Debates of Feb. 6th, 2009

Cold Lake Air Show

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our country has a rich aviation history.

On February 23, 1909, the Silver Dart airplane made history when, with John McCurdy at the controls, it became the first controllable powered aircraft to fly in Canada. About two weeks later, on March 10, 1909, McCurdy flew the aircraft on an astounding 20-kilometre circular flight around Baddeck Bay.

The year 2009 represents 100 years of powered flight in Canada. I am proud to support the Cold Lake Air Show 2009, a celebration of centennial flight.

4 Wing Cold Lake, in concert with the city of Cold Lake, the municipal district of Bonnyville and Cold Lake First Nations, will hold an air show to commemorate the importance of aviation in our region.

From the first Canadian flight in February 1909 to logistical and tactical training during World War II, the men and women of the Canadian aviation sector continue to be a point of pride for our nation.

I welcome everyone to join the people of the Lakeland area on August 1 and August 2 in celebrating our aviation history on the beautiful shores of Cold Lake.

Winter Carnival in North Bay

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the largest francophone festival outside Quebec. I am referring to the Carnaval des Compagnons, held every year in North Bay. This year's event, the 46th carnival, will take place from February 6 to 15.

Since 1963, the Carnaval des Compagnons has brought together the francophone community in my riding. This cultural and social activity is a major event in the life of the community. For 10 days in a row there are all sorts of shows, sporting events, plays, traditional meals and a wide range of family activities.

For many, the centrepiece of the carnival is Bonhomme Carnaval, the mascot of the event, whose identity is never revealed until the last day.

The North Bay Carnaval des Compagnons is a magnificent festival that celebrates francophone culture. I want to congratulate this year's organizers and encourage all Canadians to put on their toques and mittens and come enjoy the carnival.

Juno Awards

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House today to congratulate two musical groups from my riding of Saint Boniface that have been announced as 2009 Juno Award nominees.

The two groups, Chic Gamine and The Duhks, have both been nominated in the category of roots and traditional album of the year group.

I am very proud to recognize the artistic talent coming out of the francophone community in Saint Boniface.

These young talented artists are proof that Saint Boniface music is reaching beyond the boundaries of other communities and into the hearts of all Canadians.

Chic Gamine has been nominated for their self-titled debut album and includes members Andrina Turenne, Annick Brémeault, Alexa Dirks, Ariane Jean and Alexandre Sacha Daoud.

The Duhks have been nominated for their album Fast Paced World. The members of the group include Sarah Dugas, Christian Dugas, Tania Elizabeth, Jordan McConnell and Leonard Podolak.

On behalf of everyone in Saint Boniface, I want to congratulate these young artists on their hard word and dedication and on being nominated for the Juno Awards, which will be presented in Vancouver on March 29.

Regional Patriote of 2008

[Luc Desnoyers, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Jean-Olivier-Chénier section of the Montreal Saint-Jean-Baptiste society recently awarded the title of regional Patriote for 2008 at the Saint-Eustache Maison du citoyen.

This title was awarded to Mr. Jules Théorêt, a long-time activist, who for many years was involved in a union defending the collective rights of workers.

Mr. Théorêt was obviously pleased to be receiving the honour of regional Patriote for 2008 and he captivated the audience with a passionate and forthright speech. He thanked those who toil for social justice and respect for workers' rights.

At this gathering, Mr. Théorêt expressed his hope “that all Quebeckers will become Patriotes. In these times of economic and political crisis, we must show solidarity.”

I would personally like to congratulate Mr. Théorêt on receiving this honour.

The Conservative Government

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate an important milestone in this government's history.

It was three years ago today that the Conservative government and our Prime Minister were sworn into office.

What a period of time it has been. In that short time we provided tax relief for every Canadian, we strengthened our justice system's ability to tackle crime, we brought in accountability measures to clean up the mess left by the previous Liberal government and we increased our presence on the world stage.

Our record is a strong one. When that record was put to the Canadian people in the election last October, the Conservative government received a renewed mandate to deal with the issues facing Canadians.

Finally, we must not forget those who made this possible: the Conservative Party volunteers, donors, members and voters who worked so hard to make this a reality. To all those people across this great country, I say thank you. Let us celebrate this remarkable achievement.

Black History Month

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate and celebrate Black History Month in Canada, a time when we recall the long march of African Canadians for freedom, the struggle for human dignity and liberty, and the singular contribution and legacy of African Canadians to the building of a plural Canadian identity and a diverse Canadian mosaic.

Included in the thematic character of this Black History Month are the historic and courageous contribution of the No. 2 Construction Battalion of Canada in the building of roads, railways, bridges and defences in the first great war in 1916; the important and inspirational contribution of black athletes to the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Games; and the preservation of African Canadians' enduring contribution through telling the black narrative in museums of black history as part of intergenerational continuity.

In remembering and reaffirming the historic contribution of the black Canadian community in the building of Canada and Canadian identity, we affirm and celebrate the building of a plural Canadian community and culture, one in which, in the words of Martin Luther King, people will be not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

Warren Kinsella

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when a man has only a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail. The outbursts of top Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella are well known.

In 2007, he suggested that a female member of the Ontario legislature should be home “baking cookies” rather than attending a political event. Last week he complained that he and friends went to a popular Ottawa Chinese restaurant “if we didn't have a girlfriend who could cook”. He then accused the Chinese-Canadians of serving up barbecued cat.

Now Warren Kinsella has turned his belligerence against a popular Canadian journalist and artist, Pierre Bourque. Mr. Kinsella called him a dork for his artistic sensitivity.

Mr. Bourque received warmest thanks from the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for an oil painting Mr. Bourque sent them as a wedding gift. They did not think he was a dork for sharing his talent, unlike Mr. Kinsella.

Warren Kinsella's recent comments have hammered women's equality, racial tolerance and, most recently, artistic expression. It is time for the Liberal leader to ask, once again, for his hand-picked senior adviser to apologize to all Canadians.

The Budget

[Bruce Hyer, NDP, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to analyze the finance minister's budget. I was disappointed to see that it contains so little for the communities of northwestern Ontario. I am equally saddened to see that the Liberal leader has led the Liberal Party down the same bold path trail-blazed by Mr. Dion.

He silently condemns the budget with one breath, and then he rubber-stamps--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order. The hon. member knows he cannot refer to other hon. members by name. I would invite him to control his comments in that respect.

[Bruce Hyer, NDP, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will watch that.

The Liberal-Conservative budget does not address the major issues my constituents have brought up. In Thunder Bay--Superior North people have called for a fairer employment insurance system, real support for the forest industry and real money for local infrastructure needs for our communities.

When will the Minister of Industry speak up for Canadian industries and Canadian workers?

Women of Zimbabwe Arise Organization

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, each year on Valentine's Day courageous activists from the 35,000-member organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise engage in peaceful protests that bring to light their motto, “The power of love can conquer the love of power”.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise is one of the most remarkable peaceful responses built across tribal and racial lines by Zimbabwean citizens who are determined to be advocates for social goals such as access to education, health care and food; to speak out, regardless of the physical danger to themselves, against political oppression and in favour of power-sharing; and, notwithstanding the endless provocations of a regime that has jailed and beaten elderly protesters and pregnant protesters, to do all of this peacefully and with love, not anger.

This Valentine's Day let each of us whose paths are so much smoother than the one chosen by these brave Zimbabwean women salute them for demonstrating to their government and to the world that there is no power that can crush the power of love.

Aerospace Industry

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, some job losses are more surprising than others and less publicized. This is the case for the job cuts in the aerospace sector. First, it was Bell Helicopter and now Bombardier Aerospace has announced the layoff of 710 employees in the Montreal area alone. Another leader of the Quebec economy has fallen prey to the economic crisis and the failure of the Conservatives in Quebec to take remedial action.

What was the response of the Minister of Industry this week when questioned about this sector in particular? On February 3, he announced that all was well with this industry in Quebec. On the eve of the 710 layoffs, he confirmed that the sector was a global competitor and that the Conservatives would continue to support it. But what are they really doing?

The Bloc Québécois fears that the Conservatives will offer the aerospace industry the same support the forestry and manufacturing sectors received in the recent budget—a mere pittance.

Official Languages

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously on yet another case involving official languages. In the ruling, the court indicated that “the Official Languages Act states that not only must federal services be provided in English and French, but that these services must be of equal quality”.

This ruling will have an enormous impact across the country. The Supreme Court has made it clear that, from now on, when the federal government provides a service—any program, any department—it will have to take the particular needs of the linguistic minority into account.

The important thing here is that the justice quoted part VII of the Official Languages Act, which is now binding. The ruling would not have been possible before Bill S-3 was passed. That happened under a Liberal government. I would therefore like to salute the courage, vision and dedication of former senator Jean-Robert Gauthier, and the force and determination of the minister responsible for official languages at the time, the current member for Ottawa—Vanier, who worked so hard to make the bill a reality.

Leader of the Bloc Québécois

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois has once again shown us how intolerant he can be and how much he dislikes people who dare to have an opinion that differs from his own.

Today, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is once again going after President Sarkozy, simply for expressing an opinion that is shared by others.

Mr. Sarkozy is asking a good question: Does the world, in the midst of this unprecedented crisis it is facing, need division? Who would say yes to that?

The leader of the Bloc Québécois would rather divide Quebeckers with his sectarian ideology. The leader of the Bloc has thus shown that he has no respect for people who do not share his point of view or for our European allies who do not think the way he does.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, in January, 129,000 jobs were lost across the country, the largest monthly decline in recorded history, a number three times worse than forecast, and this was after the Prime Minister assured us mere months ago that if Canada were facing a recession we would already have had it.

Will the government admit that it not only did not see this coming but it has absolutely no idea where it is going?

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

Mr. Speaker, we absolutely know where we are going and we would implore all hon. members in the House to work with us.

As early as interviews at the end of 2007, the Prime Minister was clear with Canadians that we were going to be facing some difficult economic times.

We implore all hon. members in the House to stop complaining about getting the job done and actually help us get it done.

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

Yes, Mr. Speaker, and a few days before he said “tough economic times”, he said that the land was strong. What does he know?

In January alone, 129,000 jobs were lost, a number three times higher than was predicted, an all-time record. The Conservatives are underestimating the problems and overestimating the strength of their solutions.

Have the Conservatives finally realized that their incompetence has real consequences for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, speaking about consequences, if we do not get the budget implementation bill, which will be tabled here today, through the House, the consequences will impact Canadians.

We are all very concerned and troubled when any Canadian loses a job. We have a chance to move this economic action plan forward and I would encourage all hon. members to help us expedite that.

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

Mr. Speaker, we could have been debating it by now if the government had its ways and means motion right the first time.

The budget claims that it will save or create 190,000 jobs for Canadians, but over the past three months the Conservatives have already been spectators to 234,000 Canadian jobs lost. Clearly, by their own arithmetic, the budget is a failure.

How can the minister explain to Canadians that the budget will save fewer jobs than the country has already lost in three short months?

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

Mr. Speaker, the former economist seems to like to dabble in academic debate while people are losing their jobs.

It is incredibly important that we get this passed. I would like to suggest that the member for Markham—Unionville consult with some of his constituents.

I will quote the mayor of Markham who said, “I want to applaud this government...for making the budget so comprehensive when it comes to job creation”. I applaud that sort of recognition. He went on to say, “I think it's great news for Markham and all municipalities”.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning's statistics on the number of jobs lost take one's breath away. It is unprecedented in Canadian history. For months, the Conservatives have responded to our concerns by saying that everything was going very well and that we did not need to worry.

Will they now admit that their refusal to see this has kept them from taking the measures needed to mitigate this disaster?

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

Mr. Speaker, no one can express how troubling it is when one Canadian loses a job. We talk about numbers. What is important here is the fact that any Canadian has lost his or her job.

We have a challenge in front of us and we have a plan to meet that challenge.

[An. hon. member]

It is serious.

[Menzies]

Yes, it is a serious problem so let us be serious about it. Let us work together to ensure we put this plan in place as fast as we can.

I would encourage all hon. members to quit bickering and get on with what matters to Canadians.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives inherited a healthy economy and balanced budgets. In the month of January alone, 26,000 jobs were lost, just in Quebec and the unemployment rate has risen to 7.2%. In Quebec, residential foreclosures were at a four-year high in January and hundreds of families have found themselves on the street.

Have the Conservatives woken up? Do they now understand how serious this crisis is?