Debates of March 27th, 2009

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, we have lived up to our obligations. We made a very specific campaign commitment to maintain or increase funding for the CBC and we did that.

We have passed four budgets in this Parliament and In every one of our budgets we increased funding for the CBC, including the budget of this year.

This year's budget, which the member voted against, increased funding for the CBC. She might have voted for the budget if she had read it before she decided to vote against it. As a matter of fact, had she voted for the budget, she would be walking her talk in supporting the CBC.

Mining Industry

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a report drawing on the round tables held in 2007 concerning the mining industry recommended creating an ombudsman position and establishing mandatory social standards for the activities of companies operating abroad. Instead, the minister is creating a bogus agency that will not impose any rules or consequences on companies that pollute or infringe on human rights.

How can the government trust the offending companies to correct the situation when they do not face any consequences?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we have the position of counsellor for the extractive sector. We are expecting this position to do a lot to benefit corporate social responsibility in Canada.

It should be recognized that Canadian companies control around 43% of the world's mining sector. There are 8,000 Canadian companies in 100 countries around the world doing a great job in the mining and extractive sectors, and doing a great job on corporate social responsibilities.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite the concerns and criticism expressed by many, the Conservative government has introduced a bill to ratify the free trade agreement with Peru. I would remind the House that Canada is the top investor in mining in that country.

What message is the minister sending by not imposing any rules on mining companies? Do trade and money trump human rights?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, nothing is further from the truth. The free trade agreements with Peru and Colombia have some of the strongest provisions on human rights of any free trade agreement ever signed by Canada. Human rights are respected, the environment is respected and corporate social responsibility is adhered to. These are some of the best and strongest agreements we have ever signed.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, as some fish stocks continue to decline in Atlantic Canada, some fish are hard to find but not as hard to find as the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Everybody in the industry is aware of Tim Rhyno and they are aware of that $1 million crab licence/parting gift.

The industry is furious about this but the minister will not go down and meet with the fishermen and explain this abuse, this miscarriage of privilege that was undertaken by her predecessor, Loyola Hearn.

Will she come to Nova Scotia and explain it to the fishermen?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I have not denied any request for a meeting. However, as I have said before in the House, licensing issues are confidential between the licensee and the department and is not something I can discuss with a third party.

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

Mr. Speaker, discussion is not something the minister wants to engage in. She shows up for a cameo appearance at the MFU, reads from a prepared text, answers no questions from the fishermen or the press and slips out the back.

She stepped away from a 10-point conservation plan. The lobster fishermen in the gulf are just furious. They want answers. It was a plan that was developed by her department, supported and pushed by the industry. Conservation cannot be voluntary. We need leadership on conservation. Where is the minister--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that since being appointed to this position back in October of last year, I have met with fisheries groups on a weekly basis and I will gladly answer anybody's questions.

I can tell the hon. member that on the 10-point management 10-year plan for lobster in Atlantic Canada, I have listened to the fishers. I have given the fishers more time to complete their plans because that is what they asked for.

Veterans Affairs

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, two Fridays ago, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs gave a very cold and deliberately misleading statement to my question on agent orange.

I would now like for the parliamentary secretary to stand, look in the camera and tell Agnes Conrad of Nova Scotia, Rose Gravelle of New Brunswick, Chris Young of Ontario, Fredrick Weaver of British Columbia and thousands of others who have been denied agent orange assistance even though the Prime Minister and the Minister of Veterans Affairs promised that they would get it.

Would he please stand, face the camera and tell those people how happy they should be on what you did on agent orange compensation?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member maybe was intending to address his remarks to the Chair and may have addressed the parliamentary secretary instead.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure, in the way the member phrased his question, that he was intent on getting a serious answer on what has been a most serious issue facing many Canadians who were around CFB Gagetown in the years 1966-67.

The fact is that was 40-some years ago and it has been looked at and studied. The previous Liberal government totally ignored dealing with the issue. I think even the member would acknowledge the fact that it was our government that stepped up. We provided ex gratia payments because it was so difficult to get the records all straight. We responded to the issue--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Sackville—Eastern Shore.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

With great respect to my colleague from Nova Scotia, Mr. Speaker, it was not 40 years ago. The spraying in Gagetown happened from 1958 to 1984. He knows that very well. He also knows that the Minister of Veterans Affairs, when in opposition, promised on four separate occasions to call for a public judicial inquiry to get all those documents and call for the facts of this. He also knows that the Prime Minister was in Gagetown in 2006 and promised that everybody from 1958 to 1984 would be looked after. That is simply not what has happened.

Will the parliamentary secretary now rise in his place and do two things: first, extend the compensation deadline for agent orange--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is most unfortunate that the member, who should have knowledge of the veterans as much as anybody should in the House, would deliberately point out something that is absolutely erroneous.

The program that was put in by this government was for people who were hit in 1966-67 by agent orange. The program has been very effective. Over 2,100 people have been recognized and have in fact been sent cheques.

I would also point out that, as emotional as the member gets, it is a shame that his leader and party have not supported any of the programs for veterans in Canada.

Public Safety

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there are no more vulnerable members in our society than the children and youth of Canada. We as a government have the responsibility to protect these children from the myriad of perils and dangers that threaten them every day. The large number of arrests associated with Project Salvo only underscores some of the grave risks our children may face.

Could the parliamentary secretary please update the House on the important work being done by the RCMP and other police agencies to protect our children and keep them safe from those seeking to prey upon them?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, nothing is more important to the government than the safety and well-being of our children. I am pleased to advise the House of the results of Canada's largest ever investigation into child sexual victimization on the Internet.

Led by the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, Project Salvo has resulted in the arrest of more than 50 individuals. I would like to thank all of those officers and individuals for their tireless efforts to combat child victimization and track down online predators.

I want to reiterate the government's commitment to end the horrific abuse and to protect our nation's children.

Government Assistance

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the Red River rises, the most immediate threat to Manitobans come from ice jams that cause devastating floods. Many homes have been evacuated and many more are under threat.

At a time when Manitobans desperately need strong federal assistance, the government's back seat approach is failing them.

Why is the government failing to take a leadership role in protecting the lives, homes and businesses that are under threat of being washed away? As an example, why has the government failed to deploy hovercraft, which are far more effective at breaking ice jams? They were used in Quebec. Why are they missing in action in Manitoba?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact, the Government of Canada is closely monitoring the situation in Manitoba and is working with provincial colleagues to determine if any assistance is required.

As a matter of fact, as we are sitting here today, the President of the Treasury Board and the hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake are in Manitoba monitoring and assisting.

Since the record flood of 1997, $139 million of mitigation measures have been put in place. We are continuing to work with the Province of Manitoba and we will continue in the future.

RCMP

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a link between tasers and deaths is becoming increasingly clear, especially when an individual is shocked repeatedly with blasts lasting more than 15 seconds. The RCMP's written guidelines used to state, “Unless situational factors dictate otherwise, do not cycle the CEW repeatedly, no more than 15-20 seconds at a time, against a subject.” But just days before appearing before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, the commissioner has that sentence stricken from the guidelines.

Was an explanation provided to the minister to explain this odd move, and does this not affect his confidence in the commissioner?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, taser use by the RCMP is an issue that is taken seriously by the government. At the government's request, the RCMP's review and complaints body has examined and made recommendations on the RCMP's use of tasers.

It is interesting that the analysis of the conducted energy weapon reports that the RCMP's usage of the taser in the year 2008 was down 30%.

Foreign Affairs

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a Canadian citizen is stuck in our embassy in Khartoum waiting for a passport so he can come home to his family. He has suffered from imprisonment in Sudan, a country with an infamous record on torture.

The government's own documents state that if he had a plane ticket, a passport would be issued for him. Recently, 170 Canadians banded together and bought him a ticket home.

Will the government now issue a passport to Mr. Abdelrazik so he can come home to his family? According to the talking points of the parliamentary secretary, it is yes, but is it yes today?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to provide Mr. Abdelrazik with consular assistance.

However, I would remind the hon. member that Mr. Abdelrazik has been listed by the United Nations Security Council on the 1267 list and is, therefore, subject to a travel ban and assets freeze.

As this matter is currently under litigation, we cannot comment further on the situation.