Debates of March 24th, 2010

Guaranteed Income Supplement

[Carole Freeman, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the latest supplementary estimates show that the government spent less than expected on the guaranteed income supplement, and that the surplus will go into the consolidated revenue fund instead of being used to improve the living conditions of our seniors who survive below the poverty line. On May 27, 2009, the opposition parties supported a Bloc Québécois motion to improve the GIS.

What is the government waiting for to improve the guaranteed income supplement and to help our poorest seniors?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have done a number of things to help seniors, and especially our poorest seniors. For example, we increased the guaranteed income supplement exemption, before the GIS has to be reimbursed, from $500 to $3,500.

We are also helping seniors through pensions. But the Bloc Québécois voted against all these measures.

Pensions

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 14 months ago, the Conservatives promised pension reform within 90 days, and today they recycled that promise again, some 330 days overdue. Some, including CARP, have likened the Conservative approach to serial stalling when it comes to pension reform, while the Liberals are clearly ready to act now.

If the minister is serious, why will he not immediately address issues such as income trusts and bankruptcy amendments? Is the government only stalling until the provinces get tired of waiting and move first?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals cannot even figure out how to vote in this House. Now they want to tell us how to run the pension system.

Their idea of a conference is to do something like they are going to do this weekend: hold this meeting that has the oxymoronic name, Liberal thinkers' conference.

These important issues are not done on the back of an envelope. They are not done with a half wit. They are done cautiously and they are done in co-operation with our provincial partners. We are doing consultations. So is British Columbia. So is Ontario. So is Alberta.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, those provinces wanted to act months ago and the Prime Minister who wanted to privatize the Canada pension plan is hardly one to act at all.

I imagine that the Prime Minister still thinks that the Canada pension plan should be privatized instead of strengthened.

Given the Prime Minister's Reform ideology, how can we believe that he wants to improve the Canada pension plan?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I said this morning in announcing the further listening to Canadians before the finance ministers meet again in May, which is what British Columbia is doing, which is what Alberta is doing, which is what Yukon is doing, all options are on the table.

I know the official opposition on the back of an envelope has decided on a voluntary CPP plan. I know the NDP on the back of another envelope, or maybe the same envelope, has decided that it has to be a mandatory CPP plan.

All options are on the table as they are with our provincial partners and our territorial partners. We are prepared to listen to Canadians.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Saskatchewan government said it had faith in the new administration and governance of First Nations University. It committed $5 million to keep FNUC open in an agreement with the University of Regina.

The minister said he pulled the funding from FNUC because the province did it first.

Will the minister again follow Saskatchewan's lead and commit to keeping the university open by providing full federal funding to this agreement, or is the Conservative promise to first nations education just another hollow promise?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, what we have promised is that any funds that will be used at FNUC or any other post-secondary education facility will have accountability, transparency and will be used for the purposes intended.

That has been the problem with that university for a number of years now and why both the federal and provincial governments and the university teachers association and others have chastised it and condemned it so soundly.

The MOU that is in place right now still does not flow any money to it. There are still agreements that have to be negotiated. There are still specifics on how this is going to work.

We look forward to the work of that committee. We are not a member of that committee because it is a provincial jurisdiction, but we look forward to the details as they come forward.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister often talks about education following the individual, but if there are no institutions to provide services, funding to individuals simply does not help.

That is the situation facing women served by women's shelters in Montreal and Alberta. The end of the aboriginal healing fund will close programs for women in Montreal and cuts by INAC women's shelters in Alberta have put their programming in jeopardy.

Shelters save lives. Why is the minister turning his back on vulnerable aboriginal women right across the country?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, that is simply not true.

While this government has moved ahead not only to support programs to prevent violence against women and violence against aboriginals generally, we also increased the funding from $18 million that we inherited from the Liberals on this program to over $30 million this year. It has been increased to the highest level ever.

Not only that, we have also committed to and started construction on five new women's shelters across the country. The funding is there. The funding has increased and we continue to do the job.

Support from the NDP would be useful but it is not necessary. We are still going to get the job done.

Pensions

[Ron Cannan, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our government was working hard to improve Canada's retirement system long before it was on the opposition's radar. Last year we consulted with Canadians and made important reforms to make federally regulated pensions more stable.

Recognizing that fewer than 10% of pensions are federally regulated, we have built on that first step by working with our provincial partners to create a national solution to pensions.

Could the Minister of Finance please update the House on the next steps?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians work hard to realize their retirement dreams.

Today I announced our government will give everyday Canadians an unprecedented opportunity to be part of the debate on Canada's retirement income system. This will be cross-country and public from town halls, round tables, online discussions and much more over the next several weeks leading to the meeting of finance ministers in the month of May, when we will talk about the results of our consultations with our provincial partners responsible for pension reform.

Tuberculosis

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today is World Tuberculosis Day. Tuberculosis is Canada's forgotten disease. The tuberculosis rate among status Indians is 31 times higher than that of non-aboriginal Canadians, and the rate among Inuit is 186 times higher.

Why does the government think that sub-Saharan TB rates are acceptable among aboriginal Canadians?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as someone from the north, I understand how serious this issue is. Our government takes the health and safety of all citizens very seriously and remains vigilant in the efforts to address tuberculosis. Our government has almost doubled its spending on the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis in aboriginal communities compared to the Liberal Party in the last four years of its time in government.

This year alone, we have contributed about $10 million. More than that, we are addressing a number of other areas that will help prevent the spread of tuberculosis, including infrastructure, investment in housing, tobacco, food—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Ahuntsic.

Public Safety

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a Correctional Service of Canada official told the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that pedophiles are still being sent to a halfway house near an elementary school in my riding.

The Montreal school board asked the government to stop this practice. The member for Okanagan—Coquihalla, the former public safety minister, told the House that he would direct his department to put an end to the situation.

Three years have passed since then. Will the new Minister of Public Safety finally protect children by giving the Correctional Service of Canada clear instructions not to put pedophiles in halfway houses near schools?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, my predecessor did indeed indicate that he would look into the matter. I will get back to the member. However, I find it passing strange that that member from that party would stand up and indicate that those members are concerned about pedophiles when, in fact, they voted against a bill that would strengthen penalties for pedophiles.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order. I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the members of the Canadian National High Schools Debate Team reigning world champions: Iqbal Kassam, Jonathan Carson, Veenu Goswami, Keenan MacNeal, Lyle Dobbin, Sophie Bird, Sarah Levy, Andrew Morrison and Vinayak Mishra.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie on a point of order.

Le Devoir

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

Mr. Speaker, I seek the unanimous consent of this House to move the following motion:

That the House congratulate the newspaper Le Devoir, a free and independent source of information that defends the values of freedom, equality, solidarity and integrity, on its one hundredth anniversary and for its outstanding contribution to public life.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie have the unanimous consent of the House to move this motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.