Debates of March 24th, 2010

Employment

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, today's students face an unemployment rate more than double the national average. There were over 128,000 fewer jobs for students last year. The minister's plan creates 3,500 extra jobs. What about the other 97% of students?

Over $100 million was wasted this year alone on government advertising. Let us look at it: $100 million for propaganda, and $10 million to help summer students. What do summer students need to do to get real assistance? Do they wear Conservative billboards on campus?

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

Mr. Speaker, whereas the previous government, the member's government, took an elitist approach to university and college education through its scholarship foundation, our government replaced that with a non-repayable grants program to help low and middle income students get up to $250 a month so they can afford to attend university. The hon. member voted against that too.

We are working to make sure that every young person, every adult, who needs and wants further education can access it. That is why we are also providing the colleges and universities with funding. They all appreciate it. So should he.

Haiti

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

Mr. Speaker, the rapid withdrawal of Canadian troops from Haiti is causing a lot of problems. As the soldiers leave that country after participating in the rebuilding efforts, they are taking with them materials and manpower, which is causing more destabilization, when things like airport infrastructure were just starting to stabilize. The pace of the rebuilding effort has slowed down considerably.

Why did the Prime Minister not wait for the International Donors' Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti, which will be held on March 31 in New York, before withdrawing our troops from Haiti?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the military mission in Haiti is not a permanent or long-term mission. It is an emergency mission. The soldiers provided considerable assistance to the people of Haiti, either helping in the hospitals or providing food and drinking water. We are transitioning to a different, long-term, humanitarian mission, led by people who work in development.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would simply ask him to wait until March 31 before making any decisions. That is not permanent, I think.

The Bloc Québécois supported the Quebec Forest Industry Council's idea to send wood to rebuild homes in Haiti. That would of course happen as part of a multilateral framework, respecting Haiti's requests and the rules of the WTO.

Does the federal government plan on presenting such a proposal at the International Donors' Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti on March 31?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I can only say that the international community is still working with the Haitian government to come up with a long-term rebuilding plan. Obviously, we will consider all suggestions and will see what comes out of the conference on March 31.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Thierry St-Cyr, Bloc, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec's immigration minister, Yolande James, said that Quebec is behind in processing applications from Haiti in part because of federal red tape. One astonishing example is the case of Mrs. Occessite, who was granted refugee status but had to leave her two children behind.

Canada has all kinds of nice things to say about its involvement in Haiti, so how can the minister explain his failure to speed up immigration procedures?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, we have taken special measures to speed up processing times for cases involving sponsorship of family members by Canadians of Haitian origin. We have deployed more personnel to our mission in Port-au-Prince and set up a visa office in Santo Domingo.

We have also increased the number of staff handling information requests in Montreal. Quebec said that it would be sending us 3,000 more case files for expedited processing, but we have not received a single one.

[Thierry St-Cyr, Bloc, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been no results to speak of.

Two months after the Kosovo incidents, the government had set up a special system for Kosovars wanting to come to Canada. Within six months, 7,000 people had found refuge here.

Can the government explain why it was so quick to respond to Kosovars' needs, yet is so slow to process applications from Haiti?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, the situations in Kosovo and Haiti have nothing in common. The Kosovars were pre-selected as political refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees before they were allowed to enter Canada.

Applications from Haitian citizens have to be verified to ensure that a family relationship exists with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

The government must exercise due diligence in selecting immigrants to Canada. Nevertheless, we are working as quickly as we can.

Pensions

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, nine months ago, the House passed an NDP motion to reform our pension system.

A quarter of a million seniors live in poverty in Canada. The Minister of Finance just announced today another very limited round of consultations. There is no action plan, when that is what is really needed.

Why did they not take advantage of the prorogation to hold consultations so that action could be taken now on behalf of our seniors?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance announced some very important measures for the reform of the pension system in October.

We are continuing to consult not only the public but the provinces as well. They are our partners in the Canada Pension Plan, and it is essential that they participate.

It was our government that created the tax-free savings account and it was our government that created income sharing for retired people, but the NDP voted against these measures for our seniors.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot afford to wait. Just ask the people at AbitibiBowater or at Nortel. They stand to lose virtually everything, and they need action to be taken right now. However, we are not seeing that sense of urgency from the government.

Canadians have already made their views known about where they want to see pension reform. Our pensions critic went right across the country and brought the results to this House, where we had a vote that was adopted, including with the support of the government caucus.

Why can we not see action on these issues now? Why more delay?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in October alone the Minister of Finance announced a range of important actions to enhance protections for plan members, reduce funding volatility for defined benefit plans, make it easier for participants to negotiate changes to their pension arrangements, and an improved framework for defined contribution plans. He has taken specific actions with regard to specific federally regulated plans that have been in some difficulty to help those plans' members. Of course, as I mentioned, we brought in a tax free savings account and income splitting for pensioners.

The problem is, every time we do things for pensioners, the NDP votes against them.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, why will the government not take action right now, for example, to allow Canadians to put more of their savings in the pension plan that they own? It is called the Canada pension plan. It would provide them with the retirement security they are looking for.

Nine months ago the House passed a motion calling for precisely that. All parties supported it. What is holding the government up? Why not take some action to help the seniors all across this country? No matter what their income level is, no matter where they stand in the social structure, they need help and they need support and we can do it now.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

The right hon. Prime Minister. Order, please.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in terms of the Canada pension plan, as I mentioned earlier, discussions are ongoing with the provinces on options. The fact of the matter is that the provinces are partners in the Canada pension plan, and we have to have agreement between two levels of government to make major changes. That is why we are talking to them.

In the meantime, we have brought in other measures, a range of measures I have already talked about, in terms of improving pensions and improving the lives of pensioners.

When those things happen, why will the NDP not stand up and actually vote for positive action?

Taxation

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance misled Canadians by implying that post-doctoral students were making $70,000 per year. He got that one wrong. The average salary of the 6,000 post-docs in Canada is barely half that amount. Post-docs are often young, have families and still carry student debt.

The minister promised he would not raise taxes. Why is the minister penalizing our post-doctoral students?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, there has been no change in the taxation policy of the federal government with respect to post-doctoral fellowships.

The Liberal government before us taxed them. They are taxed because they are post-doctoral fellows who are working.

In budget 2010 we announced $45 million to establish new post-doctoral fellowships at the rate of $70,000 per year each. I encourage the member opposite to read the budget.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is 140 people out of 6,000.

The minister can say what he wants, but the fact remains that he is imposing a new tax on 6,000 post-doctoral fellows. These post-docs do not earn salaries of $70,000, as the minister twice stated yesterday. Post-docs are a very valuable resource. They help foster innovation and research.

Is the minister aware of this?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about what the member opposite is advocating.

In budget 2010 we created $45 million worth of post-doctoral fellowships, which were welcomed by the university presidents across Canada and welcomed by the university community. What the member opposite is suggesting is that these should not be taxed, contrary to the policy of his Liberal Party when it was in government, and contrary to public policy now.

He thinks people should earn $70,000 a year, his friends in universities, and not pay tax. A lot of Canadians do not earn that kind of money and they pay their fair share.

Child Care

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, child care spaces will close in Ontario this year because the Conservative government cancelled the previous early learning and child care agreements with the provinces.

In Toronto alone, over 2,000 spaces are at risk. The last of the federal funding has dried up. Now at the eleventh hour, the Ontario government has to pick up the tab for the government's negligence.

Investing in our children provides them with the best possible start and the return on investment is huge. When will the government invest in the spaces necessary for early childhood development?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government, our party, believes that the best person to decide how a child should be raised is the parent. That is what we believe.

We are investing $250 million a year through the provinces for the creation of these selfsame child care spaces so that parents do have the choice. We provide this funding to all the provinces and territories. We expect that Ontario should spend it responsibly in providing the spaces it is expected to create.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government does not help parents. These $50 a month are not good for anything when there are no daycare spaces. People already have to wait several years to get a space.

When will the Conservatives give all children a space in daycare and pre-school education?