Debates of June 7th, 2010

The Environment

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

The problem, Mr. Speaker, is that he sounds like the under undersecretary of the environment in the United States.

Here is what the government's own report confirms. Canada's emissions will continue to rise every year until 2012. Stimulus spending is not expected to result in real or quantifiable reductions. The minister cannot monitor or verify clean air trust fund results despite giving the provinces $1.5 billion.

The Conservatives do not want climate change on the G20 agenda because, after 52 months and three ministers, there is absolutely nothing to show but failure.

Why will they not just stand up and admit it?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

I am not sure, Mr. Speaker, who the under, under, undersecretary is. Perhaps my hon. colleague has met that person.

We have negotiated the Copenhagen accord. Over 120 countries internationally have now associated themselves with that accord, accounting for in excess of 90% of the world's emissions. This is the way forward. The international community is now translating that accord into an international treaty.

Here in Canada, we are taking all of the regulatory domestic actions that we need to achieve the North American standards that we have agreed to. All of these are efforts that the former Liberal government never did, never achieved and never could.

Gulf of Mexico

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are worried by the situation unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

Would the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans inform the House on the latest actions taken by our government to assist our American neighbours?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada and the United States have a proud tradition of helping each other in times of need and the situation in the Gulf of Mexico certainly is one of those times.

Yesterday I was very proud to announce that the Canadian Coast Guard will provide the Americans with 3,000 metres of oil spill containment boom, in addition to the DFO experts already in the field.

Our government will continue to work closely with the United States so that we can ensure and maximize Canada's contribution to the cleanup effort.

National Defence

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we can all understand an occasional impulse buy but the government's decision to rush a multi-billion dollar defence procurement without competitive bidding takes a recent infomercial kick way too far.

The government is essentially handing Lockheed Martin billions of dollars without going through a proper competitive process. Without competitive bidding, taxpayers will be the big losers and so will the Canadian military.

What is the rush? The planes were not planned for purchase until 2017. Is that because the government wants to put this under the G20 security bill as well?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, coming from the NDP that is rich. There are so many inaccuracies in there that I do not even know where to begin.

We do in fact have capabilities with the current fleet of CF18s. In fact, this government has just refurbished that fleet and they will have use well into the 2020 period.

We, of course, will invest in the next generation of fighters. This is something that we are part of with our allies. It will see massive benefits for Canadian aerospace industry over time. Stay tuned.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are not the party of fake lakes. That is that party.

The Auditor General herself said that the advance contract award notices were not a competitive process and that, in fact, they amounted to sole source contracts.

There are lingering questions from the last time the government used this scheme to avoid public tender. It is still not clear that it got very good value for money. Wasted money means less money for the navy, less money for search and rescue and less money for peacekeeping.

Why will the Conservatives not take government spending more seriously?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we do. In fact, this government, I am very proud to say, has made unprecedented investments in the Canadian Forces. I am proud to see many of them here in the House today.

What I do know is that member and members of his party are very good at fake outrage. What they are also very good at is voting against every investment that we have made in the Canadian Forces in the last four years.

Yes, we will refurbish the next generation of fighters, as we have for our navy, army and air force. We are making the necessary investment to support the men and women in uniform.

Securities

[Daniel Paillé, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today Michel Leblanc, president of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, and Martin Salloum, president of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, added their names to the long list of those who are opposed to a single securities commission. They maintain that the federal project would prejudice the financial sectors of Quebec and Alberta and would weaken the foundations of our economy.

Once again, why is the government determined to demolish what the OECD, the IMF and the World Bank consider to be a model for the rest of the world?

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

Coincidentally, Mr. Speaker, I just spoke to a banker yesterday who said that he would dare not depend on the system that Quebec is using at this point.

What we are trying to do is ensure there is a system available, which is why we have a voluntary system that Quebec is open to join, if it wishes. That is its choice.

I can also read an incredibly long list that is getting longer by the day of all of those who support the system that we are putting in place, which is a voluntary system all across the country.

[Daniel Paillé, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to that banker, the government's logic says that Canadian banks were effective during the last crisis and therefore it refuses to change any aspects of bank taxation. It does not want to change what it believes is working very well.

If this logic applies to banks, why does it not apply to securities commissions? Why dismantle something that worked so well during the recent crisis? Unless the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance is using twisted logic, why would the logic that applies to Toronto not apply to Montreal, Calgary, Winnipeg or Edmonton—to his hometown or mine?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member claims that the system works well. I would suggest that he tell that to Joey Davis, one of the victims of Earl Jones, who stated, “We definitely support [the Canadian securities regulator] initiative. ... Ottawa has been far more responsive to [our] plight....I have more faith in the federal government”.

I can quote organization after organization, such as the OECD, the IMF, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the list goes on. These are the organizations that understand that we need this—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Laval—Les Îles.

International Aid

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government falsely claims to the world to be in favour of basic human rights, like free expression, but its treatment of aid groups and aid workers speaks to a very different reality. The message is clear, “You oppose this government in any form, you get your funding cut”, such as the Canadian Council for International Co-operation, KAIROS, Planned Parenthood, Match International.

Why can the government not tolerate dissent? Why the vengeful cuts?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, this government wants to ensure that public funds are going forward to help reduce poverty and help those people living in developing countries. There is no entitlement.

This government wants to ensure good value for its international assistance. We want results. We want to make a difference to those people, those families and those communities because it is our responsibility to ensure that.

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative budget cuts to the Canadian Council for International Co-operation prove that the government wants to neutralize all opposition.

The CCIC has existed almost as long as CIDA and works with groups dedicated to development and humanitarian aid around the world.

These cuts will affect Canadian humanitarian workers in a dozen countries, including members of the Francophonie, such as the Congo and Rwanda.

How can the government justify these cuts?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, we are in fact increasing our support to those organizations that work directly in those countries.

We support the Francophonie in the fine work they do in African-Francophone countries. We support the human rights of women and girls. Last week I announced support for UNIFEM, for human rights of women and girls.

We are in fact a leading country in many of the issues, but we can make a difference by supporting those organizations that actually do work in countries where the need is.

Health

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as world leaders prepare to come to Canada to discuss strategies to improve maternal health in developing countries, we have a crisis right here at home.

Pregnant Inuit women are flown thousands of kilometres south because of the government's failure to fund birthing centres. The government boasts that money has been budgeted for northern and Inuit maternal and child health, but instead of giving them the services they need, it is shipping them away from their homes, their communities and their families.

Would the minister please explain when these mothers will get the care they deserve?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the non-insured health benefits program is one that needs some review and we are looking into that.

Travel is a big issue when it comes to delivering health benefits. There is a growing awareness and we are looking into it.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, McDonald's massive recall of promotional glasses that contained cadmium was a wake-up call to show that we are still vulnerable to unsafe products. Toys, cribs, children's medication, the list of unsafe products grows.

The government had legislation to address weaknesses of product safety legislation in Canada but it killed it with prorogation.

When will the government reintroduce legislation to protect our children, and why did it take so long?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, this is our priority and we will be introducing, in the next few days, new legislation related to consumer product safety in Canada. We will continue to work with industry in the rollout of that.

Firearms Registry

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last week, in yet another display of political game-playing, the NDP, Liberal and Bloc coalition joined forces and passed a motion that would keep the wasteful and completely ineffective long gun registry intact.

This motion proves that when it comes to the long gun registry, members of the coalition are more interested in political games than representing their constituents.

Would the Minister of Public Safety please update this House on this important issue?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her hard work on this important file.

In November 2009, 12 NDP and 8 Liberal members, including the member for Malpeque, listened to their constituents and voted in favour of Bill C-391 to scrap the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry.

The choice is now clear, even for the member for Malpeque: members either vote to keep the long gun registry or they vote to scrap the long gun registry. We should have no more political games by members, like the member for Malpeque. The constituents deserve better.

Health

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on May 6, we sent an open letter to the minister asking that individuals living with multiple sclerosis receive diagnosis for blocked veins and treatment if required. We also asked that the government provide a modest $10 million for research into MS.

Testing and treatment are of the utmost urgency, as many MS patients are experiencing a rapid decline in their health.

Why will the minister not respond and agree to our request?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we have responded. Health research on the new techniques, such as this one, is critically important.

That is why we have invested $120 million for neurological disease, including $5.3 million for MS. In addition, we invested $16 million in budget 2010 to CIHR for research. I have also asked Dr. Alain Beaudet, president of CIHR, to provide me with advice on how to advance this important research.

I continue to work with the MS Society and CIHR. We are encouraging MS researchers to put applications forward for this new treatment.