House of Commons Hansard #64 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was women.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order. There are far too many cross-conversations. I am having difficulty hearing the member for Vaudreuil--Soulanges. If members want to talk to each other, maybe they can do so outside of the chamber.
The hon. member for Vaudreuil--Soulanges.
Jamie Nicholls NDP Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are left wondering which of our rural communities will be affected by these closures. Canadians do not even know what other rural assets are being sold off because the government refuses to tell them.
Will the government come clean and tell these honest folk in rural communities which rural communities will lose out?
Steven Fletcher ConservativeMinister of State (Transport)
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to ensuring that taxpayers have the best value for their money. We want to ensure that government assets are used for the benefit of Canadians. If they do not benefit Canadians, the government will allow the assets to go to other people who will act for the benefit of Canadians.
The member should understand that the government should not own everything. If this member wanted it, the government would own all of the businesses and all the land in the entire country. That is wrong.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, the new aid to publishers program has completely missed the mark. Rather than helping local newspapers, it is pushing them into bankruptcy. There are no daily newspapers in a number of regions across the country. Weekly newspapers are an important source of information for the residents of these communities. We know that 75% of Canadians read their local papers every week.
Will the government promise to restore assistance to 2009 levels to protect regional newspapers?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, Canada Post decided to discontinue its $15 million investment for periodicals and community newspapers. Our government reinvested the $15 million, but the NDP voted against it.
Dennis Bevington NDP Western Arctic, NT
Mr. Speaker, listening to this minister makes me believe we need to live in a big city to have a right to read a local paper.
Changes made to the program broke a help system that was working a lot better. Postal subsidy efficiently reduced costs for those papers. The money available to them now does not cover postal fees and simply is not enough.
These newspapers play a key role in the life of rural communities. Why is the government cutting help to local papers?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, when we formed government, $75 million was being spent on local newspapers and periodicals. With the Canada Post subsidy today, we are spending $75 million on local newspapers, magazines and periodicals. There were no cuts. It is the same amount of money.
As a matter of fact, it was Canada Post that decided not to continue on with the postal subsidies. What did our government do? We made up that difference and invested 15 million new dollars to support local newspapers. It was the NDP who voted against it.
We delivered. The NDP voted against it. Now he asks questions and says, “Where is the government?” We were here. Where was he?
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
Mr. Speaker, yesterday President Sarkozy warned that, “Never has the risk of Europe exploding been so big”.
Will the Minister of Finance take off his rose coloured glasses and take action to protect Canadian jobs? Will he cancel his planned $600 million payroll tax hike in January? Will he listen to Canadian manufacturers and make the accelerated capital cost allowance permanent, and not just for two years?
Finally, will he cancel the government's plans to scrap the SR&ED program, which is so essential to creating jobs and opportunities in Canada's science and research and technology--
Ted Menzies ConservativeMinister of State (Finance)
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Liberals are a little late to the game. We have put in place policies that businesses asked for in the last two and three budgets. I believe that he was one of the Liberal opposition members who voted against it.
Let us hear what CIBC economist Warren Lovely said about Canada. He stated:
With the ranks of AAA-rated credits thinning out, market confidence in a European solution understandably shaky and political disharmony in Washington, Canada should continue to stand out for all the right reasons. Look for international capital to seek out Canada in size during the year ahead.
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, this weekend a rally is going to take place against EI office closures and job cuts that are happening in Cape Breton. These job cuts will not only hurt Cape Breton, they will have a major impact on hard-working Canadians who need these benefits. The minister is already in trouble over wait times. What does she think is going to happen when she fires these Cape Breton workers?
Will the minister come to her senses, like Mr. Scrooge did, and help these unemployed Canadians by leaving these Service Canada jobs in place?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, we have as a goal getting the payments which Canadians are entitled to just as quickly and efficiently as possible. To that end, we are doing away with the old outdated paper heavy processing of EI claims. We are automating. We are bringing it into the 21st century, so that we can do things faster and get the payments right the first time. Unfortunately, all our efforts to do that have been objected to by the hon. member over there.
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, upon introduction of Bill C-7, the government said with great fanfare, “The measures introduced today will go a long way in making the Senate a more accountable and democratic institution”.
However—
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order. I am going to ask colleagues one more time to please hold off their applause until the member is finished asking the question. Then they can feel free to applaud when he is finished asking his question. I will expect them to do that.
The hon. member for Hamilton Centre.
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, since Bill C-7, however, makes it illegal for elected senators to be accountable, my question to the minister is, where exactly is the accountability part in Bill C-7?
Tim Uppal ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, this government received a strong mandate from Canadians to reform the Senate. The status quo in the Senate is unacceptable. Senators can serve terms of up to 45 years without a democratic mandate from Canadians. Canadians find that unacceptable. We ask the opposition to support this bill and change the Senate, and not support the status quo in the Senate.
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats agree that the current status quo in the Senate is unacceptable. That is why we think we ought to get rid of it.
Accountability is a fundamental part of democracy. Accountability means that people run on a set of promises, make commitments to people, serve their terms in office, and when that is concluded, they go back to the people and say, “Here is what I did. How do I stack up? Do I deserve to be re-elected”? That is accountability.
Bill C-7 makes it illegal for senators to run for re-election and, therefore, they cannot be held accountable. I ask again, where is the accountability part of Bill C-7?
Tim Uppal ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, Canadians want a say in who represents them in the Senate and we are providing an opportunity for Canadians to have a say in who represents them in the Senate. The Senate itself must change in order to reach its full potential as an accountable and democratic institution.
The Senate must come into a 21st century democracy. We are taking reasonable steps to reform the Senate with the Senate reform act and I encourage members opposite to do the same.
Robert Sopuck Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB
Mr. Speaker, in July of this year Canada's combat mission in Kandahar successfully concluded. Canada's engagement in Afghanistan is now focused on four new key priorities: investing in the future of Afghan children and youth; advancing security, the rule of law and human rights; promoting regional diplomacy; and providing humanitarian assistance. This also includes a training mission based out of Kabul.
Given that our Canadian Forces have left Kandahar, could the Minister of Foreign Affairs please inform the House about how our government is honouring its international obligations with regard to detainees in Afghanistan in the context of this new engagement?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, with the combat mission in Afghanistan now complete, I am pleased to inform the House that our government has signed an arrangement with the Obama administration to facilitate the transfer of detainees, captured by Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, to U.S. custody at the detention facility in Parwan. The U.S. operates this facility with the full agreement of the Afghan government and detainees can be prosecuted under Afghan law.
Canadian officials will continue to be present on the ground to monitor all Canadian transferred detainees until they are sentenced or released. From the onset of our engagement in Afghanistan, our government has consistently adapted processes for transferring detainees in Afghanistan to ensure that we met our international legal obligations. We have determined--
Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Speaker, the government promised that it would not stand in the way of countries that want to have an international climate change agreement, but it has done just that, and so it has been shamed once again with the Fossil of the Year award. What the Conservatives do not understand is that by isolating Canada--