Debates of June 15th, 2010

G8 and G20 Summits

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, we all are hearing from our constituents how angry they are that the government has allowed the summit costs to balloon to over $1 billion. They know this all goes back to the costly political decision to have two summit sites.

The government now plans to hold a meeting of 18 world leaders in Muskoka when it claimed it was impossible to host 20 leaders without spending half a billion dollars more for a separate site in Toronto.

How does the government justify this outrageous mismanagement to Canadians?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this is in line with the tradition when previous host countries have extended invitations to other countries to participate. It is an outreach exercise and Canada is very proud to have asked countries from Africa, as well as from Latin America and Central America, to be part of the outreach program.

Again, costs are associated to security and we have vetted all these costs with the consultants and they are in line with all comparable summits.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the President of the Treasury Board is so lost for ideas on how to cut the Conservative deficit that he is holding a contest. Here is a free tip for him: he should drain the lake. That will save him $2 million alone.

The Minister of Natural Resources says that spending $1 billion to build a 50 year reactor for isotopes for cancer patients is “irresponsible”. What does he call over $1 billion blown for absolutely nothing at the fake lake summit?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, in our 2010 budget, the Minister of Finance has already laid out the road map to a balanced budget for 2014.

What we are putting in place is an opportunity for our hard-working public servants, and mainly those in the rank and file who communicate with me regularly. They have indicated that many of them have ideas on how to actually reduce spending and improve service.

We want to encourage that. We are not afraid to say that our public servants have great ideas that need to be put in place. We want to award them for that and save the taxpayers a whole lot of money.

Veterans Affairs

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the veterans charter put in place by the Conservatives in 2006 has had unfortunate consequences and created inequities. The main result is that the lifelong monthly pension for injured veterans was replaced with a lump sum payment that does not provide long-term financial security for injured veterans.

Will the minister restore the lifelong monthly pension for injured veterans, as requested by veterans and the thousands of signatories to a petition?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member's comments indicate that some people have criticized the lump sum payment. I personally went to Valcartier to hear what was said when the ombudsman held his consultation. I was so concerned by this point that I asked our department to verify what those receiving the lump sum payment were doing with their money: were they spending it carefully or, on the contrary, inappropriately. In the next few days, we will be releasing the results of this survey.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, employees of the Quebec office of Veterans Affairs are concerned that a number of veterans are not receiving the support needed for rehabilitation. In the Quebec region, for example, veterans must wait an average of 17 weeks before meeting with a social worker.

Instead of lecturing Quebeckers about the respect owed to veterans, could the minister not start by ensuring that veterans have access to the services they are entitled to?

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's message from some of our employees is the message I heard at the various consultations held. At present, it does take too long to process cases. Thus, just yesterday, I presented a five-point action plan. One of the priorities is to reduce case processing times by at least one-third.

Offshore Drilling

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources claims that Canada's offshore drilling regulations are among the toughest in the world. The events in the Gulf of Mexico prove that the current rules provide no guarantee. The Premier of Newfoundland is protecting the oil companies and saying that relief wells cost too much.

Does the Minister of Natural Resources intend to echo his colleague from Quebec City and call on Newfoundland to impose a moratorium on offshore drilling?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that we are talking about a shared jurisdiction. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board is responsible for monitoring this project. Again, extremely strict rules are applied.

Let them stop scaring people by saying that there is no relief well requirement. Emergency relief wells are required. Again, no drilling projects will be approved unless and until the health and safety of the workers, and the environment are protected.

[Paule Brunelle, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources must promise that throughout Quebec's jurisdiction, and in accordance with the agreement to be reached with Quebec, he will not authorize any offshore drilling unless a relief well is drilled.

Will the Minister of Natural Resources promise to include this requirement in the legislation?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that we are talking about a shared jurisdiction. The hon. members from the Bloc Québécois are the first to get up in arms and say we do not respect the nation of Quebec. I have a message for them: if ever there is an agreement with Quebec, it will be based on a shared jurisdiction and, again, the best rules in the world will apply to drilling in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Multiple Sclerosis

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

Mr. Speaker, last night there was an extraordinary debate in the House about the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Thousands of Canadians across the country, from all the provinces, suffer from this chronic disease. In fact, we have one of the highest rates in the world.

Those who are suffering from MS are asking for access to the best treatment possible, a treatment that will give them and their families hope.

Why is the Conservative government refusing to take a leadership role and not proposing a national strategy?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank all the members who participated in a very important debate last night on MS. I also thank my colleagues for the input I received not only from the House last night but also from committee this morning.

We recognize the importance of research. Through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, we are initiating the key researchers to come together to see how we can start this procedures research process in Canada through the leadership of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The research that we will be conducting will be providing support to the provinces and territories that, as the member—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Etobicoke North.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last night the House came together to support MS patients from across the country, fighting for diagnosis and treatment of CCSVI, or narrowed veins.

This morning, the Subcommittee on Neurological Disease heard compelling testimony from Dr. Zamboni, who first described the treatment.

Would the minister commit today to convene her provincial and territorial counterparts immediately to ensure that no Canadian be deprived of the imaging necessary for a diagnosis of CCSVI and treatment, if required?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Zamboni also said during committee that his research was experimental. He is very much at the early stages of his research. It is important to support research. It is important for CIHR to conduct a team of researchers to Canada to organize the meeting to deal with this research. That will help the provinces and territories in the decisions that they need to make in the delivery of health care.

No jurisdiction in Canada would allow a procedure without the necessary clinical trials.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, time and time again I have asked a simple question. What plan does the government have to clean up a catastrophic foreign oil spill that could drift into Canadian Arctic waters?

Therefore, I ask this again. If there is a spill from a blown out well or a foreign tanker in waters off our coast, what plan does the government have to deal with it? What will happen to our Arctic coast? Will it simply leave it in the hands of the foreign private sector so our pristine Arctic beaches are polluted with globs of oil like in the Gulf of Mexico?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I responded to that question several times. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that the protection of the environment is ensured.

I urge the member to take all the necessary steps to respect the will of his constituents and vote against the gun registry.

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, again, the government cannot answer the question. It is pretending an oil spill cannot happen. Tell that to the 18,000 workers cleaning up globs of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

Almost every coastal member state of the European Union has a primary response vessel to clean up a spill. Norway has specialists and cleanup ships ready to be on site within four hours. In Canada, we do not even have such ships.

Why is the current government so unprepared?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we are more than prepared. We enforce world-class standards. We have plans and he knows that. He should stop fearmongering people.

He should do the same with his constituents. He should protect them, protect their will and vote against the long gun registry. That is what he should do. That is what he promised, and he broke his promise.

Justice

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, earlier today the Minister of Public Safety tabled the bill to end early release and increase offender accountability. As Canadians know, this government is committed to protecting the safety and security of all Canadians.

The bill would give victims a greater voice and would ensure that the protection of society principle is the guiding principle of corrections and conditional release.

Could the Minister of Public Safety explain how this bill would continue our government's strong commitment to the safety and protection of our communities?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her hard work on behalf of victims and for her support for this important piece of legislation.

Our government agrees with Canadians, that the corrections and conditional release system should put public safety first. The rights of criminals should not come ahead of the rights of victims and law-abiding citizens.

I ask the Liberals to put aside their soft on crime ways, support this important piece of legislation, and stand up for victims.

Human Rights

[Bill Siksay, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada has released a report showing that hate crimes are on the rise in Canada. Hate crimes related to race or ethnicity increased by 15%. Those related to religion by 53%. This reflects only those hate crimes that are reported, far too many still go unreported.

What will the government do to increase the confidence of victims of hate crimes in the police and the criminal justice system? What steps will be taken to increase reporting of hate crimes?

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

Mr. Speaker, among other things, the Canadian Human Rights Commission has launched a comprehensive study into the whole question of hate crimes. We have been very busy on our justice agenda, standing up for victims and law-abiding Canadians.

I wish for once we could get the support of the NDP on these matters. I heard today that when we wanted to get a bill through that would crack down on the reporting of Internet child pornography, New Democrats were the ones who wanted to get the bill to committee instead of getting it unanimously passed. Why do those members have such a problem doing the right thing?