Debates of June 1st, 2010

Bill C-9

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the C-9 dumpster bill includes provisions on a whole range of subjects that have nothing to do with the budget. Among other things, the Conservatives are proposing to sign off on the theft of $57 billion from the employment insurance fund initiated by the Liberals.

If the government thinks that Canadians agree that it is a good idea to steal employment insurance contributions in order to afford tax cuts for BP and the Royal Bank, then why does it not have the courage to remove this component from Bill C-9 and put it to a separate vote in the House?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to comment on Bill C-9, a bill that has actually gone through an all party committee of the House that sent it back here for third reading and without amendments.

We have had nearly three months to debate it. There are some very critical pieces in this bill. For example, many provinces have already budgeted for the $500 million in increased transfer payments that they require to balance their budgets.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Yes, with their Liberal allies the Conservatives got it through, Mr. Speaker, but the NDP stood and voted against it.

Last year the Conservatives and their faithful Liberal servants joined forces to scrap Canada's 100-year-old Navigable Waters Protection Act. This year, they are teaming up again and future generations will pay the price because meaningful environmental assessment will be a thing of the past.

Yesterday the Minister of the Environment stated that he was reducing environmental assessment because that is what everyone has been asking for.

If the minister truly believes that Canadians want less environmental protection, why does he not have the courage to remove environmental assessments from Bill C-9, the dumpster bill, and submit it to a vote?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, every year for the last 10 years the premiers and The Council of the Federation--

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Liar. I was one of those ministers. You're lying.

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

--have called for a streamlining of the federal environmental assessment process. The External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation called for the same changes in 2004. Last year the Commissioner of the Environment said:

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency should propose to the Minister of the Environment options for resolving serious, long-standing federal coordination issues, including the scoping of projects....

That is what needs to be done and that has been done. Why will the NDP not support this legislation?

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives were the opposition, they criticized the Liberals for stealing from the employment insurance fund. With Bill C-9, the Conservatives are getting ready to condone this theft by wiping the slate clean and simply erasing the $57 billion belonging to contributors.

Does the government realize that Bill C-9 condones looting the employment insurance fund, something the Conservatives criticized when they were the opposition?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to reiterate how important Bill C-9 is. We had good news just yesterday. The GDP grew by 6.1% in the first quarter. Why is that? It is because this Conservative government put in an economic action plan last year and part two this year. We are trying to get money out to Canadians to save jobs and build new jobs, and the opposition does nothing but stand in the way of that.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservative government is condoning looting the employment insurance fund, we are still waiting for an overhaul of the employment insurance system. By the end of the year, four pilot projects and a temporary measure will come to an end. We need to make these improvements permanent.

What is the government waiting for to reform the employment insurance system instead of using money belonging to the unemployed for other purposes?

[Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, this government delivered the goods when we were in a recession and when the unemployed needed us and our support. We implemented a number of different measures to support workers who were losing their jobs and who needed additional employment insurance benefits.

That party voted against those measures every time and now they are asking us to extend them. What is their rationale?

International Aid

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is gone. The Canadian Council for International Cooperation, one of the most respected and cost-effective humanitarian agencies in Canada is gone. It is gone because it dared to criticize that anti-democratic government. It is gone like KAIROS, gone like Rights & Democracy and other voices that have been silenced by de-funding and slander. Even school children dare not ask the Prime Minister an unscripted question. So what is it: democracy or a dictatorship?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear that this government ensures that its international development and aid is going to really make a difference in the lives of those living in developing countries. We do it by ensuring that we are accountable, but we also do it by ensuring that those initiatives we support show results and actually make a difference.

I met with a young lady today who is making a difference by raising money, and we are supporting her, for paying teachers in Afghanistan. That is the kind of support Canadians--

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Scarborough—Guildwood.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, CCIC represents the voices of 100 charitable and humanitarian organizations, not one person. It is gone because it recently released a report showing that the Conservative government does not follow Canada's own law regarding aid. It joins an ever growing list of respected humanitarian organizations on the chopping block: KAIROS, Rights & Democracy, and now CCIC. It is a chill kill. Is it the government's policy to silence opposition by killing the funding?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear that actually the proposal before CIDA by CCIC is still under review. Consequently, all I can do is respond that our government is using its international aid and development support responsibly so that we can make a difference in the lives of those living in developing countries.

It was a Liberal dominated Senate that put out a report before we came to government which said to change our aid assistance programs, make them effective, make them show results. That is what we are doing.

Ethics

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in 1997 Canadian taxpayers paid Brian Mulroney $2 million because he said that this House sullied his good name. The Oliphant report is very clear. It says Mulroney's claims are “patently absurd”. Quite simply, the former prime minister lied. He got envelopes stuffed with cash from Schreiber and then he picked up $2 million from the taxpayers on the way out.

Why will the government not send a clear message that Mulroney lied and we want our money back?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government has certainly taken appropriate action. There was a public inquiry. A number of recommendations were tabled yesterday. Those recommendations are being looked at by the appropriate authorities, and any recommendations from the groups that are looking at it or anybody else of course will be taken into consideration.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at the record of the ShamWow minister from Muskoka. He used his role as a minister of the Crown to hawk cleaning products. He handed out untendered contracts and patronage appointments to his cleaning buddies. Now we find out that he has siphoned $50 million out of the $1 billion boondoggle for pork-barrel projects.

It is a question of credibility, it is a question of judgment and it is a question of ethics. Does the government have no sense of right or wrong, or is it simply using the old Mulroney playbook?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, regarding the preamble to the member's question, of course nothing could be further from the truth. The minister was very clear yesterday that there was no financial interest, no conflict.

Let me talk about something that is actually relevant to Canadians. Since last July, our economic action plan has resulted in 285,000 new jobs and an astonishing 6.1% economic growth rate in the first quarter of this year.

Automotive Industry

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that Canada's economy grew by 6.1% in the first quarter, the largest growth in a decade.

Canadians demand strong economic stewardship from their government, and it is this Conservative government that has delivered. When the Canadian auto sector was hit hard by the global economic downturn, it was this government that stood by its side, and that support has paid off.

Could the Minister of Industry please inform the House of the announcement General Motors made just this morning?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that the Minister of Industry is in St. Catharines, Ontario today to join GM in announcing a new $245 million investment in its St. Catharines powertrain facility. This builds upon another recent announcement of $235 million to support next generation engine production.

This new investment will secure 400 jobs. That is 100 more jobs than outlined in GM's restructuring commitment.

This is yet another sign that the government's support for the auto sector has helped it emerge from this economic downturn stronger and more competitive than ever.

G8 and G20 Summits

[Gerard Kennedy, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, incredibly the government has mismanaged its way to a $1.3 billion price tag for this G20 summit, and it is still not covering many of the basic costs.

The City of Toronto urged the government to move the summit location, reduce disruptions and costs and possible damage. It refused to do this. Now the city has to act to ensure safety, removing 1,000 pieces of street furniture, dedicating staff at a cost of $20 million.

I have a basic question. Will the government respect and fully compensate Toronto for costs devoted to the summit and protest-related damages to city businesses? Will it do that?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, this government will always treat the people of Toronto fairly. For years the people of Toronto lacked infrastructure funding. For years the people of Toronto lacked funding to support their public transit. This government has shown unprecedented commitment to the people of Toronto, whether it is in the area of public transit, whether it is municipal infrastructure, whether it is not just making the gas tax permanent, but doubling it for them.

We are very pleased to do that and we will continue to stand up for Toronto.

International Co-operation

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2008, the former president of CIDA, Robert Greenhill, referred to the Canadian Council for International Co-operation—the CCIC—as a key partner. Today, the CCIC cannot even get a response from the Minister of International Cooperation regarding the renewal of their funding agreement.

Can the minister explain why she is dragging her feet on renewing funding for the CCIC, an organization that does such excellent work?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, the proposal is under review by CIDA, but this does give me the opportunity to remind the member that because of our good fiscal management and growth, we are coming out of the recession.

However, the global economic recession has had an impact on developing countries. It has put over a billion people into hunger and extreme poverty.

That is why we have to make sure that our international development money is going to get results, is going to make a difference for those people who are living in extreme poverty.