House of Commons Hansard #174 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was nation.

Topics

Reflecting the Realities of Canadian Artists ActPrivate Members' Business

6:30 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

It being 6:30 p.m., the time provided for debate has expired.

The vote is on the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Reflecting the Realities of Canadian Artists ActPrivate Members' Business

6:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Reflecting the Realities of Canadian Artists ActPrivate Members' Business

6:30 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Reflecting the Realities of Canadian Artists ActPrivate Members' Business

6:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.

Reflecting the Realities of Canadian Artists ActPrivate Members' Business

6:30 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

All those opposed will please say nay.

Reflecting the Realities of Canadian Artists ActPrivate Members' Business

6:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Nay.

Reflecting the Realities of Canadian Artists ActPrivate Members' Business

6:30 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

In my opinion the nays have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Pursuant to Standing Order 93, the recorded division stands deferred until Wednesday, November 7, immediately before the time provided for private members’ business.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

TelecommunicationsAdjournment Proceedings

6:30 p.m.

Independent

Bruce Hyer Independent Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON

Mr. Speaker, in June I said the government was leaving underprivileged Canadians behind with the cancellation of the Community Access Program, or CAP. I would like to expand on that today.

The Conservatives' omnibus budget brought in a number of changes to Canadian programs and legislation, as we know, including the elimination of the Community Access Program, which started in 1995. The program was intended to expand Internet service to all Canadians. When questioned on the cancellation, the government is quick to claim that 98% of Canadians now have Internet access. However, this number does not tell the real story, or the whole story, and I would like to delve a little deeper.

While Internet access has expanded among well off Canadians, many others are left disconnected. Internet service is still thin in remote areas, like the small towns and reserves in Thunder Bay--Superior North. Moreover, many low-income households cannot afford to access the Internet. The Conservatives think that leaving this many Canadians without Internet access is acceptable. Are they content to leave these Canadians cut off?

It does not end there. The government overhauled employment insurance in its budget as well. To qualify for EI, Canadians must provide proof that they have conducted daily job searches. However, the Internet is by far the most useful tool Canadians have when they look for a job. People who are out of work, or have lower paying, or seasonal jobs often cannot afford Internet access. This makes it harder for them to find a job and to access EI. What a Catch-22.

Conservatives say that they are committed to helping every Canadian find work, yet they are constantly taking away the very tools that Canadians need to accomplish that.

Disadvantaged youth and seniors are also disproportionately impacted by the decision. Without the knowledge or tools they need to access email and the web, seniors find themselves more isolated.

CAP funding was also used to offer training courses on how to use the Internet. This was an important part of bridging the so-called digital divide between those with Internet skills and those without. As government programs and other daily services are increasingly being offered online, this strategy to increase digital literacy is a major benefit of that program, one that will also be lost with this cancellation.

I received a letter over the summer from the Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario in Thunder Bay, which used CAP funding at its youth centre. The centre is located in the inner city, where many underprivileged youth rely on those free services to get through school, to find jobs, or to keep in touch with families, many of whom live far away on remote reserves. The letter says, in part, “Regular evaluation of the hundreds of kids we serve reveal they benefit tremendously from the free community access program services we offer”. At least they did before the Conservatives axed the program.

Without this program, we cannot offer the training and services needed by underprivileged Canadians to create a better life for themselves and their children. Cancelling this program means that many disadvantaged citizens are being left behind and we are telling them that we just do not care.

We should care. Internet connectivity is essential for all Canadians. It is with this in mind that I ask the government to stand up for Canadians, not just the well off, and reinstate this essential program.

TelecommunicationsAdjournment Proceedings

6:35 p.m.

Kenora Ontario

Conservative

Greg Rickford ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, the issue at the heart of the hon. member's question is the importance of affordable access to broadband services for all Canadians. This is an issue we can all agree on.

For Canada to succeed in the digital economy of today and tomorrow, all Canadians must have access to leading-edge broadband infrastructure. It is absolutely critical that rural Canadians have access to the same broadband services as do urban Canadians. Broadband is increasingly the platform over which public services, such as health care education, are provided to citizens and it is how Canadian culture, news and community engagement are being delivered to homes. It is also a key enabler of economic development and opportunity in regions across the country.

The community access program was created to bring computer and Internet technologies to Canadians across the country in order to encourage them to participate in the knowledge-based economy. In 1995, when CAP was established, only 40% of Canadian households had a computer and only one in ten of these households had Internet access. By helping to put computers connected to the Internet into libraries, schools and other sites across the country, CAP successfully helped Canadians connect during a time when an Internet connection at home was an exception to the rule. My, how things have changed.

In 2010, more than three-quarters of Canadian homes had broadband Internet connection. What is more, over 30% of us are connected to broadband networks everywhere we go, through our mobile wireless devices like the ubiquitous BlackBerry. This is a direction Canada must continue on, making sure broadband is accessible to every Canadian home and making sure we have the infrastructure in place to support the boom in mobile communications.

That is why the Government of Canada invested more than $88 million in Broadband Canada, connecting rural Canadians throughout the Thunder Bay—Superior North region and the great Kenora riding. I think the member probably missed it. He was musing about seating arrangements here in the House of Commons, no doubt, when we made that important announcement that this government was committed to bringing faster and higher quality Internet to more than 218,000 households across the country. That is a remarkable achievement.

For a country as large and diverse as Canada, we know the work is far from over and more must be done to increase access to more advanced services, increasing consumer choice, lower prices and the changing technology of the computer industry itself.

We recently announced decisions that will continue to promote our goals of competition and investment in the sector and to see that all Canadians indeed benefit, including those in rural areas.

We are supporting competition and investment in the upcoming spectrum auctions by applying rules that will enable new wireless competitors to access the spectrum that they need to meet consumer demand for mobile broadband.

We are applying specific measures in the upcoming auction to see that Canadians in rural areas have access to the most advanced services in a timely manner. All Canadians should be able to benefit from the fastest mobile speeds and the latest devices. These are the first specific measures of their kind in Canada.

Finally, we are also extending and improving the existing wireless roaming and tower-sharing policy to further facilitate competition. These policies provide access to existing networks and infrastructure to support better services for consumers.

Together, these actions are helping to provide Canadians across the country with more choices at lower prices for the broadband services that have become so important in our daily life.

TelecommunicationsAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

Independent

Bruce Hyer Independent Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Kenora has done a good job of demonstrating how most Canadians are getting well connected to the Internet. Where we differ is that I care about all Canadians, even those who are not well off.

I cannot understand why the Conservatives think cancelling this valuable program is anything other than mean-spirited and short-sighted. The community access program has very clear benefits for Canadians seeking employment, for example. Would keeping the program around not be the right way to help Canadians get back to work and to enable them to achieve the long-term prosperity to which the Conservatives say they are committed?

The Americans understand the importance of giving their citizens the tools to get back on their feet. Through their aptly titled Connect2Compete program, they offer low-cost Internet service to low-income households and refurbished computers for $150.

If our government has an alternative such as this to compensate for the cancellation of the community access program, I would be happy to hear about it, but it does not.

TelecommunicationsAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

Conservative

Greg Rickford Conservative Kenora, ON

Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that the environment was much different when the community access program was launched more than 17 years ago. Time changes for Canadians, but maybe not for this particular member. Access to the Internet was limited, and the government wanted to introduce Canadians to the benefits of participating in a knowledge-based economy. The program has successfully met that objective.

Our government is looking ahead. We are taking major steps forward to improve digital infrastructure in this country. This will help Canadians in every region of the country, including the great Kenora riding, to access the modern broadband services they need to engage in the digital economy, no matter where they live.

First, we are lifting foreign investment restrictions for telecommunications companies with a small market share. These targeted actions will remove a barrier to investment for the companies that need it most. We are applying specific build-out requirements to see that rural Canadians have access to advanced services in a timely manner.

Our government believes that Canadians, in both urban and rural areas, deserve value for their hard-earned money. We are taking action to see that they get it.

Fisheries and OceansAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

NDP

Philip Toone NDP Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the parliamentary secretary for being present this evening.

The government is cutting budgets for science and research. Over the past year, there have been budget cuts to an unbelievable number of programs and organizations conducting research in a wide variety of fields.

The Experimental Lakes Area program has been eliminated. This internationally recognized program with huge spinoffs for Canada will cost more to close and move than the $2 million that the government hopes to save. Can the Minister explain the logic behind this decision?

At Fisheries and Oceans Canada, there have been a number of budget cuts and layoffs in fields relating to research and science. For instance, the ocean pollution monitoring program has been eliminated, along with its 75 scientist positions.

The Conservatives are eliminating scientist positions at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute. The positions that have been eliminated are all related to the program that studies the effect of contaminants on water and aquatic life. How can the Minister cut programs that have the potential to protect our fisheries and our water?

The Conservatives have closed the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. The FRCC was science-based and assessed the total allowable catches every year. Its objective was to protect the viability of fish stocks. The council protected our fisheries over the long term.

These kinds of budget cuts have dramatic consequences. In the 1990s, nearly 50% of jobs in the fishing economy were lost because the stocks of groundfish, such as cod and redfish, collapsed. This is one example that clearly shows the role that science can and must play.

How can Fisheries and Oceans Canada protect our fisheries over the long term without access to the necessary information? It seems that the only information the Conservatives find acceptable is information that comes from the Prime Minister's Office. If science contradicts what they want to do, they cut budgets.

This is not how a country is supposed to be governed. Information is not supposed to be hidden. Information is supposed to be distributed. The Conservatives must not forget that they are there to serve Canadians, not to control them by preventing science from providing them with information. The Conservatives would know this if they were in the habit of consulting the people before making hasty decisions. It is essential to consult the people on issues that affect them directly.

In Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands, we are well aware of this. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board lacks the resources to consult the people of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The government has decided to withdraw from oil exploration in the Gulf. However, if a catastrophe were to occur, the fishing economy in the Gulf would suffer enormously. If the Conservatives consulted with the scientists, they would know that this is a significant risk. This is a perfect example of information that has not been effectively distributed. How can the government make decisions if it does not have all the information?

Why do the Conservatives not do everything they can to make enlightened decisions? Canadians want to know the facts. The Conservatives do not want to know the facts and seem to prefer working in the dark.

Fisheries and OceansAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

Kenora Ontario

Conservative

Greg Rickford ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and the work being done by the member for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on the important issue of science at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is implementing measures that will contribute to the elimination of the deficit and support economic prosperity. Science remains essential to the department. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will continue to build scientific knowledge about the aquatic environment and fisheries resources to support long-term sustainability and conservation objectives in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

In this context, DFO is establishing an advisory group to obtain scientific information on the biological effects of contaminants. In addition to this advisory group, the department will continue to maintain the Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research, which is a world renowned centre of expertise located at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. COOGER, as it is known, will continue to provide scientific knowledge to ensure the safe and environmentally sound management of oil and gas, while the newly established advisory group will provide priority advice on biological effects of oil and gas. Together, COOGER and the environmental advisory group will ensure that the department has the necessary scientific information related to contaminants, including oil and gas.

Science will continue to be the backbone of departmental decisions.

The advisory group will be reaching out to other researchers within the academic community and private industry. The department has had great success in collaborating with academia and industry over the years. For example, the department has established a variety of university networks under the auspices of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to create synergies and fund aquatic science in Canada. These networks include: HydroNet, which focuses on the impacts of hydroelectric facilities on aquatic ecosystems; the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network, which conducts research on marine biodiversity; and the Capture Fisheries Research Network, which examines ecosystem health in relation to fishing.

Results of these academic departmental research collaborations become part of the scientific information that the department uses to develop policies and make decisions about our aquatic environment and fishery resources. Rest assured, the department's own scientists will continue to conduct research in support of the sustainability of Canadian fisheries. In addition to research, the science sector will conduct other functions, including providing scientific advice, conducting monitoring, providing essential products and services, and managing scientific data and information about our aquatic ecosystems.

The key words are “science” and “scientific”. The science sector undertakes these important science functions to support the department's three strategic outcomes: economic prosperity for maritime sectors and fisheries, sustainable aquatic ecosystems, and safe and secure waters. The science program within Fisheries and Oceans Canada is diverse. It is at the cutting edge of scientific investigation with research institutes and laboratories across Canada.

In conclusion, the department continues to invest in its science programs. Recent investments have been made in fisheries science, species at risk science, aquatic invasive species and climate change. As needs for new scientific knowledge emerge, the department will address them, guided by science.

Fisheries and OceansAdjournment Proceedings

6:50 p.m.

NDP

Philip Toone NDP Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC

Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech.

I am very interested in seeing where COOGER will take us. I am sure it will be an old story that may be hunting new ideas and I am looking forward to seeing how that will turn out.

I question why we need to create new structures when previous structures were already in place. We already had a number of organizations such as the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, which did much of the work that he just described, and it has been cut, to be replaced by new advisory groups that have undefined mandates and memberships.

How will these advisory groups be consulting the population, who will be members and when will we be hearing from them?

Fisheries and OceansAdjournment Proceedings

6:50 p.m.

Conservative

Greg Rickford Conservative Kenora, ON

Mr. Speaker, on rebuttal, our government understands that science is essential to the long-term sustainability of Canadian fisheries. The science sector at Fisheries and Oceans Canada will continue to provide the science advice that is necessary to make responsible decisions about Canada's aquatic resources.

We will continue to make investments in government science. Departmental researchers will continue to work with the academic community and industry partners. These collaborations enhance scientific knowledge in support of the department's mandate, and help to leverage recent investments in government science. Knowledge gained from scientific research will continue to inform decisions and policies.

The department will continue to focus its use of research-dedicated resources to priority areas that directly support conservation and fisheries management. We remain a committed and strong proponent of science and will continue to reinforce and enhance our strong science program at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Fisheries and OceansAdjournment Proceedings

6:50 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:52 p.m.)