Debates of May 11th, 2012

Canada Revenue Agency

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians volunteer and donate to charities and NGOs to help build a better Canada.

The non-profit and charitable sector employs millions and it is worth billions to our economy, at little cost to the taxpayer. Yet the Conservative government is engaged in a political witch hunt designed to muzzle and punish anyone who disagrees with it. If an NGO does not agree with the government, the government will undermine, audit and demonize the NGO and eliminate its funds.

Why is the government trying to systematically dismantle this vital part of Canadian society?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, we agree that charities are a vital part of Canadian society.

I want to be clear: the rules for allowed charitable activities are long-standing and are not being changed. We understand that charities do great work across the country, and we encourage Canadians to donate generously. When Canadians donate to charities, they want to know their donation is being used for its intended purpose.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been attacking the reputations of NGOs with which it disagrees.

The environment minister is quick to deflect questions about his shameful attacks by citing the work of a Senate committee on the NGO issue. Unfortunately, this Liberal-proposed study in the Senate has been blocked by Conservatives in the Senate.

Will the government commit to holding fair and thorough hearings on this very important issue? Will the environment minister appear before the Senate committee to explain his outrageous accusations against reputable Canadian charities?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, we have announced measures in our budget to provide more education to charities to ensure they are operating within the law and to provide more transparency for those Canadians who donate so generously.

In order to protect Canadians' interests, we have a duty to ensure these organizations are operating properly and in compliance with federal laws. We are taking action so that Canadians can be assured that charities are using their resources appropriately.

Veterans Affairs

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the House could get an update from the Minister of National Defence as to how he is getting along with reading the Federal Court judgment that ordered the Conservatives to stop clawing back veterans' pensions.

When I first asked the minister about that on May 1, he said it had been only a few hours since the court had issued the ruling and he needed time. Now it has been 10 days. Is the minister prepared to tell the House he will not appeal the ruling, or does he need more time to read the 31 pages?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell the legal expert opposite that this is, of course, a case that has gone on for years. It is a case that is being reviewed by the Department of Justice. A decision will be coming.

Budget

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is all well and fine for the government to try to dress up its budget bill with some slogans, but the fact remains that this bill will affect almost every aspect of Canadians' lives. Now the Conservatives want to go even further and avoid any in-depth debate.

Why do the Conservatives want to prevent Canadians from having a say on this bill? Are they afraid that if Canadians know too much, they will reject the bill?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the debate we have had on this budget is the longest budget debate of the past two decades.

With our economic action plan, we have successfully created more than 58,000 new jobs in the past month. That is a huge success.

It is thanks to the economic action plan we have been pursuing that Canada has had economic success, different from virtually every other country in the world. We have to stay on that path. That is why we are delivering on our budget.

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to inform the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons that more than half of the budget implementation bill contains measures that were not announced in the budget.

We are talking about the health of Canadians, their retirement, the future of their children and of our environment. With the cuts to public services and social programs, this government has already clearly lost the support of Canadians.

Like a Trojan Horse, this bill is hiding measures and cuts like those imposed on the Commissioner of Official Languages.

Why are the Conservatives refusing to be transparent and accountable?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we have a comprehensive economic action plan.

Our budget seeks to ensure Canada's economic success in the short and medium term, and indeed long-term prosperity. That plan includes harnessing the tremendous potential Canada has in our resources, in the most skilled workforce in the world. An important part of that plan is working to ensure we have a balanced budget so we do not go down the path of other countries that cannot manage their debt and deficits, and as a result cannot deliver social services.

We will not go down that path. We are going to stay on the path that has delivered more than 750,000 new jobs since the economic downturn. That is the path Canadians want us on. They want us here, working to make decisions. We are going to do that with this budget.

Employment

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, hiding changes in the budget to avoid accountability is simply wrong. Another hidden change: cutting employment insurance and gutting the appeals tribunal. Instead of separate tribunals with dedicated staff, we now have one big tribunal with a fraction of the staff. Asking 70 staff to review over 30,000 appeals is not going to make the system efficient. It will grind it to a halt and the government knows it.

Why is the minister using these underhanded tactics to cut services for Canadians?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, we are combining several appeal tribunals and boards at HRSDC into one organizational structure. This means a simple, more efficient, single window for Canadians to access appeals and the appeals process, something Canadians are looking for. The expertise of individual boards and tribunals will be maintained.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, fewer Canadians than ever can access EI under the Conservatives. The government should hang its head in shame, but it gets worse. Now the minister is giving herself exclusive powers to force unemployed professionals to take unskilled jobs or pushing unemployed fishers to take construction jobs. The minister gives no explanation or justification but barrels ahead with these sweeping changes.

Why does the minister think she should have the power to decide what is suitable employment for anyone?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, these allegations are simply false. This government is focused on job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity for the country. We are making sure that EI is focused on our local labour markets to make sure that it is being effective so that Canadians can get jobs. That is what they wanted. In evidence alone, what we have seen just today is that there are 58,000 net new jobs in this country so Canadians are getting back to work. That is across the country. I encourage the members opposite to support our initiatives to get people working.

[Joe Daniel, Conservative, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, economic action plan 2012 takes responsible action to support our economy now and over the long term, while keeping taxes low and returning to a balanced budget. While our Conservative government is working to help Canada's economy by implementing economic action plan 2012 through Bill C-38, the NDP and Liberals want to play partisan procedural games to delay and defeat the pro-economic and pro-job growth measures.

Can the minister please inform the House how we are keeping Canada's job market strong?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on what matters to Canadians, and that is jobs and growth. While the opposition plays games, as reported with this morning's job numbers, we are getting results. There were 58,000 net new jobs created in Canada in April. This builds on the strong growth of the previous month. There have been over 750,000 net new jobs since July and 90% of them are full time.

We are on the right track for Canada's economy and for Canadian families. This is recognized around the world and we as Canadians should be proud of this. It is time for the opposition to put Canada's economy first and stop threatening—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Saint-Lambert.

Citizenship and Immigration

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

Mr. Speaker, today, doctors from around the country are gathering to protest the Conservatives' refugee health cuts.

Attacking refugee health will not prevent human trafficking or prevent people from abusing the system, nor will it save the government any money. This is an attack on legitimate refugees and vulnerable families seeking refuge.

Why play such political games and why prevent refugees from having access to basic health care?

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, it would be nice, for once, if the NDP would ask a question, when it comes to immigration, that is on the right side of Canadians instead of the wrong side of Canadians.

The premise of her question is completely false. The fact is that in this country we do not want a system in which any group gets better benefits than Canadians do, whether it is Canadian seniors, whether it is taxpayers, whether it is the working poor. It is all about fairness. Let us ask the 58,000 people who found jobs in the last month whether they think the health care system in this country should be fair to them or better for others.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know about the first part of that response, but he might want to check the record and apologize to Canadians after that.

Taking health care away from the most vulnerable is unethical, it is wrong and will cost Canadians more. When chronic diseases do not get treated, when preventive care cannot be accessed, people end up in the ER. The government knows that. Who pays? Canadians and taxpayers together.

Can the government tell us how much more this will cost the Canadian health care system by denying this right to the most vulnerable?

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, it would be nice if the member would actually get his facts straight. We are not talking about Canadians. We are talking about those who come here seeking to be Canadians through our refugee system. We believe they should get and deserve an equal health care system, the same kind of medicare that is offered across this country. If you think they deserve more than every Canadian why do you not stand up in the House and acknowledge that?

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I remind the parliamentary secretary to address his comments through the Chair, not directly at other members.

The hon. member for Ottawa Centre.

Aerospace Industry

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, he might want to stick to the little piece of paper in front of him. It would be safer for him.

Two years ago, the Prime Minister announced funding for new RADARSAT-2 —

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Ottawa Centre has the floor. Order, please.