Debates of April 26th, 2010

Oral Questions

[James Rajotte, Conservative, Edmonton—Leduc, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the member of Parliament for St. John's South—Mount Pearl stated during question period that Mr. Rahim Jaffer organized meetings between Conservative MPs and representatives of the financial sector in Toronto in September 2009. This is categorically false. There were two days of meetings. Mr. Jaffer did not attend any one of the meetings. He did not organize any one of the meetings. He was not in any way at any of the meetings. He was not consulted on the meetings. He has never been a member of this financial services caucus, which was created after the last election.

I ask the member to do the honourable thing, stand up, retract that statement, and apologize for what she said. That is categorically wrong.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a document. I was reading an article from the Investment Executive: Canada's Newspaper for Financial Advisers. I would like to table this article.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to table this article?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

There is no consent.

The hon. member is rising on a point of order?

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I, too, attended those meetings on behalf of the financial services caucus. Mr. Jaffer was nowhere in sight and did not talk to anybody. I certainly can corroborate the information given by the chair of the finance committee. This is absolutely untrue and it deserves an unqualified apology at this moment.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, again, I ask for unanimous consent to table the document.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I was also at the meeting of the government financial services caucus that the member referred to and I can confirm that Mr. Jaffer was not in attendance, and was not in any way associated with that meeting.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to read into the record from the nvestment Executive: Canada's Newspaper for Financial Advisers, an article called “The Tory two-step. The federal government is friendly when it needs to be—and cool when it’s convenient”. This is from Tuesday, November 3, 2009 by Gord McIntosh. It states:

Just before parliament got back to work in September, a group of Conservative Party members of Parliament headed to Toronto to spend the day with the city’s bankers for get-to-know-you niceties and some full and frank discussions on policy. By all accounts, things went well. The MPs who form the Tory financial services caucus went away feeling a little empathy for the banks. The banks, for their part, left finally feeling--

Further down the article it says, “Then things started to go into the dumpster. First Rahim Jaffer, the former Tory MP turned lobbyist, who organized the unofficial summit, got busted for impaired driving and cocaine possession. Then there went the bank's new link to the Harper government”. It went on to say, “He organized this meeting”.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I have heard enough on this point. We are getting into a debate and, with all due respect to hon. members, whatever may have happened, wherever the information came from, it is not for the Chair to adjudicate on the accuracy of statements that are made in this House. It is far beyond the Chair's ability to do that and has never been the way the Chair operates.

There is a debate, there is disagreement as to facts, and there is not much more the Chair can do, except have that disagreement take place. However, in the Chair's view, it is not a procedural question. It is a matter of debate.

I would suggest that hon. members carry on the debate somewhere else so we can get on with the business of the House. With due respect, while there may be inaccurate statements made during question period or during debate, those are not matters upon which the Chair can adjudicate. Therefore, I am not able to assist hon. members with respect of this matter.

Export Development Canada

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Minister of International Trade]

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Canada Account Annual Report for 2008-09 prepared by Export Development Canada, as well as Export Development Canada's annual report for 2009.

Documents Regarding Mission in Afghanistan

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among all parties and I think if you were to seek it, you would find unanimous consent to table a number of pages of documents relating to the mission in Afghanistan. These documents are without prejudice to the question of privilege currently before the House.

I want to assure all members of the opposition parties that should they grant unanimous consent, copies of all of these documents will be provided to the opposition parties immediately for their examination.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to table these documents?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Government Response to Petitions

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions.

Increasing Voter Participation Act

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-18, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Health

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Health in relation to a motion adopted at the committee on Thursday, April 22, 2010 regarding the cancellation of the HIV vaccine manufacturing facility under the Canadian HIV vaccine initiative.

Guaranteed Income Supplement

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present a petition from many thousands of people who are calling for an increase to the guaranteed income supplement.

They point out that today in Canada there are many seniors who live in poverty. These are individuals who have built this country and helped make it great, but the increases they receive do not reflect today's cost of living increases in taxes, housing, food and transportation.

The federal government has the responsibility and should have the capacity to assist these people. The petitioners are calling for an immediate increase in the guaranteed income supplement.

Air Passengers' Bill of Rights

[Jim Maloway, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first petition, signed by thousands of Canadians, calls on the government to adopt Canada's first air passengers' bill of rights. Bill C-310 includes compensation for overbooked flights, cancelled flights and unreasonable tarmac delays.

The legislation has been in Europe since 1991. It was revamped five years ago and Canadian air passengers, up to just days ago, are receiving benefits in Europe that they are being denied in Canada.

Bill C-310 would require passengers be kept informed of flight changes whether delays or cancellations. The new rules have to be posted in the airports. The airlines must inform the passengers of their rights and the process to file for compensation that deals with late, misplaced baggage. It also deals with all inclusive pricing by airlines in their advertisements. It is not meant to punish the airlines. If they follow the rules, it will not cost them one cent.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to support Bill C-310 which would introduce Canada's first air passengers' bill of rights.

Prison Farms

[Jim Maloway, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

The second petition, Mr. Speaker, signed by dozens of Winnipeg residents, is a call to stop the closure of the six Canadian prison farms.

Dozens of Canadians have signed this petition asking the government to reconsider all six prison farms, including Rockwood Institution in Manitoba. They have been functioning farms for many decades providing food to the community. The prison farm operations provide rehabilitation and training for prisoners to work with and care for plants and animals.

The work ethic and rehabilitation benefit of waking up at 6 a.m., working outdoors, is a discipline that Canadians can appreciate. Closing these farms will mean a loss of the infrastructure and will make it too expensive to replace them some time in the future.

Therefore, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to stop the closure of the six Canadian prison farm operations across Canada, and produce a report on the work and rehabilitative benefit to prisoners of the farm operations and how the program can be adopted to meet the agriculture needs of the 21st century.

Preventive Withdrawal

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by several hundred people from about 40 different organizations calling on the Government of Canada to develop an administrative agreement with the Government of Quebec giving all pregnant women in Quebec the right to access the preventive withdrawal program offered by Quebec's occupational health and safety commission.

Firearms Registry

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a petition on behalf of my constituents who wish to see the abolition of the wasteful billion dollar Liberal long gun registry.

Included in this petition are signatures from honest and hard-working anglers, hunters, farmers and landowners from across the old Carleton County and even parts of Nepean. These are honest people who follow the law and contribute to their communities. They do not appreciate being treated like criminals, as the long gun registry has done to millions of law-abiding and decent Canadians.

The petitioners call on all parliamentarians to do the right thing and target the real criminals with stronger laws for gun crimes, while at the same time eliminating this multi-billion dollar monstrosity and getting off the backs of hard-working, honest hunters and farmers.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 114, 115 and 121.

Question No. 114

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

With regard to the Learning Centre of Library and Archives Canada: (a) what are the costs associated with the Lest We Forget Program; (b) what are the costs associated with the operation of the Learning Centre; (c) in the last year, what changes have been made to the mandate of the Learning Centre; (d) what changes will be made to responsibilities of employees of the Learning Centre who have been working with the Lest We Forget Program when it is eliminated in June 2010; (e) how will staff and resources of the Lest We Forget Program be redirected after the program is eliminated in June 2010; and (f) what changes, if any, have been made to the overall funding provided to Library and Archives Canada for the 2010-2011 fiscal year?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, the response is as follows: a) The costs associated with the Lest We Forget activities are embedded in the costs of the Learning Centre.

b) the total cost of ownership associated with the Learning Centre is approximately $475,000 a year and include personnel, reproduction of documents, digitization, rooms, shipping and mailing, etc.

c) No changes have been made to the mandate of the Learning Centre.

d) The Lest We Forget project is not being eliminated. The staff will continue working on the activities and projects of the Learning centre.

e) The Lest We Forget project of Library and Archives Canada is not being eliminated. The staff will continue working on activities and projects of the Learning centre.

f) Globally, Library and Archives Canada reference levels have decreased by $1.1M in 2010-11 due to the following: An increase of $12.8M for the conversion of the asset in Gatineau, Quebec as a Collection Storage Facility with a high density shelving system; an increase of $4M to cover for increases due to the various collective agreements signed during the fiscal years 2008–09 and 2009-10; an increase of $1.6M to support the modernization of federal laboratories, Budget 2009; a decrease of $6M for the construction of a preservation facility to safeguard Canada's cellulose nitrate-based documentary heritage; a decrease of $5.3M in funding for the AMICAN project to replace obsolete systems and provide the capacity for managing digital publications and digital records of government (end of project funding); a decrease of $4.6M for the 2007 Strategic Review; a decrease of $2M for the Portrait Gallery of Canada--Following the termination of the Request for Proposal for the building project in November 2008, the funds previously allocated for building operating expenses are not required, $1.185M, and the programming activities for the Portrait Gallery of Canada program were realigned with the aim of making the collection more accessible to all Canadians, $814.4K; and a decrease of $1M for a national initiative to improve access to information in multiple formats and to develop a strategy that supports equitable library service for Canadians with print disabilities, end of project funding.