Debates of March 19th, 2010

Quebec Women's Museum

[Jean Dorion, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day I had the opportunity to discover the Musée de la femme, the first of its kind in Quebec, the eighth in the world. I am very proud that it is in Longueuil, in my riding.

In addition to taking us through the history of women and underscoring their contribution to Quebec society, the museum also explains the 10-year history of the world march of women with its new temporary exhibit, “Le rêve aux pieds”.

Women's shoes recount important moments in history, symbolizing how far women have come: a journey to commend women's determination and resolve to make their dreams come true.

I would like to thank the founding president, Lydie Olga Ntap, for holding on to her dream of celebrating women's contributions by founding this museum. Thank you to everyone who, like Ms. Ntap, is working towards greater gender equality in Quebec.

Bluefin Tuna

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Atlantic bluefin tuna is important to the east coast fishery. The Government of Canada shares the concerns of experts around the world about the conservation of Atlantic tuna and we have acted on this concern. Canada has the best managed bluefin tuna fishery in the world.

However, the recent debate at international meetings in Doha does raise serious questions and the international community has been put on notice to follow through on previous commitments to take real action on bluefin tuna. Canada will continue to be a world leader on this issue. We will press other nations to follow the example of the sustainably managed Canadian fishery to ensure the survival of this iconic fish.

Labrador Winter Games

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, on March 7, 23 teams representing communities large and small from every region of Labrador gathered in Happy Valley-Goose Bay for the 10th Labrador Winter Games. During the week that followed, they showed their skills, athletic ability and good sportsmanship in 14 different team and individual events.

The Labrador Winter Games bring together athletes, coaches, trainers, officials, volunteers and spectators from across Labrador and Canada. The games are a show of strength, agility, teamwork and fair play. They build community spirit and highlight the cultural richness of our region. They are a unique expression of what it means to be a Labradorian.

I extend special congratulations to team Cartwright for successfully defending the Labrador Cup from 2006. To the medallists, the teams, all the athletes who competed, the winter games board, the coordinators, the volunteers and the sponsors who make it all possible, I offer congratulations on their success and thanks for their hard work.

We all look forward to 2013 for the 30th anniversary Labrador Winter games.

Justice

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week, we implemented judicial measures that will contribute to better protecting our communities. Our government has announced legislative measures to strengthen the way the young offenders system deals with violent and repeat offenders.

In order to better protect our children, we have also announced a bill to strengthen the national sex offender registry. Lastly, we have announced a bill to amend the International Transfer of Offenders Act.

Canadians have the right to feel safe in their communities. Our government is moving forward and making public safety a top priority.

I am humbly asking members of the opposition to support our anti-crime measures. It is a matter of protecting our families and protecting communities from coast to coast. Canadians want action and that is what we are offering.

Pat Jessup

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, March 31 will be a very sad day for our Canadian armed forces because that is the day the great, the one and only Lieutenant Commander Pat Jessup of Halifax will retire from many years of service in the Canadian armed forces.

Pat Jessup comes from a long line of military service. Her grandfather served in World War I. Her father served in World War II. She has a son serving in the military. Her husband served for over 38 years as well.

Her accomplishments within the navy and the armed forces in Halifax are far too many to list. One which stands out in particular is the organization of 19 commemorative events during Veterans Week which raised over a quarter of a million dollars in kind for the Camp Hill veterans. It is her great work and that of Mr. Tom Walters which got the Silver Cross changes in Canada.

On behalf of all parliamentarians and all of us who have had a chance to see Pat Jessup at work, I salute Pat Jessup and thank her for her service to our country. She will be sorely missed by all of us.

Firearms Registry

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to report today that the Minister of Public Safety announced further action towards effective gun control.

This Conservative government intends to re-extend the current amnesty that helps firearm owners comply with the law. Our government believes that gun control should target criminals, not law-abiding citizens. It should promote safety on our streets, not frustrate hunters in the bush.

We know that the criminalization of honest, responsible gun owners does not serve the public interest. We also know that criminals do not register their guns and that illegal handguns are the primary problem.

Our Conservative government remains committed to fighting crime and protecting Canadians so that our communities are safe places in which to live and raise families.

The long gun registry is not cracking down on crime like the Liberals promised it would. It unfairly targets hard-working farmers and hunters, not criminals.

It is time to put an end to this billion dollar Liberal boondoggle once and for all.

Denise Bombardier

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on March 17, Denise Bombardier was awarded the 2010 Reconnaissance - Francophonie award. She is the second recipient of this award, which was created last year to honour a Quebec individual for his or her exceptional contribution to the promotion of the French language and culture on the international scene.

Denise Bombardier is a respected yet controversial individual. This intellectual does not shy away from controversy. She is a regular contributor to the print media. Her articles can be read in many publications. She has also written such works as La voix de la France, Une enfance à l'eau bénite, Aimez-moi les uns les autres.

In her 30 years at Radio-Canada, Ms. Bombardier was a researcher, host and producer. She is the recipient of many honours: Knight of the French Legion of Honour, Knight of the Order of Quebec and Officer of the French Legion of Honour.

My Bloc Québécois colleagues join me in congratulating Denise Bombardier for this award and her contribution to the Francophonie.

International Day of La Francophonie

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is International Day of La Francophonie and it is a particularly important event because this is the 40th anniversary of the International Organization of La Francophonie.

Canada remains a leader in the francophone world. It is important to support this organization because it allows us to interact with francophone and francophile countries around the world.

As was previously mentioned, the international Francophonie is celebrating its 40th anniversary. This anniversary will celebrate diversity for peace and solidarity with the people of Haiti, who were hit by a terrible earthquake in January.

In conclusion, I hope that the government will recognize the importance and value of this organization to Canada's international influence.

Liberal Party of Canada

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, students across the country are sad to see the end of the March break and so is the Liberal leader.

In this House we have taken care of what matters to Canadians. We have implemented our jobs and growth budget that will protect the jobs of today while creating the jobs of tomorrow.

While we work to create jobs, the Liberal leader's tax and spend road show promises to kill jobs. The Liberal leader can take as many breaks as he likes, but it will not change the fact that his alternative to our jobs and growth plan is higher taxes. We know this because he said it. He told Canadians, “We will have to raise taxes”. Canadians know that higher taxes kill jobs.

When the Liberal leader chooses his tax and spend road show over the work of this House, he proves what we have been saying all along: the Liberal leader is not in it for Canadians, he is only in it for himself.

Airline Security

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian aviation regulations define a level 3 incident as “violent, argumentative, threatening, intimidating or disorderly behaviour”.

First, the Minister of State for the Status of Women had a massive airport meltdown and slandered the people of Prince Edward Island. Now we learn that the Minister of Veterans Affairs tried to break the rules by taking a bottle of tequila onto an aircraft, was refused, and then became so belligerent that security almost called the RCMP.

Why is there one set of rules for the Conservative team and another set of rules for everyone else?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs has apologized to anyone that he may have offended. He did not ask for any preferential treatment. He strongly supports airport security measures unequivocally.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian aviation regulations define a level three incident as violent, argumentative, threatening, intimidating or disorderly behaviour. February was a difficult month for security officials at Canadian airports—two ministers, two instances of aggressive behaviour in flagrant violation of the rules that apply to ordinary citizens.

Why is the Prime Minister rewarding ministers who put the safety of Canadian travellers at risk?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we must always remember that it is a great privilege to be not just a member of this place, but to also be a minister of the crown.

People at our airports, and I know very well the hard-working people at the Ottawa airport, have a very difficult job. They work extremely hard.

All members of the House will want to join me in saying let us work together to help keep our airports safe by cooperating with the officials.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, security personnel who keep us safe in our airports across Canada, like the airport in my riding of Ottawa South, should not be berated and bullied by arrogant Conservative cabinet ministers.

The Prime Minister now says that members of his cabinet need new special rules. He is missing the point. The problem is he will not enforce the rules we have. He is telling Canadians that there is one set of rules for him and his ministers and another set of rules for everyone else.

Why the double standard?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. We know how hard and how stressful the work is that people do at our airports, whether they be with CATSA, whether they be airport employees, or whether they work for airlines. It is a challenging environment.

We should all come together and work to assist them in their important responsibilities on behalf of all Canadians to keep us safe.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs knows about airport security. Just last year, on May 5, he joined the Minister of State for Transport at Pearson International Airport to announce new airport security measures. The veterans affairs minister said, “The government...is committed to strengthening aviation security on all fronts”. The plan clearly detailed the threat posed by liquids. Perhaps he should have read it.

Does the minister think he is above the law, or does he just not understand it?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister has apologized to anyone who may have been offended. He did not ask for any preferential treatment.

We do not have a two-tier legal system. Members of Parliament, members of the federal cabinet, are just like every single other Canadian. All of the rules, all of the regulations, all of the laws apply to everyone in this country equally.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the news and I have not heard the apology. The honest men and women who work hard to make our airports and air space safe deserve an explanation. They deserve an apology.

Through his actions the minister insinuated that they would confiscate his precious tequila and drink it. That is insulting. It is disrespectful.

If the Minister of Veterans Affairs does not respect those dedicated people in uniform, how do we know he respects the men and women who wear Canadian Forces uniforms?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, let me make a personal commitment to my friend from Don Valley West that we will get a copy of the minister's statement for him.

Tax Harmonization

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the time of the announcement of the agreement with Quebec on the reform of the sales tax, Michael Wilson, the Conservative finance minister at the time, congratulated himself on the harmonization of the QST and the GST that came into effect on January 1, 1992. Since then, no federal government has questioned this fact. Today, 18 years later, the Conservatives for the first time are contending the opposite.

Will the government agree that its new position on harmonization or non-harmonization is nothing more than a pretext for not compensating Quebec?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, 18 years is still not as long as the Bloc has been here, but we will have results in the end.

We are still in negotiations with the Government of Quebec. Of course, things change. There are always things to clarify with that government. In good faith, the two governments will reach an agreement, but there are still a lot of things to resolve.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party has been in the House for 143 years, and Quebec has never received anything from it.

The pretext of the QST and GST non-harmonization hides the real reason the Conservatives are refusing to compensate Quebec, which is their intention to take over the collection of both taxes, a task that was given totally to Revenu Québec in 1992.

Will the Conservative government acknowledge that it is trying to subjugate Quebec instead of compensating it as it deserves?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, the negotiations between Quebec and our government will continue.

I would remind my colleague opposite that, since our government has been in power, the amount of federal transfers has never been so high in Canadian history. This year, $19.3 billion will be transferred to Quebec along with $8.8 billion in equalization payments.

Quebec certainly did not give this money to itself. It comes from the Government of Canada this year.

Employment Insurance

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government keeps saying that employment insurance premiums are determined by an independent body at arm's length from the government and that, in any case, current legislation stipulates that premiums cannot be higher than benefits. Yet the government's recent budget is clear. The government plans to pilfer $19 billion from the employment insurance fund.

How can the government predict that an arm's length organization will go against its own legislation and set premium rates that would allow to rake in $19 billion?

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

Mr. Speaker, we froze employment insurance premiums for two years in order to protect jobs across Canada. Now we are waiting for the commission to determine the long term premium rate. This is to avoid doing what the Liberals did: doling out gifts to their cronies for their pet projects.