Debates of May 4th, 2010

Justice

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government's bill to crack down on white-collar crime is not good enough. This bill would not have changed anything for Vincent Lacroix or Earl Jones. The Bloc Québécois introduced a bill that would abolish parole after one-sixth of the sentence has been served.

Since all parties agree on the principle, will the Conservative government allow our bill to pass in the House of Commons today, to prevent white-collar criminals from being released after serving one-sixth of their sentence?

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

Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to introduce legislation that cracks down on white collar crime. Among other things, we are putting a mandatory two year sentence on white collar crime involving $1 million or more. We are making it user friendly for victims. We are allowing a judge to give a prohibition order to stop an individual once he or she is released from jail from ever dealing with anybody's money again.

This should have the support of the Bloc for a change.

Securities

[Daniel Paillé, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Autorité des marchés financiers has a contingency fund for compensating victims of economic crimes. According to the Expert Panel on Securities Regulation, “the process of financial redress established by the AMF in Quebec is a best practice in Canada”.

Why does the government want to undermine victims of white-collar crimes by scrapping the exemplary work of the AMF through its expensive and unnecessary plan for a securities commission in Toronto?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let it be noted that in Quebec, as the member opposite knows, there was a fairly notorious scandal involving Earl Jones. Many Quebeckers suffered financially from that. What was the position taken by the Earl Jones victims committee? The position was this: “We support the idea of a single national regulatory body overseeing financial organizations”.

Omar Khadr

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in July, the case against Omar Khadr is scheduled to proceed before a U.S. military commission process that has been condemned both in the U.S. and internationally for its violations of the rule of law. Last January, the Supreme Court found that Mr. Khadr's charter rights had been violated by Canada, that the breach of those rights remains ongoing and characterized repatriation as a possible remedy.

Will the government finally respect the rule of law as it applies to Canadian citizens and request Mr. Khadr's repatriation, or will it continue to ignore the Supreme Court of this country?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our position on this matter has not changed. Mr. Omar Khadr faces very serious charges, including that of murder and attempted murder. The Government of Canada continues to provide consular services to Mr. Khadr.

In answer to the member's question about the Supreme Court's decision, the Government of Canada has complied with the Supreme Court's February 16, 2010 ruling.

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, things have quite changed since that time. The hon. member has given us his refrain.

The Supreme Court of Canada recently affirmed Parliament's calls for the repatriation of Mr. Khadr. In June 2008, the member will know that the House Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate called upon the government to request this repatriation. In March 2009, this House made a similar recommendation.

If the government insists on ignoring the Supreme Court of Canada, will it at least listen to Parliament, remedy this fundamental violation of a Canadian citizen's rights and request his repatriation immediately?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I have stated, our position regarding Mr. Khadr has not changed. Mr. Khadr faces very serious charges, including that of murder. The Government of Canada continues to provide consular services to Mr. Khadr. Again, the Government of Canada has complied with the Supreme Court's February 16, 2010 ruling.

Poverty

[Tony Martin, NDP, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last year the number of Canadians living in poverty increased by 900,000. EI covers only half of the jobless. Welfare cases are up more than 20% in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. and food bank use is skyrocketing. After the last recession, it took eight years for the job rate to bounce back. It took 14 years for the poverty rate to recover.

Are these sad statistics going to be the government's legacy, or will it now start to address the growing impoverishment of our citizens?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we were well prepared for the recession that came from outside Canada into Canada. We had paid down almost $40 billion in public debt. The most important thing is to protect jobs. We are still concerned with this tentative recovery that the unemployment rate remains above 8%.

However, let us remember how well Canada is doing. We have the best fiscal situation in the G7. We have the highest credit rating, the soundest financial system and the strongest growth in the G7 this year and next. Canada is poised to outperform all of its competitors.

Health

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, poverty in Canada is real and it has real consequences. Canadians in poor neighbourhoods have a death rate that is almost 30% higher than the rate in rich neighbourhoods. Poverty is making Canadians sick, but our government is doing nothing about it.

The Canada Health Act guarantees universal access to health care, but that does not exist in Canada for poor people. We need action. We need a national pharmacare program and we need to improve our EI and welfare systems. When will the health of Canadians become a priority for the government?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the provinces and territories and we take this matter very seriously. That is why we have increased transfers to the provinces each year, by 6% again this year. This is the largest amount of health transfers in the history of Canada.

We will continue to work with the provinces and territories, which deliver health care in those jurisdictions, to address the matter.

Canadian Navy

[Rodney Weston, Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago today the naval service bill received royal assent, establishing the Royal Canadian Navy. Canadians are proud of the long service of our navy in keeping Canada and Canadians safe and helping to protect and keep the world secure through the international missions in which we have been a participant.

Could the Minister of National Defence tell the House what is being done to commemorate this special anniversary for our navy?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, for the past 100 storied years our sailors have served in war and peace, on the seven seas and around the world. From the navy's creation in 1910 until today, it remains ready, aye, ready.

Canadians are celebrating this centennial in many ways. Our government is reinstating the executive curl on the naval officer's uniform and instituting a new sea service badge. Today, a centennial bell made from the senior services naval artifacts of the last 100 storied years rang out eight times in the other place. A centennial stamp was launched yesterday and a special coin and book will be released, celebrating the navy's special service and accomplishments.

I encourage all members and all Canadians to participate in the many public celebrations of our navy's proud history.

Lobbying

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we were promised transparency and we got cronyism. The hon. member for Lévis—Bellechasse allegedly used his riding office to promote the commercial interests of a donor and neighbour. The hon. member was caught red-handed. The Conservatives are increasingly working for lobbyists and donors. They have deserted Quebeckers.

Do Quebeckers have to hire lobbyists or make donations to the Conservative Party in order to be heard by this government?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government has always acted in the best interest of Canadians. That has always been the case and that will continue to be the case.

International Trade

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to Canada's chief negotiator, negotiations toward a comprehensive economic and trade agreement with Europe are progressing quickly and talks have reached the halfway point of a schedule that ends in 2011. Yet no information on the content of the agreement has been made public.

Does the Minister of International Trade not agree that it is time to make public the preliminary documents and the negotiating mandate of what he himself considers the most ambitious trade agreement ever considered?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, this is certainly a time of economic uncertainty and this government is working to open new doors for Canadian business.

The economic agreement that we are hopefully signing with the European Union has the potential to increase trade between Canada and Europe by $12 billion and to provide jobs and opportunities not just for Canadians and not just for Europeans, but to set a standard for the rest of the world to follow.

International Co-operation

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's talk about leadership on maternal health issues has to date been completely hollow and regressive. First, it took a divisive and ideological stance on abortion, putting Canada out of sync with its G8 partners. Now we learn the government has failed to respond to an invitation to the Women Deliver conference on maternal health in June, just weeks before the G8 summit.

Will the government actually put Canada in a leadership role on maternal health and attend this conference, or is this just more Conservative ideology on abortion?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, I can report that I will be attending the conference.

Canada has a leadership role in saving the lives of mothers and children. In fact, today unfortunately 340,000 mothers will die. We know what we can do. We can prevent those deaths. We have the experts telling us. We have cost effective, known remedies to prevent deaths. That is what Canada is doing in a leadership role.

Forestry Industry

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we were pleased to learn this morning that thousands of forestry workers have been able to return to work in recent days.

The forestry workers were abandoned by the Bloc members. Can the Minister of State for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec explain why these forestry workers were able to return to work?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is very satisfied with this news. We are also pleased to learn from Renaud Gagné, the Quebec vice president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, that work is resuming. We concur with the reasons he has given. People are again starting to purchase forestry products at a good price.

From the beginning, the crisis has been about the market, not loan guarantees, and this proves it. 1,500 workers have returned to work in recent days, including 1,000 in my riding in Lac-Saint-Jean. This government is acting in a clear and prompt manner, unlike the Bloc, which excels in the art of politicizing issues when the time comes to react and take action.

Public Safety

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I raised the issue about support for the brave men and women who offer themselves as volunteer firefighters in rural communities across our country, specifically about a refundable tax credit. What I received from the Minister of Public Safety was pretty much an infomercial, self-serving at best.

Will the Minister of Finance commit to this tax deduction? If the Minister of Public Safety stands, I guess the firefighters will take that as a no.

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, just last week I met and listened to the concerns of firefighters representing my home province of Manitoba.

This being Emergency Preparedness Week, we recognize the valuable role that first responders such as firefighters play to ensuring the safety of our communities.

Our Conservative government remains committed to working with provincial and municipal governments that are responsible for first responders. The joint emergency preparedness program and disaster financial assistance arrangements are two such programs.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Bogdan Borusewicz, Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Poland.