Debates of Nov. 21st, 2012

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, since the end of the global recession, Canada has had the best economic performance of all major developed countries, and the OECD forecasts that this will continue for 50 years.

Let me repeat that. It is very clear from all observers that Canada does have the best economic performance of all major developed countries over the period since the end of the recession. The OECD has just predicted that with the policies put in place by this Conservative government that should continue for the next 50 years.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, we believe it is crucial for the Prime Minister to sit down with the premiers together. Canadians are worried about the economy and they will be watching the meetings in Halifax. Premiers are expressing disappointment that the Prime Minister is refusing to sit down with them. Disappointing as this may be, we do understand that the Conservatives have a Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and his mandate is to coordinate federal-provincial relations.

Will the minister be attending these important meetings in Halifax?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister meets regularly with the premiers and has done so since 2006. He has had more than 250 meetings and phone calls with the heads of other governments in Canada since 2006. I meet regularly with my provincial colleagues. We will be getting together next month. The other ministers do as well.

We certainly worked well with the provinces at the time of the fiscal crisis several years ago during the recession with the stimulus plan. We worked very well together and it helped Canada recover faster than any other country during that difficult time.

Of course the New Democrats voted against that stimulus plan and now—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister cannot even get to his feet and answer a simple question in his area, then the Prime Minister should fire him.

Premiers expect better than that from the federal government. Times are tough. Canada needs a common economic plan from coast to coast to coast.

If the economy is not the top priority, why are the Conservatives not taking the premiers seriously?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Of course we take the premiers seriously, Mr. Speaker, and we take the finance ministers seriously.

Jobs, the economy and prosperity are the number one priority of this government. The record shows that over the years we have been able to demonstrate the kind of competence, at least the best fiscal performance in the G7 here, in co-operation, I might add, with the provinces.

This is unlike the leader of the NDP, who has a different attitude toward the premiers. He said that there was no reason to talk to premiers because they were just the Prime Minister's messengers.

Health

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has been estimated that in the northern reserves of northern Ontario as many as 10,000 of the 45,000 people are addicted to the drug Oxycontin. The chief of the Nishnawbe First Nation has said that the decision not to deal with this crisis by the Minister of Health is another blow to nations that are currently combatting an addiction epidemic.

The Minister of Health has the clear power to delay the granting of a licence to a drug where there is a public health crisis. I would like to ask the Prime Minister this. Why is the government not addressing this public health crisis?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health is taking the appropriate measures, given the government's legal responsibilities.

Obviously there is a serious problem here, as the leader of the Liberal Party said, in terms of the illegal misuse of this drug. This government is certainly prepared to work with the provinces on addressing that concern.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Council of Family Physicians and every minister of health across the country, both of them together, have asked the government to delay granting a drug information number to this generic product, which is now coming on the market. They have asked that it be done. There is an epidemic, particularly in isolated communities across the country, but not only in isolated communities, it is on the street as well.

Why would the Prime Minister's minister not sit down with the ministers of health and act with them co-operatively to deal with this question, and specifically to exercise her powers—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the government can only act in terms of forbidding products based on their legal use and this is a substance that has to be used and prescribed legally and properly.

The problem the member refers to is the illegal use and circulation of these substances. This is a criminal matter and the Minister of Health is prepared to work with the provinces to address those problems.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the solution to the problem is not to jail people who are taking the drug because they have an addiction. The solution is not to put them in prison as the Prime Minister is suggesting.

Here is an example. Every health minister across the country and the College of Family Physicians has requested the same thing of the minister. I am well aware that the minister wants to interrupt, but I am asking the Prime Minister the question.

Why not stop the approval process for this generic drug, since, according to aboriginal leaders, it is going to cause an epidemic in northern Canada?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I just answered that question. We must make our decisions based on the legal use of these drugs.

We know that these drugs are sometimes used illegally, and the Minister of Health is prepared to work with the provinces to address this problem.

While I am on my feet, it is incumbent upon me to raise the issue of statements made by another member in the House. I find it shameful, not surprising, that 30 years after the national energy program, these anti-Alberta attitudes are still close to the surface in the Liberal Party.

Foreign Investment

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' lack of clarity on investment Canada has become an embarrassing mess. They are missing their own deadlines, deciding on deals in the middle of the night, confusing investors and refusing to consult Canadians. Considering how badly they are bungling this, it is no wonder they are hiding behind closed doors.

However, it has now leaked out that they are apparently asking CNOOC for something. What is that something? The House wants to know and Canadians want to know. If the Conservatives are not embarrassed about selling out Canadian natural resources, then why are they hiding behind closed doors?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. Our government will always act in the best interest of Canadians.

Every decision that will be made regarding foreign investment will have to prove net benefit for Canada. This is exactly what we are reviewing. We take the time to fully scrutinize a proposed transaction to ensure that a decision is made in the best interest of Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, how can the Conservatives expect Canadians to trust them? They hide information from the public, they negotiate in secret and they let foreign companies break their promises with impunity.

Remember when they sold out Falconbridge? Hundreds of jobs were lost. They sold out Inco and hundreds of jobs were lost. They sold out Stelco and hundreds of jobs were lost. They sold out Alcan and hundreds of jobs were lost. Now, with CNOOC and Nexen, they are doing it again.

Why should Canadians trust the Conservatives to keep Nexen jobs in Alberta when they have sold us out every other time?

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

Mr. Speaker, first, with regard to the review, we will act in the best interest of Canadians.

We welcome foreign investment and we believe in it. It can put out enterprises in the global value chain and it creates jobs and growth for the economy.

However, if we were to follow the NDP policy, everything would be lost from the outset, with a $21.5 billion carbon tax and an anti-trade and high-tax agenda. We will not go there.

[Hélène LeBlanc, NDP, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when Caterpillar closed its doors and laid off hundreds of employees in London, it was not in the interests of Canadians.

When Electrolux moved its factory in L'Assomption to Memphis and laid off over a thousand workers, it was not in the interests of Canadians.

When Xstrata laid off hundreds of employees in Sudbury, it was not in the interests of Canadians.

Too often, the Conservatives have failed to stand up for Canadian jobs and interests. Why would it be any different if they allow a Chinese state-owned company to control our natural resources?

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

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the proposed transaction, we will act in the best interests of Canadians. We are going to take as much time as we need to carefully assess the transaction in order to ensure that it will provide a net benefit to Canada.

What is not in the best interests of Canadians is to propose a $21.5 billion carbon tax and then oppose measures to lower taxes for Canadians, lower the GST and lower taxes for small businesses to an all-time low of 15%.

The NDP is opposed to practically everything. That would kill the economy and is not in the best interests of Canadians.

Securities

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' record includes making up stories, exporting our jobs and handing over control of our resources.

It seems as though the Minister of Finance's stubbornness knows no bounds. Even though the Supreme Court rejected his plan to create a single securities commission, and even though there was an outcry from Montreal to Calgary to Victoria, he refuses to budge.

Instead of stubbornly working against the provinces, why not work with them to bring about change, in order to improve the existing passport system for securities?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we will respect the provinces' jurisdiction here.

The Supreme Court of Canada decided that the provincial governments and the Government of Canada had jurisdiction over this issue. We need to work on this some more and talk together, which we are currently doing.

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

Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives truly wanted to work with the provinces on this important economic issue, the Prime Minister would have gone to Halifax to meet with his provincial counterparts or would be on his way there.

During his first attempt, the Minister of Finance chose to go to war with Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia, and after suffering a crushing defeat at the Supreme Court, he is at it once again with a similar plan. The minister's proposal will eliminate jobs, decision-making autonomy and valuable expertise in the provinces.

Why is the minister so obsessed with centralizing the securities commission?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is out of step with what is happening in these discussions in Canada, where a number of provinces, with substantial capital markets, have engaged in very substantive discussions with the Government of Canada on this subject. I have also had a discussion with the minister of finance in Quebec.

The reality is, what the Supreme Court of Canada has said is that the provinces have some legislative competence in this area, constitutionally, and so does the Government of Canada, particularly with respect to systemic risk, which means we must work together if we are to accomplish the goal of greater security for Canadians, an appropriate place internationally for—

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

Mr. Speaker, what we are expecting this time around is that the Minister of Finance has learned his lesson. He did try to force the provinces to agree to his demands and he was shut down by the Supreme Court. His approach was nothing short of unconstitutional.

Therefore. the finance minister's bully tactics will not work. Neither he nor the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, understand that their role is to work with the provinces. Will he change his attitude and will he listen?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite had listened to my answer to the last question. I do not want to repeat all that about what the Supreme Court of Canada decided. I invite the members opposite, including the member who asked the question, to read the decision of the court.

It is very plain that there is dual constitutional competence here. What does that mean? The opposition says that we should work together with the provinces. We are and the provinces are working together with us. The minister of finance for Ontario was here yesterday having a discussion with me about this subject and some other subjects.

The members want us to be working together, we are working together and we intend to achieve the goal together.