House of Commons Hansard #42 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was military.
Gail Shea ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, announcements are being rolled out across the country and those who supported the budget will be making those announcements.
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis of confidence in Ottawa today. A Conservative MP is implicated in a massive real estate fraud scheme, a Liberal MP is advertising that he will sell his loyalty to foreign interests and there is an infestation of well-connected corporate lobbyists running amok in the corridors of power creating policies that are clearly against the best interests of Canadians. It is no wonder that an already jaded electorate is becoming even more cynical by the minute.
If the Conservatives want to get tough on white collar crime, why do they not start by cleaning up Ottawa and why do they not start with the member for Calgary Northeast?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we are very concerned about ethics in government, which is why the first action our government took was to bring in the Federal Accountability Act. We want to see further reforms to lobbyists. The Liberal Party was fighting us on those lobby reforms and they would not tell us why. Now we know. The Liberal leader appointed a paid lobbyist who advertises for foreign clients and foreign interests. He put him on the standing committee of the review of statutory regulations, a senior body in Canada that is there to protect the public interests.
Canadians have every right to know who the Liberal Party is representing, the public's interests or their private interests?
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, there was hanky-panky with mortgages that caused the global economic meltdown that left us billions of dollars in debt and yet there is not a peep out of the PMO when a member of his own caucus is implicated in a massive mortgage fraud that has shaken the very financial sector to its core.
Yet the member for Simcoe—Grey, who was accused of absolutely nothing, faced swift and immediate political execution when she was dumped from cabinet, kicked out of the party and turned over to the RCMP.
Why the double standard? What could the member for Simcoe--Grey possibly have done that was more embarrassing to the Conservatives than being implicated in a massive real estate fraud scheme?
Jay Hill ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I answered this question yesterday in the sense that the civil suit against the hon. member for Calgary Northeast has absolutely nothing to do with government business.
However, while I am on my feet, I noted that the hon. member mentioned the issue of the financial sector. I want to remind him that what he should be asking about is all the great news that there is out there, which is what is what Canadians are concerned about, and that is jobs, jobs, jobs. What we heard in the news today is that a record 108,000 jobs were produced just last month.
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am speaking of great news. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance has advised the House of Canada's record job gains in April, which indicates that the government's focus on the economy is working. The economic action plan has reduced taxes for average Canadians, has helped the unemployed and has invested in communities.
Will the parliamentary secretary advise the House, and especially Liberal MPs, as to why the economic action plan is better economics than the Liberal leader's tax and spend proposals?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, it is nearly 109,000 times better because the Liberals want to raise taxes in many different ways.I will refer to one. Their suggested raising of the GST by 2%, according to Informetrica, would cost 162,000 lost jobs. I do not think we want to do that in this country. They want to raise business taxes and put in a carbon tax. That is not the way to secure a recovery, and that is what we are seeing. The economic action plan is working. Lower taxes for Canadian families and businesses is working and April's record job numbers prove it. Over 100,000 more Canadians are working.
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative members of Parliament from Quebec have decided to fall in line like sheep behind the Prime Minister, regardless of consequences to Quebec. On the registry like on the women's group issue, they are ignoring the voters from Quebec.
After intimidating women, diplomats and Steven Guilbeault, will the Prime Minister now intimidate his new senators from Quebec, Jacques Demers and Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, to force them to deny the importance of the French language at the Supreme Court of Canada, or will he let them vote with their hearts?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the criterion for selecting judges remains merit. Our position has not changed, and we continue to be guided by legal excellence to ensure that the best legal minds sit on the Supreme Court bench.
Nicolas Dufour Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, when it is time for a photo-op with Paralympic athletes, Conservative MPs are veritable sprinters. However, when the time comes to treat Paralympic athletes fairly, the government drags its feet.
How does the government explain that Paralympic athletes do not receive the same bursaries that Olympic athletes receive for winning a medal?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, this policy decision is completely independent of the government. It is not the government that decides, but the agencies who give financial support to the athletes. I know this is currently being discussed with the athletes and there will be a commitment. Our government is proud of its latest budget and the hon. member voted against it. We made the largest investment in our athletes in the history of Canada.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, clauses in the Canada-EU trade agreement that the Conservatives are negotiating, would entrench the rights of patent holders of genetically engineered seeds. The interests of the multinational seed companies would be protected but what about the interests of farmers?
Under the terms of that same agreement, the rights of family farmers to save and reuse their seed will be virtually extinguished.
Will the Conservatives protect the interests of family farmers and promise not to trade away their seed-saving rights during the negotiations with the EU?
Pierre Lemieux ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture
Mr. Speaker, the EU trade negotiations are in the best interests of our farmers. We are taking measures to ensure that our export markets are better for our farmers and that they have more places to sell their product. We are working in their best interests.
Colin Mayes Conservative Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Speaker, our government supports both a wild salmon fishery and a sustainable aquaculture industry.
Our minister established the Cohen Commission in part to investigate the relationship. However, before the commission had a chance to publish its first interim report, the NDP presumed to know all the answers and this week tabled a reckless private member's bill that would put thousands and thousands of British Columbians out of work.
Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans inform this House of the latest irresponsible actions taken by the NDP on this important issue?
Gail Shea ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, nearly 6,000 British Columbians are employed in the aquaculture industry, which contributes over $400 million to the provincial GDP. This proposed NDP bill would put all of these British Columbians out of work and deliver a severe blow to the province's economy.
Last week, the Steelworkers Union called the actions of the member for New Westminster—Coquitlam irresponsible and motivated by political expediency and personal bias.
While our government continues to work on our economic recovery, and I will note, since July of last year, Canada has created over 285,000 jobs--
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order, please. I am afraid the time allotted for question period has now expired.
Shelly Glover ConservativeParliamentary Secretary for Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, we do not hear this very often in the House, but we are hearing it more and more this week.
I am very proud of all Quebeckers here in the House, no matter where they sit. Mr. Speaker, I know you are currently considering another point of order regarding an expression used in the House by the hon. member for Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, specifically, the expression “token Quebecker”, which, frankly, is unparliamentary.
All Quebeckers in the House deserve the same respect, no matter what side of the House they sit on, and personally, I quite like having Quebec in Canada. Once again I ask that you consider that expression, Mr. Speaker, and that you ask the Bloc Québécois member to withdraw that remark, because it is unparliamentary.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I will take the point of order under advisement as I have already.
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, during question period I quoted from documents pertaining to a relationship between the member for Scarborough—Rouge River and a group entitled Paradise Forever and a Mr. Muhammad Heft with respect to lobbying and advocacy activities that the member was undertaking in the United Arab Emirates. I would like to table those documents here in the House.
Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I am honoured to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 62 petitions.
Atlantic Shellfish IndustryRoutine Proceedings
Prince George—Peace River B.C.
Conservative
Jay Hill ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned yesterday during the reply to the Thursday question, there have been consultations among all the parties and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:
That a take note debate on the subject of the importance of the East Coast Shell Fish Industry take place, pursuant to Standing Order 53.1, on Wednesday, May 12, 2010.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. government House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?