Debates of Sept. 15th, 2009

Justice

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, all members of the House have had an opportunity over the summer to speak to their constituents about the actions of their party and their leader. I know that Conservative members of the House sought the opinions of their constituents on our government's crime agenda, an agenda that ensures that the rights of law-abiding Canadians and victims trump the rights of criminals.

Could the Minister of Justice explain the details of our government's comprehensive crime agenda and how that agenda could be derailed by an unwanted and completely unnecessary election?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken with many Canadians who are very supportive of our tough on crime agenda. I pointed out to them that we have introduced bills that crack down on identity theft, car theft, getting rid of double credit for time served, and the faint hope clause. I pointed out Bill C-15, the bill that would crack down on serious drug dealers.

I have challenged the Liberals to get this passed, but getting tough on crime has never been a priority for the Liberal Party. This is why I say that the only party one can count on to stand up for victims and law-abiding Canadians is this Conservative Party and this Conservative government.

Nortel

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, laid off Nortel workers continue to be denied their pensions and benefits. A petition with 17,000 names on it has been presented in the House, calling on the government to amend legislation to put a stop to this atrocious situation.

While larger commercial creditors get settlements, workers are told to go to the back of the line and keep their fingers crossed that there will be something left for them after the big creditors have been paid.

Will the Minister of Finance stand up for Canadian workers and enact legislation to protect the pensions of hard-working Canadians?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is undoubtedly aware that many of the pension issues to which he refers are actually provincial issues within the realm of provincial legislatures.

When it comes to bankruptcy proceedings, however, this House has already opined on that issue and we are looking forward to enacting those regulations.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear that, but I wish we had had that kind of leadership before because this House passed that legislation unanimously and we did not hear from the government.

Therefore, I would like to know from the government, from the minister, when those people who are out standing, waiting for support from their government, which we have seen from the British and the American governments, will get the phone call to say, “Your government is here for you. Your benefits are on their way and you are going to get protection for your pension, for your severance and for your LTD”.

When is that day going to come and when is that phone call going to be made by the minister?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, many of the issues to which the hon. member refers are within the realm of provincial competency and provincial legislatures. However, this House did pass a bill, in fact, two parts of the bill, over two Parliaments and indeed, we are looking forward to enacting those regulations forthwith.

Canada-US Relations

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister announced that he will meet with the American President tomorrow. There will be a number of topics up for discussion, but the one that the Prime Minister cannot avoid is the subject of Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen and child soldier who has been detained at Guantanamo for seven years.

Does the Prime Minister plan on calling for the repatriation of Omar Khadr, the last western citizen still being held at Guantanamo, when he meets with the American President?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will meet with the American President. Obviously, Canada's interests are on the agenda. The topics of discussion will include security, Afghanistan, as well as the economy in general.

On August 14, a split decision was rendered by the Federal Court of Appeal. The government decided to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the issue with the United States does not necessarily have to do with the Buy American Act, but with the President's economic stimulus plan, which requires municipalities and states to use only American products to be eligible for the federal program, which automatically eliminates competition from companies in Quebec and Canada.

Does the Prime Minister plan on taking advantage of his meeting with President Obama to ask him to relax the rules of this program, so that companies here can continue to offer their products as part of the program?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, last week I met with mayors and other leaders from municipalities across Canada. I explained our plan regarding protectionism in the United States. I got the support of the mayors to continue with our plan. They will look at it and show it. We will continue to work together to convey our message against protectionism in the United States.

Youth

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, young Canadians have been hit harder than anyone by this recession. In fact, nearly half of all Canadians who have lost their jobs are under 25. Yet Canada needs these young people to build a brighter, more prosperous future for us all.

How can this government justify having no short-term plan or long-term vision to help our youth?

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, we have invested $20 million over two years to help summer students have jobs. We have created 40,000 jobs this summer alone. There was $15 million for the YMCA for youth internships and $20 million for federal public service student employment. We are investing in students and we are ensuring that they have jobs when they need them.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite all the nice words, because of this recession students across our country found it extremely difficult to find summer jobs to help pay for their education. In fact, youth unemployment is at 20%, more than twice the national average.

I met with a group of students today from across the country and they listed all the ways these Conservatives have failed them. How can we trust the government to create the jobs of tomorrow if it will not even give young Canadians a chance today?

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, not only have we created jobs for young people but we have also provided grants for them to go back to school. We have provided grants of $250 per month for those with low incomes and $100 per month for those with higher incomes.

Here is what the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations had to say. It is “pleased to see that the Canada Student Grant Program and the Repayment Assistance Plan...are aimed at giving students access to a post-secondary education and alleviating debt repayment upon graduation, respectively”. This was June of 2009. We are taking steps on many fronts and we are helping many more students than that party did when it was in government.

Health

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the A (H1N1) flu is expected to hit even harder in October. Some 74 people have already died from this flu virus. We need to act now. The minister plans to reveal her priority list for the flu vaccine a little later this week, but we want to know now whether first nations and Inuit people are on that list, since they are at a much greater risk.

My question is very simple. Can the minister tell us whether aboriginal people are on the government's list of priorities?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear that every Canadian who wants to receive the vaccine will receive it. The vaccine rollout is currently being developed. A special advisory committee made up of chief medical officers is working on that and I expect that vaccine rollout document to be released some time this week.

We are working with the provinces and territories to ensure that all Canadians who want to receive the vaccine will be able to do so.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister realize that “A (H1N1)” is not a postal code?

We have a serious problem on our hands. At the symposium in Winnipeg two weeks ago, leading epidemiologists in this country said that first nations and Inuit people are 25 times more likely to contract H1N1.

I ask you, Mr. Speaker, is the government going to stop the bureaucratese and this dilly-dallying with respect to first nations and Inuit people and act now?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the only party that thinks H1N1 is a postal code is that party.

Our goal is to ensure the balance between the needs and the speed of the timing of the vaccine. We are gathering as much information as we can on the vaccine to ensure that it is safe and effective for all Canadians. Thanks to the actions of Health Canada, we will be able to approve that vaccine quickly and all Canadians who want to receive the vaccine will be able to do so.

Trade

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition claims that the government has given China and India the cold shoulder on trade, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Liberal record speaks for itself. Despite being 13 years in power, the Liberals made no progress on trade with these countries. Furthermore, they completed only three free trade agreements and none after 2002.

Could the Minister of International Trade please tell the House how our government's record on trade with China and India compares to the dismal Liberal record?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague not just for the question but for the help that she has given, especially related to our India trade.

I have just a quick short list. In past months, we have had 14 members of Parliament and ministers visit China, including myself and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We have invested $2.5 billion into the Asia-Pacific corridor to help the flow of goods to Asia. There are six new trade offices in China and three more in India, which brings us up to eight.

The Prime Minister has started negotiations with the EU in terms of free trade agreements. We are having discussions with India right now in terms of trade. There is a foreign investment protection and nuclear co-operation agreement in progress. There are more FTAs on the way. We are doing quite a bit, more than those guys ever did.

The Economy

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, government have long urged Canadians to save for retirement. Mechanics, teachers, bus drivers and others, including former Nortel employees, have done just that.

However, the Conservatives have failed to act in the face of a recession that has eroded retirement savings for many people. With their sorry record on income trusts, the Conservatives clearly have no credibility.

How can Canadians trust the Conservative government to protect their savings today when it denies that there is even a problem?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, in the economic action plan we have probably the largest innovation in savings for Canadians since the RRSP in the 1950s and that is the tax free savings account. This will revolutionize savings in Canada. All Canadians are eligible to participate. There is good take-up across the country and it will be even more important year after year as more and more Canadians invest in tax free savings accounts and earn interest tax free.

Official Languages

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, five months before the opening of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the Commissioner of Official Languages is concerned about the ability of the federal government and the organizing committee to provide services in French.

The ten or so federal institutions evaluated in today's report have shown “dismal results”, according to Graham Fraser. Of the points of service under airport authority responsibility that are designated as bilingual, only 10% are bilingual.

What is this government waiting for to fulfill its legal obligations to francophones?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be completely bilingual.

Today, Graham Fraser himself said that the government as well as VANOC “...have taken a number of measures to ensure that both of Canada’s official languages are fully reflected during the Games”.

I appreciate the question because it gives me the opportunity to point out that our government today announced new funding of $7.7 million to ensure that the Olympic Games will be completely bilingual and will respect Canada's official languages.

Our Conservative government is keeping its promises.

Transport

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, air safety inspectors at Transport Canada are so strapped for travel costs they have had to secretly dip into a budget meant for the Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

The transport minister has said that he will look into this misuse of public funds, but that misses the point. Transport Canada wants out of the flight safety business and is underfunding the work of its safety inspectors. This is the real issue.

Will the minister call an inquiry into whether Transport Canada is living up to its responsibility to ensure Canadians are safe when they fly our airs?