Debates of Nov. 24th, 2011

Language of Work in Quebec

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP has clearly not done its homework with regard to language of work.

Our government is committed to promoting and protecting the French language in Canada. I have the privilege of announcing today in the House that our government is going to set up a consultative committee that will be responsible for determining whether a problem exists with regard to the French language in federally regulated private businesses.

French is an integral part of our history, our identity and our daily lives. French is Canada's founding language, and our Conservative government is very proud of that.

The Environment

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives can call us anything they want. If they put as much effort into creating a serious plan for sustainable development of the oil sands, the United States and Europe would not be slamming the door on Canada. While they refuse to act to protect our environment, our jobs are going up in smoke.

Will the minister finally listen to what Canadians want and come up with a sustainable plan for our resources?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, in a torturous scrum yesterday, the NDP environment critic twisted herself into a pretzel of contradiction and bizarre ideas. She admits it is all about jobs, but she opposes Keystone XL, which would create hundreds of thousands of jobs in Canada. She wants refineries built, but does not want pipelines built to send the refined oil to product. Can members believe it?

I ask the member, is this total confusion or rank cynicism? Canadians--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Halifax.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, if being a grumpy old man makes one an expert on world--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. We are not even through our second week of a five-week stretch. If we cannot get through this week, I hate to think what next week will be like. Let us have a little bit of order.

The hon. member for Halifax, and I hope she will not make personal comments about other colleagues.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, this is the smiling face of cynicism.

This week I met with European representatives, who told me that because of the government's inaction on climate change, Europe is slamming the door on Canadian energy, which is the same reason that the Americans slammed the door on Keystone. With every door that closes, the minister is killing Canadian jobs.

When will the government clean up its act and actually support real job growth in the Canadian energy sector?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, it is one thing to go to foreign countries and work against the interests of Canadian workers and those who are unemployed from coast to coast. It is another thing to insult senior citizens.

In this country we live was on the shoulders of our ancestors. How despicable--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Burnaby—New Westminster has the floor. We will have a little bit of order.

Employment

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we take no lessons from that minister or this failed government on jobs.

Last month the Conservatives lost 72,000 full-time jobs across the country. Seventy-two thousand families lost their breadwinner because of the government's policies. Statistics Canada announced today that real wages for Canadians went down nearly 2% over the past year under this government.

People say that Tory times are tough times, but when will they start to care about middle-class and poor Canadians? When will they get down to work on helping struggling Canadian families? Where is the jobs plan that we have been asking for in this House week after week?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is the one the NDP voted against on Monday night in the House of Commons. Do they remember that? They refused to support the budget.

They voted against the job creation tax credit for more than half a million small businesses in Canada. That is the part of the economy that generates jobs, the 600,000 net new jobs we have in Canada since the end of the recession.

They voted against the family caregiver tax credit, the children's art tax credit, the volunteer firefighters tax credit, tax relief for the manufacturing sector and making the gas tax fund permanent for infrastructure for municipalities.

That is where the jobs come from. Why does the member keep voting against everything?

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have seen it all. The minister does not know that the government lost 62,000 full-time jobs last month. That is unbelievable. Today we learn that Canadian workers are earning 2% less this year than last year because of the Conservatives' policies. It is very clear that this government could not care less about ordinary families.

When will the Conservatives come up with a plan? When will they take care of real people? When will they do their job, produce and create—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP bandies about numbers with respect to jobs, so I thought I would seek some authority about their numbers. I went to one of the large unions and the Canadian Labour of Congress's chief economist, Andrew Jackson, said that the Conservatives have the job numbers about right. He said:

[S]ince the worst part of the recession we've created 600,000 jobs. We even have more jobs in Canada than we had at the beginning of the recession.

There is a good authority you should respect.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I remind colleagues to address their comments to the chair and not directly at other members. The hon. member for Halifax West.

Health

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, fed up with government inaction on the critical issue of worldwide drug shortages, Liberals held a round table this morning with industry, pharmacists, academics and doctors to seek their input on the cause of the problem--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Halifax West has the floor.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I guess they are sad that they were not invited.

One key recommendation was for Health Canada to fund a drug shortages monitoring system similar to the FDA's in the U.S.

Will the government commit to this first step, or does it still think that timely access for prescription medication, as listed in the 2004 health accord, is not its responsibility?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, that was the problem when the Liberals were in government. All they ever did was hold round tables. They never took action.

Our government is way ahead of the Americans. We are playing a leadership role when it comes to the drug shortage issue around the world.

This summer the minister talked to drug companies and said that if they did not take action, the government would look at regulations.

I am pleased to report to the House that these companies have responded positively to our request. Information about drug shortages will soon be available on public websites, giving patients and medical professionals the information they need to make decisions. The final details are being worked out--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for St. Paul's.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today first nations communities are taking the federal government to court in order to seek justice in the egregious underfunding of first nations schools. Communities like Attawapiskat still have no school, something which Shannen Koostachin so bravely fought for.

Provinces typically spend about $12,000 per student in non-aboriginal schools. The federal government spends only $8,000 per year per student in first nations schools.

Will the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development acknowledge that this funding inequity is actually discrimination, and commit immediately—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.