House of Commons Hansard #78 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was park.
Dona Cadman Conservative Surrey North, BC
Mr. Speaker, today our government introduced legislation to help police better investigate and apprehend organized criminals who use the Internet to facilitate their crimes. A recent report issued by the federal victims ombudsman reveals that the number of charges in relation to child pornography increased 900% between 1998 and 2003.
Could the Minister of Justice please explain how the legislation introduced today will stop the sexual exploitation and victimization of children?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her continued interest in this area. I am proud to say that today we introduced legislation that will ensure that law enforcement has the necessary tools to catch up with child predators and bring them to justice.
This government is committed to improving our criminal justice system. When it comes to standing up for victims, law-abiding Canadians and particularly children, we are the only party Canadians can count on.
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Mr. Speaker, funding Toronto's streetcars generates 20,000 jobs in Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec, on this continent. It generates millions of tax dollars for the government. Tomorrow, the Ontario premier and the mayor of Toronto are announcing support for this project, which is very important to this country.
Why is the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities not joining his premier in this important announcement? Does he want to drop the “f“ bomb on Toronto again?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, over in the NDP there is a two-headed NDP monster. One says “Buy Canadian”; the other one says, “Buy foreign”. One says, “Create jobs in the next two years”; the other one says, “Spread them out over 10 years”.
We are committed to working with the city of Toronto to create jobs in the next two years so that there is more hope, more opportunity and a much needed shot in the arm for the city of Toronto's economy. Step by step, we are committed to getting it done.
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Mr. Speaker, the two-headed monster is actually his Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister.
The last time Toronto got real funding for public transit, it was the leader of the New Democratic Party who got funding for the subways, streetcars and buses that are being built right now. Would the minister enlighten Canadians if, during the last two days of negotiations, his Leader of the Opposition even bothered to raise the issue of public funding of these streetcars and public transit?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting public transit and the city of Toronto. We have shown an unprecedented commitment to do that. We have announced substantial support for the Spadina subway extension. We have shown significant support for GO Transit. The Minister of Finance cited Union Station in the budget.
Just a few short weeks ago, my Prime Minister and my premier were there giving more money to the Toronto Transit Commission to expand public transit for all citizens of Toronto, including the newest citizen of Toronto, the granddaughter of the leader of the NDP and the member for Trinity—Spadina.
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Speaker, on May 14, 2009, in response to a question I asked, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said in this House that a proposal taking into account the situation the potato producers in Saint-Amable have been facing for almost three years would be presented by the end of May.
Today is June 18. Does this mean that, just as I feared, the minister's fine words should be added to a growing list of broken promises?
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture)
Mr. Speaker, the answer to the question is no. We are in fact in contact with officials concerning the golden nematode crisis in Saint Amable.
We are trying to find a date on which everyone—including myself, the Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and local officials—can all meet to discuss the situation. Theoretically, we are looking at the end of June.
Raynald Blais Bloc Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
Mr. Speaker, the decision to impose a moratorium on cod fishing in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is hurting Quebec fishers and putting many of them on the verge of bankruptcy.
The minister has done nothing to ensure an income for our fishers or the industry to help them through the crisis in the fisheries sector.
Will the minister commit today to announcing a plan to buy back licences and provide immediate financial assistance to people in the industry who have been affected by the moratorium?
Gail Shea ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, it is always a difficult decision to close down a fishery, because it does impact the livelihoods of people. We all know that the cod industry has had its challenges over the years. This is the third closure in less than 20 years, but we cannot compromise the stock or it will have absolutely no future.
This was the right decision. We have the community adjustment fund in place to respond to issues such as these.
Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, today the Liberal leader committed to encouraging more women to enter politics by accepting the Equal Voice challenge. The importance of electing more women to the House cannot be overstated, especially when the government has not advanced the interests of women. The minister sprinkles money around, but there is no vision, no set goals, no plan.
Why does the government still have no comprehensive plan to improve the lives of Canadian women?
Helena Guergis ConservativeMinister of State (Status of Women)
Mr. Speaker, our government's record is very clear when it comes to women in leadership roles. We are talking about Equal Voice quite a bit today in the House. The commitment that our government has made to Equal Voice was $1.2 million in funding for a three-year program to reach out to women across the country, young women between the ages of 18 and 25, to increase their political literacy skills, provide mentorship opportunities in hopes of seeing more women elected to the federal House and in the hopes of seeing more women elected to all levels of government across the country. This is substantial and the hon. member should recognize that.
Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government scrapped the national child care agreement. It scrapped the court challenges program. It scrapped the Kelowna accord. It made cuts to women's advocacy and literacy. It bargained away women's rights to pay equity. It took meaningful equality out of the mandate of Status of Women Canada and continued to defy international commitments. That does not sound like a government that stands up for the rights of women.
When are we going to see any real commitment from the government for the women of Canada?
Helena Guergis ConservativeMinister of State (Status of Women)
Mr. Speaker, it does not matter how many times the member makes up crazy stories, they are not believed by women across the country.
What we see under the leadership of this Prime Minister is the highest percentage of women appointed to cabinet in this country's history. We also see the largest number of women on the government side in Canada's history. We have the highest percentage of funds provided to Status of Women Canada, an increase of 42%. We have seen the number of grassroots organizations supporting women increase by 69% across this country. That is action.
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, finally, the government has agreed to respect the rights of Mr. Abdelrazik, but there are lingering questions about why this Canadian citizen, who was cleared of any security problems by CSIS and the RCMP, has been denied his right to return to Canada for so long.
I would like to ask this question. Did either the President of the Treasury Board or the Minister of International Trade in their previous portfolios receive requests from Ambassador Wilkins or the White House in 2006 to prevent Mr. Abdelrazik from returning to Canada?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the one place we will not get advice from on this is the NDP. We have acted on the very best legal advice, and as I have already indicated to the House, we will comply with the court order.
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, this government is out of touch with reality and the people who are suffering because of the economic crisis. As if to prove it, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans unilaterally decided to impose a moratorium on cod fishing in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence without consulting fishers.
Why did fishers have to find out about the decision in the papers? Will the minister take back her moratorium and work with fishers so that they can do their jobs instead of going bankrupt?
Gail Shea ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe that the member over there is talking as he is, that we should not pay any attention to science, when I know he attended Oceans Day where we talked about sustainability of our seafood products.
Science is very important, and because science tells us that seals are also a contributing factor in the low stocks of the cod industry and are preventing it from rebuilding, I have directed my department to implement a plan to reduce the number of seals in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence as soon as possible.
Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Mr. Speaker, small businesses play an increasingly important role in our economy. Whether through tax cuts or increased access to financing, our government is working to support Canadian small business owners.
The Minister of State for the Status of Women recently received one of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council's International Luminary Awards for the outstanding work she has done with Canadian women small business owners.
Could the Minister of State please tell this House what our government is continuing to do for women small business owners from coast to coast to coast?
Helena Guergis ConservativeMinister of State (Status of Women)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her question. In Canada, women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men. In fact, the OECD has cited our Canadian entrepreneurial women as the most creative and most entrepreneurial among the world.
That is why our government is supporting WEConnect Canada. It is why our government is supporting women entrepreneurs and helping them to access supplier diversity markets.
The Canadian Women's Business Network has endorsed our government's economic action plan, and was particularly pleased with our election promise for the self-employed, to extend EI, maternal and paternal benefits to them.
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Speaker, after months of ignoring the forestry sector, the government rolled out an inadequate package that has already been labelled a cruel joke on unemployed workers.
Will this package help all paper mills? No. Will it help lumber mills? No. Will it help the 55,000 laid-off forestry workers? No, and it will not help Fraser Papers, which filed for bankruptcy today.
Why is the government so callous when it comes to the thousands of families, hundreds of communities, and even whole provinces left out of this deal?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, I had great pleasure yesterday in announcing this government's $1 billion program, called the pulp and paper green transformation program.
It makes sense for a lot of reasons. Not only is it rewarding those pulp and paper firms that are using renewable fuels, but it is also providing investment for the future, when we come out of this global recession, so that we are better positioned in order to take advantage of the markets.
Indeed the industry has responded and has indicated that it greatly appreciates the government's strong commitment to the industry and its future.
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Mr. Speaker, during question period the minister responsible for Status of Women, in responding to my colleague, after a long list of government programs, called them crazy, which means they are crazy programs from the government, but it is offensive to women in this country to suggest that a questioner is crazy. This is absolutely offensive. This is not the kind of behaviour I expect from the minister for Status of Women Canada.
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
They can scream or yell, but that is the fact. At the end of the day, the programs that my colleague listed were programs that the government eliminated, and if she wants to say that is crazy, it is their programs that they are calling crazy, not my colleague.