Debates of Dec. 6th, 2012

Public Safety

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we have made it very clear that we see no benefit to the long gun registry. It was for that reason we ended the long gun registry. However, we have indicated that we must continue to implement measures that, in fact, target the criminal use of firearms.

As the Prime Minister mentioned a moment or so ago, we have taken very strong and clear measures to prevent the criminal use of firearms. I would ask the member to start supporting those measures.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister could perhaps tell us if he would now consider, in light of the recommendations that have come out of this particular committee, adding the chiefs of police to the group of people who will be on the committee, as well as those who are engaged in combatting domestic violence and those who are dealing with suicide prevention.

Would the Prime Minister agree that the perspective of those groups might be helpful in reaching a more balanced approach than the one we appear to have?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I want to emphasize that the positions in this report do not reflect the positions of the government.

I will take the advice of the leader of the Liberal Party under consideration. Obviously, I am very concerned with some of the recommendations made in that report, and I think the committee does need some re-examination in that light.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is not often that I get to tell the Prime Minister that I appreciate his response. I think this represents a small step forward in the discussions.

I hope he will also consider the possibility of discussing violence against women. Once again, what can we do to ensure that the viewpoints of victims in these situations will be considered during the committee meetings held to come up with advice for the Attorney General?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think I answered that question. I rarely appreciate this question from the Liberal Party leader.

Let me add that what animates this government in all measures of public security is the safety of Canadian communities and our streets. We have taken a number of measures to help victims; obviously, the establishment of a victims ombudsman and victims strategy. We will continue to move forward in ways that make sure victims' perspectives on these matters are always understood.

National Defence

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during the course of question period, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services made what I thought was an astonishing admission when she stated with respect to the F-35 committee that in fact, after the Auditor General's report, their work was open and transparent, which implies that before the Auditor General's report the opposite was the case.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister if he could explain why the report we have all been waiting for, the KPMG report, is still on the desk of the minister and has not been shared with the House. We have about 10 days to go before the end of the session. Can we have the assurance of the government that we will in fact have this material before the House adjourns in the middle of December?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think the leader of the Liberal Party has taken an inference in a particular answer that clearly was not there.

The government has said repeatedly that it is following the seven-point plan in terms of responding to the Auditor General's report, and the government intends to respond to all of those things in full time with full due diligence and in a way that conveys full information.

Status of Women

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians will pause for a moment today to think of the 14 women who were killed simply because they were women. We need to pay greater attention to issues related to gender equality, such as the closure of 12 Status of Women Canada offices and the shutting down of dozens of women's organizations across the country, the attacks on pay equity, the cancellation of child care funding and many other measures.

Will the minister commit to putting her words into action when it comes to issues related to gender equality in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of Status of Women's record in dealing with issues, particularly addressing the issue of ending violence against women.

We have now increased our funding for projects to end violence against women to its highest in Canadian history. In fact, since 2007, we have now funded more than 550 projects across Canada. Most recently, just a few weeks ago, we announced 21 projects across the country to deal specifically with violence against women on college and university campuses.

We will continue to work with all parties in the House to end violence against women.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has done nothing but let Canadian women down every step of the way. Violence remains a reality for far too many women in Canada. Every Canadian deserves to be safe. Unfortunately for so many Canadian women, that is not the case. Tragically, more than 600 aboriginal women are missing and murdered in our country.

We can do better and we must do better. Will the government commit to working with aboriginal women to launch a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada?

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, this government is showing leadership in taking concrete action on this tragic issue. Unlike the opposition, who are against bills like Bill S-2 to protect aboriginal women from violence, as part of our $25 million investment over five years into our missing and murdered aboriginal women's strategy, we have taken a number of measures: implemented recommendations from the January 2012 report; established a national centre for missing persons; enhanced law enforcement; supported pilot projects to reduce vulnerability; supported victim services that are culturally appropriate; and developed a comprehensive list of best practices.

We are working—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Alfred-Pellan.

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

Mr. Speaker, we need this inquiry, and these women must not be ignored. Violence against aboriginal women is a serious problem in Canada.

Aboriginal women are three times more likely to be victims of violence than non-aboriginal women. This is an absolute crisis situation. All women should feel safe in a country like ours.

Will the government finally work in partnership with aboriginal organizations to launch a national inquiry into the cases of murdered and missing aboriginal women?

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted with the question from the opposition because it allows me to go on and on about everything we are doing in this area, such as we have supported the development of public awareness materials.

The truth is that I am proud to be a Canadian woman and part of this government because our record on looking after victims and standing up for law-abiding Canadians, particularly women, has no equal in this House.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, too often, violence against women is not considered a threat to public safety when, in fact, a woman is killed by her partner every six days and, every day, an average of 3,000 women have to seek refuge in shelters for abused women.

Will the Minister of Public Safety finally make combatting violence against women a priority?

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

Mr. Speaker, all of us are on the same page with respect to violence against women and making our communities safer and stronger. I appreciate the words of the Prime Minister. We have been very clear in regard to firearms. We will not be eliminating the prohibited category of firearms.

We have heard from the Minister for Status of Women about the good work we have been doing to help stop violence against women. We want to make sure that people do not get guns who should not have guns, and that the people who commit violent acts are in jail. We want to make sure women have shelter.

Together, we want to protect the women in this country.

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, it is time to put words into real action. The availability of women's shelters is crucial for reducing violence against women. Of the aboriginal women living in remote areas, 70% do not have access to shelters. Both the Native Women's Association of Canada and the ministerial representative agree that increasing shelter funding should be the first step in creating a matrimonial real property regime, but the government has not acted yet.

Will the minister stand today and commit to raising core funding for on reserve shelters?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting first nations children and families. We support more than 40 women's shelters across Canada. We have increased child and family services funding by 25% and invested in family violence protection. We have also introduced legislation to protect the rights of women on reserve.

We will continue to work with first nations to ensure that children and families have the support they need.

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, violence against aboriginal women is a public health crisis. Shelters provide front-line health services to first nations, Inuit and Métis people. However, overcrowding and limited resources mean that women are not getting the help they need. Shelters struggle to stay afloat and have difficulty navigating the mess of short-term funding programs.

There is no excuse. Will the minister commit to increasing core funding for women's shelter's on reserve, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, we believe the best way to ensure first nation children and families get the support and services they need is by working together with first nations, the provinces and the territories. Our commitment to supporting first nation children and families is clear. We have significantly increased funding and partnerships to enable first nation children and families to access the services they need.

Housing

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, access to emergency or permanent housing is essential for women who want to escape violence. Every year, 100,000 women and children are forced out of their homes. Affordable housing is critical. Yet Canada is the only G8 country that still does not have a national housing strategy.

Will the government finally develop a housing strategy to guarantee women who are trying to escape violence a safe place to live?

The NDP has a bill to this effect. Will the Conservatives support it?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that all Canadians deserve safe and affordable housing. That is why we are investing in creating over 600,000 housing units per year across Canada. Unlike the members of the NDP, who just want to talk, we are taking action.

International Co-operation

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, empty promises and hollow words are not enough. We want to see action not only in Canada but also around the world. The Minister of International Cooperation has a very important role to play in promoting gender equality and women's sexual health abroad.

Yet when he appeared before the committee, he said that CIDA would no longer fund projects that promoted all reproductive choices.

Why is the minister trying to put anti-abortion ideology ahead of women's choices regarding their own health?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, that playback is totally out of context with the discussion that was taking place at the time.

Nonetheless, we are committed to newborn child health and it is a matter of priority throughout the needy world. We are as concerned and conscientious about women's health as we are about children. We will continue to do the work on all of these issues, as we are and have been all along.

Status of Women

[Sana Hassainia, NDP, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the UN has said that reproductive choices are fundamental rights. Ideology should never take precedence over women's health.

Many were shocked to see the Minister for Status of Women vote in favour of reopening the abortion debate. We know that many women and men wrote to her to let her know that they did not want a rollback of women's rights.

Will the minister change her position and commit today to defending women's rights?