Debates of Oct. 4th, 2012

Hockey Summit Series Anniversary

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, those old enough will remember exactly where they were 40 years ago when Paul Henderson scored that iconic goal for Team Canada to give it game victory and the series against the Russians.

Who could ever forget Phil Esposito halfway through the series, when our team was struggling and he put his team and our country on his back as he challenged Canadians to get behind Team Canada.

Today, who can forget the Londoner Vito Frijia for his extraordinary generosity and pride in Canada by single-handedly bringing Team Canada back together so we can honour it for its contribution to Canadian sport, the Canadian spirit and Canadian pride.

This special team of national heroes came together in Toronto last week to be celebrated and honoured. To see Phil and Tony Esposito, Frank and Pete Mahovolich, Brad Park, Ken Dryden, Bobby Orr, Yvan Cournoyer, and of course Paul Henderson, to name just some of these superstars, was inspiring.

The Prime Minister and I were there and it is something special when we could say, “Thanks, and job well done” to our hockey heroes for the memories and pride they instilled in us.

Were it not for Vito Frijia, this would not have happened. He has our sincerest thanks for a job well done.

Employment Insurance

[Jasbir Sandhu, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is in denial about a problem that is affecting unemployed Canadians across this country.

Right now, there are approximately 870,000 unemployed Canadians with no EI compensation. That means fewer than half of all unemployed Canadians are receiving EI.

People come into my office, frustrated by trying to navigate their way through a system that has been crippled by Conservative cuts.

One man has been waiting over two months for his EI cheque. On his last box of macaroni and cheese, he had to go to the food bank for the first time in his life, when he should have been receiving the EI he had been paying into for over a decade.

New Democrats are fighting for an EI system that is fair, accessible and effective. It is time for the government to wake up, do something to help unemployed people in this country and fix the employment insurance system.

Oktoberfest

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the Oktoberfest celebration that begins tomorrow in Waterloo region.

Our region benefits greatly from strong German-Canadian roots, and Kitchener, previously known as Berlin, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

German-Canadians were pioneers in the founding of Kitchener—Waterloo and played a significant role in shaping the economic, social and cultural fabric of our community.

We are also proud to host the largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany, which both increases tourism and provides over $1.5 million for local charities.

I invite all Canadians to visit Kitchener—Waterloo for this exciting festival to celebrate German history and heritage and share in the traditional food, music and entertainment.

I know all members of the House will join me in thanking German-Canadians for their ongoing contributions to Canadian society.

Prost!

Academic Achievement

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a young women from Grand Bank in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.

When Samantha Strowbridge graduated from the nautical science program at the Marine Institute in St. John's, Newfoundland, she was awarded that institution's bronze medal in recognition of her attaining the highest overall average in the final year of the program.

Samantha also won the Governor General's Award, given to the student who attains the highest academic standing for all diploma-level programs.

Her time spent with the local sea cadet corps, RCSCC 71 Atlantic, was instrumental in developing her interest in nautical science and in developing many of the attributes that are helping her succeed in her chosen field.

Samantha is a prime example of a new generation of women who are entering fields once dominated by their male counterparts. Undoubtedly she will have a successful career on the sea, where she aspires to become a master mariner and ultimately to captain her own ship.

I ask all members to join me in congratulating Samantha Strowbridge and wishing her every success as she continues to build on her accomplishments.

Brigden Fair

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

Mr. Speaker, with Thanksgiving weekend almost here, families from across Sarnia—Lambton will make their way to the Brigden Fair, a popular event celebrating its 162nd year in 2012.

The first fair was held in 1850 by the early area settlers on Reilly's farm in Moore township, today known as St. Clair township. The fair initially moved from one community to another throughout the township until finally settling in Brigden.

The Brigden Fair has become a popular destination on Thanksgiving weekend for those who wish to enjoy some quality time with their friends and family. This year the opening ceremonies will take place on Friday, October 5, with the parade following on Saturday.

Admission is free for elementary school-aged children and there will be a variety of entertaining events, including Midway attractions, monster truck and helicopter rides and, of course, many 4-H events and arts and crafts galore.

I congratulate all the volunteers who make it possible for urban to meet rural, and wish all a happy Thanksgiving.

Community Support

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this month, the people of Gatineau are celebrating the anniversaries of three organizations that make their mark every day.

First, the St. René seniors club, under the dynamic leadership of Liliane Charette of my Real, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Every week, the club organizes games and activities to the delight of the seniors. I regularly have the privilege and great pleasure of seeing the great work this club does.

Second, the Outaouais family support service is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Under the leadership of Diane Tremblay, my favourite slam poet who I deeply admire, this exemplary organization works tirelessly with people in need and changes lives daily by meeting the vital needs of the least fortunate.

Finally, the Gatineau seniors centre is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Its dedicated and determined team breaks the isolation of seniors by encouraging their independence and creativity through arts, well-being, language and leisure programs.

I tip my hat to them all for their devotion and their passion. These groups of devoted citizens are the heart and soul of community support in Gatineau. I am proud to represent them in the House and to work in partnership with them. Thank you all.

Auto Industry Agreements

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ken Lewenza, president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, his team, CAW members and the negotiators at Ford, GM and Chrysler for negotiating and ratifying groundbreaking competitive agreements. These agreements will help position the Canadian auto industry to thrive and grow for many years.

For the CAW leaders, this trifecta was a long and gruelling process that will add hundreds of new high quality auto manufacturing jobs in Canada, including 600 in the great town of Oakville, helping to reinvigorate Ontario's ailing manufacturing sector.

Our Conservative government did the exact right thing back in the dark days of December 2008, investing in the Canadian auto industry, whose recovery is complete, with spin-offs for a total of 500,000 jobs across Canada.

We celebrate this groundbreaking agreement that will help ensure that the Canadian auto industry continues to contribute to a superior quality of life for all Canadians.

Mental Health

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute the work being done in the field of mental health and to call attention to the work that remains. This year the Mental Health Commission of Canada released a groundbreaking report “Changing Direction, Changing Lives”, which outlined a mental health strategy for this country.

As well, the House overwhelmingly passed my legislation on suicide prevention, and I remain grateful for the quality of that discussion. We are making progress in our recognition of mental illness in our society, but more needs to be done.

As individuals we can and must foster positive mental health in our families and communities. The easiest and most important thing we can do is simply to talk about it. Canadians should not rest until everyone is as comfortable discussing schizophrenia as they are discussing spinal issues, as comfortable discussing depression as diabetes.

I want to thank the Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health for coordinating national Mental Illness Awareness Week, for giving Canadians another opportunity to break the stigma surrounding mental health and to talk about these important issues.

Derelict Vessels

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, derelict vessels are a concern for coastal communities around Canada. As both our commercial and recreational fleets age, this problem will only grow.

This summer there were problems in the Fraser River with the Queen of Sidney ferry, the cleanup of the MV Miner off Nova Scotia and another barge sinking in Chemainus.

There is a legislative vacuum around derelict vessels, with no one taking responsibility unless there is a hazard to navigation or imminent environmental damage.

That is why I brought forward my private member's bill on derelict vessels, Bill C-231, An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act. The bill would ensure the creation of regulations and measures for the removal, disposition, or destruction of derelict vessels or wrecks. It would provide for the Canadian Coast Guard to be designated as a receiver of wrecks and would require it to take reasonable steps to locate the owners of a wreck.

In Canada, many different agencies and governments are responsible for navigable waters and for dealing with hazards. Therefore, it is important to clearly lay out which agency will deal with wrecks and derelicts.

Last week, the Union of B.C. Municipalities passed a motion calling for an immediate removal program to deal with derelicts. I encourage the minister to use my bill as a template to deal with this urgent matter.

Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS]

Mr. Speaker, today is the 25th anniversary of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. Since the FTA came into force in 1989, Canada's annual GDP has risen by $1.1 trillion, nearly 4.6 million jobs have been created in Canada and two-way trade with the United States in goods and services has more than tripled.

Canadians may remember that the ideological, anti-trade, anti-development NDP actually opposed free trade with the United States. The NDP was on the fringes of economic policy 25 years ago and it remains on the fringes of Canadian economic policy today.

It was a Conservative government led by Brian Mulroney that brought in free trade 25 years ago. It is a Conservative government today under our Prime Minister that continues to create jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity through trade.

While the NDP is guided by its out of the mainstream, ideological doctrine, our Conservative government will continue to act in the best interests of Canadians.

International Day of the Girl

[Rathika Sitsabaiesan, NDP, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations declared this October 11 the first International Day of the Girl, and I am honoured to stand here to recognize this day and its importance for girls and young women in Canada and around the world.

Too often, the power of girls and young women is overlooked and underestimated. However, their strength should not be questioned. I have seen firsthand what powerful voices girls and young women have. They are energetic, empathetic to the struggles of others and changemakers in their families and communities.

However, on this day we must recognize that gender and age inequalities and discrimination still exist in Canada and around the world. Girls and young women are more likely to suffer from depression, sexual harassment, malnutrition, early marriage, denial of education, and from violence, intimidation and trafficking. This international day is a reminder to no longer undervalue the power of girls and young women and for us as parliamentarians and members of the global community to work together in defence of human rights and equality for all.

Today I stand with my colleagues to pay tribute to the girls in our lives, the girls of our great nation and the girls across the globe.

Foreign Affairs

[Chris Warkentin, Conservative, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the brutal and repressive regime of Bashar al-Assad continues to show its disregard for human life following yesterday's attack across Turkey's border, which left five people dead, including a six-year-old child. Canada strongly condemns this attack and we offer sincere condolences to those affected.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated yesterday, we continue to stand with Turkey and our other regional partners. The statement from NATO allies speaks for itself. Over the past year, our government has introduced some of the strongest sanctions on Syria in the world and we continue to call on all countries to bring pressure to bear on Syria for Assad to go. We will continue to work with our international partners to isolate this dangerous and murderous regime and to end the bloodshed of its own people and its neighbours.

The Syrian people deserve better than this illegitimate regime. Canada will continue to champion the freedom and human rights of all Syrians.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today on this national day of remembrance, I stood on the steps of Parliament to remember and honour the lives of more than 600 missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls. I extended our support to families who have been touched by the violent loss of a loved one, and called for justice for those affected by this tragedy.

Aboriginal women experience rates of violence more than three times that of non-aboriginal women. Young aboriginal women are five times more likely to die violently. The issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls is of critical importance and it is time for us to seek justice for the victims and healing for their families. We must put an end to this epidemic.

Today I ask all parliamentarians to press for action. Establishing a public inquiry on missing, and murdered aboriginal women and girls and developing and implementing a plan to stop this violence are important steps that cannot wait.

Violence against aboriginal women and girls is unacceptable, as is any violence against women. We can and must do more as parliamentarians.

Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when running for his party's leadership in 2011, the NDP leader promised a carbon tax that would go even further than the NDP's 2011 election platform. The NDP leader's plan would apply a carbon tax to all major sources of GHG emissions, not just the 700 largest industrial emitters envisaged in the NDP 2011 election platform.

In explaining his reason for expanding the scope of the NDP carbon tax, the NDP leader said that Canada “can no longer afford to focus only on the worst of the worst”. That means even more money taken from Canadian families than the $21 billion the NDP is banking on. The NDP leader opposite can deny it all he wants, but his words are clear. The NDP would hit Canadians with a job-killing carbon tax that would drive up the cost of gas, groceries and electricity.

Conservative Members of Parliament

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, whether it is making up policies or fantasies about Commies hiding under their beds, Conservative backbenchers can be counted on for a daily fix of fact-free statements and a trip to the twilight zone.

Let us review the record. Since the E. coli crisis began, the New Democrats have asked 33 questions about tainted meat, the Conservatives not one.

What are they talking about? Is it the economy? Is it health care? No. Conservatives have made 33 statements and asked 10 questions, one out of every Conservative questions, about us, the New Democrats.

For my colleagues across the way, I ask if this is really what they wanted to do with their life in elected office: indulging the fantasy life of the kids in the PMO?

Could the member about to rise please tell us what is going on in her riding and what she wants to do for Canadians? I urge the Conservatives to take Parliament seriously so that Canadians can start taking them seriously.

Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP leader advocates for an aggressive carbon pricing scheme for the purpose of generating billions of dollars in new revenue.

I would like to remind the NDP leader of a principle that his party fails to acknowledge, that government revenue comes from Canadians, from hard-working families and from our job-creating companies. Any increase in government revenue or, simply put, a tax, has an impact on our constituents' lives and livelihoods.

While our Prime Minister's leadership has positioned Canada as one of the best places in the world to do business and one of the strongest job-creating economies, the NDP leader seeks to disadvantage Canadian businesses through an unaligned carbon pricing scheme designed to grab revenue to fuel his plans for government expansion.

On behalf of my constituents, to the member for Outremont, any way he slices it, a $21 billion revenue grab does have a cost. And, as I am sure they will remind him in 2015, Canadians are not keen to have NDP hands in their pockets.

Food Safety

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food willing to accept responsibility for the self-regulating food inspection system he put in place?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, of course, there is no such system. The CFIA operates at a professional level on a program called CVS, which was implemented in 2005.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the head of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency told reporters that key E. coli testing data had been withheld from government food inspectors by XL Foods. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food knew that food safety data was being withheld. He knew that there were unsafe conditions at XL Foods.

Why did the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food withhold that information and endanger the lives of Canadians?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, when the first sign of E. coli showed up on September 4, CFIA staff took that seriously. They recaptured that product, brought it back to the facility and destroyed it. None of it got into the retail system.

Having said that, they began operations on September 4 and have been operating every day since. I have been meeting with them on a daily basis to ensure that they have the capacity and are doing everything they can to ensure Canadian food safety.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the government knew that some XL Foods equipment was damaged and not working properly. The government knew that XL Foods had no system in place to identify and trace the E. coli bacteria.

And the Minister of Agriculture knew that, even after the American government had sounded the alarm about E. coli, XL Foods continued to hide vital information on the safety of its facilities.

Why did the Minister of Agriculture hide this information about tainted beef from Canadians?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite cared to go on the CFIA website, he would find a full timeline from September 4 on, day by day, of exactly what it did and how it did it. He will find a robust system that sought to make sure Canadian food is safe.

We worked together with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the public health agencies in the provinces to ensure we did not have a major problem at that point. As the information became available, we changed our tactics, because that is the way the system works.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the director of meat inspection has said that up to 5% of the meat processed by XL Foods was contaminated with E. coli. If Canada had real regulations, all of the meat processed on the day that that threshold was passed would have been discarded. But thanks to the Minister of Agriculture, no such rule exists. It is up to the industry to decide what to do.

Even worse, the public was not informed of the danger posed by the tainted meat. That represents a serious breach of ethics and ministerial responsibility. The Minister of Agriculture has no other choice: he must step down.

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite fails to recognize is that the OECD, an international body, has ranked Canada's food safety system right up there at the top. Every other country we deal with, including Japan, which has a robust food safety system, looks to emulate ours.

We will continue to do the job. We will enhance what CFIA has, the rules and regulations it works within and the dollars it will have to hire more inspectors. I am hopeful that the NDP will support us in those initiatives.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, key safety equipment was damaged and inoperable; there was no clear testing standard, no monitoring system for tracking high rates of E. coli, and withholding of key food safety data. All of this is just four years after the same minister of agriculture presided over another tainted meat scandal that killed 22 Canadians and he made jokes about it.

This time the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food knew what was going on. He withheld what he knew from Canadians and he is refusing to be accountable. He is the one who put the self-regulating system in place. He is responsible. Why is the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food still in his position? He must resign.