Debates of May 7th, 2010

Agri-Food

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians wanted to know what is in the food they are eating and we responded to that demand. Now, we would like to undertake studies and receive feedback on our policy. That said, our policy is a good one because Canadians want to know what is in their products.

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is such a good policy that no one agrees with it.

With its unrealistic rule for defining products that are “Made in Canada”, the Conservative government is hurting the agri-food industry by creating uncertainty and by imposing additional fees. The 98% rule is ridiculous. Not even grandma's apple pie would meet the minister's requirements. It is shameful.

When will the minister get on with it and implement the 85% rule the entire industry is calling for?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, we created this policy to help Canadians and our farmers. Our policy is a good one, but we are holding consultations because we want to know if it will work, and it will. I would like to quote the member for Malpeque, who is a member of the opposition. He said that:

—the new regulations would provide consumers with honest information on the contents they purchase and the changes could also increase the consumption of Canadian products.

Public Safety

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has been weeks since I told you that Canada's agri-retail sector has been pleading with the government to assist in securing sites where tonnes of explosive fertilizers and meth-producing chemicals sit without so much as a fence to stop them from falling into the hands of terrorists and drug dealers. In fact, the sector still cannot even get a meeting with the minister and has heard nothing.

The U.S. has implemented tax breaks to upgrade the agri-retail sites, yet Canada's government sticks its head in the sand and our public remains unprotected. When will the government take action to keep Canadians safe?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, we are working for our farmers and for the agri-retail industry. In fact, over the past few weeks the agriculture committee has been travelling across Canada speaking to farmers about what is most important to agriculture. We have been listening to young farmers and to farmers who have been farming for decades. We are receiving excellent feedback.

We are moving ahead, putting farmers first and defending their interests.

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary is admitting the government has not talked to them.

The most basic responsibility of the federal government is to keep Canadians safe. If the minister read the news, he would be aware that a terrorist recently attempted to explode a car bomb packed with gas, propane and fertilizers in Times Square. In fact, if that terrorist had used the kind of fertilizers that sit unprotected at Canada's agri-retail sites, the bomb would have killed hundreds of innocent people, terrorized a nation, and caused billions in economic loss.

What does the government not understand about what is at stake here?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, safety is very important but there is no need to yell.

What is important to farmers is what this government is doing in their best interests. Let me just recap here. Through the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act, $1 billion in new credit is available for farmers. We have also put forward $500 million through the agri-flex program. We have provided $125 million to improve slaughter capacity and deal with SRM, specified risk material.

That is a very important issue for farmers and that is something the member and every MP in his party voted against.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Speaker, by 2012, the Conservative budget for prisons will have increased by 238%, and that is not all, as the cost of new measures is not included in that figure.

For one of these measures, projections have risen from $90 million to $2 billion. The minister refuses to disclose the total cost of his bill, if he knows it at all.

Why is the government not honest with Canadians? How many billions of dollars will their mega-prisons cost?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Liberals, our priority is public safety. The Liberals have shown they have a fundamentally different view on what it means to be tough on crime. They believe that it is citizens who should be locked up in their own houses while dangerous criminals are on the street.

That is not the position of our party. We stand with victims and we stand for the rights of Canadians, even if the member opposite does not.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the U.S. and the U.K., these policies were tried and they failed.

Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Party of Canada are the only ones who think this stuff works. In California, under the costs that crippled the government, these policies forced the state to release 55,000 inmates to the streets because it ran out of room. Our system, already bursting at the seams, will meet the same fate.

The question is simple. On what evidence do the Conservatives base these policies? Can they name one jurisdiction, just one, where this path did not lead to complete abject failure?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, my friend opposite would prefer to have all criminals on the street but that is not the position of this party. The protection of Canadians must come first. Part of keeping our communities safe is keeping dangerous criminals behind bars, not releasing them on to the streets early. That is why the provinces and police support our efforts to end credit for time served, efforts the Liberals tried to block.

We disagree with the Liberals' view that dangerous criminals should be released on to our streets early just to save a buck.

The Economy

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives focus on the economy because that is what matters to Canadians. Liberals ignore it. The only time the Liberal leader mentions it is to complain that Canadian families do not pay enough tax. In contrast, the number one priority for our Conservative government is the economy.

We are working hard for Canadians to implement Canada's economic action plan that is helping to fuel economic growth and create jobs.

There should be an opportunity for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance to announce the latest news on the job front. I wonder if he could do that now.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, once again we have proof that Canada's economic action plan is working. We have over 100,000 examples to prove it. Statistics Canada today announced 108,700 new jobs in April, more jobs in all provinces. That is Canada's largest monthly job gain growth. That sets a record seven months out of nine for job gains.

That is why Canada has been labelled an “economic star” by the Economist.

Foreign Affairs

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recent reports that U.S. interrogators intimidated Canadian citizen, Omar Khadr, with gang rape are deeply disturbing. An interrogator testified in court that he tried to intimidate Khadr by telling him tales of “a skinny little Afghan Muslim who was sent to an American prison and encountered black guys and Nazis who were still mad about the September 11 attacks”.

Canadians are shocked that the government ignores this case and this evidence and simply dithers.

When will the government do the right thing and put an end to this charade? Are we going to hear the same tired old refrain or is it actually going to do something?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada's position regarding Mr. Khadr has not changed. Mr. Khadr faces very serious charges, including the charge of murder. Canada has also complied with the Supreme Court ruling.

I would like to advise my hon. colleague that the Obama administration has opted to send Omar Khadr to a military commission and we are letting that process unfold.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is really shocking how stubborn the government is in the face of the facts. It insists on hiding behind the U.S. process but the process is based on evidence that was guarded by torture. The justice minister's request for removing information obtained by CSIS from the court process has been rejected. I am not sure if it is aware of that. Now, Canadian journalists have been kicked out of the process entirely.

It is a clear fiasco. The government cannot maintain its stale arguments. This is about Canada's sovereignty now. This is about Canada's international reputation. When will it grow up and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

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

Mr. Speaker, he had a question but I do not think he put it forward.

However, I will let me my hon. colleague know again that Canada's position regarding Mr. Khadr has not changed. Mr. Khadr faces very serious charges, including murder. The Obama administration has opted to send Mr. Omar Khadr to a military commission and we are waiting for that process to unfold.

In reference to the journalists he talked about, that is a U.S. decision and a U.S. court matter and Canada has nothing to do with that.

Transportation

[Thierry St-Cyr, Bloc, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in its last budget, the Quebec government announced a $200 million contribution for a rail shuttle between downtown Montreal and Dorval Airport. However, they are still waiting for the federal government's contribution to this project.

What is the federal government waiting for to announce its contribution?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have worked well with the Quebec government. We have provided a great deal of money through the economic action plan and the building Canada fund. We have always been pleased to work with the Quebec government to address Quebeckers' needs. I have met often with Quebec government ministers. I would be pleased to discuss this matter with them the next time.

[Thierry St-Cyr, Bloc, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is quite happy to talk to Quebec. He has already committed funding for the construction of shuttles to the Vancouver and Toronto airports but still has not committed funding for the Montreal shuttle. This is an important project for the Montreal economy and, furthermore, it will help reduce greenhouse gases.

What is the federal government waiting for to announce its contribution?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important that the allocation of funding to provinces be equitable. The previous government provided funds to Toronto and our government is working with the other provinces.

I must say that I am pleased that a Bloc member would like our government, the federal government, to provide additional funds to a building named after Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative culture of deceit continues. In the last two weeks, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, three other ministers and one unelected senator have issued, word for word, identical press releases about small craft harbours. It is funny that none of these announcements had any details to back them up.

Would the minister table in the House right now the details that back up these vague announcements, or will she admit that she has yet to produce a list of projects, or is she just playing political games with this important funding?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, our government inherited a major backlog of needed repairs to our small craft harbours from the Liberals who had ignored these facilities for many years. Our government permanently increased our program's budget in 2006-07 and injected over $200 million into the program under our economic action plan.

We are investing more in Newfoundland and Labrador harbours than that government ever did.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great stock answer over there.

Why is the minister raising expectations of these communities when she cannot back up the claims?

The minister's department has the details and her communications department knows the list. Will she today in the House table the complete list with who is getting funding, what portion is getting funding and the specific infrastructure projects, the ports and harbours in Canada?