conference centre in downtown Fredericton. That constituency was a Liberal constituency at the time, but it is listed as a Conservative one. Of course, it is now represented by a good member from the Conservative Party.
Saint John, New Brunswick, again with the—
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order. We may get more in the answer to the supplementary question.
We will move on to the hon. member for Mississauga—Brampton South.
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Mr. Speaker, the minister thinks he is being funny, but the 234,000 Canadians who lost their jobs are not laughing. Canadians have seen that they cannot trust the Conservative government.
In my own riding of Mississauga—Brampton South, the Conservatives have announced and re-announced the same transit funding again and again.
Why does the minority government insist on showering its own supporters with taxpayers' dollars while the majority of Canadians are left out in the cold?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I will say the last one over again. There is a picture here with the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Liberal Premier of New Brunswick announcing $26 million for Saint John. At the time, it was represented by a Liberal. After the people of Canada were consulted, the people of Saint John changed their minds and elected a good Conservative member.
The Liberals can spread the half-truths, lies and innuendo. We do not believe it and Canadians will not be fooled.
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Mr. Speaker, Sault Ste. Marie steelworkers are among the best in the world. Our high quality steel products compete with pride internationally. However, we are experiencing layoffs and temporary shutdowns. We need to ensure access to markets, strong domestic demand, and we need to stand up to the unfair and illegal dumping of cheap low quality steel from countries like China.
Why is the government not in Washington standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the steelworkers union, with Leo Gerard and Ken Neumann, in defence of the North American steel industry?
Gerald Keddy ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, certainly, Canada has been standing up for the steel industry. We are constantly in negotiations with our trading partners around the world to ensure that fair trade practice and free trade practice is taking place. It is hard to answer the question over the chatter. The reality is that the Canadian government will always stand up for Canadian industry.
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Mr. Speaker, the chatter is coming from his own members.
Within NAFTA and the WTO, Canada is permitted a buy Canadian strategy. Not only is it legal, domestic procurement strategies are in place with our NAFTA partners, the U.S. and Mexico. Only Canada seems to be satisfied to not ensure that a portion of tax dollars stay in Canada to boost domestic demand. It is not protectionism, it is common sense.
When will the government recognize that balance is needed to ensure the longstanding viability of our steel industry and kickstart a buy Canadian strategy?
Gerald Keddy ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, there is balance in the marketplace now. The hon. member would like to say, and mislead the House, that the Canadian government is not standing up for Canadian steelworkers. That is absolutely false. There are currently more than 20 anti-dumping and countervailing duty measures in place against imports from China. Several of those measures are against Chinese steel.
Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the member for Parkdale—High Park identified a list of projects from the building Canada fund and claimed that an inordinate number of them were in Conservative ridings.
Could the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities please inform the House of the significant commitments our government has made in infrastructure from coast to coast to coast?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, one of the Liberal members opposite was spreading some half-truths yesterday. He produced a list of 27 projects totalling about $1 billion. One single project he left out, which was for $662 million, goes through the ridings of Vaughan and York West. This clearly demonstrates that Liberals are not being upfront and honest with Canadians.
We are moving forward with an aggressive plan to create jobs, hope and opportunity. That project, the Spadina subway extension, will be ready to break ground in the coming weeks. It will put thousands of Canadians to work. We are excited about that.
Mario Silva Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the ravages of Zimbabwe to the present crisis in Sri Lanka, the Conservatives have failed to show any leadership.
The conflict in DRC has killed over 45,000 Congolese each month, with thousands of women being raped, but still the Canadian government is all too silent. We cannot allow ourselves to stand idly by and watch more innocent victims suffer.
I ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs, where is our moral leadership? Where is the once strong and proud Canadian voice which used to champion human rights and decry these kinds of atrocities?
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the issues of human rights, rule of law, democracy and freedom have never been stronger with this government in its representations.
Let me just recall what happened this week when we had a debate on the Sri Lanka issue. In the papers today and on the news the Liberals are being accused of political pandering. I would expect a higher standard from that party in front of us.
Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, during the adjournment debate last night, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage stated that his government is helping finance the 375th anniversary of Trois-Rivières. That is untrue. The organizing committee has received nothing from the Department of Canadian Heritage to date. This statement from the parliamentary secretary demonstrates his lack of understanding of this file.
If the money has already been sent, as he claims, can the minister explain why his government promised, throughout the election campaign, to put $2 million into the 375th anniversary fund?
Dean Del Mastro ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, if there is a misunderstanding on this file, it is certainly not within the government.
The 375th anniversary of Trois-Rivières is a great event. It is an event which all Canadians will celebrate. Our government has committed up to $2 million toward this anniversary. It is a great investment. It is a great celebration. We are proud to partner with Trois-Rivières. Bonne fête!
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Mr. Speaker, Ontario has been especially hard hit with over 71,000 job losses last month alone. The majority were family-supporting jobs in the manufacturing sector.
The unemployment rate is up across southern Ontario: London, 7.8%; Hamilton and Oshawa, 8%; Kitchener, 8.4%; St. Catharines, 8.8%; and Windsor, 10.9%.
Will the government take the shackles off the stimulus plan and funnel infrastructure money into municipalities for the people who need it?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we are working cooperatively with the Government of Ontario. A series of announcements will be coming in short order.
We are committed to providing a much needed shot in the arm to the southern Ontario economy. That is not enough for the people who live in that part of the country. That is why recently, the Prime Minister, with the help of the Minister of Finance, announced a new southern Ontario economic development agency. My premier has been fighting for something like this for many years. Finally my premier, Dalton McGuinty, has some support in Ottawa.
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of the Environment please explain to the House today how our investments toward fighting climate change are moving us forward to a cleaner environment?
Jim Prentice ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome the hon. member for Kitchener Centre to the House environment committee and thank him for his excellent work.
Our investments in clean technology, particularly in areas such as carbon capture and storage, allow Canada to lead the world in transformative technologies. The partnering that we have achieved with the provinces through initiatives such as the ecotrust has allowed the provinces, within their own jurisdictions, to pursue the reduction of greenhouse gases.
It is crucial in our collective fight as a federation that we work together to reduce greenhouse gases and clean up our environment.