Debates of Dec. 5th, 2012

Aboriginal Affairs

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, four years ago, the Prime Minister worked together with Jack Layton to draft an historic apology to first nations for the residential schools tragedy. However, an apology is only words if it is not followed by actions.

The Conservatives have failed to live up to their promise to build a new relationship with first nations. Yesterday, first nations leaders were on Parliament Hill calling for action.

Will the Prime Minister take the first step by handing over the millions of documents currently being withheld from the residential schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission? Yes or no.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this government was very proud to deliver that long awaited apology for the tragedy of the residential schools. The fact is that the Government of Canada has already disclosed nearly one million documents to the commission. The commission is now seeking some documents, which the government believes are outside of its mandate, such as, for example, personal records of survivors given in confidence to the government. The government is certainly willing to let the courts decide what is appropriate in this matter.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in a recent speech, the Senior Executive Vice-President and Vice Chairman of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Jim Prentice, said that he thought the duty to consult on the part of the Crown with the first nations of Canada was a fundamental obligation that applied to the Government of Canada and could not, in fact, be subcontracted to any other agency and that the failure of the Government of Canada to recognize this threatened economic development right across northern Canada.

Would the Prime Minister care to comment on that statement?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government recognizes that the duty to consult, in many cases, is an absolute legal obligation of the government and the government is prepared to fulfill its legal obligations. The government's legislation in this area, its new comprehensive reforms to environmental and related processes, ensures that the government does just that.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is quite nonsensical because in the northern gateway situation, in fact the government has delegated to the National Energy Board the responsibility to carry out the consultation. What this effectively means is that the first nations in Alberta and British Columbia are not being given the respect that they need and deserve. It is respect and dignity for which people are looking and it is respect and dignity that leaves people demonstrating outside, instead of being consulted by the Crown and by the federal Government of Canada.

Why is the federal government not leading in this area?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I actually think it is the questions of the leader of the Liberal Party that are nonsensical.

As he indicated in his own preamble, the government and its agencies take very seriously their responsibility under the law to fulfill their duties to aboriginal consultation and our reforms of law ensure those will be done in a comprehensive manner, in a more effective manner, frankly, than it has been done in the past.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the vast majority of negotiations between the federal government and Canada's aboriginal peoples have lasted over 11 years. In some cases, they have lasted over 20 years. To date, the government has not resolved the differences of opinion or found effective and fair solutions. That is why we are seeing conditions of inequality in aboriginal communities, which are not the same in any other country or any other part of Canada.

Why does the government not understand that it must consult—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The Right Hon. Prime Minister.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do not understand the question. First, the member said that we do not consult aboriginal peoples, and then he said that the consultations last too long. The reality is that the government is conducting consultations and is making progress.

We have made important investments into education, into safe drinking water, into homes for families, into skills training, into negotiations of claims, reform of the specific claims agreement. In every case, the members of the Liberal Party have voted against these measures. We are very proud that we are making progress.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders came to Parliament Hill yesterday to speak out against the Conservatives' bad faith. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada is being forced to use the courts to get all the residential school documents from the government. The apologies mean nothing if the relationship with the first nations is not based on respect.

Will the Conservatives stop hiding information?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has just responded, we have responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We have turned over almost a million documents. We will fully comply by summer of next year, in terms of the documents that we are planning to turn over from 23 federal departments. We are being taken to court. We have a disagreement as to which documents are appropriate, but we are prepared to listen to the court's advice.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, what about the library and archive documents? First nations have had enough of bad faith in the government. It is time to live up to our word.

Four years a go that Prime Minister promised reconciliation with aboriginal peoples and all Canadians. However, dozens of chiefs are gathering in Ottawa to talk about the unfulfilled promises of section 35 rights. They want honest dialogue based on respect and recognition of rights.

Will the Prime Minister respond in good faith, or will the Conservatives continue down the reckless path of ignoring legitimate concerns of Canada's first peoples?

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

Mr. Speaker, in less than one year since the Crown-First Nations Gathering, we have made real progress for first nations communities. We have invested $275 million for additional funding for education, an addition $330 million to improve the safety of first nations drinking water, additional money for the family violence protection program and we have launched a joint task force on economic development.

We continue to work with first nations in a productive enhancement of their quality of life.

Search and Rescue

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the email trail about contracting out of marine medical emergency calls shows clear evidence of Conservative incompetence. The process is badly mismanaged. One military official said, “As we have seen in other high profile search and rescue issues, rational thinking does not apply”.

Is the Minister of National Defence now willing to admit his Italian experiment was reckless, or will he at least have the decency to stand and explain why his department pushed this irrational move to have medical emergency calls answered in Rome?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the top priority of the Canadian Coast Guard is the safety of our mariners. There was an interruption in services, which has since been rectified. We have a contract with a Canadian company that is taking all the medical calls.

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

Mr. Speaker, closing the Quebec City search and rescue centre is another example of this government's improvisation. Francophone mariners still have no guarantee that services will be available in their language.

The fiasco of medical emergency calls being answered in Italy came about because of the ill-advised closure of the St. John's centre.

Will the Conservatives learn from their mistakes and forego plans to close the Quebec City centre, or will they continue to endanger the lives of our mariners?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the safety of mariners is our top priority. We are confident that the changes we are making in Quebec City will have no negative impact on the ability to respond to distress incidents on the water, quickly, effectively and in both official languages.

[Ryan Cleary, NDP, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, rerouting marine medical emergency calls to Italy is simply outrageous. How can the Conservatives not get this? How was this not obvious?

When this was first raised, Conservatives claimed this was an interim measure. We now know that was wrong. National Defence wanted the policy changed permanently. It took an emergency at sea to change its ridiculous plan.

Will the Minister of National Defence stand and take responsibility for this failed policy, or will he continue to allow his department to make senseless decisions that put the lives at mariners at risk?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of mariners is our top priority and I can assure the hon. member that the policy is that a Canadian company will take all medical calls.

National Defence

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not so long ago, everything was going well in the Conservatives' little F-35 fantasy world. But that was before the technical problems and cost issues came to light.

The Conservatives thought they could buy 65 planes for $9 billion. That is impossible. Furthermore, the Prime Minister and the entire Conservative cabinet knew that.

Why did they try to convince Canadians that the F-35 was the right kind of plane, when all the documentation proving otherwise was in Conservative hands all along?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that no funds have been spent on the acquisition of any new aircraft. In fact, the government has made a decision to press reset on this process.

We have set up a secretariat to do the due diligence necessary and do a full options analysis before we spend any funds on replacing the CF-18s.

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

“Reset” and “refresh” are the new spin words, Mr. Speaker. However, not so long ago the Minister of National Defence was unwavering in stating, “This is the right plane, this is the right number, this is the right aircraft for our Canadian forces and Canada”.

Now he has lost that loving feeling. Gross Conservative mismanagement has caused it all to come crumbling down around him and he sits and sits.

Will any minister stand up and apologize for deceiving Canadians?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Again, Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that no funds have been spent on the acquisition of any new aircraft. The member agrees with me, I know, and everyone in the chamber I am sure does, that we do need to replace our aging fleet of CF-18s. However, before we do that, we have set up a process to make sure that all of the costs for the F-35 are verified, that this be public and there be full transparency in this process.

All options are on the table and we will make sure that we take all of those steps before making any decisions to replace the CF-18.

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, and still he sits, with cover gamely provided by the Minister of Public Works. Yet here is what she once had to say about holding a competition to replace the CF-18, that it “would risk the future of our aerospace industry because any delays, frankly, would be slamming the door shut on Canadian jobs”. Yet today the Conservatives have committed just shy of a billion dollars to the joint strike fighter program and Canadian companies have received less than half of that in contracts. Billions of dollars in industrial benefits have been forgone.

Are they finally prepared to start an open and transparent process?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, that open and transparent process started right after the Auditor General's report. We accepted his recommendation and we put in place a process to ensure there is full due diligence and transparency—