Debates of Sept. 29th, 2009

Taxation

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is no confusion on this side. We know where this tax started. It started with that government in its budget and now it is trying to hide from it.

In British Columbia, hard-working families are being hit with this surprise tax hike on everything from haircuts to home heating. We know about the $1.6 billion bribe that is being paid to the provincial Liberals but what we do not know is when the negotiations started and why the government is now trying to duck the issue.

The people of B.C. have the right to know the truth. Could the Minister of Finance tell the House here and now when he began negotiating—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the decision on whether or not to harmonize was made by those provinces that have not yet harmonized. The discussions that I had with the Province of British Columbia began after the provincial election in British Columbia.

Softwood Lumber

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian softwood lumber industry is still losing out because of the Conservatives and the Bloc. The decision of the London Court of International Arbitration to impose a $68 million penalty on the industry for exporting too much lumber to the United States was upheld.

This is the result of the sellout agreement the Conservatives signed with the support of the Bloc.

Will the minister finally announce concrete measures to support the softwood lumber industry? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for this industry that is so important to Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us remember that under the previous Liberal government, before we had this softwood lumber agreement in place, there were huge and ongoing increases in taxes being imposed all the time. Court cases were going on non-stop.

We appealed this particular ruling and the ruling now stands. However, it is very important to recognize that the money from the back taxes that are now owed goes back to the provinces. If it were done the Liberals' way, they would let the Americans continue to collect that money and have the money in the United States. We want the money to go back to the provinces and that is where it is going.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by agreeing that Canada exports too much wood, the Conservatives and the Bloc condemned thousands of loggers and dozens of sawmills, saying that they too were “excess“.

The Bloc is crying crocodile tears, claiming that the Conservatives are not helping the forestry industry.

Will the minister admit that the Bloc helped them sign that sellout agreement that is preventing us from helping a struggling industry?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is true that the Bloc Québécois supported this agreement in the past, but it is clear that when the Liberals were in power, the forestry industry still had major problems.

Now, we have an agreement. We will abide by the decision rendered, and the money will be collected by the provinces.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, an international tribunal is once again slamming the Conservatives for their incompetence on softwood lumber. The Conservatives actually violated their own softwood lumber agreement in 2007. Then, when the tribunals ruled against them, the Conservatives responded with a payment that further violated their own agreement.

How can Canadian forestry workers have any trust in a government that is too incompetent to defend their interests?

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

Mr. Speaker, this is just representative of how out of touch the Liberals are. I have talked with the ministers responsible for the forestry industry in the provinces today. I have talked with the minister from Quebec. We have talked with all of the participants in the forestry industry within the last 24 hours.

None of us are happy with the ruling but they are all in agreement with the direction we have gone. They are all appreciative of the fact that we fought, we appealed and now we have a decision. Every one of them is for this. Only the Liberals are against it. They should get in tune with what is going on.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister would talk to Canadian forestry workers, people who have actually lost their jobs because of his government's incompetence, he would realize not everybody is happy with his government's handling of the softwood lumber agreement.

Conservatives promised us peace in their time, but they have utterly mismanaged the softwood lumber file. Instead of heading off a dispute that was months in the making, they did nothing. Then, at the last moment, they thought that they could buy a solution, but their payment broke their own agreement.

How can Canadian forestry workers have any confidence in a government that does not understand its own trade agreements? How can they have any confidence in a government that breaks its own trade agreements?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals stood by for years while the forestry industry was wracked with lawsuits from the United States, with incredible countervail taxes from coast to coast. There was upheaval; there was turmoil and loss of money to the United States.

We signed this agreement. It returned $5 billion to the Canadian industry which would have been left in the United States if the Liberals had their way.

We fought hard on this particular ruling about back taxes. Now the final ruling has come out. The back taxes are owing. The money will be going to the provinces. If it were up to the Liberals, that money would still be staying in the United States.

Employment Insurance

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of unemployed workers in Quebec do not qualify for employment insurance, yet the government and the NDP are insensitive to their plight. The government's bill, designed for Ontario, does not meet the needs of older workers in Quebec who are laid off intermittently or seasonal workers who do not work enough hours to qualify for EI.

Does the minister realize that she is not meeting the needs of workers in Quebec and that she must propose comprehensive reform of the employment insurance system?

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

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of our bill on long-tenured workers is to ensure that those who have paid into the employment insurance system for years and years but have not received benefits for an extended period can receive from 5 to 20 additional weeks of benefits when they lose their jobs during a recession.

We want to help these workers and people who are losing their jobs, but the Bloc is doing everything it can to block this bill and prevent it from going forward.

[Josée Beaudin, Bloc, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to the Quebec Forest Industry Council, the Conseil national des chômeurs and the FTQ, the proposed measures will have no impact in Quebec, because they will not apply to seasonal workers, forestry workers or vulnerable workers.

What is the government waiting for to propose comprehensive reform in order to improve eligibility for employment insurance?

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

Mr. Speaker, with our bill, we are going to pay out $935 million and help 190,000 people. People across Canada will benefit during these tough economic times.

What is more, a few months ago, we added five weeks of EI benefits, introduced measures to help people who want to take extended training, and expanded work sharing to help companies and employees.

The Bloc is against the bill. It does not want the bill to move forward and it does not want to help unemployed workers, whom we are working to help.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a young female truck driver in Quebec was stunned to learn that the CSST could not grant her preventive maternity leave since trucking is a federal jurisdiction. She was asked by her doctor to stop working for her own well-being and that of her child.

What does the minister intend to do to ensure that female Quebec workers enjoy the same rights and benefits, regardless of the level of government that regulates their occupation?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that everyone is entitled to use our employment insurance system in the same way. The same eligibility criteria, the same benefits, and the same premiums apply to both men and women.

We believe that everyone is equal in our system. That is what we believe.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will rephrase the question.

With H1N1 on our doorstep, every pregnant woman in Quebec working under Quebec's jurisdiction can go on preventive leave in order to protect their health and that of their unborn child.

Does the minister plan to do the same for pregnant women working in Quebec under federal jurisdiction?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, the rules for our employment insurance system are already established. It is up to each individual to take vacation or sick days if it is important to themselves or their family. We support that decision.

Infrastructure

[Gerard Kennedy, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister forgot a few things when he was bragging in New Brunswick about how he was looking after the economy. He forgot to tell Canadians that he was really just looking after himself, how he gave his own MPs in New Brunswick an average of 44% more in grants than opposition ridings in the province.

Would the Prime Minister care to confirm to Canadians today what Mr. Landon, now a former candidate in Markham, has already made public, that Conservative ridings get more than other ridings and that the only jobs the government members are interested in are jobs for themselves?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are making decisions in the province of Ontario working in co-operation with Premier Dalton McGuinty and his government and with municipal leaders in every corner of the country.

If the member opposite wants to talk to the mayor of Markham about the great partnership this federal government has had with the provincial Liberal government, I would invite him to do so.

The city of Markham made 14 requests for infrastructure funding for the riding of Markham—Unionville and it got every single one of them. We are delivering for Markham--Unionville just as we are delivering for ridings right across the country, like Kingston and the Islands, Mr. Speaker.

[Gerard Kennedy, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if that minister had the courage to actually put the numbers out, we could tell how he is letting down Canadians right across the country.

If the Prime Minister was not so nailed to his chair, he would stand up and say how it is fair that some Canadians are punished for not voting for him. The Prime Minister gave his six MPs in New Brunswick $18.5 million more on average than the other ridings in the province, at the expense of the people who are unemployed in the province of New Brunswick. He made sure his people were four out of the top five.

Why should Canadians anywhere in Canada trust him to look after their interests?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of bluster, but just because the member for Parkdale—High Park repeats it does not make it true.

Let us look at what other people are saying about the distribution. Let us look at what one opposition member said: “To tell you the truth I have noticed I am attracting a lot of money to my riding”. Who said that? The NDP member for Edmonton—Strathcona.

The Economy

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if someone in the government could please tell us how much taxpayer money has been spent on the total ad campaign for the budget and the economic plan, and by that I mean all of the spending up to and including the current third report.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, this government takes its responsibilities to report to Canadians very seriously.

We are undergoing a significant economic downturn. We see some signs of a fragile recovery taking root. We have an important responsibility, as Parliament has ordered us to do, to report back to the Canadian people to make sure that they are aware of all the good tax reductions, tax credits and benefits of Canada's economic action plan.

There is a lot of good news out there for working families in this country. We have a responsibility to make sure they are aware of that and we take that responsibility very seriously.