House of Commons Hansard #139 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was person.
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the former commissioner did not resign. She was fired and promised a golden parachute. This royal treatment is rather uncommon, especially since public servants will no longer be entitled to severance pay.
How do the Conservatives explain the special treatment given to Ms. Ouimet, when they quite simply should have fired her, with no severance, because of her incompetence and tyranny?
Former Public Sector Integrity CommissionerOral Questions
North Vancouver B.C.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, the government sought and followed legal advice as to the terms of her resignation, based on her years of service.
The hon. member is on the committee that will hear from Ms. Ouimet next week. I recommend that he ask her those questions in front of the committee.
Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON
Mr. Speaker, the CIDA minister's refusal to answer basic questions about her contempt for this place goes beyond just the cuts to KAIROS. It strikes at the heart of what the Prime Minister once claimed to promote. In an edict to ministers, he said that they must:
—answer honestly and accurately about their areas of responsibility.
So, who told the minister to cut KAIROS funding and why has she continued to mislead this House over these past months?
John Baird ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, on December 9, the minister appeared before a committee, and I believe she answered about 11 times the question of why she made the decision not to renew funding for KAIROS. It was on December 9, before the foreign affairs and international development committee.
Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON
Mr. Speaker, either the Prime Minister can be taken at his word or he is just paying lip service. He has publicly instructed his ministers to give truthful and precise answers to the questions they are asked. Let us try again.
Who told the minister to cut the funding and who inserted the word “not” in the falsified documents? Is that so hard?
John Baird ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the minister did. I said that many times in this place.
What I want to know is why I cannot get an answer about why the Charlottetown Federal Liberal Association says:
Memberships may be purchased or renewed at the...Office of [the Liberal member for Charlottetown]—
I want to know who authorized Liberal Party memberships to be sold out of this office and what will the Liberal Party do to make good for the taxpayers?
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Human Rights Commission stated publicly this week that continued delays in hearing cases are putting our most vulnerable children at risk.
For over two years, the head of the Human Rights Tribunal, appointed by the Conservatives, has delayed a hearing on underfunding of child and family services on reserves.
Is this another case of a Conservative appointee doing nothing while children's lives are at risk?
John Duncan ConservativeMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Canadian Human Rights Commission is not the venue to hear this, because we simply fund child and family services and the provinces and first nation organizations run the services. We have presented our position at the hearings. We have taken decisive action on this file since coming to office. We have tripartite agreements with six provinces and first nations in those regions. We have captured more than 60% of all first nations. More regions are lining up to be--
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, Air Canada maintenance workers woke up to a shock today. The company has announced almost 100 worker layoffs in Winnipeg. Vancouver is going to lose 101 workers. Montreal will lose another 72. Apparently, their jobs are now destined for Central America, just two days after the Minister of Transport, said that they would not. The minister said:
There will not be any job losses. Air Canada has said that it is going to maintain the overhaul centres in Winnipeg, Mississauga and in Montreal. It has to do so by legislation.
What is the government going to do to protect these jobs or is it breaking its promise to these workers?
Rob Merrifield ConservativeMinister of State (Transport)
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for the question, but the Minister of Transport, actually answered this question earlier this week.
Air Canada has continued to insist that it is going to maintain its operations and overhaul centres in Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga. Its application is before the Canadian Industrial Relations Board. Air Canada is committed to making certain that there will be no job losses, so we will hold it to that.
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has taken a firm stand on the crisis in Libya.
His government quickly condemned the actions of Gadhafi, imposed economic sanctions, moved quickly to freeze the assets of corrupt officials, and announced humanitarian assistance for the innocent citizens of Libya.
Over the past 10 days, Canadians have been watching the crisis in Libya and have been concerned for the safety of loved ones in the country. They wonder how these people will be able to flee to a safe place.
Could the parliamentary secretary tell the House what the Canadian Forces are doing to help Canadians return to safety?
Laurie Hawn ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, our government has indeed moved swiftly to take action against the atrocities in Libya and to help evacuate stranded Canadians. Our Foreign Affairs officials have worked tirelessly to ensure that all Canadians who want to leave can leave.
We have facilitated over 325 departures by Canadians. The Canadian Forces have a C-17 in Germany and two C-130J Hercules in Malta and are moving Canadians to safety daily. HMCS Charlottetown is now en route to the Mediterranean to support further evacuation efforts and provide humanitarian assistance as required.
We are proud of all of our government officials and Canadian Forces members who are working tirelessly in a very difficult situation.
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to know why the Minister of the Environment is so enthusiastic to kill one of the few functioning environmental programs the Conservative government has had. He is letting a home retrofit program be eliminated, losing all $390 million.
Why is the minister abandoning the only program to help working families fight high energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas at the same time? In the past year alone families are facing a $200 increase in energy costs.
Would the minister simply admit today that he just does not have the clout to save a vital environmental program?
Peter Kent ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that many of the programs in the past couple of years were designated as temporary. There have been highly successful programs across the environment ministry and, for example, the economic action plan spent more than $100 million in Park's Canada to protect jobs and to ensure the viability and vitality of our economy.
I would suggest that my colleague wait for March 22 for the budget to see the way ahead and how Canada will guarantee both a healthy environment as well as a healthy economy.
Nicolas Dufour Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government has just cancelled the tendering process to build a police academy in Haiti that the Conservatives had been promising for four years. What is worse, CIDA has said that it is not certain that a new process will be launched.
Are we to understand that, as in the case of KAIROS, the Minister of International Cooperation has unilaterally decided to cut funding to this project, which everyone believes to be a crucial part of Haiti's development?
Lois Brown ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, this is an extremely important project. I want to assure the House that Canada is fully committed to building a training centre for the Haitian police.
More importantly, CIDA is continuing to get the job done in Haiti. We announced 13 new projects this week that will help put that country back on track.
John Rafferty NDP Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Mr. Speaker, gas prices in northwestern Ontario and Canada are out of control. Gas costs $1.34 in Atikokan and Thunder Bay today. The price would be at least 6.5¢ less were it not for the new federal HST charge.
When will the federal government start making life affordable for hard-working Canadians instead of raising prices at the pumps, and to add insult to injury, giving away almost $3 billion of taxpayers' money to rich and powerful oil companies?
It saddens me to say this but what does the government have against hard-working Canadians?
Tony Clement ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, if there are any issues involving competition or collusion, those go to the Competition Bureau as the hon. member well knows.
I am pleased to report to the chamber that yesterday the Senate passed the Fairness at the Pumps Act so that we can get tough on the chisellers and the cheaters who are trying, through measurement operations, to cheat Canadian consumers at the pumps.
We are on the side of Canadian consumers. That member's party should be as well.
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are used to Liberals saying one thing at home in their ridings and doing another when they get to Ottawa. They claim that they are tough on crime yet they consistently vote to put the rights of thugs and criminals ahead of law-abiding Canadians.
On the same day that the member for Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor was asking our government to spend more on prisons, the member for Beauséjour was calling for prison spending to end.
Could the minister please tell the House why the Liberals should support our tough on crime agenda?
Dave MacKenzie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, that is the third good question from this side of the House.
The Liberal Party is not being honest with Newfoundlanders. Led by their soft on crime spokesman from Ajax—Pickering, it has made it clear that the Liberal Party opposes our Conservative government plans to construct necessary prison cells. It is also clear that the Liberals oppose tougher prison sentences for criminals. They even went so far as voting to release fraudsters and drug traffickers into our communities after a mere one-sixth of their sentences.
When it comes to standing up for the rights of victims and law-abiding Canadians, the Liberal Party simply cannot be trusted.
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, what the environment minister simply does not get is that his abdication on retrofits is not only killing an environment program that people were using, but also killing the green investment it encouraged Canadians to make, and eliminating a green industry that Canada needs at the same time.
The energy efficiency industry reports the loss of 75% of its business already. People are being laid off, much-needed home retrofits are not getting done and Canadians are paying more than they need to for energy.
Is the minister proud of his mess, or will he now agree to fight to save this program and protect Canadians?
Peter Kent ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I have done that. The home retrofit program was immensely successful for the purpose that it was designed, as an interim measure to help keep our economy turning over, to protect jobs and to help Canadians make some environmentally smart decisions. We also had the very successful Retire Your Ride program, which took more than 126,000 polluting vehicles off the road and removed 4,000 tonnes of pollutants from the atmosphere.
However, as the economy recovers, temporary programs must come to an end.
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Mr. Speaker, to avoid key words that are often used by feminist organizations and other advocacy groups, the Conservatives are imposing a whole new lexicon on the diplomatic apparatus.
The Conservatives do not speak of “gender equality” but rather of “equality of men and women”. They do not speak of “child soldiers” but rather of “children in armed conflict”.
Does the government not realize that it is not necessary to change the whole lexicon used at the Department of Foreign Affairs since there is no chance that the government will ever be confused with a progressive organization?
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, what we are talking about is simply a matter of semantics.
If the Standing Committee on the Status of Women wants to move beyond semantics to initiatives and more serious issues, it could worry a little more about, for example, the issue of UN resolution 1325, on which Canada stood up and exerted its leadership. It is too bad that the members on the other side of the House are not doing the same.
