Debates of Nov. 1st, 2012

Foreign Investment

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that is just completely and utterly wrong. Under this particular agreement, the government's powers and prerogatives under the Investment Canada Act are protected. We will continue to evaluate whether investments are in the net benefit and best interests of this country.

At the same time, Canadians who are allowed to make investments in China would have a framework, the rule of law, which would protect them. In that way, they would be able to promote Canadian interests and promote job creation for Canadians in China. It is very important that we have these rights. The Chinese have long had the protection of the rule of law in this country; we need the same thing in China.

Budget Implementation

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives repeatedly refused to allow us to study the 450 pages of the budget bill in committee.

Yesterday they asked for a second chance. Now they are agreeing to allow committees to examine the budget, but it has to be on their terms. The committees will have only two or three meetings to examine this monstrous bill.

If the Conservatives are open to amendments, even from the opposition, why does the Minister of Finance continue to block the committees' work?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I said last week, the government has said that it would like to see other committees examine this bill.

Yesterday we moved our motion to refer the bill to 10 other committees for examination. What is really interesting is that the Liberals voted against this measure, which is a record, compared to how bills are usually examined.

Foreign investments

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just the opposition that is being ignored. Business is having a tough time keeping up with the Conservatives' late-night activities, too. Last night's leak was about extending deadlines on foreign takeovers, a move that Conservatives refuse to talk about in public.

On Tuesday, the finance minister said he was making an important announcement after markets closed and then announced nothing. He was simply ranting about the opposition.

Why are Conservatives putting markets on edge while they wait for whatever bizarre move the finance minister makes next?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, the only bizarre moves around here occur when the opposition members vote against each measure that we put in place that actually helps Canadians. Our Minister of Finance has been working hard to bring Canadians' taxes down, but every time he puts forward a policy that actually would reduce costs for businesses and Canadians, the New Democrats vote against it. That actually is bizarre.

Correctional Service Canada

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Ashley Smith is the young girl from Moncton who died tragically five years ago in a Kitchener prison. In her last year of life, she was shunted 17 times among 9 different prisons in 5 provinces, with very little treatment for her mental illness. In the coroner's inquest that is now under way, the federal government has consistently taken the position that the jurisdiction of the coroner has to be restricted, that he cannot look at videos. It has consistently taken a position that has been antithetical to the interests of the truth and the interests of the family.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister, why is this happening?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Ashley Smith case is obviously a terrible tragedy, and information has come to light that is completely unacceptable to the way the Correctional Service of Canada is supposed to do business. At the same time, there is a coroner's inquest under way. There are arguments between lawyers on some of the procedural matters and we will let those get resolved in due course. However, we will be looking carefully, as we always have, at what additional investments need to be made in the mental health aspects of our corrections policies.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there are no arguments between lawyers. There is the federal government's position, which completely restricts the Ontario coroner's ability to do his job and conduct his inquest. That is the problem.

I will make it clear for the Prime Minister: if the federal government is not prepared to give full authority to the person responsible in Ontario, will he have the decency to authorize a federal inquiry to investigate this matter?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we are not in a position to interfere in legal disputes. What I can say is that this is a great tragedy.

Some actions are obviously unacceptable, and the government will continue to invest in mental health programs in our prisons in order to prevent such tragedies.

Budget Implementation Legislation

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the discussion on the omnibus legislation, it is now clear that because of the short week next week and the break week thereafter, the committees to which all of these bills and measures have been referred will have very little time to deal with the substantive matters before them. Would the Prime Minister agree that it would be a much better idea if the House were to direct the committees to meet during the break week so that these substantive measures could be dealt with?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, traditionally I do not get involved in procedural matters, as committees traditionally are the masters of their own business. As is very well known, the government tabled the budget in March of this year, with a range of very important measures for the strength of the Canadian economy. We are in a period once again of some global slowdown and we need to be doing everything we can to keep our economy moving forward. I know that these things have been before Parliament for a very long time, so I would obviously encourage all members to continue their study of them and to act expeditiously in a way that is in the interests of jobs and growth.

Service Canada

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives promised that their cuts would not affect front-line services. However, apparently they do not consider answering the phone a front-line service. Only one in three calls about EI is being answered within the minister's own guidelines, and fewer than half of the calls about the CPP and OAS. Canadians in precarious situations are calling to ask about much-needed support but instead of getting help they are getting Muzak. When will the Conservatives admit that their reckless cuts are hurting Canadians?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, as the economic recovery continues, we are fortunately seeing a decline in the number of EI applications submitted. That is helping Service Canada to devote resources to reducing the backlog, and it has made some progress there. We will continue to monitor and add resources as needed, as we did in the spring when there was a surge in demand, as there is at various times in the year. Service Canada will continue to work toward providing efficient and effective service to all Canadians.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that when people go to their local service counter to get help, they are asked to call Service Canada instead, but the phone lines are jammed already. Now they are cutting staff even further. Seniors and unemployed Canadians are being put on hold and not getting even the most basic service from their government.

Why will the Minister of Human Resources not take responsibility for the mess that she created and fix her department so that Canadians can get the help they need?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, we do want to make sure that Canadians get the benefits to which they are entitled in a swift, effective and efficient manner, and that is why we have put extra resources toward delivering these services.

I am pleased to say that Service Canada's performance has improved since the spring. In fact, in terms of the CPP and OAS, it has an over 90% performance rate. That is encouraging. Service Canada has a ways to go, and we will keep working with them to make sure that they do deliver to Canadians.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Service Canada is also having difficulty handling employment insurance claims. One claimant in four must wait more than 28 days to obtain a reply from Service Canada. Bills continue to pile up and Canadians cannot just wait for the minister to solve problems at Service Canada before paying those bills. Time is of the essence.

Will the minister cancel the harmful cuts and give Service Canada the resources it needs?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what Service Canada did in the spring. The number of claims fluctuates throughout the year. From time to time, the number of claims increases and Service Canada adds resources, as necessary, to handle the claims in an effective and efficient manner. Service Canada will continue to improve its services to Canadians.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are wreaking havoc at Service Canada. And yet they promised that front-line services would not be compromised. Unemployed workers have to wait for increasingly long periods of time for their first employment insurance cheque. If Service Canada does not get more resources immediately, we are headed straight for disaster.

Will the minister acknowledge that these changes are not working? Will she rectify the situation and stop this slow and steady destruction of Service Canada?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in the spring, we are modernizing the employment insurance system in order to make decisions and deliver benefits to Canadians in a more efficient and effective manner.

We are putting additional resources in place where there is a major increase in claims for benefit. Service Canada will continue improving the services it provides to Canadians.

Foreign Investment

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we found out yesterday that the Minister of Natural Resources admitted that he did “not know very much about” energy projects.

What cheered me was that he was willing to admit it and asked questions to get facts. This is novel and unparalleled for a Conservative minister. He actually asked for facts rather than using the mind-numbing fact-free PMO talking points.

Given this newfound openness to understanding both sides of an issue, will the minister support open and transparent hearings on the Nexen takeover bid?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said, this transaction will be scrutinized very closely.

Let me quote Professor Ian Lee from Carleton University, who said that the NDP proposal “will politicize the process enormously.... They're trying to transform these [approval processes] into kangaroo courts”.

As I said, the role of this government is to review the transaction and to see if it will provide a net benefit to Canada. This is what we are doing, and we will do it in the best interests of Canadians.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that was another fact-free answer. Smart public policy actually involves finding the facts. The Minister of Natural Resources did it once, and I am sure the government can do it again.

Why will the minister not take the advice of the former Conservative minister and take action before other countries start, as Jim Prentice says, to “dictate our environmental policies”. Instead they have gutted Canadian environmental protections, and from FIPA to the Nexen bid, the government ignores the facts.

Why are Conservative ministers only open to other opinions in secret conversations, and why will they not do the right thing on the Nexen takeover bid?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, there are thousands of resource projects across the country, with 600 projects monitored by the Major Projects Management Office. I will continue to request briefings to stay current with current developments.

On the other hand, the only thing the anti-development NDP knows is how to oppose, delay and obstruct projects across Canada. If that does not work, it will just tax them to death with its $21 billion carbon tax.

41st General Election

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Michael Sona has finally come forward. He said that the Conservative Party's director of communications sent him to the University of Guelph, where he stole a ballot box. He also called the central campaign about how untraceable voter suppression calls were made and he talked about how easy it would be for the Conservatives to identify who pulled non-supporter lists from their database.

When will Conservatives come clean and take responsibility for any involvement in dirty tricks by their central campaign?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party of Canada ran a clean and ethical campaign and condemns in the strongest of terms any active voter suppression. That is why our party is working with Elections Canada to get to the bottom of the serious allegations in Guelph.

If only the NDP members had been so forthcoming after they accepted $340,000 in illegal union money. If instead of trying to cover it up for so long they had stepped forward and fessed up for their law-breaking, perhaps Canadians would have more faith in them today.