Debates of Dec. 3rd, 2012

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, NDP, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, to fulfill its mandate of healing and reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada must have access to the documentation. The fact that the commission had to go to court to get the documents it needs goes against the principle behind the apology made in the House.

The commission may not be able to complete its work on time and within the budget it was given.

Do the Conservatives really want to get to the bottom of what happened in the Indian residential schools?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we have already turned over a million documents. We are working with 22 other departments.

This is a court-supervised process. It involves the churches. It involves all of the other stakeholders, and it involves 22 departments. We are working with all of them, and we are doing our very best to make sure this process is completed in 2013.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Conservative mismanagement has meant that some people are just being left behind.

On Friday, the minister held a news conference and used strong language about Hungary's treatment of the Roma. He spoke of “crazy and hateful xenophobic nutbars”. Yet he is planning to declare Hungary a safe country.

The minister loves to talk about bogus refugees from countries like the EU and Hungary, but will the minister now admit that his plans are flawed and he could be rejecting legitimate refugees?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure we join with all members of this place in condemning the attitudes and actions of organizations like Jobbik and the Magyar Guarda in Hungary.

As it relates to the designated country list for our new fast and fair asylum system, that has not yet been fully determined or published.

I can point out, however, that it is peculiar that the European Union is the number one source region for asylum claims to Canada, that Canada gets 98% of Hungarian asylum claims filed worldwide and that about 95% of those claims are abandoned or withdrawn by the claimants themselves or subsequently rejected by our fair and generous Immigration and Refugee Board.

We are here to provide real protection to real refugees, but to discourage false claims.

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite the fact that the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism has done an about-face with regard to the statements he made about Hungary, he can no longer ignore the chaos that has reigned since the Buffalo visa office was closed. Some people have been waiting for over two years for news about the status of their application for permanent residence. The minister says that applications are being processed in Ottawa.

Can the minister tell us how much longer it will take for these applications to be processed and exactly how many people are affected?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, my answer does not have to do specifically with the program, but I can tell the hon. member that we expect that most of the files that were transferred from Buffalo will be processed within a few months. In fact, in most areas of immigration, new applications submitted to Ottawa are being processed more quickly than they would have been during the same period last year in Buffalo. For example, applications from Quebec-selected skilled workers are being processed in nine months at the new Ottawa office as compared to the 15 months it would have taken the Buffalo office.

The Environment

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as countries gather at the UN climate conference in Doha, Canada has already won two fossil awards, because the government has undermined global efforts to address climate change.

This week, Canada ranked 58 out of 61 countries on climate policy, trailed only by Kazakhstan, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Canadian is listed as the worst performer in the developed world. When will the minister and his failed sector-by-sector approach take real action on climate change and end the international humiliation?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party has no basis to even talk to this issue when all it has had with regard to climate change policy is a 30% increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a $15 billion carbon tax and a dog named Kyoto.

When we compare that with our track record, we are seeing a stabilization of greenhouse gas emission growth and we have also seen our economy grow. We are getting it done.

Foreign Affairs

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago today, world leaders, MPs and NGOs gathered here in Ottawa to sign the Ottawa treaty to ban anti-personnel landmines, which unanimously passed. Since then, Canada has been one of the leading funders for the removal effort. However, under the Conservative government, the funding for the landmine clearance has been cut.

Canada has gone from being in the top five to, now, number ten. Will the government commit to renew funding for the landmines clearance and return Canada to a leadership role?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can be very proud of the role our government played in the Ottawa treaty. Lloyd Axworthy, one of my predecessors, as a distinguished foreign minister, worked very hard on this issue. Canada continues to be a top 10 funder of this.

Canada also has other priorities and other challenges that it seeks to tackle, particularly the Prime Minister's leadership on maternal health. It is something that Canadians can be equally excited about, the international leadership that has been shown by another Government of Canada.

Persons with Disabilities

[Manon Perreault, NDP, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. We represent 15% of Canadians.

In 2010, the government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The agreement stated that in April 2012 a report would be submitted on steps taken to improve the living conditions of Canadians with disabilities. Eight months later, the Conservatives still have not fulfilled their obligations.

Where is the report? When will it be tabled? This time, I hope I get a real answer.

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

Mr. Speaker, no government has done as much as we have to help those with disabilities.

For instance, we set up the RDSP to help families save for the future. We have also asked for a report, which I expect to receive very soon, on how to help people with disabilities enter Canada's labour market.

We want to help these people, that is what we are doing and we want the NDP's support.

[Mike Sullivan, NDP, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at their record instead. Conservatives have refused to adequately fund the public service disability insurance plan and they used the enabling accessibility fund almost exclusively for Conservative ridings, refusing other worthy projects.

On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, it is clear Conservatives have failed to support Canadians with disabilities. When will the government keep its international promises and get behind fair and balanced programs?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have been doing exactly that, and at every single step of the way the NDP has opposed that action. It has opposed the working income tax benefit. It opposed the enabling accessibility fund that has benefited over 800 new projects that have increased accessibility for all persons within Canada. It even opposed the opportunities fund, which helps Canadians with disabilities prepare for the workplace, to get out there and become more self-reliant and independent.

We are the ones working to help people with disabilities become included in society. It is too bad the NDP opposes us every step of the way.

The Economy

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government is focused on the economy, and we are getting results, with over 820,000 net new jobs created since July 2009. We are getting those results through low taxes, cutting taxes over 140 times and lowering the tax bill for Canadian families by over $3,100 a year. We are also leaving more money in the hands of entrepreneurs to grow and create more jobs.

Today, PricewaterhouseCoopers released a new report confirming we are on the right track. Could the Minister of State for Finance tell the House what the report had to say?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Chatham-Kent—Essex for his question. That is accurate. PricewaterhouseCoopers today confirmed that, due to our government's actions, Canada has one of the best tax systems to help businesses create jobs. In fact, we have moved up three spots. We now rank in the top 10, earning high praise for low taxes and less red tape.

Let me quote from that report. It states that Canada has “attractive tax regimes, which impact all companies—in particular small-medium sized domestic companies”.

Transport

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, from grain to lumber, from chemicals to cars, captive shippers have been asking for legislation since 2007 to provide enforceable level of service contracts. After five years, will we finally see that legislation this week?

Without discrimination, will all level of service contracts include six mandatory elements: services and obligations, communication rules, performance standards, performance metrics, consequences for non-performance, and a dispute settlement mechanism? Will we get that legislation this week?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it is very interesting to hear that from a member who has been here for 13 years before and had done absolutely nothing.

We will fix it. We said that we would introduce a bill during the fall and we will do it.

Aerospace Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the Emerson report confirms what many people already knew. The Conservatives are not doing enough for Canada's aerospace industry. Our industry is even falling behind. Tomorrow, the Conservatives will be passing a massive budget bill in which they cut research and development tax credits just when the industry needs them the most. This makes no sense.

Other governments are fighting for their industry. Why are the Conservatives sitting back and doing nothing rather than protecting jobs that belong to Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, David Emerson tabled his report last week, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his excellent work.

This is important because we have an excellent aerospace industry. Our industry ranks fifth in the world, but we must not rest on our laurels. Our government has a vision, and we need the expertise of outside consultants to know where we will be in 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. Right now, Canada is the best place to invest, and Canada is the country with the best corporate tax system.

We want to continue to lead in the aerospace industry, and we hope that the NDP will support us in our endeavours, for once.

The Environment

[Wai Young, Conservative, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions increased by a whopping 27%. In the words of the former Liberal leader, “We didn't get it done”.

On the other hand, we have the NDP that has already told Canadians that it would implement a $21 billion job killing, tax on everything carbon tax.

Would the parliamentary secretary update this House on the outcome and accomplishments of this government's climate change efforts to date?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government's record when it comes climate change is that we are over halfway to achieving our Copenhagen target in 2020. Our greenhouse gas emissions in this country have stabilized. We are working with vulnerable countries to come up with climate change adaptation measures. We are working with communities in the north to build strong infrastructure to respond to climate change. We are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in climate change research. Our government is getting it done.

Canadian Heritage

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if it were up to the Conservatives, Canadians would know nothing about Luc Plamondon and André Gagnon. These artists, influential pillars of the Quebec cultural scene, do not exist on the Library and Archives Canada site. Although the Conservatives would have us believe that budget cuts have no impact, this situation is a sad reminder that this is not true.

When I asked the minister about putting the brakes on cuts to Library and Archives Canada last week, he replied that his choices enhance access to content. What content? Content that does not exist? Will he stop taking us for fools and put an end to these ideological cuts?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague may not believe our record when it comes to arts and culture but here is who does.

This is what Joe Rotman, chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, said about the budget that we will be voting on this year. He said, “This government clearly appreciates the positive contribution the arts have to the economy and the identity of this country”.

The member may not think that I am perhaps the best spokesperson for the arts but here is who does. Simon Brault, president of Culture Montreal, said, “Funding for the Canada Council of the Arts will remain intact and we owe a debt of gratitude to this government for listening to artists”.

Natural Resources

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the government was preparing to announce its unfair funding for the Lower Churchill project, the Quebec National Assembly unanimously reiterated its opposition to federal assistance. The Bloc Québécois was the only party in the House to condemn the great unfairness of Ottawa using Quebeckers' money to support projects that are counter to their economic interests and that will compete directly with Hydro-Québec, a government entity that the Quebec nation built itself.

How can this government, with the support of the Liberals and the NDP, have such disregard for the interests of Quebec?