Debates of June 19th, 2009

Infrastructure

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this party did not approve a plan that was going to stiff Canada's largest city.

By turning its back on this project, the government is demonstrating an astounding lack of vision. The government has an opportunity to invest in public transit to create jobs and move the economy forward, all for an estimated $312 million. It sounds like a good investment to me, the kind of investment that fuels economic recovery.

Why is the government missing in action? Why—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Transport.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and every single member of the Liberal caucus, every single Liberal MP, voted for a stimulus plan that would last for two years.

This government has been very committed to supporting public transit in Canada's largest city. We are supporting the Spadina subway extension. We are supporting major investments in GO Transit. We are a third partner for the Sheppard line. In the budget we also included significant new resources to help clean up the most important building in the province, Union Station.

The Economy

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of a full-blown economic crisis and this is the last sitting of Parliament before the summer recess. Meanwhile, the co-leader of the Liberal-Conservative coalition is preparing for a fall election and the Prime Minister is holding a photo op. This is a clear indication of how little the coalition cares about the public.

Will the new coalition admit that it has entered into an agreement that will buy time in order to better prepare for a future election rather than help the businesses and workers seriously affected by this crisis?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, naturally, this is another black day for the Leader of the Bloc Québécois and his party because, today, they wanted to leave the Hill on a bus with their leader's picture on the side and start off on the election campaign. They were prepared to squander half a billion dollars of taxpayers' money. We stopped them. We defended the interests of Quebeckers because they do not want to go to the polls.

Quebec

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this coalition abandons not only the unemployed, but also all of Quebec. Quebec has received nothing for harmonizing the GST, nothing for funding post-secondary education, nothing for equalization. Instead, the coalition has not stopped doing things to hurt Quebec. It voted in favour of a Canada-wide securities commission and against the application of Bill 101 in the Canada Labour Code. They truly are token Quebeckers.

Will this new coalition admit that it has done everything but defend the interests of the Quebec nation?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, since we came to power, the Bloc's approach has always been to play the bogeyman. Equalization payments have increased by 70% since we took power. Not to mention the seat at UNESCO and the recognition of Quebec as a nation. All these people want is to create crises. In addition, we just announced $394 million for knowledge infrastructure. We are Quebeckers who are taking action for Quebec, and not—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Joliette.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is against any proposal put forward by the Bloc Québécois before he even knows what it is. But while the Liberals have no ideas and fully support the Conservatives' so-called plan, we have tabled two complete plans to get us out of this crisis and to meet the needs of the unemployed and the struggling sectors, like the forestry sector.

By systematically refusing to consider our proposals, is the Liberal-Conservative coalition not showing its bias against Quebec and against workers?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, we must support the people who are struggling because of the international economic crisis. We have put measures in place to support the unemployed. We have prolonged employment insurance benefit periods by an additional five weeks. If a person receives $400 a week, that means that this person will receive an extra $2,000.

Furthermore, we extended the job-sharing period by 14 weeks. In Canada, 3,200 companies are taking advantage of the change we made to employment insurance. We will continue to stimulate the economy.

Employment Insurance

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition told his troops that the sham employment insurance panel would amount to nothing and that they should be in election mode. The coalition's two sides have put their parties' interests before the people's interests.

Does that lack of principle explain why, today, one half of the coalition was at a photo op while the other was preparing for an election?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, we have already announced that a panel will study ways to improve the employment insurance system. We also announced that, as of this fall, self-employed workers will be able to benefit from the employment insurance system if they wish to contribute to it. Those are two of the measures we have put in place to support workers.

With respect to forestry, we have implemented four different measures in the space of a month and a half to support the forestry sector, but of course they are always against everything we do.

Industry

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have an aversion to government intervention, and this is putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk.

We watched as they rode on President Obama's coattails in the auto sector. The forestry sector is getting assistance in dribs and drabs, while jobs are being slashed.

Nortel was flatly refused when it turned to Ottawa to try to save thousands of high tech jobs and protect pensions.

Why is the government so indifferent to the suffering of so many people in these tough economic times?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, that is not at all the case. I met with Nortel management last January, and there was no commercial framework for intervention in that case.

I had those meetings with the head of Nortel. He did not present a commercially viable business case. Evidently the board of directors agreed with that decision because they are the ones who made the decision to bring that enterprise into CCAA bankruptcy protection.

Public Transit

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is the attitude that is the problem, and the Conservatives' stubbornness faced with this wonderful opportunity to help to finance TTC streetcars, which is a wonderful project. We simply cannot understand why they are refusing, unless of course, they are buying into the view of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities that he does not want to create jobs on another continent. Thunder Bay is still in Canada. That is exactly where the announcement is going to be made today about the city and the province getting together to make this project happen.

We know the government is opposed to using FedNor to create jobs, but why is it refusing to support a project that will create jobs right here in Canada and help the environment at the same time?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it has been the leader of the NDP who has been standing up in this place and asking for a buy Canadian policy. Seventy-five per cent of these streetcars are not made in Canada.

There are 3,700 municipalities in Canada. We have one program for all 3,700. Look at what one individual said: “There are important projects in my city that we did not submit because they weren't eligible. It's really unfair for any municipality that held back projects that didn't qualify”. Who said that? Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we can look forward to this summer, that is for sure. The jobless are going to get blue ribbons. We have a minister who uses crude epithets to insult cities and their citizens. We have a huge project that the federal government should be involved in that would create 6,000 jobs in Canada.

For heaven's sake, Ontario Premier McGuinty and Mayor Miller are doing their part. They are stepping forward and taking action. However, the government in a vote to be taken in just a little while in this place, supported by the Liberals, is going to stiff Toronto and leave it out of the economic--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Transport.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it would be the leader of the NDP who would be the first on his feet in one year's time wondering why our stimulus program had not created any jobs in Toronto.

We want to ensure that the people of Toronto play an active role in our job creation plan and the economic action plan. We have been there for Toronto over the past two years. We are supporting the Spadina subway expansion with more than 667 million federal dollars. We are supporting the renovations at Union Station, which is something that will go into the hundreds of millions of dollars. We have provided a third of a billion dollars for the Sheppard subway line. There is $500 million of federal-provincial money for GO Transit.

No government has been more supportive of public transit in the city of Toronto than this government.

Foreign Affairs

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Ronald Allen Smith is yet another Canadian who has been subject to the Conservatives' incoherent practice of picking and choosing which Canadians receive help abroad.

Now that the government has finally admitted it made a mistake in its handling of the Abdelrazik case despite a federal court ruling, will the Prime Minister now end his selective devaluation of Canadian citizenship abroad?

When will the Conservatives finally respect the law of the land, as ordered by the Federal Court of Canada, and resume its clemency-seeking policy for Ronald Allen Smith?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, to give a bit of background in this case, the lives of two young aboriginals were cut short by Ronald Allen Smith who marched them, literally, into the Montana forest and shot them in 1982.

That said, we have chosen not to appeal the Federal Court ruling. We are complying with the court ruling. I must admit as well that Mr. Smith has received, and will continue to receive, consular assistance.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have a serious problem with the responses given by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on Monday and today. The government is picking and choosing among Canadian citizens. It will take action in certain cases, but in other cases, it will do nothing.

How can the government justify this discriminatory treatment of Canadians? Does the minister not realize that there is only one citizenship and one passport, and that the government has an obligation to all citizens?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I do not accept my hon. colleague's premise. Our government respects the decisions made by sovereign, democratic states. We are determined to ensure that justice is served for Canadians abroad. In that regard, we will continue to study each instance on a case by case basis and, where appropriate, seek clemency for Canadians facing the death penalty abroad.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the way these cases are being handled poses some very serious questions about the positive obligations of the Canadian government.

I would like to ask the minister to turn his attention once again to the Abdelrazik case.

It is very clear from the information which has now been made public with respect to correspondence within the Government of Canada in 2006, that at that time, in 2006, it was a clear decision by the Government of Canada, in its discussions with the American government, that the Canadian government was ready to allow Mr. Abdelrazik to come back.

In light of the fact that it has now taken three years and a court case for that to happen, I would like to ask--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order. The hon. Minister of Justice.