Debates of Dec. 8th, 2010

Gateways and Border Crossings

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to the launch of the continental gateway initiative. Ontario and Quebec are working closely together with us to ensure that the strategy which does not just involve infrastructure but also regulatory reform and some other common approaches for a Canadian approach, which the Bloc might find interesting. That is the way to success. That is why when we make investments large and small and when the Prime Minister went to Sept-Îles to make an announcement on the expansion of the ports, we realized how important that is to the Canadian economy, not just Quebec, and why the continental strategy is an important part of this government's program.

Copyright

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the copyright bill is skewed to the detriment of copyright holders and creators.

In committee, artists and creators laid out the full extent of lost revenue they will suffer if the bill is adopted as is.

The minister knows full well about these losses and about how this will punish creators. Is he ready to find a solution to compensate creators or will he just wash his hands and say, “Too bad for you”?

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

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is what is in the best interests of Canada. A prominent Canadian said that the new copyright legislation will protect creators and consumers. The person went on to say that the government had struck “an appropriate balance between the rights of Canadian creators and the needs of consumers”.

Who said that? It was said by the former Liberal finance minister, John Manley.

We have this bill right. Where we clearly disagree with the opposition is that our government is saying no to the opposition's demands to put in place a massive new tax against consumers to impose a tax on iPods, cellphones, laptops and everything. We are against raising taxes on consumers. We are in favour of setting up effective copyright legislation.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that was a serious question and I should have had a serious answer.

We know that the bill is completely unbalanced. We also know that it harms our creators, our writers and our authors. It eliminates grandfathered protection. It will lead to lost revenue. It increases the number of exemptions and it is far too vague on a number of topics. What is clear, however, is that the bill must be amended.

And so, I have a question for the minister: will he work with us to improve his bill and make it fairer, more equitable and better balanced?

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

Mr. Speaker, if my hon. colleague thinks that quoting John Manley is not serious, he can tell him that in 30 minutes when he sees him at the committee.

However, this is a responsible piece of legislation that we have right.

We started our consultation process last summer. The Liberals have had this legislation before them since June 2 of this year. It is going on six months that the Liberals have had our copyright report and now the member stands in the House and says that they want some amendments. If the Liberals have amendments on this legislation they should show them to us and put them before the House.

It has been five months since we tabled the legislation and the Liberals have done nothing on this. We have put forward responsible legislation and we are getting it done properly.

G20 Summit

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during the G20, innocent local residents were trapped by martial law. At the corner of Spadina and Queen, they were huddled in the pouring rain and humiliated for hours. Hundreds and hundreds of people were arrested and detained in horrifying conditions only to have their charges dropped.

The people of Toronto need to know what happened. How did it go so wrong? Why will the government not call a full public inquiry? Why are Conservatives afraid of the truth?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, specific bodies exist to handle complaints regarding police conduct. If that individual member has concerns in respect of any particular issue, she can take those complaints to that specific body to have those complaints heard.

Our Conservative government has been up front about the real need and the cost of security from the beginning. In fact, we are prepared to ensure that our streets are safe and to ensure that police act appropriately. Appropriate bodies exist and she can refer the complaint there.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's ombudsman's report shows just how badly the G20 security was planned and executed. It revealed secret and illegal laws, deliberate misrepresentations by police and mass civil rights violations.

The Conservatives are trying to bury the truth and shift responsibility but it was their summit, their billion dollars and their officials who planned the security.

Canadians want to know what happened, who is responsible and how we can ensure it is never repeated. They want the government to be accountable.

Will the Conservatives do the right thing and call a full public inquiry into the G20 security immediately?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as host nation of unprecedented, back-to-back G8 and G20 summits, we are proud of their success. As we have said all along, the majority of the costs that we expended there were security related. Approximately 20,000 security personnel were tasked with safeguarding both summits.

The member continues to smear all of the police officers who put their safety at risk during those summits. If he has concerns about any specific officer or any conduct or any provincial law that was enacted in that respect, there are bodies to do that.

Justice

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal coalition is as busy as ever delaying the passage of important bills with useless amendments. It is preventing the passage of the faint hope clause that will ensure that murderers end up behind bars and not on our streets. The Liberals in the Senate insist on delaying a bill that would create stiffer penalties for drug traffickers and producers. And they are showing their total lack of priorities by delaying a bill that would protect our children against sexual exploitation online.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice talk to the House about the coalition's tactics?

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

Unfortunately, the Liberal coalition is playing petty politics, but I have a test for the members of the coalition. Our bill on drug crimes is the same—yes, the same—as the one that this House passed last year, before the Liberal senators eviscerated it.

I wonder if the coalition is prepared to pass Bill S-10 at all stages when it comes before the House.

Greater Toronto Airport Authority

[Gurbax Malhi, Liberal, Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.

Since December 1, drivers working at Pearson Airport for limousine provider Macintosh have been protesting their employer's alleged unfair and improper business practices, such as the mandatory purchase of vehicles and insurance from the company at inflated prices.

What immediate action will the minister take to ensure that the Greater Toronto Airport Authority conducts an investigation and takes appropriate action?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, of course the Greater Toronto Airport Authority is a stand-alone agency that has considerable independence from the federal government, as it should.

If the hon. member wants to give me some specific ideas, I could pass those along, but we do not interfere in the operation of the airport authority. It has the needed independence to do its job.

Telecommunications

[Carole Freeman, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Industry granted Rogers Telecom permission to build a cell phone tower in a residential neighbourhood in Châteauguay. The city was worried about potential health effects, so it proposed a site where there would be less impact, but that still met the company's technical requirements. However, Rogers is insisting on the original plan.

Will the Minister of Industry demand that Rogers consider the viewpoint of the residents of Châteauguay and put up its tower on an alternate site, as called for by local authorities?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, in this particular circumstance, I am not aware of the particular case. However, after question period I would welcome the opportunity to chat with the member about it directly.

Gasoline Prices

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in Kapuskasing, the price of gas at the pump this week has skyrocketed to $1.22 a litre. All over northern Ontario, the high cost of transportation is stretching family budgets to the breaking point. The government's reckless HST policy is just adding to our pain.

When will this government admit that it is responsible for the fiasco the HST has become?

When will the government take action on soaring gas prices that impact greatly on rural communities and northern Ontario?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, somewhere in there, there was mention of the HST. The HST is a provincial responsibility. The provinces decide what they will do with their sales tax. A couple of provinces have decided to harmonize their sales tax. A group of provinces did so under the Liberal government back in the 1990s.

What we will not do in the provinces is imitate the NDP in Nova Scotia and increase the sales tax by 2%.

Justice

[Bradley Trost, Conservative, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, our government remains committed to combatting the exploitation of vulnerable persons and will continue to take steps to ensure that all Canadians can live in safe and healthy communities, free from fear and violence.

Yesterday, I learned that the CEO of Craigslist has refused to remove erotic services ads from his Canadian websites. Would the Minister of Justice please update the House on Mr. Buckmaster's decision?

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

Mr. Speaker, last month, I sent a letter to Jim Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist to ask him to remove the erotic services ads from his Canadian websites. I am extremely disappointed that he has failed to do so.

Our government is concerned that such advertisements are facilitating serious criminal offences, such as living off the avails of child prostitution and trafficking in persons. It has already removed these ads from its American sites. Craigslist should do the right thing and remove those ads immediately.

Comments by Member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a point of order to correct comments made by the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine in yesterday's question period.

Yesterday, in reference to international firearms marking regulations, she incorrectly told the House “After all, even Bush's Republicans implemented them in 2004”. While President Bush was president of the United States in 2004 and a Republican, that is where the member's historical accuracy ends.

As a matter of public record, and on the United Nations website, the United States has neither signed nor ratified the protocol for the firearms marking regulations, not under the previous Republican president, nor the current President, who is a Democrat.

I am happy to have this opportunity—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. minister knows that this is a matter for debate. Points of order deal with procedure in the House. This is not a procedural matter.

Oral Questions

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, on a question that was asked of the hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, he quoted the current CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the former deputy prime minister of Canada, John Manley. I distinctly heard the member for Ottawa South say aloud “What would John Manley know anyway?” I would like to have him retract those comments. They are disrespectful.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I think we will move on.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, during question period, the President of the Treasury Board in response to a question I asked said that he would like to put something in writing. I would like to remind him that the Public Accounts of Canada have already been put in writing.

I ask for the permission of the House to table those documents. I have highlighted the documentation on the expenditures of ministers' offices. As well, I have the policies and guidelines for ministers' offices that are already in publication. I would be happy to table them for the House so the minister might read them to understand why I am telling the House that ministers are over budget.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. member for St. John's South—Mount Pearl have the unanimous consent of the House to table the documents?