House of Commons Hansard #114 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was right.
Leona Aglukkaq ConservativeMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, again the CBC story is simply wrong.
Our government is committed to reducing youth smoking, helping Canadians quit smoking, and addressing the pressure of contraband tobacco. We are taking action. Shortly after the election, we introduced tobacco legislation that is now in effect, so we are demonstrating our leadership in this area.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, as an excuse for its inaction in the fight against climate change, the Conservative government keeps repeating that an agreement with greenhouse gas emission reduction targets is useless unless it includes emerging countries. But Canada emits three times the amount of greenhouse gases per capita that China emits and 15 times the amount that India emits, and those are two emerging countries.
When will the Prime Minister understand that we need a plan to fight climate change with binding greenhouse gas reduction targets and that we need to impose tariffs on products from countries that do not meet these targets?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we have an action plan. We want to reduce greenhouse gases by 17% by 2020. That is also why we have a continental approach. We will harmonize our transport regulations, which is what we are currently doing. We know that that is the sector that pollutes the most. Canada and the United States are taking a common approach to this. We want to get the major emitters together to come to a real, effective agreement that will produce results.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, does this government realize that if it does not move forward with greenhouse gas reduction targets, other countries will do so and will impose their own tariffs, which will have an impact on exports from Canada and Quebec and will leave us seriously behind technologically?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we will take a harmonized approach to transport. We know that that sector pollutes the most in North America. We will have a continental approach that will produce results. When we talk about international negotiations with other countries, the major emitters must absolutely be present, otherwise we will be wasting our time. What we want is an agreement that will produce results.
Gérard Asselin Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, there have been four times as many storms in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the past decade as in the previous four decades, and the Sept-Îles region has been hit the hardest. The environment commissioner noted that climate change is causing severe meteorological events that are accelerating shoreline erosion.
Does the government understand that greenhouse gases must be reduced in order to prevent further disasters like the one that just hit eastern Quebec?
Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, if the member really believes that climate change is a serious issue, he would agree with this government that all major emitters have to be part of the solution, and that is what science has said. That is why 139 countries have signed onto the Copenhagen accord, representing 85% of greenhouse emission makers. The Kyoto protocol only covered 27% and the Copenhagen accord 85%. That is the obvious way to go.
Gérard Asselin Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, in 1997, the federal government abolished the St. Lawrence shoreline protection program. The considerable damage that has been caused in the lower St. Lawrence, Gaspé and north shore regions is proof that a fund is needed to deal with the impact of climate change.
Will the government create such a fund?
Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, we have committed millions of dollars, which the Bloc continually votes against, to fight climate change. We are in Cancun right now working with our intentional partners to see a new international agreement that covers all the major emitters. Why do we do that? So we can fight climate change. Why does the Bloc not get that?
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's damning report merely confirms that not only was the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada, Christiane Ouimet, not doing her job, but she was undermining the work of the entire office. One hundred and seventy complaints that were not followed up is quite a significant number. The Conservatives were never concerned about the lack of results.
Why did the Prime Minister turn a blind eye for so long? Why did he do nothing?
Stockwell Day ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
Mr. Speaker, I would think that all members of Parliament would be very troubled by the report that has been put out by the Auditor General. I thank her for her work. The commissioner of integrity is an independent agent of Parliament and reports to Parliament. In fact, she had done that on a couple of occasions.
I want people to know that the acting commissioner, who is in place now, I would expect would now be reviewing all of those past cases. I can assure members that we want to see another commissioner in place as soon as possible.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are undermining their own Federal Accountability Act here.
We have seen the major problems with access to information, with lobbying, and now we find that the Prime Minister's own integrity commissioner is somewhat short on integrity: staff abuse, retaliatory actions, violation of the Privacy Act, complaints not investigated, decisions not documented. We cannot afford another Conservative appointment like that.
Does the government finally see the need to implement an independent appointments commission to prevent this kind of disaster?
Stockwell Day ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
Mr. Speaker, this particular position reports to Parliament and all parliamentarians. The person who was in that position has left the position. The Auditor General has done a report of the concerns that were raised. We are all troubled by the results of that report. We would hope that the acting commissioner would pursue this.
I really am surprised at the leader of the NDP. Maybe there are other numbers that are bothering him these days, but he should know very well that this person is put in place by Parliament and we would look for that to happen again soon.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Check the record, Mr. Speaker.
We also need some accountability on smoking, too. We know that Health Canada spent millions of dollars developing new labels to try to prevent kids from smoking. We know that the whole process was stalled when the tobacco lobby came in saying it did not like it. We know that studies show that the new labels would stop kids from smoking and save lives.
Why let the tobacco lobby decide what our anti-smoking policy is going to be? When will we have the new labels? Answer that. It will save the lives of kids.
Leona Aglukkaq ConservativeMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, the labels that are currently on still remain on the packaging.
As Minister of Health, I am committed to reducing smoking rates in Canada, and particularly in preventing young Canadians from smoking.
The news stories today are misleading. My department continues to examine the renewal of health warning messages on tobacco packaging. We have notched out the plan, as I stated before.
I also informed my colleagues at HESA last week that we are looking at other ways to convey this messaging that targets young Canadians through innovative ways and social media. Thanks to our government, Canada is the world leader in tobacco control and we are pleased to see the other countries--
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Mr. Speaker, today's Auditor General's report is a scathing indictment of the Conservative government's failed accountability measures. The verdict is in. The whistleblower act is a useless PR stunt. The public integrity commissioner is an appointee who abused her office, her staff and her responsibilities. The commission is a waste of $10.9 million.
The Prime Minister knows that this was a sham designed to silence his critics. Will he now appoint a judicial commission to investigate all of the complaints his hand-picked commissioner tossed out? What is he afraid of?
Office of public sector integrityOral Questions
December 9th, 2010 / 2:30 p.m.
Okanagan—Coquihalla B.C.
Conservative
Stockwell Day ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we were afraid of with the Liberals in power was the incredible scandals that we saw talking place. That, in fact, was the genesis of this particular agent of Parliament being put in place, a person who reports to all of Parliament, a person who is appointed by Parliament, a person who has left that position.
A very troubling report has been put out by the Auditor General, and we appreciate her good work.
We would hope that the acting commissioner would follow up on all of these cases and do a review. A process is in place to get a new commissioner.
Jean-Claude D'Amours Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Mr. Speaker, in 2007, the Prime Minister proudly announced that he had chosen Ms. Ouimet for the position of commissioner. He chose her. Only the Conservatives are to blame.
From 2007 to 2010, the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada cost $11 million, $11 million that was thrown away. Canadians no longer trust the Conservative government. An independent commissioner must be appointed to reopen all the files.
What does the Conservative government have to hide?
Stockwell Day ConservativePresident of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
Mr. Speaker, the integrity commissioner is an independent agent who reports to Parliament. The former commissioner resigned and we will start the process of appointing a new commissioner.The report mentions many problems, and I hope that the new commissioner will resolve them.
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Mr. Speaker, during a national tour, paid for by taxpayers, against tendering contracts, Colonel Burt, from the Department of National Defence, confirmed that the price of the F-35s is in no way guaranteed.
However, speaking from a steak house in Texas, the minister contradicted Colonel Burt, who is in charge of the F-35 process.
Will the minister stop spending taxpayers' money on propaganda trips and clarify this flagrant contradiction for Canadian taxpayers?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. I was in the Lockheed Martin plant yesterday with 61 representatives of the Canadian aerospace industry looking at the tremendous benefits, up to $12 billion in contracts, 150,000 jobs in Canada, that could accrue as a result of the joint strike fighter program, a program that the member opposite used to be a big cheerleader for.
The reality is this is the best possible aircraft we could get for the brave men and women of the Canadian Forces, the best possible contract for the Canadian aerospace industry.
I do not know why the member opposite has changed his mind.
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Mr. Speaker, the extravagant cost of the F-35 is going up, and this time it has nothing to do with the airplane.
The Conservatives send government officials across the country to brag about their high-risk procurement and reckless spending. They even complained that the opposition will not join them in a Texas steak house on a last-minute, cross-border shopping spree, with only 16 days left for Christmas.
When will the Conservatives get the credit card spending under control and have a Canadian competition here in Canada to get the best value for the Canadian taxpayer?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the member is staking out the position that was put in place by the members opposite when they were in government.
The reality is that this is the best possible aircraft. We are buying the variant that is most cost effective. We will be taking delivery at peak of production, somewhere between 2016 and 2017. However, let us listen to a non-partisan, objective voice for a change, one that says the joint strike fighter program is the “largest advanced technology opportunity ever presented to Canadian industry”. Suppliers are already engaged across the country.
I do not know why the members opposite are still taking a page out of 1993 when they cancelled the helicopter program.
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, in a damning report, the Auditor General slammed the operations of the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. She noted that the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act limits the commissioner’s investigative authority, particularly when a private company or an individual who is no longer with the public service has relevant information.
Does the government plan to change the legislation in order to allow the commissioner's office to properly investigate wrongdoings within the federal public service?
