Debates of Dec. 15th, 2011

Canada-U.S. Border

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I do not accept the premise of the question. No decisions in that regard have been made.

What is on the table is our desire, our hope, and our efforts to ensure that the border is not as thick as it has grown in recent years, so that we can have more people and more trade cross the border. That will be tremendously important to the auto worker in Windsor, so we could ensure that they will become the most competitive auto sector in the world.

Why will the member not stand up for auto workers in Windsor and stand up for our agreement with President Obama?

Minister of National Defence

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the House will indulge me for a moment, I would like to pitch a new MasterCard ad: Joy ride on a search and rescue helicopter: $16,000. Staying in luxury hotels in Europe: $1,400 per night. Endless grief by the Minister of National Defence for the Prime Minister: priceless.

I bet the Minister of National Defence is having his own “shiddle-diddle” moment. How does he explain these abuses of taxpayers' money and when will he reimburse taxpayers?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has certainly earned its seat at the international table when it comes to discussions like we had at the Munich security conference. This conference was held in Germany.

As to the expenses that the member is referring to, Canada books rooms at the same hotel where the conference takes place, where the majority of participants stay. Nation to nation meetings at conferences such as this advance the interests of Canada and advance the interests of the hard-working men and women who serve our country around the world. I was proud to represent Canada at that conference.

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, I understand the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs met with Chief Spence this afternoon, but he still stubbornly refuses to believe the advice of the Auditor General, his own departmental evaluations, and the Conservatives' previous aboriginal affairs minister. Third party management wreaks havoc across this country.

On Saturday, the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and I will go to Attawapiskat. Given that the minister still does not get it, will he come and see first-hand what every Canadian is upset about? There is a seat on the plane--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. government House leader.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to see conditions on first nations reserves improved, and they want to see their tax dollars allocated for that purpose delivering results.

Today's meeting between the minister and the Attawapiskat chief represents a positive step forward. They have agreed together on a range of initiatives, including how best to deliver emergency aid, retrofit winter shelters, and assemble the 22 modular homes for those in precarious housing. These are all steps being taken by the federal government.

We will continue to work in good faith and full transparency, and we look forward to achieving results working together with the chief and council.

Justice

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, is there a Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in this Conservative government? If there is, let him or her rise and tell us why he or she was unable to prevent the government from hiding from the provinces the real cost of Bill C-10 to each of them. The bill is regressive, pointless and flawed, and will not reduce crime, but increase the huge, American-style, overpopulated prisons that are nothing more than expensive schools for crime.

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, the provinces are well aware of the costs associated with Bill C-10. Nevertheless, the opposition does not seem to understand the importance of the objective of Bill C-10. People who break the law will spend Christmas in jail and the victims will be protected. That has always been our objective and the cost is absolutely justified.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's bumbling and confrontational approach to Attawapiskat just got worse. He had the chance to mend his broken relationship with the community and now they are going to court. His claim that they need a third party Indian agent to deliver homes that were already ordered just does not wash.

Attawapiskat is not looking for handouts. It is not looking for confrontation, and it certainly is not going to pay for a gold-plated warden who is sent there to punish the community for having the nerve to speak up.

Why does the government continue to use the tactics of confrontation against this impoverished community?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, my read of today's meeting is that it was a positive and constructive event, a good step forward. We look forward to seeing more co-operation.

As I said, our priority is the health and safety of the people of Attawapiskat. Canadians have allocated, through their government, significant tax dollars for things they want to see. They want to see improvements to the conditions there and they want to see results for their tax dollars.

The third party manager is already in place. We see results being delivered, as a result. We see good progress on agreements with the band and the council. We are acting in good faith and full transparency. We hope that the chief and the council will continue to do the same.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Attawapiskat did not just happen. It was years in the making, just as it is happening in first nations reserves across this country. The first thing the government did when it took power was to slash the capital funding for houses on first nations reserves by over half, and it has no intention of restoring funding. That is why the crisis is happening.

The government can punish Attawapiskat. It can fight it in court. However, does it understand that no amount of third party Indian agent is going to silence the call for justice and respect from Canada's first nations?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, since we became the government, $1.5 billion has been allocated for housing.

As I have said, Canadians want to see conditions on first nations reserves improve. They want to see results delivered for those tax dollars. In fact, on a great many reserves all across this country, we have seen very positive results.

Sadly, as the member observes, in some places that has not happened. That is why we are working harder and stronger forward to improve the problems and the failures of the past. We will continue to work together with willing partners.

I would point members to the joint action plan which the minister has signed with the Assembly of First Nations, laying out a road map on our shared priorities. These all represent positive steps forward.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance said in this House that he is not a magic money fairy. I think the facts disagree.

He has Conservative magic money for untendered and expensive F-35 fighter jets that have tripled in cost since the beginning and will now cost about $20 billion.

He has billions of dollars of Conservative pixie dust to sprinkle on unbudgeted prisons.

He has Conservative magic money for massive corporate tax cuts to banks and big oil.

He has magic money for his friends.

The question is, will he stop sprinkling magic money on his friends and start investing in Canadian families?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know why the hon. member casts aspersions on fairies.

Despite this casting of aspersions on fairies, I do wish the hon. member merry Christmas from all elves and trolls, wherever we are.

We are fortunate that Canada's economy is doing relatively well in what is a challenging world. Canadians can remain assured that we will focus on jobs and the economy.

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

Mr. Speaker, 90,000 additional unemployed people is not good news.

This year, his department's fiscal reference tables are very clear. For 20 years, the figures have shown that NDP governments are better money managers than Conservative governments. That is because we invest in job creation instead of spending and wasting money on gazebos, presents and tax gifts to our friends.

Instead of sprinkling pixie dust on its friends, will it now invest in Canadian families?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, of course, that is precisely what we have been doing, investing in jobs and the economy, with very good results. The IMF and the OECD predict that Canada will have the strongest economic growth, not only this year but next year. We have job creation, almost 600,000 net new jobs, mostly full-time and mostly in the private sector.

The three large credit rating agencies have looked at Canada in the past few months. All three of them have renewed Canada's AAA credit rating. Canadians can have confidence that we will remain focused on jobs and the economy in the coming year.

Pensions

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of results, many Canadians are worried about their retirement. One-third will not even have enough savings to retire and the voluntary options available today are clearly not good enough. This is not the time for another Conservative half-measure. The New Democrat plan to enhance the CPP is reasonable. It offers real retirement security to Canadian workers and their families.

Will the government support our sensible plan to expand the CPP at the first ministers and financial ministers meeting next week?

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

Mr. Speaker, we actually do have a plan that is supported by all of the provinces. We have met with all of the provinces. They are our partners in pensions. We all understand that. We have consulted with them. We have put forward a plan that is offered by the private sector. It is low cost and is very well received all across this country.

We have actually put out the tax measures involved in this for public consultation. I would encourage hon. members to be part of that consultation. We will be moving forward with a pension plan that many—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin.

[Alain Giguère, NDP, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am forced to contradict the minister. The provinces support our plan, Canadians support our plan, experts support our plan and the Canadian Association of Retired Persons also supports our plan.

This week, they all asked the government to revisit the Canada pension plan at the finance ministers' meeting. The government prefers to gamble with Canadians' money instead of focusing on one secure plan, the Canada pension plan.

Why does this government continue to ignore the demands of Canadians and listen solely to its friends in high finance?

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

Mr. Speaker, I personally have consulted with a tremendous number of Canadians. I have consulted with every finance minister across this country.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

How about real people?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

They are real people.

I have consulted with many real people, not only those who are retired but those who are looking at retirement some day, and 60% of Canadians in the workforce that do not have pension plans have asked us if we can provide a pension plan that they can be part of. They can. They can be part of a pooled registered pension plan and they are excited about seeing it come forward.

National Defence

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are going to pay an additional $35 million to Washington for research and development of the F-35s. The Canadian government just hands over the money without asking any questions or demanding any guarantees.

In April, the Prime Minister told us we would not be charged for any costs related to research and development.

With all the concerns raised over the F-35s, why did the Associate Minister of National Defence not take this opportunity to get answers to address these concerns and get some guarantees?