Debates of Nov. 19th, 2012

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has definitely misunderstood what we are doing. We are helping people identify and find jobs, and we are providing them with the training needed for these jobs.

We have already helped create more than 820,000 jobs since the recession, and the Liberals voted against our efforts to help these people find work.

Public Safety

[Rosane Doré Lefebvre, NDP, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are making some troubling decisions in the fight against crime. They claim to be champions of law and order, but that is far from evident when we look at the facts.

The Conservatives did not hold a press conference to announce that they would no longer fund the Eclipse squad, a specialized street gang unit in Montreal.

Could the Minister of Public Safety explain the twisted logic behind cutting funding for a squad that fights street gangs?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to fighting and cracking down on gangs not only in Montreal but across the country. That is why we have introduced and brought into law over 20 bills addressing organized crime. We are pleased to make a one-time investment to provide provincial police forces with the tools they need to crack down on guns, gangs and drugs.

Sadly, the NDP members never support our initiatives. We ask them to support those initiatives to crack down on criminal activity, including organized crime across the country and in Montreal.

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

Mr. Speaker, again we see the Conservatives launching another make-belief attack to distract from their own inaction. They talk about public safety and then they cut funding for groups that help young people avoid gangs and crime.

Scarborough is still dealing with the aftermath of a tragic and violent summer. Residents are concerned. Repeated pleas for action have been ignored by Conservatives. They will not properly invest in witness protection and are slashing Public Safety staff.

When will the minister finally show leadership and help keep the GTA community safe from violence?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, that member is completely wrong on every one of those points she has tried to make.

We were the ones who introduced and funded the national crime prevention strategy, which includes a fund to help young people stay out of gangs. We continue to invest in that and make it a permanent fund. As well, we invest $9.2 million every year in witness protection programs.

We have introduced legislation, funding and initiatives across the board to crack down on crime, but every time the NDP members do not support it. In fact, they oppose it.

Natural Resources

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Our plan is working with Canada creating 820,000 net new jobs since July 2009, with 75% of those coming from the private sector. Our natural resources have been a large part of that success, with 20% of Canada's economy dependent on the resource sector.

Would the Minister of Natural Resources update the House on how our government will continue to encourage growth in Canada?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke for her perceptive question.

I am pleased to announce that, although the United States is adopting a carbon tax, which the American administration did not say it intended to do, our government will never do so in Canada. We will never adopt the NDP's $21 million carbon tax, which would cause job losses and increase prices overall. We will continue to lower taxes and stimulate job creation.

International Trade

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, Canada-EU CETA negotiations are now at a critical stage and crucial decisions handed off to ministers. I remind the minister that he claimed it was a myth that CETA would increase drug and health costs. However, internal reports, held secret, state otherwise. with an extra billion dollars in drug costs forced—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Malpeque has the floor.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, again, the studies, held secret, claim there is an extra billion dollar cost for drugs and health care.

The minister owes Canadians the truth, or is he perpetuating a myth himself? Will he table that analysis in the House and give Canadians the real facts on the cost-benefit analysis?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, we have always tried to find that correct balance between protecting our innovators and also ensuring that Canadians continue to have an affordable source for the drugs they need. We continue to consult with the provinces and territories to ensure that the best interests of Canadians are reflected in the Canada-EU trade negotiations. These negotiations have been, and continue to be, the most open and transparent in Canada's history.

I will remind the House that we are committed to signing an agreement only if it is in the best interests of Canadians.

Scientific Research

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Maurice Lamontagne Institute, a leader in scientific research, has already paid the price for the Conservatives' excessive and ideological cuts.

Now, its library, the only Fisheries and Oceans Canada library that services the French-speaking science community, will be dismantled. This is the most recent victim of the Conservatives' insistence on destroying our scientific institutions. The complaints are already piling up on the Commissioner of Official Languages' desk.

How can the Conservatives justify the destruction of this priceless library?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the department has made the decision to modernize its library service and to take advantage of increasing availability of information resources in digital form. Even today, most requests are received and delivered electronically.

Library collections and services will continue to be provided to departmental staff and to other stakeholders. The work is well under way and will be completed by the fall of 2013.

Foreign Affairs

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, this week we remember and raise awareness of the Holodomor, the horrific and catastrophic famine of 1932-33 that claimed the lives of millions of Ukrainian men, women and children.

The Holodomor was a genocide by starvation, perpetrated by the ruthless regime of Joseph Stalin, in an attempt to stamp out the people of Ukraine's aspirations for a free and independent country.

Communities across Canada this week will be holding memorial services to honour the memory of those who perished. Could the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs please comment on the sombre occasion?

[Diane Ablonczy, Conservative, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs)]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the leadership of the member for Selkirk—Interlake and our Prime Minister, in 2008 Canada recognized the Holodomor and designated the fourth Saturday of every November as a memorial day for the millions of victims.

This week we stand with the people of Ukrainian descent across Canada and around the world to mark this sad chapter of history. The horror and tragedy of the Holodomor must never be forgotten.

Rest assured, our government will continue to speak up for democracy, human rights and freedom.

Labour

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, the NDP introduced a bill on protecting French as a language of work in federally regulated businesses.

The Conservatives—even those from Quebec—voted against it and responded by proposing that a committee be set up to examine the issue. Twelve months later, we see that all the Conservatives have done is create more bureaucracy in order to ensure that they do not have to keep their promise. The minister says that it is important to take the time to do things right, so it is time for some answers.

What stage are we at in the process to set up the committee? Who will sit on the committee? What will its mandate be?

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

Mr. Speaker, we did indeed commit to reviewing in committee the status of French in federally regulated businesses. We will honour that commitment in a mature and thoughtful manner, as we did last Friday with the announcement of the armoury reconstruction.

This announcement was unanimously well received in Quebec City. We preserved the historical heritage, the UNESCO designation and the French fact. This work was done well and that is our trademark. We are not trying to get out of anything and we are doing a good job.

Public Safety

[Jean-François Fortin, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the police officers recruitment fund was created, the Conservatives boasted that guaranteeing the right to safety was one of the government's most important responsibilities. Yet, by announcing the end of the program, the Conservatives are disregarding this priority and threatening the activities of specialized squads in the fight against crime.

The Quebec National Assembly has unanimously condemned this incomprehensible decision and is calling for Ottawa to renew the fund beyond March 2013.

Does the minister understand that the continuation of this funding is of the utmost importance, and will he respond favourably to the unanimous request of the Quebec National Assembly?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, under our government, we were pleased to make a one-time investment of $400 million to provide provincial police forces with the tools they needed to crack down on guns, gangs and organized crime.

Our government is committed to fighting crime not only in Montreal and Quebec but across Canada. That is why we have introduced tough legislation to crack down on organized crime and every time the opposition, including the Bloc, vote against it. We actually put action behind our words. We do not just say something; we do it.

Government Response to Petitions

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 112 petitions.

The Environment

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Oshawa Port Authority has given permission to FarmTech Energy to build an ethanol-producing facility at the Oshawa harbourfront on Crown land adjacent to a sensitive wetland, which is home to species at risk, a wildlife preserve and a provincial park. However, there was no public consultation and no complete environmental assessment.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to divest the federal port authority to the City of Oshawa, halt the construction of the ethanol facility, instruct that public hearings be held and that a complete environmental assessment be conducted at the site and surrounding areas.

Experimental Lakes Area

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have several petitions.

The first petition has 38 signatures from Montreal, Vancouver and the London-Waterloo region asking the Government of Canada to, among other things, continue to staff and fund the Experimental Lakes Area at current or higher levels of commitment. The second petition is by another 36 people from the Kitchener area to the same effect.

Rights of the Unborn

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to present two petitions from my constituents of Kitchener Centre, totalling about 150 signatures, of which half are by women concerned about Canada's 400-year-old definition of a human being. They are calling upon Parliament to amend subsection 223(1) of the Criminal Code in order to recognize 21st century medicine.

I have another two petitions to the same effect from my neighbouring riding of Kitchener—Waterloo, with about 100 signatures, of which half are from women; and another with 171 signatures from the Perth-Wellington riding to the same effect; and another with 500 signatures from the Victoria area. All of these petitioners believe that Canada should recognize 21st century medical evidence in relation to subsection 223(1).

Experimental Lakes Area

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present a petition from residents of Canada who want to draw the attention of the House to the fact that Canada's Experimental Lakes area is a unique and world-renowned facility for freshwater research and education. The ELA provides essential scientific knowledge for the development of national and international policies. Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to recognize the importance of the ELA to its mandate to study, preserve and protect aquatic ecosystems. They ask the government to reverse its decision to close the ELA research station and to continue to staff and provide financial resources to the ELA at a current or higher level of commitment.