Debates of Oct. 30th, 2012

Pensions

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. We have now lost quite a bit of time having to give the floor back to ministers answering questions. We will have to make that time up.

The hon. Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell members where we are going, and that is helping seniors in their retirement and making sure that they have the funds in their pockets to afford their retirement. That is why we introduced pension income splitting. That is why we increased, not once but twice, the working age tax credit. That is why we brought in the biggest increase in guaranteed income supplement in over a generation.

We are there to help our seniors. We are also making sure that old age security is there for them not just today but in the future as well.

Ethics

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the most recent revelations about the member from Labrador's election campaign irregularities have undermined the confidence of Canadians in our institutions. Today we are asking the leader of the current government to comment on the probity of amounts that were not disclosed to Elections Canada during this campaign.

We want to know if the government plans on relieving the member of his ministerial duties, given his statements about this matter.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, after being rejected by Canadians in the last election, the Liberals are trying to explain the loss by conducting a smear campaign against the Conservatives, who earned the respect and support of Canadians.

As a result, they have tried to make up robocall controversies of which they have been found to be the only guilty parties. They have failed to clean up their own houses with almost $500,000 in illegal loans that their leadership candidates have accepted.

Cultural Industry

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the demise of the Canadian Conference of the Arts is directly related to its critical opinion of the controversial copyright reform. When the organization shared the concerns of artists from across the country, it suddenly lost its funding. The transitional assistance provided and the time allocated for the transition were insufficient, which was fatal for the organization.

The Canadian Conference of the Arts lost its funding because it expressed a dissenting opinion. The minister had a choice between spending $25 million to rename a museum or spending less than $400,000 to save an organization that helps hundreds of thousands of artists.

How can the minister justify his choice?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, after 35 years, this organization is still receiving some 60% of its operating funding from the hard-working taxpayers of this country.

We did provide some transition funding for this organization this year, so that it could actually go to a new system of financing and ask its stakeholders and the people who actually support this organization to play a bigger role in helping them move forward.

Canadians work very hard in this time of economic crisis, and we want to make sure that those funds are used wisely for all Canadians.

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there are two sets of rules governing arts and culture: one if the artists are liked by the Conservatives, and one if they are not. The Canadian Conference of the Arts is the latest example.

When the minister does not like an art exhibit or an organization or the name of a rock band, an unmistakeable chill gets sent out across the land.

Canada is big, complex and diverse. Do we really want to have our arts and culture sector governed out of the office of one politician in this country?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, as I said with respect to this organization, after 35 years it is still receiving some 60% of its budget from hard-working taxpayers. It is time it moved to a different system of financing, one where it asks the people who support it, the stakeholders, to contribute a little more.

This government is making a lot of investments in arts and culture. The NDP continues to vote against all of those investments. We are bringing our investments throughout the country. We are supporting festivals. We are supporting community theatre. We are making the types of investments that will lead to better jobs, better opportunities and better results for our artists across this country.

Treasury Board

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, the government tabled the 2011-12 public accounts, the most comprehensive report that the government produces. Could the President of the Treasury Board explain the importance of this year's report to our ongoing efforts to eliminate the deficit in the medium term?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore for his most excellent question. As per usual, he is representing his constituents very well.

I would also like to say that this government is leading the way to returning to balanced budgets, and the public accounts prove this. The public accounts also confirm that Canada has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7 highly industrialized countries.

We are the government that has created more than 820,000 net new jobs working with the private sector. We are proud of that record, too.

In contrast, the other side is focused on a $21 billion carbon tax.

Mining Industry

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, six years after the government approved the Vale takeover of Inco and two years following Vale's announcement that it will shut down the refinery and smelter in Thompson, it is at it again. Vale is telling the people of Thompson that it is shutting down one mine site and shelving the proposition for a new mine, jobs lost in a community and a province that will continue to hurt.

Will the federal government join the province, the city of Thompson and the steelworkers to bring Vale to the table to save Canadian jobs?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, since taking office, we have implemented a tax policy that benefits companies. We are also in the process of cutting red tape and we have an open investment policy.

One thing is certain: imposing a $21 billion carbon tax on Canadians will not keep jobs here in Canada. On the contrary, this tax would drive up the price of everything, and we would no longer be competitive at all. So, we will not impose this tax.

Veterans Affairs

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday former senior Liberal cabinet minister Joe Fontana was asked whether he would resign during the RCMP investigation of his activities as a senior Liberal cabinet minister. Mr. Fontana's response was to point to the poppy on his lapel and hide behind the sacrifices of our courageous war veterans as his reason not to resign. Veterans from London are condemning the comments from the former senior Liberal cabinet minister.

Will the Minister of Veterans Affairs explain how our government supports the poppy campaign as a sign of our respect toward our veterans?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that our government condemns the comment by the former senior Liberal cabinet minister in the strongest terms possible. This is totally unacceptable. Hiding behind our courageous veterans to avoid one's own potential legal problems is reprehensible. It does not have a place in our country.

I hope that all members of the House, including the members opposite, will join us in condemning these inappropriate comments, which should not be connected to our great veterans who gave their lives for our country.

Search and Rescue

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after announcing that the Quebec City search and rescue centre would close in April 2012, the Conservatives—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The member for Québec.

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after announcing that the Quebec City search and rescue centre would close in April 2012, the Conservatives have now postponed the closure until April 2013. Annie Mathieu, from the newspaper Le Soleil, reports that the closure will likely be postponed a second time, until the fall of 2013.

Can the government confirm that it still has not found qualified bilingual staff in Halifax and Trenton and that it plans on postponing the closure of the centre in Quebec City until the fall of 2013?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, search and rescue is the highest priority of the Canadian Coast Guard and the consolidation of the marine rescue sub-centre in Quebec will in no way increase any risk to the public. The provision of bilingual services is essential and the Coast Guard will continue to enhance bilingual service as part of the consolidation.

Aluminum Industry

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after abandoning the Quebec forestry industry and going after seasonal workers in all regions, the Conservatives are now targeting one of Quebec's areas of expertise, the aluminum industry. By changing the structure and role of the Aluminum Technology Centre, or the ATC, the federal government is hindering SMEs in this industry of the future. These businesses need this important development and innovation tool.

Will the minister put an end to the harmful uncertainty surrounding the ATC and immediately meet with the stakeholders who want to meet with him?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the member for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour said, the government has not abandoned any industries; it is untrue to say that it has abandoned any industry. We have not abandoned the aluminum industry or the forestry industry, and we will not abandon the Aluminum Technology Centre in Chicoutimi, which is an excellent centre that provides unparalleled services to the aluminum industry in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec and Canada. Unlike what the member said, this centre will remain open.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I would like to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of six members of the Royal Canadian Navy who are taking part in Navy Appreciation Day today.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Oral Questions

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I regrettably rise to raise some questions about unparliamentary language, which was utilized by the member for Burnaby—Douglas under the rubric of member statements under Standing Order 31. As members know, it is not appropriate to accuse other members of lying in the House. That is considered unparliamentary language. I know when the NDP became the official opposition, its members made a great deal of their commitment to a new decorum and to improving the level of debate in the House. That appears sadly to have slipped away in the member's statement today.

In referring to the member for Lethbridge, the member for Burnaby—Douglas accused him of “outright untruths”, “propagating...falsehoods”, “statements [known to be] untrue” and “regurgitation of falsehoods”. These all fall into the category of unparliamentary language. What is more and what is worse is that these are all in reference to statements about the NDP carbon tax, and the hon. member for Burnaby—Douglas actually ran under a platform that had on its fourth page a commitment to a $21.5 billion carbon tax. These statements not only are incorrect but they are unparliamentary and he should—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!