House of Commons Hansard #39 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was lobbying.
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, the pattern is clear. The Conservative position is clear. There is a culture whereby if you do not agree with the government, you are done. “Do not talk, keep quiet.” That is the government's position. We have the examples of KAIROS, MATCH International and more.
The question again: why is democracy problematic for the Conservative government?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, let me say again the language is unacceptable and in no way, shape or form represents the views of the government.
We had a good debate, with different points of view, in this House. When the Liberal Party tried to politicize a noble cause, this House had a good debate, and Parliament has spoken on this issue.
Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday's comment by Senator Ruth exposes the Conservative culture of intimidation. When groups speak up, they lose funding. When individuals speak up, they are attacked. Public servants get fired. For example, KAIROS, MATCH, CRIAW, Linda Keen, Peter Tinsley, Paul Kennedy and Richard Colvin. As more speak up, the intimidation gets worse.
Why is the current government so intent on trying to shut up those who speak out?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth.
What this is, on behalf on the Liberal Party, is its effort to engage in a culture war with Canadians to try to further its political cause. It wants to divide Canadians, rural from urban, east from west, big city from small farm. That is wrong.
What the Prime Minister is doing on this important initiative is championing the cause of maternal health, of the health of newborn children in the developing world. That is something all Canadians can unite behind and be very proud of the Prime Minister's efforts.
Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, the minister is trying to change the channel.
The Conservative culture of intimidation and deceit starts with the example set by the Prime Minister. It is not that the Prime Minister does not work well with others; he just does not want to work with anyone at all. Any voice other than his is one too many.
However, dissent sustains democracy. Intimidation suffocates it. Every voice matters, whether we agree with it or not.
Rather than shutting up others, when will the Prime Minister start to listen?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party wants a culture war and it is determined to do it. One need only look at what it is doing now on this issue.
The Prime Minister comes forward with an initiative to help maternal health, to help support newborn and children's health, and what does the Liberal Party do? It sends out fundraising emails, like the one I have in my hand, encouraging Canadians to contribute anonymously.
I would advise the Liberal Party that anonymous campaign contributions are illegal. This government changed the election financing laws to stop those types of terrible practices. The Liberal Party should immediately distance itself from this outrageous letter.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday a Conservative senator showed the true face of the government. During a speech, she advised pro-choice groups to shut up about the government's decision to stop funding abortions abroad, because that would allow the government to reopen the debate in Canada and turn back the clock on women's rights.
Will the government, which is guided by a regressive, narrow-minded ideology, finally acknowledge its true intentions, which are to reopen the abortion debate in Canada by cutting off funding abroad?
Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Mr. Speaker, needless to say, what the senator said was unacceptable. Senator Ruth does not speak for the government. No one wants to revisit this issue, and we will not reopen the abortion debate.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are told that the senator does not speak for the government, but she hears what is said and discussed in the Conservative caucus, because she is sitting at the table. Moreover, she was very clear when she told groups to shut up about this issue and said that if they pushed things, there would be an even greater backlash. The Conservatives do not repeat what is said in caucus here, and they do not want to talk about it here, but they are getting ready to change things. That is their true face.
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has always been very clear. The government has no intention of reopening the abortion debate. We cannot be any clearer than that.
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government's strategy on abortion is the same as its strategy on the gun registry. It is hypocritically using backbenchers to promote its Conservative ideology. We are not fools. Dismantling the gun registry and challenging the right to abortion are part of Conservative Party policy. The proof is that the Conservative members vote en masse in favour of these bills.
Why is the government stubbornly trying to impose its Conservative ideology on Quebec?
Vic Toews ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear on our position on law and order and on the safety of Canadians on the streets.
We believe there is no valid reason to have the long gun registry. It is a waste of money. It was a $2 million promise by the Liberals that turned into a $2 billion boondoggle. We have better ways to spend the taxpayers' money and it will not be wasted on a long gun registry.
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Mr. Speaker, a Conservative senator has implied that the Conservative government could do away with women's right to abortion in Canada. This scenario is especially plausible because the Conservative government is refusing to fund such measures abroad. The best way the government can guarantee that women here will not lose the right to abortion is to restore funding for NGOs that give women in developing countries freedom of choice.
Will the government act?
Bev Oda ConservativeMinister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, this government wants to ensure that our G8 initiative is focused on saving the lives of mothers and children. We know what the tools are. We know what can be prevented and treated. In fact, our initiative will save the lives of mothers and children, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, who are in greatest need.
This government and all Canadians want to make a difference in those lives. We are looking forward to the G8.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are concerned about the authorities' lack of preparation for potential ecological disasters like the one currently affecting the Louisiana coastline.
Some companies are asking the National Energy Board to postpone its review of safety standards. These companies want more lenient safety requirements. That would be disastrous.
Why has the government left the door to this disastrous possibility open?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we have strong environmental laws to protect our air, water and soil. The National Energy Board and this government would only allow any resource extraction projects to go forward if there were strong environmental protections.
I want to indicate very directly for the leader of the NDP that this government has no plans and no intention to reduce the environmental standards in this regard.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us in the 2010 budget strips the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency of its capacity to do its job to protect our environment and turns that job over to the industry friendly National Energy Board. That decision could have very dangerous consequences. In fact, we are witnessing the consequences of that very kind of deregulation right now in the gulf.
We know the oil industry is lobbying the ministers of the government to lower safety standards and we know the Conservatives are listening. Will the government reconsider its decision and maintain the integrity of environmental assessments?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are custodians to one of the most pristine natural environments in the world in our far Arctic. This government gives great priority to that file, which is why, just in this Parliament alone, we extended the environmental laws in our transportation sector to an additional 100 nautical miles offshore. We accord it a great priority.
This government has established whale sanctuaries in our far north and have quadrupled the size of Nahanni National Park.
We have no intention whatsoever of reducing environmental protections in the Beaufort Sea.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, the oil that is gushing out of the BP damaged rig is killing wildlife throughout the gulf and destroying the marine ecosystem. It is now hitting the coast of Louisiana and Florida will be next. The oil will keep pouring out for days, maybe even weeks. It is about to enter the gulf stream, which means that the Canadian Atlantic coastline could ultimately be at risk.
Will the government tell us what it is doing to assess that risk and put plans in place to ensure that Canada's coastlines and our marine preserves are protected?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I think all Canadians are disturbed about what they see going on in southeastern United States in the Gulf of Mexico. It is an environmental tragedy.
The Government of Canada's job is to focus on ensuring those types of disasters do not happen in Canada. We have strong environmental protections. We have absolutely no intention of changing or weakening any of these important environmental protections in the far north.
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians look at the environmental horror threatening the Gulf of Mexico and recognize how vigilant we need to be to protect our own coastal regions from a similar fate. They know that the Conservatives, including the Prime Minister, have campaigned for years to abandon the nearly 40-year moratorium on tanker traffic and drilling off B.C.'s coast.
Given the environmental sensitivity of these waters, will the Conservatives acknowledge that they were wrong and finally drop their calls to abandon the moratorium?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, back in 1988, an exclusion zone was established between the various American interests and the Government of Canada that does not allow tankers carrying crude from Alaska to go to the United States either through the strait on our west coast or through Canadian waters. It must be at least 25 to 85 miles. The member for Vancouver South should know that the government has no intention of revisiting this issue.
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, that is not very reassuring since we know that just a few years ago the former minister of natural resources, the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, was denying that there was even a moratorium on tanker traffic in those waters.
These are environmentally sensitive areas prone to seismic activity and important to our tourism and fisheries in British Columbia.
What concrete steps is the government taking to ensure that the west coast moratorium on offshore drilling and tanker traffic will remain in place?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I cannot be any clearer than I was when I stated that the government has no intention to revisit the 1988 deal with respect to tanker traffic. We have no intention of making any changes. I think it serves Canada very well and serves our environment well.
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative culture of deceit is so ingrained that the Conservatives are hiding their plans for AECL. Everyone in the sector knows that the government is planning to sell our world-class CANDU technology outright. That will have devastating consequences and cost thousands of jobs.
Why is the minister not doing anything to prevent the death of an industry? Why can he not just tell us the truth?