Debates of April 26th, 2010

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not a matter of being, in principle, in favour of education for aboriginal students. We need, for example, a business plan. I am sure the member for Wascana, the best mayor that Regina never had, does not care about business plans.

However, on this side of the House we are not prepared to simply table up the money, write a cheque, tear it off and give it to somebody to spend as he or she sees fit. We need a business plan. We need legal documents. We need to have applications come in. I have told the university to put in the application. The money is there and we are supportive, but we do not write blank cheques. That is the Liberal way of the culture of elite.

Anti-terrorism Act

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, following 9/11, Parliament implemented the Anti-terrorism Act but subjected the law's most controversial sections to a five year sunset clause. Since 2007, the government has tried three times to reinstate the most draconian aspects of that law and now it has announced a fourth attempt.

Among many other opponents, this time it also faces opposition from the former director of CSIS, Reid Morden, who said that it was needless and that it crosses the line between state security and individual rights.

Why will the government not drop this useless and dangerous bill?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, what we will never do is stop fighting terrorism in our country. This government will never stop doing that. We are working to give law enforcement agencies the tools they need to safeguard national security. Human rights protections are built into them. I even accepted one of the amendments that came from the Senate. It is true. It is in the bill.

This is a very reasonable proposal. This is exactly what law enforcement agencies need in our country to fight terrorism at home and abroad.

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the expression goes, all things come in threes. Most people would stop after three attempts, because they have understood, but the Conservatives are slow to understand some things. They are introducing the same bill for the fourth time, one that would allow police to arrest someone without a warrant and detain them without laying charges. This is a violation of rights. Even the former head of CSIS is criticizing this bill.

Why are the Conservatives returning to the charge with such a severe violation of rights?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member wants to know why we are coming back with this. It is because law enforcement agencies in the country need these provisions.

The member was spewing out some nonsense about us having introduced these bills four times. This is why it is so difficult to fight crime in the country because we continuously get this kind of backlash from the NDP. What is it about the NDP that refuses to allow those members to stand up for victims and law-abiding Canadians and better protect the people of our country? What is their problem?

Firearms Registry

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, first the Liberal leader forces his members to vote against their constituents on ending the wasteful long gun registry. Now the Liberal-led coalition is attempting to use its opposition majority to shut out witnesses at the public safety committee.

The Liberals, led by the member for Ajax—Pickering, are trying to move a motion to have 33 witnesses appear, 28 of whom are in favour of the Liberal leader's position to keep the long gun registry.

Could the parliamentary secretary tell us what the Conservatives are doing to ensure that the views of Canadians are heard on the issue of the long gun registry?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Portage—Lisgar for her private member's bill, Bill C-391.

The Liberal leader has whipped his members to support the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry. Now the Liberals are attempting to hijack the public safety committee by desperately trying to force a pro-long gun registry list of witnesses.

Why are the Liberals scared to hear what others have to say? Why do the Liberals not want to hear from witnesses such as Police Chief Hanson from Calgary, who has called the long gun registry a placebo and has said that it creates a false sense of security and does nothing to stop gun violence between Calgary gangs?

It is time to put an end to the wasteful long gun registry and the Liberal-led coalition—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Vancouver Quadra.

Access to Information

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in an article today we see yet more evidence of the Conservative culture of deceit. The Prime Minister has seized almost total control of routine government communications. The Information Commissioner has found the Conservative government to be the most secretive in history. A chill is felt across our civil service. Bureaucrats are afraid to speak up. The release of information is grinding to a halt. Information scheduled to be released is being unreleased by ministers' offices.

What exactly is the Prime Minister hiding? Why is he being so secretive?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is the responsibility of any government to communicate clearly with Canadians from coast to coast. This government does that in a very open and respectful way.

On the other side, we see a Liberal leader who has clamped down on his members, forcing them to vote in favour of a wasteful Liberal long gun registry that many of them know is bad for Canada. I ask him to reflect the same spirit of openness that we have on this side by allowing a free vote for his members to get rid of that wasteful Liberal—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Ahuntsic.

Anti-terrorism Act

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the former director of CSIS, Reid Morden, is very concerned about the anti-terrorist bill the government introduced last week. He said that both measures the government is trying to reintroduce are excessive and infringe upon individual rights. He added that the police do not need additional powers to be able to do their job effectively.

Why does the Conservative government insist on reintroducing these measures, when a former director of CSIS sees them as unnecessary and abusive?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are introducing them because law enforcement agencies in the country need these provisions to fight terrorism in the country.

It is always the same thing from the Bloc members. They are always pushing against getting tough on crime in the country. What they should do is get out of Ottawa sometime, go back to their constituents, talk to their constituents and they will tell them the same thing that we have heard right across the country. They want a government that will fight crime in the country and stand up against terrorists and stand up for victims and law-abiding Canadians.

Airport Security

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, the transport committee heard testimony from an Israeli security expert who said he was able to foil the nude body scanners although he was carrying enough explosives to take down a 747. Because of this, the Israelis have decided not to install these scanners at their airports. The transport committee has continued to hear evidence about Canada's aviation security.

With this revelation, will the minister hold off deploying more of these scanners until after the transport committee has made its report to the House?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Minister of State (Transport)]

Mr. Speaker, let me help the hon. colleague with some facts. We have multi-layered approach when it comes to airport security. In that layered approach, some of those are visible and some of those are invisible. When it comes to the scanners that he talks about, they are much more effective when it comes to liquid explosives than the metal detectors that are currently in many of the airports.

Pensions

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my constituents are upset that criminals, like child killer Clifford Olson, are receiving taxpayer-funded seniors' benefits while in prison. As an elementary school principal, I find this personally revolting.

The Liberals ignored this important issue for 13 long years. Canadians know our Conservative government will take action.

Would the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development please update the House on what steps are being taken by our Conservative government to end this practice?

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

Mr. Speaker, this morning I received a petition from the Canadian Taxpayer Federation, with over 46,000 signatures on it, condemning this practice.

Our government shares the outrage of Canadians on this issue. That is why as soon as it became aware of the situation, it took action. We want to correct this situation and stop it from happening again.

I look forward to making an announcement on this issue in the near future.

Vancouver 2010 Winter Games

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the last-minute Canada Pavilion in Vancouver's 2010 games was a total embarrassment, nothing but a tent filled with sport video games.

For this, an American firm was paid $10 million. Canadian taxpayers deserve to know exactly how their money was spent. The response I received to my access to information request was two blank pages. That is an insult to Canadians. It is the opposite of openness.

What exactly is the minister hiding? Why is he being so secretive?

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

Mr. Speaker, what is an insult to Canadians is a Liberal playing ridiculous politics with the most successful Olympics in history.

The Canada Pavilion, our two live sites in Vancouver, our live site in Whistler, the Four Host First Nations Pavilion, the Atlantic Pavilion, Place de la Francophonie, the Cultural Olympiad, all investments by this federal government, helped make the Vancouver 2010 games the greatest games in Olympic history.

Our government is proud of our investments, proud of the Canada Pavilion that saw tens of thousands of Canadians come and have access to the athletes and the games and have a great time. We are proud of the 2010 games and everything we did.

Health

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, on April 16, the task force put together by the New Brunswick government to look at the decision of Canadian Blood Services to relocate its centre in Saint John, New Brunswick, to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, released its report, which recommends that the centre be kept in Saint John.

Canadian Blood Services confirmed that Health Canada approved its decision to close the facility.

Will the Minister of Health change her mind, since she is responsible for guaranteeing safe access to blood products for all Canadians, especially since the Krever report?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the decision was made in consultation with every provincial health minister, including the minister from New Brunswick. The decision was made by all provinces and territories, and I support the decision that was made.

Government Assistance

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the municipality of Lac-aux-Sables is hoping to renovate its waste water treatment system.

The Quebec government has said that it wants to move forward, but we are still waiting for confirmation from the federal government. The deadline for the bid guarantee is today and municipal officials are very worried.

What is the minister waiting for in order to act and confirm that this municipality will finally receive funding?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that we have come to a good agreement with the Quebec government. The federal government gave Quebec $350 million to ensure high-quality drinking water and we are very proud of that. We have already launched a number of projects, and I can say to my Quebec colleagues that more good announcements will be made in this area.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order. I wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in our gallery of His Excellency Bédouma Alain Yoda, Burkina Faso's foreign affairs and cooperation minister.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!