Debates of Sept. 17th, 2012

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, while the member has been fiddling over the summer, we have been doing exactly that.

We have held a number of round tables around Ontario, working with our provincial colleagues who do the initial assessment. They bring it to us, and we apply the science that is required to trigger the AgriRecovery program. Having said that, I am happy to report that the vast majority of Ontario producers have embraced crop insurance, some 75% to 80%, and of course the AgriStability program is there as well. We also have a robust system of cash advances under the AMPA program.

The NDP members of course have voted against every one of these. On top of that, the most detrimental thing to agriculture would be a carbon tax, and that is what the NDP keeps fanning.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, many farmers' yields will be cut in half this year, yet the Conservatives do nothing. Between the loss of revenue and the high cost of feeding their livestock, the drought could lead to the demise of family farms. And now the Conservatives want to cut millions of dollars from business risk management programs.

Why do the Conservatives want to make cuts to programs that support farmers at such a crucial time?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, let me quote Allan Ling, the president of the Atlantic Grains Council, on the new robust suite of programs. He says:

—the changes to Ag Stability, like on negative margins for example, will help it to be more predictable so that as farmers we know more what our coverage is every year.

That is exactly what we are doing, making changes that make it more respective of farmers who need more action. Those are the farmers who require the negative margin coverage. What we have done is beefed up the bottom end, taking some of the money from the top end and putting it back into a lot of new moneys for contributions on the non-BRM side, that is, for innovation and science and research. That is exactly what farmers need to move forward.

The Budget

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as usual there are lots of excuses but Canadians get few answers.

Last week another 1,700 workers were told they would likely soon be out of a job. These are hard-working federal employees who provide services the public relies on every single day.

Conservatives can find billions for corporate tax giveaways but have nothing left to help people with their employment insurance, old age security or CPP claims. In these shaky economic times, will the Conservatives now reconsider their reckless cuts?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, budget 2012, our economic action plan 2012, was about jobs and growth, and making sure our economy continues to build and continues to create wealth throughout the country.

We have found well-balanced, moderate savings that we have put into that budget, which was passed by this House to reduce the deficit, and which in fact means reducing the federal public service by about a fair and reasonable 4% over three years. We have indicated that over 70% of those savings will be found in-house in operational efficiencies. This is good for making sure that we can deliver quality service to Canadians, and at the same time make sure our economy continues to be protected.

Government Services

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives like to talk about reductions, duplications and increasing efficiency, but what they really mean is “cuts”.

I am having a hard time understanding how taking employees away from service counters and service centres will make services more efficient. I do not know how the Conservatives are going to explain to people that they will get more for their money, while the Conservatives continue to cut services.

Can the Minister of National Revenue explain to Canadians how the service reductions at the Canada Revenue Agency will benefit anyone?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, in-person discussions between the agency and Canadians only account for about 2.5% of all the interactions that happen with Canadians.

More and more people are going on-line or accessing services on-line and are using the phone services. The way that Canadians file their taxes is changing, and we are changing to meet those needs.

Canadians can visit their local Service Canada location for assistance if they need to, and CRA will provide in-person meetings when issues cannot be resolved on the phone.

41st General Election

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, RMG is a company that contacts voters at the Conservative Party's behest. Former RMG employees signed affidavits stating that they were forced to call non-Conservative voters and direct them to the wrong polling station. The company says that it has recordings proving its innocence, but it is refusing to turn those recordings over to a Federal Court investigation. The integrity of our voting system is at stake.

What will the government do to ensure that RMG and the Conservative Party obey the law?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party always obeys the law. I would point out that the hon. member has produced no evidence. Quite the opposite, in fact.

I do admire the Liberal Party's nerve. Just one party was found guilty of breaking the law: the Liberal Party in the riding of Guelph. If the member wants to know more about what happened with robocalls during the last election, he should talk to his own colleague, because that is who broke the law.

The Conservative Party obeyed the law and will continue to do so.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Guelph provided all the information and co-operated with Elections Canada—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The member for Avalon has the floor.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, he is the one who co-operated; the member for Peterborough has not. The member for Guelph has reported all of his expenses; the member for Peterborough has not. Elections Canada has closed the file on the member for Guelph and is seeking no enforcement measures. He messed up. He fessed up—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Avalon has a few seconds left to finish putting the question and then we will get the response.

The hon. member for Avalon.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Guelph admitted he messed up. He fessed up and Elections Canada has closed the file. However, Elections Canada is still investigating all the Conservatives from coast to coast. When will they be accountable?

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

Mr. Speaker, it took them all summer long to hand me a gift just like that.

In the robocalls controversy there is one person, one campaign, that has been found guilty of breaking the law. It is the hon. member for Guelph. However, worry not because he has promised to hold seminars now teaching all of us how to follow the rules. It is kind of like a vampire holding a seminar on becoming a vegetarian.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, this summer I had the opportunity to meet with fishermen and fishing organizations throughout the east coast and the message has been clear. They want the government to back off its plans to get rid of the owner-operator fleet separation policy, which would be devastating to the inshore industry and coastal communities throughout Atlantic Canada.

I want to ask the minister this question because he and his colleagues have not been clear on this policy and what their intentions are. Will they back off on their plan to eliminate the owner-operator fleet separation policy, yes or no?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, the government believes that Canadian fishers have a key role to play in contributing to our economy. Certainly, we entered into discussions and engaged with fishermen and Canadians across the country to get their input as to how they would improve the fisheries. Our government is listening to fishermen, not advocating any particular position, and we continue to be committed to the economic viability of the industry.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the minister still fails to commit on what his intentions are. The government released a policy document in the spring that said absolutely nothing about this plan. It received 10,000 submissions from fishermen, not only on the east coast but also the west coast where the industry was devastated as a result of the removal of the owner-operator fleet separation policy.

I ask the minister once again, will he clarify on behalf of fishermen and their families in coastal communities that the government will back off the policy to eliminate owner-operator fleet separation?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, it is exactly the case as to why there was nothing in the position paper that indicated that there was a plan. There was not a plan.

We are looking for honest feedback from fishermen and Canadians across this country on the fisheries and how we could improve the fisheries in this country. We will continue to listen to people and seek their input.

The Economy

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the summer I heard loud and clear from my constituents in London West that jobs and Canada's economic recovery must be the government's number one priority. They told me that they wanted their government to continue fostering a business environment that creates jobs and a government that keeps its taxes low.

Would the government House leader update Canadians on his plans for the House this fall?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government's top priority is, of course, creating jobs, economic growth and long term prosperity. Canadians can expect us to continue focusing on keeping taxes down and creating jobs for hard-working Canadian families.

While we are focused on economic growth, we know that the leader of the NDP has as the cornerstone of his economic plan a carbon tax. He campaigned on it in the last election in black and white, with over $20 billion in the platform of the NDP for a tax hike from carbon. In seeking the leadership, he said that he would go even further.

Canadians cannot stand that. That is not what they need, to slow our economy at a time when it needs support. That is why the NDP policies are so reckless for Canada today.

Firearms Registry

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of Public Safety tell us if the government has begun destroying the data from the gun registry, with the exception of the data for Quebec, for example? In other words, are there now two classes of provinces in Canada, some whose registry data is intact and thus they are able to set up a provincial registry if they would like, and others that are just plain out of luck?

Has the level playing field been destroyed? Has the equality among provinces been undermined?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government does not support treating law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport shooters like criminals. We have consistently opposed this wasteful and ineffective measure which has done nothing to keep Canadians safe.

Canadians gave our government a strong mandate to end the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry once and for all, and that is exactly what we did and what we are doing.