Debates of Feb. 14th, 2011

Lambton Chinese Canadian Association

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise today in our nation's House of Commons to celebrate the occasion of the Chinese New Year, where they celebrate the changing of the lunar year.

The Lambton Chinese Canadian Association in my riding of Sarnia—Lambton plays a special role in bringing this unique aspect of China's culture to my community in southern Ontario.

The Lambton Chinese Canadian Association first came to Sarnia—Lambton in 1970 and for the last 41 years has celebrated the Chinese New Year with hundreds of Chinese Canadian families as well as the rest of my community who share in the celebrations. Today this association has over 300 members and continues to grow.

In this the Year of the Rabbit, I congratulate the Lambton Chinese Canadian Association for a successful 41 years in my riding, and I thank it for its continued support and contribution to our community.

Gung Hay Fat Choy.

Seniors Centre

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Speaker, two years ago I spoke in the House on behalf of the senior citizens of Southeast Vancouver, the Southeast Vancouver Seniors' Arts and Cultural Society and the chair, Lorna Gibbs.

There is a dire need for a seniors centre in this area of Vancouver. There are at least 25,000 seniors living in the southeast quadrant of Vancouver in my riding. That is almost a third of the total senior citizens living in Vancouver. There are nine seniors centres in the city of Vancouver, eight of them on the west side, west of Main Street, only one east of Main, and none in this particular area.

In 2009, the park board had dedicated land at the Killarney Community Centre for the project. This year on February 1, Vancouver City Council voted for $2.5 million toward the project.

There is an urgent need for financial commitments from both the federal and provincial governments. I would urge the federal government to work with the City of Vancouver and the provincial government to make this senior citizens centre a reality for the senior citizens of Southeast Vancouver.

Birthday Wishes

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the 90th birthday of one of Canada's most remarkable citizens.

Hurricane Hazel McCallion enters her 91st year as mayor of Canada's sixth largest, fastest growing and most dynamic city.

For the past 32 years, Hazel McCallion has guided the growth of Mississauga from an amalgamation of small historic hamlets into one of the most diverse and prosperous cities in the world. Mississauga is a city which hosts Canada's busiest airport, the Canadian headquarters of 60 Fortune 500 companies, and welcomes and provides quality of life and opportunity to newcomers from every nation and culture.

Her direct, no-nonsense style, while sometimes intimidating, gets the job done. Hazel's legendary attendance at every community function has won her the admiration of the people of Mississauga. As a professional woman hockey player, business person, wife, mother, grandmother, volunteer, patron of the arts and leader in public service for more than 50 years, Hazel McCallion embodies the true spirit of Canadian citizenship.

Hazel is an inspiration to all Canadians. Best wishes for a very happy birthday and many more.

Quebec Athletes

[Pascal-Pierre Paillé, Bloc, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a number of Quebeckers earned international honours on the weekend in their respective sports.

In short track speed skating, Marianne St-Gelais, from Saint-Félicien, won gold in the 500 metre event and François Hamelin, from Sainte-Julie, won silver in the 1,000 metre event. The women's relay team came away with a silver medal and the men's team won bronze.

In alpine skiing, Érik Guay was crowned the world downhill champion after being sidelined from competition for a month due to back injuries. Last year, the Mont-Tremblant athlete won the super G Crystal Globe.

I would also like to point out that my colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue will be inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, in the builder category, for his leadership in Quebec, Canada and internationally in the sport of cycling. He has received many honours for his commitment to the development of this sport.

To all our athletes, thank you for your contributing to the promotion of Quebec.

Depression

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring awareness to a tragedy that is suffered daily in homes and communities across Canada.

This Valentine's Day, as many of us express our affection to loved ones in special ways, I urge Canadians to look out especially for someone in your circle who may suffer from depression.

I would like to pay tribute to Whistler's Dennehy family, who have risen above their own tragedy to help others. Ten years ago Kelty Dennehy, then a popular, academically successful junior hockey player, took his own life after battling clinical depression.

Kelty's parents, Ginny and Kerry, responded to Kelty's death by creating the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation, which has used Kelty's memory to inspire support for the battle against adolescent depression.

Colleagues, please join me in a tribute to the Dennehy family, who with their courage have inspired thousands of Canadians. To Olympic hero, Clara Hughes, I thank her for having the courage to speak out about her own battle with depression.

May our voices join with hers to remove the stigma of shame and remind us of the importance of speaking openly and honestly about depression.

Access to Information

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, after ringing up a record $56 billion deficit, the Conservatives are now trying to hide the facts from Canadians.

The finance committee has asked for the cost of justice bills, as well as projections of corporate profits, but the Conservatives have refused, falsely claiming cabinet confidence.

Today the Globe and Mail weighed in, saying:

The [Conservative] government uses “cabinet confidence” the way the Nixon administration used “executive privilege.” The Liberals provided projections of corporate profits when they were in government. And it is ridiculous for the Conservatives to maintain that the cost of their law-and-order legislation is a state secret. How is Parliament to judge the wisdom of that legislation if it can’t measure its projected impact in prisons built and guards hired?

Either the requested information exists, in which case the Conservatives are treating Parliament with contempt, or the information does not exist, in which case the Conservatives are incompetent and are treating Canadian taxpayers with contempt.

Either way, Canadians deserve better.

Vancouver Winter Olympic Games

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a little over a year ago, Canada celebrated the opening of the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. As we all know, the Vancouver games will go down in winter Olympic history as a tremendous success.

Our Canadian athletes outdid themselves and represented our country with great pride. Our government would like to highlight the incredible performance of the athlete who won the first gold medal on home soil. Exactly one year ago today, Alexandre Bilodeau won this precious medal in freestyle skiing. He was a great inspiration to the entire country, and his performance marked the beginning of a record number of medals for Canada. Alexandre Bilodeau's great determination and indomitable perseverance created a true spirit of unity across the country. His influence will continue to be felt by future generations of Canadians and will no doubt help to encourage our young athletes to follow in his footsteps.

It was a record year for Canada, with a total of no less than 14 gold medals. We will always remember this record performance.

The Economy

[Tony Martin, NDP, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, people in Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma work hard and are watching their money. No one is telling me Canada should buy $35 million worth of fighter jets. No one is telling me Canada should build more prisons. No one is telling me corporations should have more tax cuts.

My region has among the highest unemployment in Ontario. What I hear is people want good-paying jobs. They want adequate, universal health care without the shortages of doctors and crowded hospitals. They want affordable housing for seniors and supportive housing for others, including persons with disabilities. They want investment in people, in services, in creating real opportunities. They want investment in education.

They want a Canada that looks after the vulnerable and leaves no one behind. That would be a Canada of compassion and justice. That would be a government which actually knew how to manage people's money.

Immigration

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Amir Attaran may have gone to Harvard with the Liberal leader, but that certainly does not make him better than the rest of us.

Earlier today, Amir Attaran had to defend his private lawsuit to move his American parents' sponsorship application to the front of the line. Attaran is not asking for faster treatment for anyone else's parents, just for his own.

Attaran is entitled, like everyone else, to sponsor his American parents into Canada, but they need to wait in line, just like my constituents do and just like the constituents of every member of the House.

Immigration Canada considers sponsorship applications in the order in which they are received. Amir Attaran may think that because the Liberal leader was his mentor, because he went to Harvard, that makes him better than the rest of us.

I have news for Mr. Attaran. He is not better than my constituents and his parents are not better than the 150,000 immigrants in the sponsorship queue or the historically high 280,000 immigrants our government welcomed to Canada in 2010.

Why will Amir Attaran's parents not wait in line like the rest of them, and why will they not join with--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Drummond.

Grammy Awards

[Roger Pomerleau, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards yesterday, the Montreal band Arcade Fire unexpectedly took home the prestigious album of the year award for The Suburbs, an album about boredom in North American suburbia.

This shining star of Montreal's indie scene has been popular since the launch of its first album, Funeral, in 2004. The band, formed around couple Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, is made up of multi-instrumentalists.

On hand to accept their trophy, they thanked both Montreal and Quebec, in French no less, for giving their band a home. And we want to thank them for being such incredible ambassadors for Quebec.

I would also like to congratulate the MSO's conductor, Kent Nagano, who won the Grammy for best opera recording for Saariaho's L'amour de loin.

Canadians' Achievement

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservative government continues to diminish Canada's stellar reputation on the world stage, fortunately Canadians are doing just the opposite.

This past weekend, Canadians from across the country proved to the world that Canada is a leading nation on many fronts.

In music, indie pop sensation Arcade Fire made Montrealers and all Canadians proud last night when they took home the coveted Album of the Year award at the Grammies, while Neil Young proved he is still “rockin' in the free world” with his Best Rock Song win.

In sport, Ontario tennis champ, Milos Raonic yesterday became the first Canadian in 16 years to capture an ATP Tour title at the SAP Open in San Jose, California.

And Érik Guay won gold at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Germany.

Whether on stage, on the courts or on the slopes, this weekend was Canada's.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada, I would like to congratulate all of this weekend's winners.

Taxation

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader has a plan to raise taxes. He is openly and unambiguously calling for a massive $6 billion tax hike on Canada's job creators. In fact, the Liberal leader is demanding his new tax hike be included in the next budget and if we do not raise taxes, he and his merry band of Liberal tax hikers will vote against the budget to force an election that Canadians do not want.

It is a reckless tax increase. It will stop our recovery in its tracks and hurt job creation in all regions of Canada.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, representing small and medium size enterprises, considered this issue settled and off the table. It is now openly opposing the Liberal plan that would hike taxes for Canada's job creators. The Liberal leader, who proudly called himself a “tax and spend” Liberal, and his finance critic over there should reconsider their job-killing tax hike plan.

It is simple. Higher taxes do not create jobs. Higher taxes kill jobs.

Government Spending

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, nearly three million Canadians are taking care of sick or aging loved ones in their own homes. Two-thirds of family caregivers are women with incomes below $45,000. Many have to quit their jobs or use up their savings to handle their family obligations. However, the government says it would be “reckless” to offer any help. Instead, it blows $6 billion on extra tax cuts for the biggest and wealthiest 5% of corporations.

Why Bay Street ahead of families? Why do these Conservatives hide corporate profit data like a state secret?

[John Baird, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, let there be no doubt that the Liberal leader has a plan to hike taxes in Canada. He is openly and unambiguously calling for a $6 billion tax increase. The Liberal leader is demanding his new tax be included in the next budget. If we do not raise taxes, he will vote against the budget and call for an early election. That is bad for our economy and it is bad for Canada.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it just does not add up. Conservative corporate tax cuts are going only to the biggest, wealthiest 5% of Canadian businesses, whose tax rates have already been cut by 35% and who are already fully globally competitive. However, for small business, there is no tax cut, only a tax increase because Conservatives are slapping a heavier, job-killing payroll tax on every employer and employee in the country.

Why the double standard? Why the unlimited largesse for the privileged few, but nothing for small business or for families?

[John Baird, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has spoken up in favour of our job-creation taxation policies and has spoken out very clearly against the Liberal leader's plan to increase taxes by $6 billion. This is a reckless tax increase that will stop our recovery in its tracks. Is it any wonder the Liberal leader calls himself a “tax and spend” Liberal?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the government refuses to give answers about its pet projects, its big, reckless spending schemes. It spent $16 billion to $21 billion, maybe more, for untendered, non-competitive stealth fighter jets; $10 billion to $13 billion for U.S.-style megajails; $6 billion every year for extra corporate tax cuts for the privileged few, but nothing for small business, nothing for caregivers, nothing for early learning, students or skills.

Why do not hard-pressed families make it onto the Conservative agenda?

[John Baird, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, our pet project is job creation and economic growth.

One thing those of us on this side of the House know is the Liberal leader's plan to blackmail this government into raising taxes by $6 billion with the threat that he will vote against the budget and take Canadians to the polls is wrong for Canada. We know that low taxes are a magnet for jobs, for investment and opportunity. We know that raising $6 billion in taxes, as the Liberal leader would have us do, would kill jobs, would kill hope and would kill opportunity.

The Economy

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is why people are now saying they are fed up with this government.

Ever since they were elected, the Conservatives have made lack of transparency and secrecy their trademark. Even cost projections have become state secrets. How much will the megaprisons cost? Their answer is that they cannot say. Worse yet, they keep using platitudes, telling us to wait and see, that it will not be much longer, to be patient and they will have an answer.

Are the Conservatives afraid to open their books and prove Kevin Page right because they are heading straight for a structural deficit?

[John Baird, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the first act that we brought in as government was the Federal Accountability Act, the toughest anti-corruption legislation in Canada. Ever since then, we have been focusing on job creation and economic growth.

The Liberal leader now wants to raise taxes by $6 billion. We want to keep taxes low to create jobs. A reckless $6 billion tax increase, as the Liberal leader proposed, would do real harm to our Canadian economy. That is why Catherine Swift, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, has spoken out so strongly in favour of low tax plan and so much against the Liberal leader's $6 billion tax increase.

Sales Tax Harmonization

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I predicted, there is an example of a Conservative platitude.

Not only do the Conservatives have problems with transparency, but they also have problems with the mail. In the $2.2 billion harmonization file, the Minister of Finance is saying that he is still waiting for documents, although Minister Bachand sent them a long time ago. That is the new excuse of the month, one also used by his colleague from the Quebec City area: we are waiting for the documents.

Why not sign the proposed agreement in principle that he has received from the Government of Quebec? Have the Conservatives already written off Quebec?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, there is no agreement. Negotiations between Quebec and the federal government are going well. We are making progress, but both parties acknowledge that there remains work to be done. If the Government of Quebec decides to adopt this tax, we will be ready to enter into discussions with it, but not with the Liberal Party.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the maritime provinces, British Columbia and Ontario have all been compensated for harmonizing their sales tax with the GST. Now it is Quebec's turn.

Contrary to what the minister said, Quebec's finance minister says that negotiations are stalled, that he is prepared to sign and that everything has been resolved. The minister has a lot to answer for. This House was elected to get the answers.

When will he sign? When will he tell us the truth?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to congratulate the Bloc leader for the show of support he received over the weekend. It is clear that someone is smiling even more than we are on this side of the House, and that someone is Ms. Marois. She is relieved because this means that he will be with us even longer.

As the Minister of Finance said, I will tell my hon. colleague that we are still negotiating with the Government of Quebec and certainly not with the Bloc.