Debates of May 7th, 2010

Claude Cousineau

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Claude Cousineau, my friend and the National Assembly of Quebec member for Bertrand, was just named an officer of the Ordre de la Pléiade by the speaker of the National Assembly of Quebec. He received the honour for his tremendous contribution as the vice-Chair of the Quebec branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie to the propagation of the French language and to the development and mutual understanding of cultures and civilizations.

Claude has a specialized bachelor's degree in the pure sciences. He is very experienced thanks to his time in municipal government and economic development. A member of the National Assembly since 1998, he has been responsible for several files and is currently the official opposition critic for tourism, wildlife and parks. As a member of the assembly, he joined the Association pour la francophonie to share his love for the French language.

I am delighted to congratulate Claude Cousineau, Officer of the Ordre de la Pléiade.

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Parliament and Canada and all Canadians, I wish to express my profound sadness at the news of the death of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, following a long illness.

President Yar'Adua was steadfast in promoting regional peace and security and ensuring Nigeria's leadership role within the international community, particularly with respect to unconstitutional changes of government in the sub-region. In Nigeria itself, President Yar'Adua's pursuit of stability and security for the people of the Niger Delta was a critical aspect of his leadership.

As a faithful friend of Nigeria, Canada has stood alongside Nigerians through the difficult period of President Yar'Adua's illness and we offer our profound condolences to the people of Nigeria on this sad occasion.

Firearms Registry

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, police forces, families, students, dozens of special interest groups, the families of victims of the Polytechnique and Dawson college massacres, women's groups, medical associations and farmers who understand the importance of gun control are all rallying to save the firearms registry.

Why? Because the registry is necessary. It is crucial to public safety. Police officers consult it over 11,000 times every day.

Yet the hon. member for Lévis—Bellechasse is about to vote to eliminate the registry. Like the other Conservative members from Quebec, he is going to blindly follow his leader, like a sheep.

His leader, the Prime Minister of Canada, has decided to side with the gun lobby.

Will the hon. member for Lévis—Bellechasse listen to his constituents? Will he listen to Quebeckers? Will he listen to police officers? Or will he blindly go along with the gun lobby?

The Economy

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to report that this morning Statistics Canada said that we had set a new record for April job numbers: 108,700 jobs. That is right, Mr. Speaker, I sense your amazement at that number. It was the largest monthly job gain on record. The numbers show that Canada's economic action plan is working and that low taxes fuel job creation and economic growth.

Since last July, Canada has created some 285,000 new jobs. No wonder the latest edition of the influential magazine, The Economist, calls Canada an “economic star”.

Because the global recovery remains fragile, jobs and growth remain our government's top priority.

Yet the Liberal leader's top priority of hikes to job-killing business taxes and a higher GST would halt the recovery in its tracks. Canadians have 108,700 reasons to reject the Liberal plan for tax hikes.

Katharine Hay

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, a very special young woman from my riding lost her lifelong battle with kidney disease at the age of 24. Katharine Hay was born with polycystic kidney disease and had her first transplant when she was in grade five.

With the support and encouragement of her parents, she enjoyed sports, riding horses and became an accomplished pianist. In high school, she took up biathlon winning a bronze medal at the 2001 national championships.

Starting in pre-med at the University of Alberta, she later switched to radio and television at NAIT, hosting a weekly radio show and writing for the student paper.

In 2007, her mother donated a kidney when her transplanted kidney failed.

At the U of A she continued to lead New Democrat youth on campus, bravely running against a cabinet minister in the 2008 provincial election.

When she died, Katharine was training for the Kidney Foundation Gift of Life Fun Run. Her friends formed Team Kat, raising over $8,000. In her honour, Edmonton's Kidney Foundation has named its award for most individual donations “The Katharine Hay Memorial Award”. We will all miss her.

Haiti

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our commitment to and our solidarity with the people of Haiti is stronger than ever, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs has just announced an additional $10 million in support for Haitian justice and security institutions.

The minister is meeting with President Préval, Prime Minister Bellerive, the UN mission in Haiti and our dedicated Canadians who are working on building a new Haiti. He will be visiting Jacmel and Léogâne, where Canada is playing a crucial role for Haitians.

Canada's commitment to Haiti is a key aspect of our foreign policy. Canada is seen as a leader in Haiti and throughout the world and that is thanks to this government.

Canadians are proud of that, thanks to this government and to the generosity of Canadians.

Firearms Registry

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2006, someone said that the gun registry should continue. Who said that? None other than Senator Boisvenu. That statement is in sharp contrast with his most recent one, to the effect that the register only has symbolic value.

However, the Canadian Police Association, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Association of Police Boards as well as the survivors of École Polytechnique, to name just a few groups, are quite definite on that point. Far from being symbolic, the registry is an efficient and practical tool that helps save lives. It is consulted more than 13,000 times per day.

Twenty years later, with the future of the registry at stake, time has come to stand up for the rights of women and children and help fight violence against them. Well beyond a white ribbon campaign, if the NDP leader wants to do something, he should get his entire caucus to vote in favour of maintaining the firearms registry in its entirety.

Ethics

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, four weeks ago today, the Prime Minister hastily convened a news conference to inform Canadians that he had fired his Status of Women minister, kicked her out of caucus and called in the RCMP and the Ethics Commissioner, but Canadians still do not know why.

We have learned a lot since then but we still do not know the nature of the allegations deemed to serious that a sitting Prime Minister needed to call in the RCMP on a sitting cabinet minister for the first time since the days of Brian Mulroney.

We know it was not enough that the minister violated airport security and abused airport personnel. It was not enough that her staff impersonated the public in a letter writing campaign, and it was not enough that her husband conducted business in her office. During all that, the Prime Minister repeatedly said that she was doing a great job.

Then, presto, overnight he called in the RCMP.

What did she do that warranted the drastic move of being kicked out of caucus and now refusing her candidacy, essentially banishing her?

The Economy

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the difference between our government's approach to the economy and the Liberal approach could not be more clear.

Our government believes that low taxes fuel job creation and economic growth. That is why since forming government we have reduced taxes for families, seniors, students and businesses. The Liberal Party thinks Canadians should pay more, a higher GST, a new carbon tax and hikes to business taxes, a move experts have said will kill jobs.

We need only look at the facts to know which plan will have better success. Canada has created 285,000 new jobs since last July, including a record number of job gains last month. On the economic growth front, the IMF and OECD predict Canada will lead all G7 countries in growth both this year and next year.

Canadians have a clear choice. They can choose the tax and spend Liberal approach, a failed approach from the past, or they can choose our low tax approach, which has made Canada the envy of the industrialized world.

Government Policies

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the pattern of intimidation and deceit in that government gets worse as time goes on. For four years, anyone who disagrees with it is told to get out of the way or suffer the consequences. Women's groups, literacy advocates, cultural groups, even the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal have all had their funding cut.

When will the government stop trying to stifle dissent, destroy all dissent and start to listen to those groups?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have an important responsibility as the Government of Canada to listen to all the voices and then to act in the national interest and in the public interest.

I think Canadians are justifiably concerned with what they learned yesterday about a Liberal member of Parliament advertising himself as a paid lobbyist who could seek regulatory changes.

I have a question for the Liberal Party. Why would the Liberal leader put a man member who advertises himself as a paid lobbyist, who could have regulations changed for foreign interests, why would he put the same Liberal member on the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations? Is that not putting the fox in charge of the henhouse?

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the member should talk to the Ethics Commissioner because his allegations are all false.

Women's rights groups that speak up get their funding axed. When Richard Colvin revealed disturbing torture allegations, they attacked his reputation. When police forces and survivors of the École Polytechnique massacre demanded that the gun registry be maintained, the government called the police a cult.

When will the government stop intimidating everyone who opposes it?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it is not about bullying anyone. It is about standing up for the national interests. It is about standing up for what is right and standing up for the public interests.

The member opposite has come to a conclusion about what the Ethics Commissioner will decide on the matter on which the Liberal member has sought advice. I guess the Liberal Party does not want to hear from the Ethics Commissioner because it has already made up its mind.

Canadians want to know about the Liberal cover-up. First the leader of the Liberal Party argues against including members of Parliament under the Lobbying Act. We did not know why. We learned why yesterday. Then the Liberal member alters information on a website before he sends the matter to the minister, and then alters it again after. The Liberal Party—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Notre-Dame-De-Grâce--Lachine.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has no shame with its fibs.

Under the Conservative government, different points of view are shut down, questions are ducked and Parliament is shut down when the heat becomes too much for the Conservatives.

Back in 2005, the Prime Minister said:

When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it’s rapidly losing its moral authority to govern.

When did the Prime Minister stop believing it? Was it when he became Prime Minister?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on the Scrutiny of Regulations is one of the most important bodies in Canada. It is there to oversee the government's role in regulations. All the members of that committee are there to stand up for the public interest.

Why would the Liberal leader put a man who advertises the fact that he is a paid lobbyist, advertises that he can have regulations changed for foreign interests, why would the Liberal leader put this same Liberal MP on this important standing committee? Canadians have a right to know and Canadians want to get to the bottom of it.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives disrespect for democracy is no more apparent than their treatment of independent watchdogs. Linda Keen, Peter Tinsley, Paul Kennedy, Bernard Shapiro and Robert Marleau were all fired and pushed out. These people had one job: to keep the government honest and the Conservatives just could not stand it.

Why the fear of accountability? Why the fear to face the truth?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have the Liberal Party, in the leader's round, suggesting that the conclusions of an ethics investigation are already made, despite the fact that the Liberal Party had to send its own member to the ethics committee just yesterday. That violates the independence of the Ethics Commissioner.

Canadians also want to know of some additional information that has come to the government's attention, that has come to the public realm. The Liberal member of Parliament for Scarborough—Rouge River, while advertising himself as a paid lobbyist, was taking free trips to Dubai from a special interest. What was going on in the United Arab Emirates and why was this issue with respect to his lobbying not brought before the House before we discussed lobbying reform earlier this week?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should show some respect for the House and answer the questions.

As usual, the government cannot simply face the truth. The list of officials goes on: Adrian Measner of the Wheat Board, Richard Colvin, the National Science Advisor and muzzled Environment Canada officials.

When will the Conservatives stop the attacks, stop the intimidation, begin to accept the truth and start to treat our open democratic system with some respect and answer some questions in the House?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I know Canadians want answers. They want to know what the Liberal member for Scarborough—Rouge River was doing on a sponsored trip, where he was there to lobby interests in the United Arab Emirates, which was paid for by group called Paradise Forever, an Islamic religious group, for he and his assistant, Amber Watkins. This organization was led by a gentleman named Mr. Muhammad Heft.

Who was the Liberal MP lobbying in the United Arab Emirates? Was it the government of the United Arab Emirates or was it private sector interests? Why would the Liberal leader not have made this public when we were seeking to reform the lobbyist rules earlier—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. The hon. member for Joliette.

Firearms Registry

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, survivors of the Polytechnique massacre reminded the Conservative government that the firearms registry truly commemorates the 14 victims because it saves lives. Like them, we believe that the registry is anything but a symbol, as a Conservative senator suggested. It is a useful crime-fighting tool.

Why would anyone refuse to listen to the survivors of the Polytechnique massacre who are urging the government to maintain the gun registry as is?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, tragedies like the one that happened at the Polytechnique are unacceptable. That is why we are getting tough on crime. We want to take the right approach to curbing criminal activity.

I want to make one thing clear: we are talking about eliminating the long gun registry, not the registry as a whole. We are talking about eliminating the long gun registry, which, unfortunately, makes it an offence for farmers, hunters and honest folks to not register their guns. That is what we are doing. We hope that the opposition will support the other measures that we introduced to tackle crime.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about tackling crime. Three police associations came here to tell us that the gun registry prevents violent incidents every day. They reminded us—and the minister should know this—that in 2009, nearly 90% of the weapons seized were long guns, the very weapons that the Conservative government and some Liberal and NDP members want to leave out of the registry.

Why does the government want to raise levels of violence and make people feel less safe by trying to dismantle the gun registry? We have to maintain it as it is now.

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, this is a red herring. We are not going to wipe out crime by making it an offence for hunters and farmers to not register their long guns. The real issue is tackling crime effectively and wiping it out, including gun crimes and predatory offences.

Why is the Bloc Québécois opposed to the government's measures for dealing with theft over $5,000? Why does it want people to serve their sentences in the comfort of their own homes instead of in jail? That kind of heresy is the reason people keep committing crimes in this country. And we will wipe out those crimes.