House of Commons Hansard #56 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was post.
Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, our bill is for artists, for consumers and for Canadian industries. This bill is against unemployment and for jobs. The goal of this bill is to offer protection to artists in order to increase their creativity in Canada.
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, there is no monetary compensation for artists in this bill. Sales of music CDs are in free fall and artists' revenues are slowly drying up. However, the appetite for music has not wavered and makers of MP3 players are still raking in huge profits. ADISQ, UDA, the Canadian Private Copying Collective and even the Union des consommateurs are calling for a levy on digital music players.
Why is the government denying creators their fair remuneration?
Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated a moment ago, there are a lot of protections to help artists to ensure they can create and grow in out country. However, we will not impose on consumers a new tax on their iPods, their BlackBerrys, their computers, their television sets to finance the Bloc's plans. We want to help artists, but we also want to help consumers.
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Mr. Speaker, for weeks we have asked clear questions on the tanker ban off the B.C. coast, but we have yet to get a clear answer from the government.
We ask this once more. Will the government continue to follow the 1972 tanker ban or will it risk damaging the pristine waters off our B.C. coast?
Brian Jean ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. This government has no plans to reopen the exclusion zone on tankers travelling between Alaska and Washington state. Under this long-standing agreement, U.S. tanker ships are not allowed within 25 miles, at the minimum, of the B.C. coast. In 22 years we have had no issues of non-compliance.
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is not only its plans on the west coast. It is not only putting the west coast at risk, it is also putting the east coast at risk with changes to the regulations. New regulations say that plans for relief wells are no longer necessary to drill in our Atlantic waters. The offshore drilling board said that this was a Conservative government decision.
Why is it risking a Gulf of Mexico tragedy in Canadian waters?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, this is completely untrue. Contrary to what we saw in the Ottawa Citizen this morning, let me quote appendix C of the Drilling Program Guidelines respecting drilling programs. It states:
Operators are expected to identify an alternate drilling installation for relief well purposes and provide a description of its operating capability, its location, contractual commitments, state of readiness...
It has not changed since 1990. That rule must be followed everywhere in the country and we expect our regulators to take appropriate actions to ensure workers' safety and the environment are protected everywhere—
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canada's municipalities have in the most significant way added their voices to the growing list of those calling for an overhaul of Canada's pension system.
Over 1,200 delegates, from across Canada, last week at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Toronto voted overwhelmingly to support an increase to GIS, an expansion of the CPP and a pension insurance system, the very same New Democrat measures that the House unanimously endorsed last year.
Will the government finally get serious about fixing the pensions crisis in Canada and implement the New Democrat pension plan?
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I will tell the House how serious this government has been about dealing with retirement income for Canadians, serious enough that we have consulted with Canadians. To the member's credit, he has contributed to that consultation, unlike the Bloc and Liberals who have contributed zero to the pension consultations. I am not sure if they do not care about their constituents, but this government does.
The finance ministers from the provinces and territories will be meeting this month with the federal finance minister. Those consultations will come together. That will be to the benefit of retirees in our country.
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the parliamentary secretary acknowledges that the New Democrats have worked on this file since the beginning of 2008-09. In the winter we had round tables with experts on pensions. We did our research for months and followed that with an opposition day motion that passed unanimously in the House. I have held over 30 meetings across the country, listening to the concerns of seniors.
New Democrats know what is needed and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities knows what is needed: an increase to GIS, an expansion of CPP and a pension insurance system.
Will the government drop the usual pat answers we get and help the NDP—
Ted Menzies ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, speaking of helping Canadians, I would think the hon. member would encourage his NDP colleagues to pass our budget bill. There is legislation in the budget bill that needs to be passed and needs to be passed soon. We are committing to fully fund the benefits of the pension plans that may be terminated. That is putting the pensions of Canadians in jeopardy. That is embedded in this bill. It is very important we get it done. Let us get it passed to help Canadians.
Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in committee, the member for Ajax—Pickering's motion to derail Bill C-391 and keep the long gun registry as is passed with the support of all opposition parties. This vote by the opposition parties proves that when it comes to the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry, the opposition is more interested in playing political games than doing the right thing and standing up for their constituents.
Could the parliamentary secretary update the House on the Conservative government's continued commitment to end the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry?
Dave MacKenzie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his strong support regarding this wasteful and ineffective long gun registry. Unlike members across the way, I know he is standing up for his constituents. I hope the members for Malpeque and Yukon will follow his lead and do the same.
The choice is clear for all MPs, especially those Liberal and NDP members who voted for the bill at second reading. We either vote to scrap the long gun registry or keep the long gun registry. No more political games. The constituents of those 12 NDP and eight Liberal MPs deserve better. It is as simple as that.
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
Mr. Speaker, Conservative staffers are running from the law. For days now, a bailiff has been trying to serve Dimitri Soudas, the Prime Minister's chief spokesperson, with a subpoena, but the Prime Minister's Office will not let the bailiff in the building.
Canadians work hard. They play by the rules and they expect their government to do the same. Why are the Conservatives acting like they are above the law?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the committee has ignored all of the rules of fairness by announcing the summons to the news media before it was actually delivered. The committee knows the rules for summonses. The committee should begin to follow them. This is especially true of the committee chair.
On this side, we respect ministerial responsibility. We call on the Liberals and the other coalition parties to do the same.
Gérard Asselin Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, Quebec's shipbuilding industry is afraid it will be forgotten. The president of Groupe maritime Verreault pointed out, for example, that the repositioning expenses for repairing ships in Quebec puts Quebec at a disadvantage, given that repairs at the Irving family shipyards will incur little or no transportation costs.
Will the government eliminate the transportation expenses policy and ensure that Quebec gets its fair share of the shipbuilding contracts?
Jacques Gourde ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and to the Minister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the hon. member has given me the opportunity to remind the House that yesterday we announced our government's national shipbuilding procurement strategy. Our strategy will create over 75 million person-hours of employment and inject $35 billion into Canada's shipbuilding industry. It will bring predictability to the federal ship procurement process by relying on Canadian sources to meet the needs of Canadians and the requirements of the shipbuilding industry.
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, we know caffeine is an addictive stimulant. Canadian parents are always concerned about how much is in colas. Instead of helping the situation, Health Canada has opened the floodgates to allow high amounts of caffeine in all child-marketed soft drinks.
The government caved into the soft drink lobby. Canadians deserve to know who lobbied whom on this file.
Finally, will the Minister of Health reverse Health Canada's new rule allowing caffeine in all soft drinks?
Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, our main concern was to ensure the health and safety of Canadians before allowing the addition of additives such as caffeine to be included in all carbonated soft drinks for sale in Canada. Our health risk assessments conclude that there are no risks to consumers.
We are working with the industry to ensure labels identify all sources of caffeine so Canadians are able to make the best choices for themselves and for their families.
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
Mr. Speaker, I understand the opposition wants to import the foreign U.S. committee system that is used as a political weapon to bully, intimidate and humiliate opponents by expecting junior employees to come before committee to account for their ministers.
Could the government House leader please tell the House how the government is responding to these tactics?
Jay Hill ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as I have been saying repeatedly, we have a tradition of ministerial responsibility and we are upholding that. Our cabinet ministers not only answer questions in question period but they appear at standing committees to do that.
I would hope that all opposition chairs of these committees, rather than conduct kangaroo courts as they have been doing in the past, actually learn and apply the rules and procedures and not allow opposition MPs of the coalition parties to bully, intimidate and attempt to humiliate these junior political staffers.
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
Mr. Speaker, Dimitri Soudas is not some demure, naive, vulnerable young staffer. He bullies the press gallery. He muzzles ministers. He speaks for the entire government. In fact, he is paid $150,000 a year to tell all of those ministers every day what they can and cannot say.
Why can he not speak for himself at committee? Why is the government muzzling its chief muzzler?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we have answered that question time and again.
I notice that the member forgot to mention the enormous job growth this country experienced in the last month. That is because he and the coalition parties do not want Canadians to know that through a popular measure of tax cuts and a broad economic action plan we have created over 300,000 jobs.
Now, the Liberal leader threatens all of that with plans to raise the GST, hammer businesses with higher taxes and kill jobs for Canadians. We will not have any of that.
