Debates of Oct. 24th, 2012

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem led by the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra.

Foreign Investment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, here is your 60-second briefing on the Canada-China investment treaty, the most significant treaty of its kind since NAFTA.

I requested a technical briefing from the Minister of International Trade on September 27. I got it one hour ago, so I can update folks.

It confirms that Chinese state-owned enterprises would have the right to complain and charge for damages for decisions made in Canada by municipal, provincial, territorial or federal governments. It confirms this treaty will apply, at minimum, till 2027 and potentially till 2042, and China can complain of anything it feels is arbitrary.

It will be of greater benefit to Chinese investors in Canada than to Canadian investors in China.

No province has been asked if it approved of this agreement.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister asked that members of this place should acquaint themselves with the treaty. I have. It threatens our security, our sovereignty and our democracy. Yet this 60 seconds will be the only briefing the House gets.

Small Business Awards

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great privilege that I stand here today to congratulate the winners of the 2012 small business awards in my riding. Small Business Week gives us a chance to publicly recognize the contributions of small businesses to our local and national economy.

With that in mind, I would like to highlight Fortress Hair & Spa of Brooks for winning the business of the year award, under 20 employees; Armando's Restaurant of Bassano for winning the rural business of the year award; the Eastern Irrigation District for winning the small business of the year award, over 20 employees; Deerview Meats for winning the new business of the year award; LimeLitez Dance Academy for winning the youth entrepreneur award; Paradise Valley Golf Course for winning the small business of the year award; Quality Inn for winning the employer of persons with disabilities award; and LMT Enterprises Ltd. for winning the large business of the year award.

I, along with my wife Micheline, offer sincere congratulations to the winners and wish them the best of luck in the coming year.

Fort Lennox National Historic Site

[Tarik Brahmi, NDP, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on September 14, 2012, I attended a ceremony in Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix that was also attended by the Prime Minister, who came not only to commemorate the War of 1812, but also to honour all of the regiments that fought to protect the Richelieu valley.

I wish to commend the tremendous contribution made by the mayors of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix and Lacolle, Gérard Dutil and Yves Duteau, who made the celebration a resounding success.

The great irony, however, is that this beautiful historic site has been the victim of cuts to Parks Canada staff, cuts that affect the people who run Fort Lennox every day. These unjustified cuts are further proof that the Conservative government believes that historic sites can be showcased by getting rid of staff.

If the Prime Minister was serious about the importance of Fort Lennox, how could he authorize these cuts at this Parks Canada heritage site?

I therefore wish to ask the government to reverse its decision and bring those jobs back to Fort Lennox.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medals

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few months I have had the honour of presenting 30 Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medals throughout the Kootenay—Columbia riding.

I would, however, like to speak about one individual for whom I have great respect and admiration. Mr. Bob Doratty, who is now 97, landed on Juno Beach on June 6, 1944 in the final push by our Canadian troops to liberate Europe from German occupation. Bob was 27 years old on that historic day. His platoon was one of the first to land on Juno Beach. He received a Commendation medal from General Montgomery.

Upon returning to Canada after the war he married his bride, Molly, and together they just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

There are not many veterans left from Juno Beach. As we approach Remembrance Day, I, along with all Canadians, will pay homage to all members, past and present, of the armed forces for their service.

I would like to extend a special thanks to Bob Doratty for all he has done for Canada.

Sydney Tar Ponds

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Sydney started producing steel in the early 1900s and became the second largest producer in Canada. After a century of production, it closed, leaving the largest toxic site in North America.

On May 12, 2004, the Paul Martin government and the John Hamm government of Nova Scotia announced $400 million to clean up the site.

Thanks to the community's patience, the liaison committee's dedication, various departments, contractors' work and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality's co-operation, the Sydney tar ponds and coke ovens site cleanup is on budget and on time.

Just recently, the tar ponds agency received a very prestigious award for its success. The Brownie award is given to the best cleanup project of a brownfield site in Canada. The people of Sydney are now planning future uses for the completed site. Walking trails, sport facilities, offices and recreation centres are proposed.

I stand in the House today to thank all those involved in the cleanup. It is with honour that we as Cape Bretoners can finally say that the Sydney tar ponds are no more.

Brighton Cenotaph

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday I had the honour and privilege of attending the dedication of the new cenotaph in the municipality of Brighton in my riding of Northumberland—Quinte West.

This new monument was made possible by a caring and hard-working Brighton Memorial Park and Cenotaph Committee, chaired by retired General Ian Douglas, as well as a grant from our government's community war memorial program and the citizens of Brighton.

I applaud the community of Brighton for providing this special war and peacekeeping memorial. With Remembrance Day drawing closer, I cannot think of a better time to honour the achievements and contributions of those who served our country and made the supreme sacrifice for our freedom.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 100 and the Municipality of Brighton for investing their hard work into the restoration and rededication of the Brighton cenotaph.

We shall remember them.

Search and Rescue

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the Swedish Maritime Administration is replacing its fleet of search and rescue helicopters from the same manufacturer of the Cormorants used by the Canadian Forces for search and rescue in Canada.

This group is the authority for maritime and aeronautical search and rescue services in Sweden where, like in Canada, rescue helicopters are on standby for search and rescue operations both at sea and over land. There the comparison ends.

Sweden is only one-twentieth the size of Canada and its population is less than a third of ours. Yet they have five primary SAR stations with helicopters, while we only have four. They are on duty 24/7, all year, and must have a helicopter in the air within 15 minutes after they have been alerted. In Canada, the response standard is 30 minutes from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock on weekdays and two hours at all other times.

In June, a specific motion to adopt a 30-minute response standard, 24/7, year-round, was before the House and the Conservatives, every one of them, voted against it.

Youngest Lake Ontario Swimmer

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Annaleise Carr from the riding of Haldimand—Norfolk. Last August, Annaleise, at age 14, was the youngest swimmer to make the 52-kilometre journey across Lake Ontario.

A strong heart was needed for Annaleise's 27-hour journey through high waves and cold currents. An even stronger heart is one that undertakes this journey for the benefit of others. Her mission to raise $30,000 for the great work that Camp Trillium does to help children with cancer and their families improve their quality of life turned into an amazing $230,000, and still counting.

Annaleise, a true ambassador for Canadian youth, recently earned the Spirit of Sport Story of the Year award.

Annaleise is here in Ottawa today. Please join me in saluting this incredible young woman and those around her who helped make the trip possible.

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour Kateri Tekakwitha, who was canonized as Canada's first aboriginal saint this past Sunday in Vatican City.

It was a true honour to be with our Canadian delegation, led by our Speaker, and alongside nearly 3,000 first nations people and many Canadian Roman Catholics to celebrate as Pope Benedict the 16th bestowed the highest honour of the Catholic faith upon Blessed Kateri.

Despite facing persecution and illness, Saint Kateri never wavered in her faith and demonstrated a strength of spirit and character far beyond her years. After fleeing from persecution in what is now New York state, Saint Kateri spent her time teaching prayers to children and caring for the sick and the elderly. Her inspiring example of devotion to her faith has lived on for more than 350 years and will now be recognized world over due to her elevation to sainthood.

On behalf of Canadian Roman Catholics and first nations people, as well as the wider Christian community, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Pope Benedict the 16th and the Roman Catholic Church for the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha.

Animal Memorial

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in the House of Commons in the Memorial Chamber, just before the entrance into that hallowed room, lies a statement for the animals who served in the war called the “Humble beasts who served and died”.

On November 3 at Confederation Park in Ottawa, Lloyd Swick, a 90-year-old Korean War veteran, along with artist David Clendinning will realize their dream of a monument for the animals that served in the various conflicts throughout our history. This monument will be a true testament to the horses, dogs and other animals that served our men and women so bravely back then. So many of them sacrificed their lives for the greater good.

I encourage all members of Parliament and people in the Ottawa area to come to Confederation Park at 10 o'clock to see Lloyd Swick's dream of a tribute to those brave animals that served our brave heroes of Canada.

May God bless Lloyd Swick and David Clendinning. This will be a fantastic exhibit and a wonderful monument to encourage remembrance of all kinds in the years to come.

Terrorism

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, recent events from around the world confirm that the threat of terrorism is very real. We need to provide law enforcement and national security agencies with the means to anticipate and to respond effectively to terrorism.

This is why our government introduced the combating terrorism act. We are taking action to reinstate two provisions to help law enforcement investigate past terrorism activity and prevent future attacks. We are also creating a new offence that specifically targets those who would leave Canada to participate in terrorist training camps abroad.

While we are taking action to address a very real threat, the NDP has its head in the sand. Throughout debate on our legislation, the members opposite continuously downplayed the terrorist threat. The NDP member for Brome—Missisquoi even said, with regard to terrorism, “Nothing has happened in the past four years. There has been nothing and things have been quiet”.

Unlike the NDP, we will not hesitate to protect Canadians--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Beauharnois—Salaberry.

Business Women's Week

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, October 21 to 27 is Business Women's Week. Since 1928, this has been a meaningful way to raise awareness of and celebrate the exceptional contributions of women in the workplace and as business leaders.

I would like to take this opportunity to draw attention to the extraordinary contributions of more than 300 business and farm women in my riding. In Canada, women make a significant economic contribution. In 2010, the 100 most profitable businesses run by women generated annual revenues of $1.4 billion and created over 9,000 full-time jobs.

There remains much work to be done in SMEs given that only 16% of them have women at the helm. It is imperative that the government strengthen programs that help start up and support SMEs.

Once again, I tip my hat to all these women who, in addition to being mothers and spouses, have accepted the challenge of taking risks and managing a business.

Thank you for your passion, your commitment and your creativity.

Hungary

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the 1956 revolution in Hungary.

My father and many youth revolted against the Soviet imposed tyranny on Hungary by becoming freedom fighters, demanding democratic elections. They had democratic elections before and it is my earnest belief that humans have a natural appetite, really, a compulsion, for freedom. However, the Soviets sent in tanks to silence them.

My maternal uncle, a young teacher, was imprisoned,along with many others, barred from disseminating reasoned thought.

The revolution, of course, was unsuccessful.

Behind the Iron Curtain, millions of Europeans endured bread lines, a complete lack of free speech and the classic demonstration of a complete lack of confidence or public support for their policies with locked borders.

I am proud to stand here today to honour those who stood with my father and uncle to fight for freedom and democracy.

I would also like to recognize the members of the Hungarian parliament who are here today in the gallery to celebrate this anniversary.

Science and Technology

[Ted Hsu, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, where will the jobs for the next generation of Canadian workers come from? In Kingston and the Islands, many will come from supporting basic research and the commercialization of discoveries made at Queen's University.

Laser Depth Dynamics is a new company that was just incorporated last week. It has patents on technology to measure how deep lasers penetrate materials, technology that has broad, game-changing applications in manufacturing, technology that was developed by Paul Webster, a student of Professor James Fraser and a soon to be PhD. from my old physics department at Queen's.

This week, Paul will receive the 2012 Martin Walmsley Fellowship for Technological Entrepreneurship from the Ontario Centres of Excellence. This funding lets him work to bring his technology to market.

NSERC and PARTEQ Innovations at Queen's University can be proud too.

I wish the best of luck to Paul as he builds his company and creates high-quality jobs in Kingston and the Islands.

Baseball World Series

[John Carmichael, Conservative, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago today, the Toronto Blue Jays travelled to Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Braves in game 6 of the World Series. After a gruelling 11 innings, the Jays beat the Braves 4 to 3 and won their first World Series. This was a joyous occasion not only for people from Don Valley West in Toronto but for all Canadians.

Unfortunately, when we look back on the nineties, we also remember the then NDP government and its failed leader's devastation of the Ontario economy. Ontarians saw sky-high taxes, sky-high unemployment and sky-high debt. All proof that NDP policies simply are not good for the economy. The federal NDP's policies are similar: high taxes and fewer jobs.

The NDP leader's proposed carbon tax would raise the price on everything, leaving Canadians with less money to spend on the things they love, like baseball.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Thunder Bay—Rainy River.

Member for Yukon

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since returning from the summer, the member for Yukon has made two statements attacking the NDP. He could have used those statements--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. Let us not have this again.

The hon. member for Thunder Bay--Rainy River has the floor.

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, he could have used those statements to congratulate the success of local elections that saw voters bring new mayors to Dawson City and Whitehorse but he did not. He could have taken those opportunities to encourage participation in the Terry Fox Run that took place in Carmacks, Dawson City, Watson Lake and Whitehorse on September 16 but he did not. Instead, he chose to attack the official opposition with made up talking points.

These false attacks are nothing more than a tired party hiding behind a fig leaf to cover up the shame of its own policy inadequacies, a party fraught with ethical lapses and scandals trying to distract from its own shortcomings.

What we can all agree on is that Canadians deserve better. I challenge--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière.