House of Commons Hansard #60 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was organs.
Nycole Turmel NDPLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, by opting out of Kyoto, Canada does not show any leadership.
Canada will have no say in any future agreement. We will not be at the table. The Conservatives want to play alone in their oil sand box. That is not the way to show leadership. Canada committed to the Kyoto protocol, so respect Canada's word, respect Canada's commitment. Why destroy Canada's reputation?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, what hurts Canada's reputation is what the previous Liberal government did, which is what we will not do. What we will do is pursue a true global approach that works and that is why we have gone forward with the Copenhagen accord.
What the Liberals did, which seems like the NDP is applauding, was sign the Kyoto accord, have no plan, say they that were in favour of it, did nothing, and at the last minute, when Michael Ignatieff said they that did not get the job done, they tried to prove that they were getting the job done by imposing a massive tax on Canadians in the form of a carbon tax. Fail, fail and fail again, and that is why they are over there and that is why we are showing leadership in a new direction.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are pulling us out of the Kyoto protocol, claiming that the big polluters must participate. But China has shown that it is open. The government has no excuse. Withdrawing from the Kyoto protocol is a reckless decision. The health of Canadians is at stake here, and Canadian jobs are on the line. Will this government realize that we must develop an economy that is based on sustainable energy?
Michelle Rempel ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, imagine a place where 75% of our electricity is generated by sources that do not emit greenhouse gases, or where a government invests billions of dollars in clean energy technology, or where there is one of the most stringent regulatory frameworks in the world. Wait a second; that is Canada.
When will the opposition get on board?
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, by withdrawing from Kyoto the minister is withdrawing Canada from the energy economy of the future. It sends a clear message to the employers of the future not to invest here. What timing, because China is now open to strict standards but the Conservatives instead are focused on environmental sabotage.
Canadians want to see investments in the world--
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order. The member for Halifax has the floor and she should be allowed to put the question. The hon. member for Halifax.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Canadians want to see investments in the world that we will leave our children, Mr. Speaker. They want Canada to be a leader in building a sustainable economy.
Why does the government only listen to big polluters? When will it start listening to Canadians?
Michelle Rempel ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, as opposed to the opposition that would have us continue with an international accord that only contains less than one-third of global emissions, we are taking strong action here at home.
With regard to a clean energy economy, I would ask my colleague opposite what she would call an economy that has billions of dollars of research into clean technology, that exports across the globe intellectual property dealing with clean energy technology?
We are a leader internationally. The opposition should recognize that.
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, will the government change the Canada Elections Act to ensure that the dishonest and misleading tactic used by the Prime Minister's government against the member for Mount Royal will no longer be tolerated?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, it is quite clear that the member for Mount Royal is still here in the House. Members of the government accept that and do not dispute that.
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I do not think I received an answer to the question, but it will not go away.
On another subject involving truth and fiction, the Minister of National Defence has stated in the House that there was a previously planned search and rescue mission which was the reason for his being picked up by a government helicopter.
I would like to ask the government if it could answer this simple question. If it was a previously planned mission, why did Lieutenant Colonel Chris Bulls say on July 7, 2010, that the mission will be under the guise of fighter group as search and rescue training? If it was a previously planned mission, why would you need a guise?
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
I would remind the hon. member to direct his questions through the Chair.
The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage.
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, we have been clear that the Minister of National Defence returned from a private trip in order to go back to work. Government aircraft are used for government work.
If my hon. colleague wants to compare the difference between this government and the way the Liberals operated, this government uses government aircraft 80% less than the Liberals did. We are saving taxpayers millions of dollars. We are acting responsibly.
The Minister of National Defence has been clear on this file.
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, in front of us very clearly is this. It is about the minister telling the truth to the House of Commons. Everybody has to understand that.
The minister said, “We have now confirmed that the military has said publicly that I took part in a previously planned search and rescue demonstration”. A review of the email traffic within the Department of National Defence makes it very clear that those comments by the Minister of National Defence are simply not true.
Will the minister now stand in his place, apologize, and indicate that he misled the House of Commons?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, it is pretty straightforward and it is very clear. The Minister of National Defence left a private trip to go back to work. We use government aircraft for government business.
As a matter of fact, and as I have pointed out and am pleased to say again--
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
That leaves me just enough time, Mr. Speaker, to point out to Canadian taxpayers that this government is saving them millions of dollars by reducing the use of government jets by 80% since we came into government. That is exactly what taxpayers expect. It is how we are going to act. It is how we are going to continue to behave.
The Liberals can catcall all they like, but we will continue to do what is in the best interests of taxpayers.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, temperatures have again dropped below -20 in Attawapiskat, and the people are suffering through another lost week of inaction.
The Red Cross teams are on the ground, but the federal government is still nowhere to be seen in this community. Other than deposing the band leadership, Attawapiskat has been left to fend for itself in this humanitarian crisis.
Now that the minister is taking control of this community, what plan does he have to ensure that the people living in the tents, cabins and trailer are going to be moved into safe, reasonable, permanent housing?
John Duncan ConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, our government is responding to the situation. The third party manager is in the community and is working to address the urgent health and safety needs of residents.
We are continuing to work with Emergency Management Ontario and the first nation. Supplies are being sent into the community, and materials for renovating homes have been ordered by the chief and council.
I strongly urge the chief and council to work with the third party manager in the interests of the people.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately a lot of that was bunk.
The community is on its own. It has moved in a third party manager, and the community is defending itself with no help from the federal government. Even Chuck Strahl said that this was a train wreck coming for years.
There is a lot of blame that can go around, but only the minister can fix this situation. He has to tell us why he thinks that putting people in an unheated hockey arena is a solution. Where is his plan to guarantee that these people will be moved into safe, proper housing with a long-term plan? Where is that plan?
John Duncan ConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, the chief and council are using the resources that we provided to order materials for housing. The third party manager and emergency management professionals are in the community.
I encourage the chief and council to work with the third party manager on behalf of the people of Attawapiskat.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, the latest OECD report is damning. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing bigger more quickly here than in other developed countries. The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. Average families are having more and more difficulty making ends meet. The OECD has clearly stated that Canadians need good jobs. They also need a tax system that is progressive and fair. However, all this government does is give gifts to companies with money to burn.
When will the government finally come up with a job creation plan? When will this country return to a fair tax system?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite refers to the OECD report. He does not mention that the OECD stated that employment is the most promising way of tackling inequality, and that the biggest challenge is to create more jobs.
This government is focused precisely on the goal of economic growth and the creation of jobs in Canada. There are nearly 600,000 net new jobs, the best job creation record in the G7. The OECD and the IMF say that Canada's economic growth and job creation will be the best going forward.
That is how we address inequity. That is what the OECD—