House of Commons Hansard #34 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-3.
Vic Toews ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, I understand that individual's lawyer has filed an application with the federal court and the court has granted a stay.
I would indicate to the member that the CBSA carries out the orders of the tribunals and the courts and respects the rule of law.
Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, parliamentary secretaries are not covered by the same lobbying rules as ministers or their staff. The Prime Minister's guide for ministers says, “Only ministers are responsible for the direction of public servants and departmental resources”.
GPG's dragon power proposal was reviewed by the infrastructure minister's department. Will the minister tell us who wrote on that proposal, “From Rahim, submit to department”, because we know it should not have been written by the minister's PS.
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. The green infrastructure program is administered by my department. I am responsible for it at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. I asked my parliamentary secretary to assist me in my responsibilities.
There are strict eligibility criteria with respect to this fund and all assessments on this project are done by an independent public service.
If the member opposite has any allegations of impropriety that she would like to make, she should follow the example of the government and make them to the relevant authorities.
Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat. Who wrote it?
It was the Minister of Infrastructure who crafted the flawed Federal Accountability Act, but now he is abandoning the Prime Minister's election promise to require ministers and senior government officials to record their contacts with lobbyists.
He knew better than anyone that a loophole existed for parliamentary secretaries. He created it. The Conservatives' culture of deceit must end.
Will the government agree to seek unanimous approval of the House to submit PS's to the full discipline of the Lobbying Act?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we expect all lobbyists to follow the law. We expect them all to follow the rules. We have put in place an independent Lobbying Commissioner to make determinations on how these rules are followed.
If the member opposite has any evidence of anything that has been done that is untoward, she should immediately forward it to the Lobbying Commissioner and have the courage of her convictions to do that.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Infrastructure told the government operations committee that he has handed over “all documents” that he has and “additional documents” from his parliamentary secretary, and yet there are missing pages in what he provided.
His office gave still more documents to the media that were never sent to the committee, some of which, once again, included highly relevant, handwritten notes like “From Rahim, submit to department”.
Will the government hand over all documents to the committee and ensure they are delivered in time for questioning the next round of witnesses?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, when any allegations were brought to the government's attention, this government did the right thing. It immediately forwarded them to the independent authorities, the independent folks who will investigate these matters and report back.
It is this government that established an independent commissioner of lobbying. All that information was forwarded to the commissioner. They should allow the commissioner to do the work. If the member opposite has any allegations to make or any evidence, I suggest he should take them to the appropriate person. In this case, that is the independent commissioner of lobbying.
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities is not the only one hiding information.
We have just learned that the Minister of the Environment has finally sent documents to the committee. Why are the rest of his colleagues not following his example?
We know that the former director of operations for the Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario discussed three projects with Patrick Glémaud, but the committee has not received any documents to this effect. Mr. Jaffer's email to the Minister of Industry's office is also being kept hidden.
When will Canadians have the right to see all of these documents?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, this government has been very forthcoming. When the Minister of the Environment learned of this issue, he did the right thing. He forwarded that information on to the independent authorities so that they could make a determination with respect to the facts and with respect to whether the law was being followed.
This government has done the right thing. If the member opposite has any evidence or allegations of anything that is inappropriate, he should do the right thing and forward them to the independent authorities.
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is saying that it does not want to re-open the debate on abortion. However, that is exactly what it is doing by attempting to export its Conservative ideology to developing countries.
In Halifax, the Minister of International Cooperation clearly said that the Conservative government would not finance abortion overseas, a stance that has been denounced by the Fédération des femmes du Québec.
How can the Canadian government, which claims to defend human rights, suggest such a hostile position towards women's rights by limiting access to abortion?
Jim Abbott ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, I would like to read what is involved in the government initiative. The initiative involves a wide range of interventions across a continuum of care including training and support for front-line health workers; better nutrition and provision of micronutrients; treatment and prevention of diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and sepsis; screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV-AIDS; proper medication; family planning; immunization; clean water; sanitation. Why is the member against all of these positive measures?
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government says that it wants to be a leader in maternal and child health in the third world. By adopting an extreme stance on abortion, the Prime Minister is isolating himself.
How can Canada be taken seriously and show leadership when it is making a fool of itself by defending such an outdated ideology on abortion?
International Co-operationOral Questions
Kootenay—Columbia B.C.
Conservative
Jim Abbott ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the member or the rest of the coalition. We will listen to what World Vision has said. It is outraged that the abortion debate is being raised in order to distract from the real issue on the table, that of 8.8 million children dying every year from causes that could be easily prevented with interventions that cost pennies. Shame on the member. Shame on all of them.
Thierry St-Cyr Bloc Jeanne-Le Ber, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canada was about to deport a Guinean national who is in a high-risk pregnancy and has type 2 diabetes. In her condition, there is a serious risk of complications. Deporting a pregnant woman in this condition is absolutely unconscionable.
Will this government, which claims to care about maternal health, make the most of the stay granted by the Federal Court to review its position and avoid exposing this woman and her child to such risks?
Vic Toews ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, I understand the individual's lawyer has filed an application with the Federal Court. I understand that the court has, in fact, granted a stay. The CBSA carries out the orders of the tribunals and the courts. I might indicate that there have already been eight decisions in respect of that particular individual.
Thierry St-Cyr Bloc Jeanne-Le Ber, QC
Mr. Speaker, this woman filed a claim for refugee status to escape a husband who mutilated, burned and beat her.
The stay granted by the court will allow her to give birth to her child in Quebec. If the woman were then deported to a country where maternity and health care are virtually non-existent, it would be a death sentence for her and her baby.
Will the government re-examine and postpone the deportation until this woman obtains a response to her application for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds?
Vic Toews ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Border Services Agency carries out the orders of the tribunals and the courts. To date there have been approximately eight decisions made by either tribunals or courts.
Our government will respect the rule of law.
Alexandra Mendes Liberal Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Speaker, after years of crisis and years of laissez-faire policy, the Conservatives have made a great show of announcing a program designed not to help Quebec's forestry industry, but to bury it.
It is too little, too late.
The Conservatives simply written off the Pontiac, Mauricie and Abitibi.
Quebeckers want a federal plan to help the forestry industry get through the crisis.
Why do the Conservatives want to bury Quebec's forestry industry?
Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, this is unbelievable.
The previous government let the forestry industry operate from 2000 to 2005 with 30% countervailing duties. If we had not acted to fix the agreement with our American partners, every mill in Quebec and Canada would have closed as a result. And now the Liberals are lecturing us. It is unbelievable.
Our government is the one making the biggest investment in the forestry industry. We are proud of that, and we are going to keep on investing in the industry.
Alexandra Mendes Liberal Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Speaker, in 2006, the Conservatives trumpeted a bogus deal with the Americans and, ultimately, they killed the industry and tied their own hands.
The Conservatives killed the forestry industry in 2006, and they decided to bury it yesterday.
Clearly, that did not prevent them from taking credit for a historic agreement.
They use fanfare, announcements and posters to hide their incompetence.
Can the Prime Minister give us a better example of the Conservative culture of deceit?
Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, after the latest budget was tabled, we received a letter from the Forest Products Association of Canada. That letter, which was written on behalf of the association's member companies, thanked the government for the measures announced in the recent federal budget.
What are those companies? AbitibiBowater, Kruger, Tembec, Smurfit-Stone, Cascades and Louisiana-Pacific. That is the entire forestry industry. We do not use workers to score political points. We keep our promises.
Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative track record on forestry is dismal. The Canadian forestry industry was hit hard during the recession, plus in British Columbia, 20% of trees are dead or dying from pine bark beetle infestation.
The Conservatives promised $1 billion for the pine bark beetle in their 2006 election platform. Results on the ground: none. It is another example of the Conservative culture of deceit.
What does the Prime Minister have to say to the thousands of laid-off British Columbia forestry workers and their families about this broken promise?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We made huge investments to tackle the pine beetle crisis.
Canada's economic action plan is playing a leading role in renewal of the sector. We are also working closely with the industry and the Province of British Columbia and across Canada to help the sector exploit new offshore markets.
Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Speaker, forestry is a very important industry employing thousands of Canadians and it is in need of a hand up, not a hand out. This industry desperately needs loan guarantees as have been provided to other industries.
Now the Conservatives are handing out money to get people to leave the industry. The paper workers union even says that this is piecemeal, too little and too late. The Conservatives are effectively declaring the forestry industry dead.
Has the minister confessed to the forestry companies and their workers that he sees no future for them or their jobs?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we provided $170 million to help the forestry sector with innovation and marketing. This is what we have to do to help the industry find new markets.
On this side of the House we have a government that is proactive, to ensure the viability and sustainability of the forestry sector.