Debates of March 16th, 2010

Justice

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today our government has announced legislative changes that would strengthen the way the young offenders system deal with violent and repeat offenders.

These measures will give our constituents greater assurance that violent and repeat young offenders will be held accountable for their actions. They will help ensure that protection of society is duly taken into consideration in sentencing these criminals.

This bill is entitled “Sébastien's Law” in memory of Sébastien Lacasse and in honour of the determination and courage of his parents, Line and Luc. The Lacasse family and other courageous families work tirelessly to defend victims' rights. In introducing this bill, our thoughts are with all the families who have lost loved ones in crimes involving violent and repeat young offenders.

The Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec also support us in this because it is a matter of protecting families and making our neighbourhoods safer.

Kraft Hockeyville 2010

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I stand here today to pay tribute to the town of Bishop's Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador. Last night, Bishop's Falls reached the final 12 communities in the running for Kraft Hockeyville 2010.

With just over 3,000 people, Bishop's, as we call it, is the little town of athletes. Hannaford, Goobie, Kennedy, Stanley, Healey and, of course, Faulkner are all legendary names in our town.

Alex Faulkner of Bishop's Falls was the first Newfoundlander to ever play in the NHL, most notably alongside Gordie Howe. He learned to play hockey on the Exploits River and, from there, he played in arenas all over the world.

This is a town whose spirit is larger than any map can hold. It is a town of legacies, such as the legacy of Ron Healey, a community builder as well as a legendary referee, who taught us the value of youth.

I want to congratulate Kerry Lynn Greene and her team of volunteers. I also congratulate Kraft and CBC Sports for allowing us to show the entire country that Bishop's Falls is Hockeyville 2010.

Young Offenders

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today the Minister of Justice tabled legislation to strengthen our young offender system. Bill C-4 would give Canadians greater confidence that violent and repeat young offenders will be held accountable. It would also ensure that the protection of society is given due consideration when young offenders are sentenced. All too often, a young offender who commits a serious crime such as murder or aggravated sexual assault receives a sentence that is much shorter than Canadians expect. Our new law would require the courts to consider adult sentences for youth who are convicted of these serious crimes.

In some cases, a youth who is convicted of a violent offence is quietly released into the community without anyone knowing about it. This means residents have no way of knowing a convicted sex offender is in the area. Bill C-4 would, in some cases, require the courts to publish the name of a violent young offender when necessary for the protection of society.

This bill is just another way in which our Conservative government is improving the safety and security of Canadians.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my great riding, Vancouver Kingsway, is one of the most diverse in Canada. It is a wonderful blend of cultures from every continent. Men, women and children of every race, religion and ethnicity join together to seek happiness and prosperity and to live in peace and harmony. Vancouver Kingsway is a multicultural success and a model of what makes Canada work. We celebrate our uniqueness, we unite as Canadians and we treasure our freedom to be who we are.

March 21 will mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. On this day, we remember that prejudice and intolerance still exist. We remind ourselves that building a civil and respectful society for all is the responsibility of every one of us.

The Canada of today was built by first nations and immigrants from all over the world. The Canada of tomorrow will deepen that reality as we welcome more people from every nation.

Let us celebrate our Canada as one that is tolerant, respectful and dedicated to the principle of equality, and let us commit ourselves to stamp out intolerance and discrimination in all of its forms.

2010 Paralympic Winter Games

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a golden day for Canada, as our Canadian athletes won two gold medals and a bronze at the Paralympics.

The people of Canmore, in my riding of Wild Rose, are very proud of their own Brian McKeever, who won Canada's first ever winter Paralympic gold medal on home soil. Brian won gold in the 20-kilometre, visually impaired cross-country ski race, along with his brother, Robin McKeever, who acts as his race guide.

Our second gold was won by Lauren Woolstencroft, of North Vancouver, in women's standing slalom. Lauren is a four-time gold medallist and the reigning world champion in slalom, giant slalom, downhill and super G.

We are also proud of Karolina Wisniewska, who took the bronze in the women's standing slalom. Karolina, who lives in Vancouver, is now a seven-time Paralympic medallist.

On behalf of the people of Wild Rose and all Canadians, I wish our Paralympians continued success at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

CTZoom Technologies

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak today about the success of CTZoom Technologies, a company from Terrebonne—Blainville.

Established in 1997, the company specializes in the development, manufacture, sale and installation of cutting-edge zoom camera infrastructure inspection and diagnosis solutions.

A rewarding work environment where creativity can flourish has made CTZoom Technologies a leader in its field of expertise. The Centre for Expertise and Research on Infrastructures in Urban Areas (CERIU) gave CTZoom Technologies the 2009 CERIU corporate member award. The success of CTZoom Technologies shows the promise of the Quebec nation. It can be proud of its success.

On my own behalf and on behalf of my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois, congratulations and best wishes for continued prosperity.

2010 Paralympic Winter Games

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a special young man from Delta, B.C.

Fifteen-year-old Zach Beaumont is training to compete at the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi.

Rolly and Betty Fox, parents of our Canadian hero Terry Fox, saw Zach participate in the Olympic opening ceremonies. They asked him to be the one to light the Paralympic cauldron.

Zach climbed that platform and lit the flame last Friday. He truly embodied the spirit of the Paralympic Games, “One inspires many”.

I ask all members to join me in thanking Zach for this inspiration and congratulating our Paralympic athletes.

Go Canada, go.

The Budget

[Gord Brown, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week in the House, our government is taking care of what matters most to Canadians. Implementing our jobs and growth budget will mean protecting today's jobs and creating the jobs of tomorrow.

The Liberal leader promises an alternative to our jobs and growth budget, but we know what that means. It means the Liberal leader will raise taxes for giant, uncontrolled spending, thus his tax and spend road show. While we are here today in the House introducing important legislation to Canadians, the Liberal leader is explaining his job-killing tax increases. No matter where the Liberal leader takes his tax and spend road show, Canadians will have the same message for him: higher taxes kill jobs.

He cannot hide from the facts. We know that the Liberal leader said, “We will have to raise taxes”, and that is why Canadians trust our government with their top priority, the economy.

Israel

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, many Canadians have expressed concern about the possibility that potential peace talks between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority might be derailed by recent events and recent announcements by the government of Israel.

I wonder if the Prime Minister can confirm that he in fact has discussed this issue with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, and can he tell us, please, what exactly he said?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have discussed this with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and of course I repeated the Government of Canada's position, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs did last week in collaboration with a number of our allies. Our position on the particular issue at hand is well known.

At the same time, I indicated to Prime Minister Netanyahu and would indicate to all involved in this particular conflict that I hope they will all make their best efforts to see their way to resuming peace talks in some form as soon as possible.

Afghanistan

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to note that the Prime Minister did say the same thing that his minister said two hours ago at the House of Commons committee.

On another topic, once again, the Prime Minister himself promised last week, and I am using his words, that there would be a thorough inquiry into the Afghan detainee issue. Now we see that the lawyer appointed by the Prime Minister does not have the authority to conduct this inquiry.

Why not launch a public inquiry to get to the bottom of this?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, regarding the Middle East, the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs is the same position that Canada has held for a long time, and I do not need to repeat it.

Regarding the appointment of Justice Iacobucci to review the documents, the opposition said that public officials were hiding documents, but these allegations were not proven. We asked the judge to examine and review these documents to ensure that this is not the case.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what the Liberal Party is saying is very clear: the Parliament of Canada has the right to see these documents, and the Canadian government does not have the authority to hide them.

I will ask the Prime Minister the same question. Why not launch a public inquiry on this matter, which would give Mr. Iacobucci the authority he needs to do his job? Canadians want him to be able to do his job.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, even the opposition has said that our military is doing an excellent job in Afghanistan, including with regard to prisoner transfers.

There is a debate over the legality of the availability of certain documents, and we have asked Justice Iacobucci to examine this issue.

Health

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he hoped any country looking at the Canadian health care system would make sure it includes an element of competition.

This was rather a thinly veiled attack on our public health care system in Canada. In Reform-Alliance circles, the term “competition” is a well-known code for privatization.

Is the finance minister 's position that we need more competition in our health care system?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, in fact our finance minister also stated that Canada has a terrific health care system, and I am sure members of the House will agree with that statement.

We recognize there is always room for improvement, and that is why we continue to increase the transfers to the provinces and territories. We will continue to work with the provinces and territories to ensure our system provides high-quality health care services to Canadians.

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the Minister of Health that the finance minister replied to the same question yesterday by saying, “I am not the Minister of Health”. He did not defend our public health care system.

Every time Conservatives have been asked to comment on the health care reform in the U.S., they have failed to defend our world-class system. Every time they are given an opportunity to stand up for our public health care system in Canada, they duck and they cover. Are the Conservatives ashamed of defending our public health care system because they believe it should be privatized?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, again, the finance minister stated in the United States yesterday that we have a terrific health care system in Canada, and I agree.

The member will recall that, in the 1990s, the Liberal government of the day cut health care transfers to the provinces and territories. This government continues to increase the transfers to the provinces and territories.

I will continue to work with the provinces and territories so that we continue to provide quality services to Canadians.

Tax Harmonization

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on the issue of harmonizing the GST, negotiations between the federal government and the Government of Quebec have stalled. The federal government is coming up with all kinds of excuses for not compensating Quebec.

In particular, we were told that the Quebec sales tax should not apply to the GST. Quebec agreed. Then the federal government indicated in the House that it does not agree that Quebec should be the one to collect the GST.

Can the Prime Minister confirm for us today that he relinquished the collection of the GST, and that negotiations have not stalled because of this point?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, federal legislation regulates the harmonization of the GST with provincial sales tax. Several provinces have signed agreements. We are trying to conclude such an agreement with the Government of Quebec. We will continue to work to reach an agreement similar to those reached with other provinces, with a view to fulfilling our commitments to all Canadian provinces.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just said he wants an agreement similar to those reached with the other provinces. This means he would like to collect the tax, instead of allowing the province to collect it, as it was decided in 1992. If that is the reason, he should make that clear. If it is because he does not want to hand over the $2.2 billion, based on the formula used for Ontario and British Columbia, he should also say so.

Is it the $2.2 billion that is posing a problem? Does he still want to collect the tax, instead of Quebec?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada signed an agreement with the Government of Quebec a long time ago. Under that agreement, every year the federal government pays the Quebec government the cost of administering the GST.

The government reached a different kind of agreement with some of the other provinces. Each agreement involves obligations. We are trying to reach such an agreement with the Government of Quebec and we will continue to negotiate in good faith.

[Daniel Paillé, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for 18 years the government has refused to pay the $2.2 billion to Quebec and has continued to shower the rich with gifts.

On page 353 of the budget, it announces a $4.1 billion gift in the form of a stock option deduction. In addition, “three-quarters of the aggregate value”...“was claimed by individuals earning more than $500,000”, for a total of $3.1 billion.

Why does the Minister of Finance not put an end to this tax immunity for the exorbitant compensation of executives?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has just addressed this issue. Negotiations continue with Quebec.

If the Bloc would pay any attention to this, all provinces are invited to negotiate in good faith. That is exactly what we are doing with Quebec.

[Daniel Paillé, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is the fifth member this week who has not understood our questions. That was not at all what we were talking about.

The $3.1 billion tax gift—75% of the pie—to the richest of the rich, is claimed by 7,985 people. We could almost name them in the House. Thus, 7,985 people receive a gift of $400,000 on average.

When will the government say enough is enough and tax the rich, the fat cats of the system?