Debates of April 16th, 2010

Credit and Debit Card Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London West for finally asking a question about the economy.

We all know that small business plays a vital role in Canada's economy and job creation. When small business raises concerns with us we listen.

Today we released a code of conduct for the credit and debit card industry to encourage choice and competition, to help prevent unfair business practices and to help protect businesses from rising costs.

The credit and debit card industry has until May 17 to adopt this code voluntarily or our government is prepared to take action to regulate them through the legislative process.

Afghanistan

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a document I received shows that when detainees were not forthcoming during questioning by Canadian officials, they would be sent to the NDS for further interrogation. We have heard testimony that this meant torture. Yesterday a military police witness testified that they had no responsibility for detainees once they handed them over. This document backs up what a top-level military advisor, known as Pasha, described as “outsourcing torture”.

Where does the buck stop? Who is accountable for Canada's outsourcing torture to the Afghans?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, once again we are talking about allegations. The top level military advisor he was talking about is a translator.

The simple fact is that the Military Police Complaints Commission is hearing a lot of evidence from a lot of people. What it does is it investigates all allegations, analyzes the facts and the evidence and, if warranted, it lays the appropriate charges.

We are working with our Afghan allies in Afghanistan to bring their level up to something, not approaching Canada's level, unfortunately, but to a higher level than it has been in the past.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what Pasha, the interpreter, gave us was a first-hand, eye witness account of an NDS colonel's proposal to murder a detainee. He said that Colonel Yassin said that NDS would not accept a sick detainee and that when the Canadians insisted, Colonel Yassin removed his pistol, put it on the table, and said, ‘Here is my gun. Go shoot him. Give me the body and I will justify it for you”.

Their intentions were clear and yet the detainee was still transferred.

No more excuses. The need for a public inquiry is obvious to everyone, seemingly, except for the government. Why will it not call a public inquiry?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as usual, my hon. colleague is misstating the facts. The NDS official in question did not propose murder. He was being dramatic, I assume.

The simple fact is that we did not turn over that prisoner. We took him back to the hospital in Kandahar, operated on him, made him healthy and turned him back over to the NDS. That is what we do. We look after our Taliban prisoners better than anybody else, better, frankly, than the Taliban looks after their own. We take them into our hospitals and we make them as well, as we do with the rest of the Afghan people. That is what we are doing across the country there. We are raising everybody's level.

Environment

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on May 30, 2008, the former federal environment minister, the current Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, announced with great fanfare that a carbon exchange would be created in Montreal.

We have learned that the studies are finished, the mechanisms are ready to be put into place and, despite all of that, the government is going to delay the creation of the carbon exchange yet again.

Will the government admit that the only thing keeping the carbon exchange from opening is its own lack of political will?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, not at all. The member well knows the government's commitment to the environment and in an harmonized continental approach.

While the Liberal-Bloc-NDP coalition is into publicity stunts again, our government is taking real action on the environment. The greenhouse gas emission report just delivered to the United Nations shows a 2.1% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

We need to remember that it was 13 long years of Liberal inaction, supported by the Bloc, that saw massive increases in greenhouse gas emissions.

We are getting it done.

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government will use any excuse to put off the creation of a carbon exchange for as long as possible. They have cited the economic crisis and a lack of international consensus, and now the minister is saying that they have to wait for the American plan.

Instead of using such flimsy excuses, will the minister acknowledge that the real reason behind his inaction is a lack of political will and his desire to give his oil company friends more time?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but mention the statement made in Calgary yesterday by the hon. member's leader. He was in western Canada, as we all know. I will quote him in English so that we fully understand what he said:

I’m fighting for my own interests, you’re fighting for yours. Fine. I’m not opposed to the tarsands.

He is not against the oil companies. But what does his party member think? Maybe he should talk to his leader.

Public Safety

[Brian Murphy, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe has asked for a cost-sharing agreement for its RCMP detachment. The three mayors met with the minister in 2007 and wrote to him in December 2008. I wrote to the minister myself in January 2009. The problem has not yet been resolved.

Only two of 269 communities have no such agreement, and both are located in south-eastern New Brunswick. Why the discrimination? When will Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe get an agreement?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has been in discussions with these communities and the discussions are ongoing. When there is an upgrade to it, we will make the member opposite aware.

[Brian Murphy, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker, there has been three years of discussion. We need some action.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe has been well-served by Codiac RCMP but costs have soared and municipalities are now urgently forced to look at changing the model. The main reason is the government's lack of action on a request for the same cost-sharing agreement that 269 other communities in Canada enjoy.

Would the minister tell us why he does not care at all about policing concerns in southeastern New Brunswick? Why the delay, the deceit and the discrimination?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the minister does care about policing across this country but in this case the discussions will continue and we will report to the member in due time.

Vale Inco

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the strike at Vale Inco nine months ago, the Conservatives have claimed time and time again that this is exclusively a provincial matter. However, Vale Inco reps have met five times with the senior bureaucrats, six times with ADMs, eleven times with the chief of staff, once with the PMO, once with the Minister of Labour and once with the Minister of Industry.

Are these 25 meetings not the real reason why these Conservatives are refusing to show leadership regarding the Vale Inco strike?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to monitor this situation. We hope that both sides can come to a settlement because the sooner the better for the people of Sudbury.

In regard to the Investment Canada Act, we evaluate a quality to proposed reductions throughout the entire international enterprise.

Vale Inco had announced temporary shutdowns in other parts of the world and have not specifically targeted Canada. We do see Vale Inco planning to stay invested in Canada for the long term, but we do continue to monitor the situation.

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Vale Inco is using strikebreakers to carry on its operations in Sudbury.

Not only is Vale Inco using scabs regardless of the problems that is causing for the community, but a very credible report suggests that several of these strikebreakers have come from the United States.

Can the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism tell us whether temporary work permits were issued to foreign workers employed by Vale Inco?

Is the government letting scabs into the country?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I already commented on the Vale Inco situation as it relates to the Investment Canada Act.

I will make a comment, however, on the NDP strategy to adopt only made in Canada policies, policies that would raise barriers around our country, policies that would make it impossible to sell Canadian products around the world and policies that would be absolutely devastating to Canadian companies, the Canadian economy and specifically to Canadian workers.

Fairness at the Pumps Act

[Chris Warkentin, Conservative, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Industry announced a fairness at the pumps bill that would ensure that Canadians get what they pay for when they go to fill up their cars and trucks.

One Liberal touted this announcement as a phantom issue, one that Canadians did not really care about. Can it be that the Liberals are so out of touch with Canadians that they think Canadians do not care about being ripped off at the pumps?

I am wondering if the parliamentary secretary would inform this House about the importance of this bill, especially for Canadian consumers.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, yesterday the member for Pickering—Scarborough East labelled this a phantom issue for Canadians. Only the Liberals would refer to the fact that Canadian consumers are losing millions and millions of dollars because of inaccurate pumps as a phantom issue.

Let us be very clear on the distinction between our two parties.

The centrepiece of the last Liberal election campaign was a carbon tax that would have significantly increased gas prices. Over the past year the Liberal leader proposed raising a broad range of taxes, from sales taxes to corporate taxes.

On the other hand, this government has lowered taxes across the board and introduced measure after measure to protect the Canadian consumer.

Fishing Industry

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the fishing industry is in crisis. Fishermen are struggling to make a living and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans continues to restrict them with unnecessary regulations. With low prices, some fishermen want to use the buddy-up system to assist them during this time. Unfortunately, the minister has shut the door.

No one is asking her to change the program criteria, just to make the program fair to all. Will the minister review the buddy-up program with the objective to make this system fair and allow equal access for all fishermen?

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the fisheries committee for his question. He is right that the fishing industry across Canada, and especially in Newfoundland and Labrador, is facing some significant challenges.

However, I reject the premise of his question because the minister has allowed certain flexibility to the industry. We have introduced measures for enterprise combining and buddy-up to allow fleets to better adjust to markets and resource conditions.

Justice

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is continuing to impose its regressive Conservative agenda by stealth. Just as it did when it wanted to dismantle the gun registry, it is introducing another private member's bill to reopen the abortion debate. The Prime Minister, who promised not to challenge the right to abortion, has nonetheless given this bill his blessing.

When will the government stop imposing its regressive ideology on the women of Quebec?

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, our government's position is clear: we will not reopen the abortion debate.

The Environment

[Bruce Hyer, NDP, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a major environmental climate change conference starts in Cochabamba, Bolivia in only three days. More than 70 countries, such as France, Russia and Spain, will be there, including the majority of those least developed nations, those whose populations will bear the heaviest burden from climate change.

The government has not indicated how Canada will be represented at these important international talks. Will the minister please explain who will represent Canada or will our seat at the table be empty again?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the member well knows that our government, along with 117 other countries representing over 90% of the world's emissions, have signed on to the Copenhagen accord.

This week the IEA executive director, Nobuo Tanaka, praised Canada's recent climate change targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. We already know that our emissions are going down. Under this government, we are getting it done.