House of Commons Hansard #7 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was women.
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is talking about the Privy Council Office budget. The activities of that department change every year. This year there is a lot of activity surrounding the G8 and G20 summits. The restrictions on increased spending apply to my department as they do to the others.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the restrictions on increased spending apply to his department as they do to the others, but his spending is increasing. I am trying to understand the logic.
Come to think of it, it is not surprising that only the Prime Minister's Office is spared from the budgetary restrictions, knowing what kind of man he is. Is the increased budget for his office not more evidence of his obsession with wanting to control everything?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, these are bureaucratic expenses for administrative duties, including for certain files that change from year to year, such as the G8 and G20 summits. It is true that the Prime Minister chairs these summits.
Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, both the former and the current Minister of Public Works and Government Services have blamed civil servants for obvious over-spending—to put it mildly—on federal building maintenance. How irresponsible and cowardly. Instead of taking responsibility, they are blaming their officials in order to hide their incompetence.
Will the Prime Minister remind his ministers that there is something called ministerial responsibility?
Rona Ambrose ConservativeMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, as I stated yesterday, like all Canadians, we consider these expenses to be extravagant. I have asked my deputy minister to review these expenses to ensure that taxpayers receive value for their money. An independent third party will be appointed to do that.
Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, if there is a ribbon to be cut or a cheque with the Conservative logo to be handed out, the Conservative ministers feel that it is their personal responsibility. But when there is a problem, the ball is in the public servants' court.
Can the government deny that the contract awarded to Profac by the Liberals was twice renewed by the Conservative government and that it is responsible for the waste of public funds?
Rona Ambrose ConservativeMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, while this is a competitively awarded contract, it is awarded and managed by the public service.
I have asked my deputy minister to review the contract, and today we have also asked that it be done by an external third party.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, opening up telecommunications to foreign ownership will follow along from 10 years where too many of the economic jewels in this country were sold off with the permission of the government and the previous government: Dofasco, Stelco, Algoma Steel, IPSCO, Falconbridge, Inco, LionOre, Cognos, Westcoast Energy, Vincor, Molson, Labatt, the Bay, Van Houtte, ATI Technology and Alcan.
The government did not stand up when it came to any of those takeovers. Why is the Prime Minister now opening up telecommunications? Has he not presided enough over the sell-off of our country's economy already?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, at the same time as we have seen some of those acquisitions, we have also seen many acquisitions by Canadian firms internationally as Canadian champions have been emerging. It is one of the reasons that Canada is coming out of the global recession with one of the strongest economies if not the strongest economy in the developed world.
I know the position of the NDP is that it does not want to participate in global markets but I am afraid the future has passed it by. We are in global markets. We are going to compete and we will succeed.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, last year there were 338 foreign takeovers of Canadian companies. Only 22 were reviewed by the government. The Conservatives did not prevent any of them.
Is the Prime Minister serious? None of these takeovers went against Canada's interests? Not a single one? None? Zero?
Absolutely nothing? That is just not credible.
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, in a global economy, there is foreign investment in Canada. At the same time Canadians invest abroad, which has created global economic leaders here, in Canada. That is one of the reasons why Canada is emerging from the recession as one of the strongest of the developed countries.
This government intends to participate in the global economy. I know that is not the socialist philosophy, but that is the reality. Canada—
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, I think I get it now. The government's policy is to help Canadian companies create jobs in other countries.
Let us look at what is happening here. It has been a year since U.S. Steel slashed 800 jobs at the Nanticoke plant, directly contrary to what it promised the Canadian people. The remaining workers have been locked out for seven months.
The government's lawsuit may, some day, possibly cost U.S. Steel a couple of thousand dollars, worth the value of a Challenger jet flight perhaps.
Where is the real action to help these hundreds of families that are out of work right now? When will the Prime Minister do something for them for a change?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the government has taken action on that particular file.
However, on the wider point, which is important, not only is the government doing things to help the unemployed in this country but the unemployment rate in this country is a point and a half below the unemployment rate in the United States. That is because hundreds of thousands of jobs in this country depend on trade with the United States and around the world.
We need to be able to compete and we are able to compete. We will not have any part of any movement here or anywhere else in shutting down borders because that is not in the interest of the Canadian economy.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, the member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River said that members of Parliament should lead by example and that Mr. Jaffer should take that into consideration. The member for St. Catharines, also a Conservative, said that the reasons behind the reduced penalty should not be kept secret. But the Minister of Public Safety would rather go after the journalists who are looking into this story.
Will the government show some transparency, or will it continue to ignore us in order to protect one of its own?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I would point out again that this matter was investigated by provincial police and it was handled in a provincial court.
If members of the Liberal Party want to offer any suggestions on how we might strengthen our criminal law agenda in this country, I would ask them to move forward with that and to please present those proposals.
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, the calls for public accountability from the Minister of State for the Status of Women and Rahim Jaffer are growing louder every day. They are being called the Bonnie and Clyde of the Conservative Party. They are young, Conservative and above the law.
Members of the Prime Minister's inner circle, like Kory Teneycke, are saying that the minister owes an explanation and an apology and that Rahim owes the same.
Is what the Prime Minister meant a few months ago when he sang “I get by with a little help from my friends”, I get high with a little help from my friends?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I have pointed out, the case I heard her refer to was completely investigated by provincial police and handled in a provincial court. As in all these cases, we are very careful not to interfere.
With respect to the whole area of criminal justice, this is a priority for this government. I ask the Liberal Party to come forward with its suggestions. We would be very open to hearing what it has to say on this important issue.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, it is another day and we are still waiting for the Prime Minister to act on the irresponsible actions of his Minister of State for the Status of Women.
Does the Conservative sense of entitlement know no end? Insult a province and just say that the minister's emotions went astray. Belittle, berate and bully airport staff and just run out the door and fly far away.
What is next, get out of jail free cards for the entitled? When will the Prime Minister finally accept his responsibility and remove that minister from office?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, for a member who has served in the House for more than a decade, I find his tone rather regrettable. Let us be very clear. Our colleague and friend, the Minister of State for the Status of Women, has offered a sincere apology. I think it calls upon all hon. members in this place to accept that apology. Let us focus on the people's business.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, is the Prime Minister glued to his seat? When officers of Parliament challenge the government, the Prime Minister acts with haste and removes them from their jobs. When public officials question the government, their reputations are attacked and destroyed.
However, when a senior cabinet minister insults a province and bullies the very people she is supposed to serve, the Prime Minister sits on his hands. How can the Prime Minister justify this kind of an attack on my province?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, that is simply not the case. The minister has been very clear.
I will tell the member about our priorities for Prince Edward Island: their jobs, their hope and their opportunity. We on this side of the House are focused on the economy, on our economic action plan and on restoring economic growth in every corner of this country. We are moving full speed ahead with infrastructure projects and new investments to make the Prince Edward Island economy strong, to create more jobs and to help build an even better P.E.I. in the future.
Daniel Paillé Bloc Hochelaga, QC
Mr. Speaker, Kevin Page delivered his definitive verdict this morning. The government underestimated its deficit by more than $20 billion. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the government should adopt the proposals that the Bloc Québécois has been making for weeks, to ask more from those who have more: oil companies, banks, taxpayers who earn over $150,000 and the recipients of outrageous bonuses.
When will the government realize that it can no longer favour the rich?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer was wrong before and he is wrong again. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is saying that the private economic outlook is not a prudent basis for fiscal planning. He is refusing to use projections from the strongest financial sector in the world that has weathered the recession better than any other country. He is saying that is not a prudent basis for economic planning.
If he does not accept it, he can talk to the economists at TD Bank, BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, the Conference Board of Canada, Desjardins, the Caisse de dépôt—
