House of Commons Hansard #99 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was refugees.
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the official opposition seems to be suggesting today that somehow the transfers to the provinces have not kept pace. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Transfers to the provinces for health, education and social services have never been higher in the history of Canada. Federal support has reached historic levels at $60.9 billion, and will continue to grow every year through 2024.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, what he is not saying is that those are under old agreements and that since May 2 the Conservatives have been working to push those transfers down.
The reality is, Conservatives promised they would not attack retirement security and they are breaking their promise. Even Conservatives know that OAS is sustainable. The PBO says so. The government's own actuarial tables say so.
Provinces will have to find more money for seniors in already stretched budgets.
Canadians believe seniors should live in dignity, so why are the Conservatives cutting OAS? Why are they not listening to seniors who are phoning, writing and emailing members' offices? Why did they hide this agenda from the Canadian public in the last election—
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour.
Kellie Leitch ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, I will not speculate on the budget, but our government started this debate on old age security in an effort to protect future generations of Canadians.
Old age security will become unsustainable on its current course. Ignoring this problem is simply dangerous for young Canadians like me. Our government is working to sustain OAS for Canadians today and future generations. Canadians can be proud of our Canadian retirement system. We are living up to our promises.
I ask the NDP members, why did they not vote for our increase in GIS or any of those other things that support seniors in this country?
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Mr. Speaker, the government has its priorities all wrong.
Job numbers in Canada are still going down. This month, 2,600 Aveos workers abruptly lost their jobs. As good paying jobs vanish, more Canadians will need the EI benefits they paid for all of their working lives.
However, the Conservatives are trying to save money on the backs of Canadians to pay for their ineffective prison agenda and blind corporate tax cuts. These are the wrong priorities.
Will they protect the EI services that Canadian families rely on?
Kellie Leitch ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, our government's top priority is job creation and economic growth.
This year, as in other years, we have added resources into the EI system to make sure that those individuals who are eligible for EI receive the benefits they need.
We want to make sure that every Canadian in this country who wants to work has an opportunity to work. Our program, our economic action plan, has delivered on that.
We ask the NDP members, why will they not ever support us on these initiatives to get Canadians working?
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Mr. Speaker, the facts simply do not support the parliamentary secretary. Since 2007, the Conservatives have been cutting jobs at Service Canada. This is penalizing unemployed Canadians who have played by the rules, worked hard all of their lives, but who now cannot get the benefits they paid for.
Thousands of Canadians are forced to wait more than four months just to receive their EI benefit. Families in need cannot afford to wait that long for their cheques.
Will the minister protect families by guaranteeing there will be no further cuts to Service Canada in the next budget?
Kellie Leitch ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, again I will not speculate on the budget, but over the last number of weeks we have added over 475 employees to our processing efforts in order to process EI claims, and we have shifted over 120 staff from part time to full time. We are doing what we need to do to make sure that Canadians are receiving the services they need.
I ask the NDP to support us in our efforts, as they never have before, to make sure that we are supporting Canadians in getting the jobs they need and the support they need.
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, there is no limit to the government's disdain for Canadian workers. First, the Minister of Labour takes away the right to collective bargaining. Then she takes away the freedom of speech by calling the cops when workers show their displeasure.
Why does the minister have so little respect for Air Canada employees?
When will the minister get up and apologize to the workers of Air Canada, or is she, like the Treasury Board minister, just saying, “See you on WestJet”?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, I do hope that the opposition members listen carefully to what I am about to say because I would hate for them to make the mistake of repeating that untruth outside this place or inside this place again.
The description of what just happened did not happen. There was no conversation with any workers. We acted on behalf of the public interest and the national economy by passing Bill C-33 in order to ensure that there would be services for Canadians and to ensure that we protected the economy. That is what we did.
We are on the side of Canadians. We are not on the side of the big union bosses.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, details on the fraudulent calls made by the infamous Pierre Poutine have been leaked by Conservatives to some journalists. The Conservatives have a list of voters who were denied their right to vote. They know who received the calls, and I suspect they know who made the calls. In any event, they are not telling the whole truth.
Did the Prime Minister's Office give the order to provide the media with information on the ongoing investigation in order to spin the story? Does Elections Canada have the same information? When will there be a public inquiry into this scandal?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member cannot make a false allegation true simply by repeating it louder and louder. The reality is that Elections Canada has the authority to conduct an investigation and the Conservative Party will co-operate. We have followed all the rules and we will continue to do so.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, the vote fraud investigator for Elections Canada has confirmed in a sworn affidavit that there was a second voter suppression campaign but, get this, instead of impersonating Elections Canada, they were actually impersonating Liberals. My God, is there nothing they will not do to try and win?
We know there were over 7,000 calls made on election day by Pierre Poutine. The Conservatives said they know nothing about it, but then leaked all kinds of details to journalists. When will they stop using fake names, fake excuses, come clean with the Canadian people and call a public inquiry?
Dean Del Mastro ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for 8 Mile for the question. He has been trying to give this party a bad rap with no evidence whatsoever, but on Friday night he gave all Canadians a bad rap. I will simply say I am not afraid to stand and defend our party, but he is not The Real Slim Shady.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, instead of trying to hip-hop over the issue, why do we not deal with the real gangster rap, which is the growing rap sheet of ethical violations under the Conservative government? Step forward, industry minister. He broke the rules. The Prime Minister promised he was going to drain the ethical swamp in Ottawa. Instead, the swamp is up around the cabinet table.
When are the Conservatives going to boot that guy out of caucus and do the right thing for Canadians?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)
Mr. Speaker, I accept the conclusions of the commissioner. The commissioner recognized that there was never an attempt to influence public servants. The company in question never secured a contract and there was never any prospect or question of an advantage on my part. However, in the future, I will take further precautions when approached by Canadians seeking more information about the services and programs delivered by their government.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are not talking about a mere oversight. The Minister of Industry violated the Conflict of Interest Act. That is a serious matter, yet the industry minister has not even been given a slap on the wrist. He was simply told not to do it again. The Conservatives have no qualms about giving huge responsibilities to someone who plays favourites with his friends.
Is the Prime Minister really going to allow someone with such low ethical standards to be a member of his cabinet?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)
Mr. Speaker, I accept the conclusions of the commissioner. Once again, the commissioner recognized that there was never an attempt to influence public servants' decisions. Also, the company in question never secured a contract. There was never any question of an advantage on my part.
In the future, I will take further precautions when approached by Canadians seeking more information about the services and programs delivered by their government.
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, while the other two parties are arguing about hip hop and rap, 2,800 people are losing their jobs right now. One of the fundamental problems is that this government does not seem to have a transport minister. The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities should be there to protect the interests of Parliament and the interests of Canadians, and to enforce the law.
The Air Canada Public Participation Act was created for two reasons: the security and continued existence of maintenance centres in Mississauga, Winnipeg and Montreal. The minister has not even met with Air Canada yet. What is he waiting for to enforce the law and protect the workers, who have come to listen to us?
Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I know that the workers in this sector, as in many others, are in a very difficult situation right now. In my riding, 3,000 forestry jobs have been lost, and I know that it is not easy for families. That being said, this is the same law that was in place when the member was in government. It has not changed, and at the time, they themselves said that these were private companies.
Today, I asked the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to call on all of the witnesses. If the member has questions for Air Canada, Aveos, the unions or any of the other stakeholders, he can ask them, because he is a member of the committee. After that, the committee will send me a report.
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is not about writing reports and asking questions. This is about the minister doing his job.
When we were in government, we respected maintenance centres. That is the law. The Conservatives were the ones who brought it in. It is clear and it is guaranteed. Even deputy ministers say that it is so important that it cannot be touched because it is the law.
Now the Conservatives want to transfer the jobs to a $21-million hangar in Windsor, and the minister's government is putting $4 million into that. When will the government protect and help families instead of letting a minister take over human resources management for Air Canada? What will the government do to protect those families?
Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, last week, I heard the responses given by the mayor of Montreal and all the mayoral candidates.
The law is the law. Under the Air Canada Public Participation Act, Air Canada is required to keep its maintenance centres in Montreal, Mississauga and Winnipeg. We are following developments and will continue to do so. This is a complicated matter. This law was analyzed in the distant past, and it has not changed since 1988. We are going to act diligently in the interests of all Canadians.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. Air Canada is breaking the law. It is as simple as that.
Thousands of Canadians are now unemployed because the government chooses to do nothing in terms of trying to deal with those employees and in fact the law.
The law is clear. The corporation is to maintain operational and overhaul centres in the city of Winnipeg, the Montreal urban community, and the city of Mississauga. That is the law. The government says it is tough on crime. It is time to get tough on Air Canada.
Is the government going to change the law, or is it going to enforce the law? It is a simple question.
Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I understand that it is devastating for workers who have lost their jobs.
Today I have asked the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to hear Aveos, Air Canada and the union as soon as possible and report its conclusions to me.
The law is the law. Air Canada will have to respect it.
Christine Moore NDP Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, for months, the NDP has been saying that the Conservatives did not do their homework on the F-35s. Now, the Auditor General is about to prove us right: there was no open bidding process, cost estimates were unrealistic, the government had no plan B and the decision-making process was problematic.
Will the government finally admit that it did not do its homework on the F-35s, and will it do what is needed to rectify the situation?