Debates of Dec. 13th, 2011

Aboriginal Affairs

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, first, to deal with the issue of the United Nations investigation, there is no United Nations investigation on this issue. I understand from Foreign Affairs that two civil society groups have made a request to a United Nations committee. The committee is looking into it and will be discussing it in February.

In working with the United Nations in our response to that, we will ensure that it is aware that we have launched the murdered and missing aboriginal women's strategy that has a number of components that deal with all of the issues that we believe are necessary to deal with the systemic issues of not only racism but poverty affecting aboriginal women.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, broken promises and band-aid solutions will not keep aboriginal women and girls safe. The United Nations committee on the elimination of discrimination against women is certainly taking the concern with missing and murdered aboriginal women and children seriously. Today it launched an inquiry, led by 23 independent global experts.

When will the government acknowledge the problem and show some real leadership? Will it support the UN committee fully in its inquiry into the tragedy of missing aboriginal women and children in Canada?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, just to repeat, at this stage we have received a letter from the committee at the United Nations and we are responding to that. It will be discussing this issue in February, but at this point there is no inquiry.

To answer the member's question again, we have launched the missing and murdered aboriginal women's strategy. We have worked very closely and collaborated with women's organizations, particularly aboriginal women's organizations across the country. Through that strategy, we have not only created a new RCMP centre for missing persons but a national website for public tips to help locate missing women. Included in that is, of course, community support.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government should be ashamed of itself. The UN sounded the alarm about missing and murdered aboriginal women years ago and it has now launched an investigation into this matter. The government is refusing to act and is ignoring this serious situation, adding yet another blemish on Canada's international reputation. The government's contempt for aboriginal people is completely horrifying.

Will this government listen to and co-operate fully with the UN in order to finally protect aboriginal women?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, civil societies have raised an issue at the UN, which they have every right to do, but there is no inquiry and there is no investigation.

In collaboration with women's organizations across the country, there is a missing and murdered aboriginal women's strategy. In fact, today, this was only launched a short time ago. We are now funding 30 different community aboriginal organizations across the country to educate, sensitize, and raise awareness about the root causes affecting aboriginal women and violence.

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

Mr. Speaker, there are 99 other Attawapiskats. In Fort Albany, Wasagamack and Natuashish there is severe overcrowding, toxic mould, and no water. This is the unacceptable norm. The Auditor General and the government's own departmental audits have repeatedly concluded that the funding for first nations housing is not based on real numbers or based on the real need.

Would the Prime Minister acknowledge and urgently address the systemic failure of the government to fix the on reserve housing crisis?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, we have invested substantially in housing, water, and other infrastructure on reserves. During the Canadian economic action plan, we provided major stimulus to catch up on some of the backlog that was left because of the inaction of 13 years of Liberal government. We are moving forward--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

We are working--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs has the floor.

Well, if he is finished, the hon. member for Random--Burin--St. George's.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, clearly, the Conservative government is intent on destroying what is left of the fishery by cutting $85 million from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans within three years. More than half of the 400 DFO employees, who got notices this week, are scientists.

The very survival of the fishing industry depends on sound science, yet the government is moving full steam ahead by changing things like annual fish review stocks to multi-year assessments.

What is it about the government that it does not understand the consequences of cutting science from a science-based department?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, what does the member not understand? Her previous government gutted $154 million out of DFO in 2005, of which about $50 million was for science.

Health

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Health Council reports that 23% of Canadians with chronic illnesses are not taking their medications because they are too expensive. The 2004 health accord stated that “affordable access to drugs is fundamental to equitable health outcomes for all our citizens”, and agreed to establish a ministerial pharmacare task force co-chaired by B.C. and the federal government.

Conservatives love to talk about accountability, but they broke that agreement. Will the government immediately restore the task force and develop, as promised, a pharmacare strategy?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of affordable access to drugs as part of our quality health care system. We work with the provinces and the territories who are responsible for deciding which drugs are publicly covered.

That is why we have consistently increased transfers to the provinces and the territories by over 30% since we formed government, so that they can continue to meet the health care needs of their citizens.

Industry

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, U.S. Steel violated the Investment Canada Act when it failed to meet employment and production commitments. Two years ago, the Minister of Industry took U.S. Steel to court for failing to keep its promises, but now another promise is all it takes for the Conservatives to drop their court case.

When is the government going to stop making backroom deals with their insider friends and start defending Canadian communities, Canadian jobs and Canadian families?

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

Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Hamilton has called this agreement “a reaffirmation that the industrial sector of Hamilton is alive and well”.

We have a great deal here. Its operations will be guaranteed until 2015 in both Lake Erie and Hamilton plants. It will be $50 million more beyond the $200 million already committed for capital expenditures. It will be $3 million for the community and moreover, U.S. Steel will carry out its original undertaking to guarantee pension funding obligations for more--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that for a mere promise the government let the company off the hook and sold out Canadian steelworkers. There is no guarantee this money will be spent on addressing the issues that brought this to court in the first place: maintaining jobs and local production. Without that, where is the net benefit the Investment Canada Act is supposed to guarantee? Capital investments without job guarantees are a win for U.S. Steel, but workers will continue to pay the price.

When will Conservatives stop selling out our manufacturing sector and create a real plan to save industrial jobs?

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

Mr. Speaker, the opposition always amazes me. U.S. Steel pledged to continue to produce steel in Canada, operate a--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. Minister of Industry has the floor.

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is incredible to see. U.S. Steel said that it will increase its capital investment in those facilities to a total of $250 million. The question is quite simple. What do these guys have against jobs and economic growth?

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, it is incredible to us that they betrayed the workers of Hamilton. That is what is incredible.

Like the official opposition, Mr. Carney of the Bank of Canada believes that the best way to create a virtuous circle of employment and economic growth in Canada is to stimulate public and private investments to create good jobs with good salaries, which Canadians so desperately need in order to pay off their record debt.

Where are these public investments? And instead of a big Christmas present for Bay Street, where is the government's job creation plan for Canadian families right now?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member and his colleagues voted against a plan for jobs and the economy, not just once but several times. They, in fact, vote against Canadians whenever they seem to have an opportunity.

We have cut 120 different taxes for Canadians. The NDP voted over 100 times against those. Reducing the GST for Canadians, they voted not once but twice against that. They voted against the tax free savings account that help Canadians save for their future.