Debates of March 2nd, 2012

Government Priorities

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister can rehearse his talking points all he wants, but the proof is in the pudding. The Conservatives have not been able to regulate the oil sands and that is why Americans have rejected Canadian oil.

At the end of the day, it is the Canadian economy that suffers. By placing all our bets on the oil sands, this has resulted in job losses in the manufacturing sector, jobs that are well-paying and family supporting.

Instead of cutting in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, when will the government listen to our economic partners and when will the government put into place a sustainable plan for the development of our natural resources?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, again, my hon. colleague does not seem to understand the estimates. I would invite her to come to the environment committee on the 13th of this month when I will be available to explain all of the detail.

National Defence

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence. What will it be? Will he tell the brave men and women of the Canadian air force that they are going to get less than the 65 jet fighters that he promised them, or is he going to tell the brave men and women of our country, known as the Canadian taxpayers, that he is going to spend way more than the $9 billion that he promised them this project would cost?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would tell the brave men and women of the Royal Canadian Air Force that we will invest in the proper equipment, the equipment that they in fact want, which is the joint strike fighter program.

This is a program the member opposite should be aware of because it actually started under the previous government. This program is moving forward with huge benefits for the Canadian aerospace industry. However, most important, we will have the right aircraft for the 21st century for those brave men and women so they can achieve mission success and come home safely to their families.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans refused to give a straight answer on the question of whether his government was changing DFO's fleet separation and owner-operator policies. If the minister goes ahead with these changes to this long-standing policy, it will mean the end of the inshore fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador and across all of Atlantic Canada. Large processing companies and corporations will take over the fishery and traditional independent fish harvesters will be a thing of the past.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries give us a straight answer? Is the government going to change the owner-operator policy and fleet separation policy, yes or no?

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague will know that Canada has the world's longest coastline and fisheries have been an economic driver in many of our coastal communities. We on this side of the House believe that fisheries should still make a significant contribution to regional and local economies. Therefore, we are presently consulting with Canadians about how to streamline policies and rules to improve opportunities for economic prosperity.

The consultations were due to end February 29 and the minister asked that they be extended to March 14. There is still an opportunity for my colleague and his constituents to provide some input. I encourage him to do so.

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, the Ontario First Nations Economic Developers Association was promised in January that it would receive core funding from Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, but still no funds have arrived and the project manager has added an ultimatum.

Let us look at this for a minute. To receive the funds, it must report on the project. It cannot start the project until it receives the funds. What kind of practice is this? Does the government not want first nations to become economically independent? The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is holding the association in a Catch-22 with no funding.

Why are the Conservatives so dead set on making first nations funding a Catch-22? Will they release the funds?

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the work of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, particularly when it comes to supporting economic development and economic outcomes for first nations communities. Each year we invest in a range of social, educational and economic programs on reserve that are designed to alleviate hardship, reduce poverty, generate wealth creation and improve community well-being.

We continue to work with first nations across the country, provinces and the private sector to improve the lives of first nations people, increase economic opportunities, access to jobs and stronger communities.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the UN is investigating the government's lack of action on the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women and Amnesty International has condemned the government for its failure to take action. The Assembly of First Nations is working on concrete solutions, but not one Conservative member attended its meeting last week. Aboriginal women have waited long enough. The federal government must take action.

When will the Conservatives implement the Assembly of First Nations' recommendations?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, we have taken our responsibility to protect vulnerable women seriously. I am proud that we are the first government to take concrete action to address the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Public Safety

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians gave our government a strong mandate to keep our communities and streets safe. Part of that means ensuring that foreign criminals do not come here to take advantage of our generous immigration system. Our government has taken strong action on this front. However, Craig Scott, the NDP candidate in Toronto—Danforth, has published a report calling a particular judge “biased against criminals”.

While I certainly believe it, and I know all members on this side share that bias, could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety please comment on this report?

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

Mr. Speaker, I find it concerning, but not surprising, that the NDP would extend its soft on crime ideology to attacking a sitting judge. NDP candidate Craig Scott's report was shut down by the courts and described as gratuitous, intemperate, ideological and falling well short of the mark.

Attacking judges for not adopting a left-wing, soft on crime stance shows how irresponsible and reckless the New Democrats are.

Service Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada's unemployment rate is rising. Approximately 135,000 employers and over a million employees are using the job bank website. Unfortunately, this site has been shut down and out of service for weeks now. This site is a crucial tool, with more Canadians than ever before looking for work.

Since the minister took over Service Canada, EI wait times are longer, old age security is out of reach, student job centres are being shut down and now the job bank is out of service.

Will the job bank reopen and when?

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

Mr. Speaker, our number one priority is job creation and the growth of the economy. Getting access to jobs and job information is critical to that. Unfortunately, the job bank did suffer a breach of security. It was limited, but significant. We are taking every step possible to get it back up as quickly as possible. Officials are working around the clock to make that happen. We hope to have it up in just a few days so that people can indeed have access to information to help them get the work they need.

Transport

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

Mr. Speaker, over $1 billion lies dormant in the government's coffers, when that money should be spent on upgrading trade corridors. This government has rejected all of the Port of Montreal's funding applications under the Ontario-Quebec continental gateway initiative.

After demonstrating such a lack of leadership in the transportation sector in the Montreal region, can the minister explain to us why he is so intent on punishing the south shore by refusing to improve road and port infrastructure?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, that question is based on false information.

The member says that we have not invested in infrastructure. In fact, the clear measurement of the quality of our infrastructure is how old it is. This year our infrastructure is younger than at any time in the past three decades. The average age of a piece of infrastructure in this country is 14.5 years. That is two or three years younger than when it reached its peak only a decade ago under the Liberal Party of Canada. That is because of the massive buildup, the massive renewal of infrastructure. We are getting the job done. We are producing results.

Canada-Israel Relations

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after leading a very successful high-level visit to Israel last month, could the Minister of Foreign Affairs please update the House on the state of our bilateral relations with the Jewish state?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, a tough question, but fair. I am very pleased to report to the House that Canada-Israel relations are strong and are getting even stronger. We were very pleased to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to Canada early today. He was especially pleased that the member for Nepean—Carleton could be there at a very early hour for that. He will be here meeting with the Prime Minister and others to discuss international security issues, the Arab Spring and the global economy. Israel, like Canada, is one of the few industrialized countries where the economy is growing and creating jobs. We want to work with the international community to create even more jobs to have more hope, opportunity and prosperity in this country.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, cities like Toronto continue to raise red flags over Conservative backroom trade talks with Europe. They have formally complained that the deal would handcuff their ability to invest in jobs for priority neighbourhoods like my riding. Under this deal, cities like Toronto can no longer require that local jobs go to local workers. Why are the Conservatives so quick to sell out Canadian jobs to the highest foreign bidder and why are they selling out our cities and our workers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the member very clearly that these have been the most transparent, collaborative negotiations that Canada has ever undertaken. We have collaborated broadly with the key stakeholders right across the country. We have collaborated closely with municipalities. I have met with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on more than one occasion to share with it what we are doing in our negotiations. It strongly supports the direction we are going. Trade is a key driver of economic prosperity in Canada. I can assure the member that we will only sign agreements that are in the best interests of Canadians.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, the people in my community are still in shock over the brutal closure of the RockTenn containerboard mill in Matane. Over 100 jobs were lost—they disappeared overnight. This loss will have a major impact on the people in my riding and on the region's economy.

Rather than giving up, people in the community are joining forces and forming a revitalization committee to reopen this state-of-the-art mill, but they need help.

In light of these circumstances, can the Parliamentary Secretary for the Economic Development Agency for the Regions of Quebec make a formal commitment to these people that the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec will meet with them as soon as possible in order to assist them?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question.

Since 2006, the Economic Development Agency of Canada's mission has been to promote the long-term economic development of the regions of Quebec by paying special attention to those where economic growth is slow. In carrying out its mandate, the Agency takes measures to promote co-operation and complementarity with Quebec and its forestry communities. Our government is proud to work in partnership with the Government of Quebec and with Quebec's forestry communities.

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 10 petitions.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to this House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, representing its participation in the bilateral visit to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Asbestos

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to introduce a petition signed by literally thousands of Canadians all across the country who call upon the House of Commons and Parliament assembled to take note that asbestos is the greatest industrial killer that the world has ever known.

The petitioners say that more Canadians now die from asbestos than from all other industrial and occupational causes combined. Yet Canada remains one of the largest producers and exporters of asbestos in the world. They also point out that Canada spends millions of dollars subsidizing the asbestos industry and blocking international efforts to curb its use.

Therefore, these petitioners call upon Parliament to ban asbestos in all of its forms and institute a just transition program for asbestos workers in the communities they live in, and to end all government subsidies of asbestos both in Canada and abroad. They also call upon Parliament to stop blocking international health and safety conventions designed to protect workers from asbestos, such as the Rotterdam Convention.