House of Commons Hansard #150 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-37.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's position on this issue has been very clear. The government will not be reopening this debate. Private members' business is just that: private members' business.
Our Conservative government is focused on creating jobs, promoting Canadian exports, increasing economic growth and focusing on and securing our long-term prosperity.
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill, MB
Mr. Speaker, the debate is on today at 1:30 p.m. in this House.
We in the NDP stand with the thousands of women and men across Canada who have connected with their members of Parliament to oppose this very motion. They are in disbelief that, in 2012, we are having this debate. There is no debate.
What we want to hear from the Prime Minister and from his government is that they will stop bringing back the issue of abortion in this House, into this year and years to come.
Will the Prime Minister stand up, not only in opposition to the motion but also stand up for women's' rights?
Kerry-Lynne Findlay ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, the Prime Minister's position has been very clear. He has made these statements more than once. Both before this session of Parliament began and during this session of Parliament, he has stood in this place and said that the government will not be reopening this debate.
As I said before, private members' business is just that, and we have rules and procedures around private members' business, as the hon. member knows.
This government is focused on long-term prosperity for Canadians. We are focused on a strong economy. Like a laser, we continue in that direction.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, Nathan Jacobson is a businessman with strong connections to the Conservative Party, right to the front benches, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.
Well, he is a fugitive of the law, I must say. He is on the run, evading jail time in the United States, after being found guilty in a massive organized crime operation.
Nathan Jacobson maxes out when it comes to contributing to the Conservative Party.
My question for the government is--
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order, please. The hon. member for Winnipeg North has a few seconds to finish putting his question.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I look to the Minister of Foreign Affairs while I pose the question. Will the Conservatives be returning these donations and, if not, why not? Tens of thousands--
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order, please. The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals will do absolutely anything to distract from the fact that the member for Guelph engaged in illegal phone calls in the robocall controversy. It is actually an exceptional achievement. He left here in the spring as the accuser, he came back here as the guilty party and yet the Liberal Party still has the audacity to stand and question the ethics of other people.
It is truly an act of audacity and it is truly sad to see what the once great party of Laurier has become, way over there in the corner.
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Mr. Speaker, I hope to finally get a real answer to a question here today.
Since 2007, the Liberals and the Senate have been asking the Conservative government to take its Senate reform to the Supreme Court to confirm its constitutionality. We firmly believe that Bill C-7 would paralyze Parliament, that it would be unfair to Alberta and British Columbia, and that it is unconstitutional, because Parliament alone cannot change the character of the Senate without the support of the provinces.
Will the minister come to his senses and submit his Senate reform to the Supreme Court?
Tim Uppal ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, our government tabled the Senate reform act in order to limit the terms of senators and to give Canadians a say in who represents them in the Senate.
We, on this side of the House, are committed to making the Senate more democratic, accountable and representative of Canadians.
This legislation is already before the courts.
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Mr. Speaker, trap tags are an essential conservation and management tool for the fisheries. They inform DFO of the number of traps in the water and prevent illegal fishing. Until now, this conservation tool has been provided by DFO, but the government will download the program to fishers who are already struggling.
It is the responsibility of the federal government to protect and conserve our fishery. Will the government reverse its decision to download this essential program on the backs of our struggling fishers?
Randy Kamp ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
Mr. Speaker, of course we take very seriously our responsibility to manage fisheries in an efficient and effective way and to ensure that taxpayer dollars are well spent. We have looked at a number of policies to see who should be bearing those costs, the one to which the member referred is one of those, and we will continue to make these changes that improve and manage our fisheries in a responsible way.
Dan Harris NDP Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Speaker, the NDP is very keen on a new European trade agreement, but Canadians are worried. They want to know if the agreement will—
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order. The hon. member for Scarborough Southwest has the floor.
Dan Harris NDP Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Speaker, look at them laugh about Canadians' concerns.
Canadians want to know if the agreement will increase the cost of prescription drugs by keeping generic drugs out of the market.
We have already asked the minister, but I will ask again: will the Minister of International Trade promise the House that he will not sign a trade agreement that will increase the cost of prescription drugs for seniors?
Ed Fast ConservativeMinister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear the NDP members say that they would love to see trade agreements signed. I had a chance to review their election platform from 2011. It is 26 pages of archaic ideology and failed policies. Do members know what it says about trade and the importance of trade? It says absolutely nothing.
We on this side of the House are focusing on the priorities of Canadians and we are delivering and opening up new markets for Canadian businesses.
Dan Harris NDP Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Speaker, the priority of seniors is not to get gouged by the government signing a deal that would send them out to lunch.
Life-saving prescription drugs are a necessity, not a luxury. We need to find ways to support the research and development of new drugs but not at the expense of Canadian seniors. Seniors deserve an answer from the government, not more glib remarks.
Will the Minister of International Trade promise the House not to sign a deal that will dramatically raise the price of prescription drugs for Canadian seniors?
Ed Fast ConservativeMinister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
Mr. Speaker, I would again remind the NDP opposition that it should not prejudge the outcome of these negotiations.
Our government has always sought to find a balance between protecting our innovators in Canada while, at the same time, ensuring that Canadians have affordable drugs available to them. We continue to consult with the provinces on this issue and we will continue to do so. At the end of the day, we will only sign an agreement that is in the best interests of Canadians.
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, there is more bad news for Canada internationally. While the Prime Minister claims that Asia is a priority, we have been denied a seat at the key political forum in the Pacific, the East Asia summit. Canada will be shut out of important political and economic decisions for years to come. The reason is that we are not actively engaged in the region and doing the hard, diplomatic work.
Why is the government retreating from diplomacy and hurting Canada's national interests?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely ridiculous. This government has been engaged in the Asia-Pacific region like no other. We have been working hard, whether it is on trade, on security and defence or on diplomatic engagement. In fact, I have been to the region at least seven times in the short 18 months I have been minister.
The Minister of International Trade has been doing a phenomenal job with his hard work. He brought Canada into the trans-Pacific partnership, a proactive engagement with ASEAN and an active engagement with APEC. That is all because of the leadership of the Prime Minister in creating more jobs, more hope and more opportunity.
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is not about how many air miles one racks up. It is about getting results. There is a clear pattern here where Conservative mismanagement on the international stage is hurting our national interests. It is hurting our economy.
In 2010, the Conservatives lost our seat on the Security Council. Now they have lost our place at the East Asia summit, highlighting the government's mishandling of diplomacy and foreign relations yet again.
Why, after six years, are the Conservatives so incapable of delivering on Canada's foreign affairs priorities?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, this government has focused on the Asia-Pacific region like no other government in Canadian history. We are working tremendously hard on issues of trade, whether it is with India, or the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or Japan or Thailand, because this government is focused on economic growth and job creation.
These are concepts which are somewhat foreign to the foreign affairs critic. That is why we have seen 770,000 net new jobs created over the past two years. We remain focused on the number one priority of Canadians, which is jobs and economic growth, and we are seeing real results in the Asia-Pacific region.