Debates of Jan. 28th, 2013

Aboriginal Affairs

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in November last year, the national chief wrote a letter to the Prime Minister expressing profound concern that in fact progress was not being made, that in fact aboriginal people were not being appropriately consulted, and that in fact there was no basis upon which he could say, to the people that he represented, that in fact substantial progress was being made.

Can the Prime Minister tell us what further action he is going to take? What change is he going to introduce that will end the sense that the aboriginal population of Canada is being marginalized by the policies of the Government of Canada?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in fact the government has put out a report card on the various actions it has undertaken recently to deal with a series of commitments. It is important that we make progress on these issues. As I have said many times before, aboriginal people, based on the areas in which they live in the country, will have unprecedented opportunity in the generation to come.

I notice aboriginal people have never been as strongly represented in the Government of Canada as they are in this caucus today. We intend to move forward.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since this government has signed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, can the Prime Minister tell us unequivocally that the government accepts its responsibilities?

Does the government acknowledge that Canada has legal obligations as a result of signing the UN Declaration?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have been clear about this on many occasions: we always meet our legal obligations under the Constitution of Canada and our treaties.

We are taking meaningful action to improve the lives of ordinary aboriginal people in communities throughout the country. We are pursuing these initiatives with positive partners who also want substantial progress to be made.

Government Accountability

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments the Conservative Party made in 2006 was to create an independent parliamentary budget authority to provide objective analysis directly to Parliament.

I ask the Prime Minister, how is that statement and the creation of the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer in any way, shape or form compatible with the kind of cheap partisan attacks that the Minister of Finance made against the Parliamentary Budget Officer and against his observation that the job of the Parliamentary Budget Officer was to be a sounding board for the government? Does the Prime Minister not realize it is independent and—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, of course I would not in any way accept that categorization.

I would state clearly that it was this government that created the parliamentary budget office. We have done so in order to enhance a dialogue to ensure there is a non-partisan, credible source of opinion on fiscal matters. We will go forward in a way that ensures we have an officer and an office that are non-partisan and credible in their economic appraisals.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on this global day of action and with growing Idle No More protests, we are reminded just how much Conservatives have turned their backs on their duty to consult the people affected by their omnibus bills, further tainting relationships with first nations and even making resource development more complicated.

We are committed to repairing this relationship because Canada is stronger when we work together. Why will Conservatives not agree to address the concerns of first nations around their omnibus budget bills?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, our government respects our obligations on the duty to consult. Every year we carry out approximately 5,000 consultations with first nations.

As minister, I have now visited over 50 first nation communities since 2010. I have had hundreds of productive meetings with first nation chiefs, councillors and community members across the country. We will continue to work in partnership with first nations to create the conditions for stronger, healthier communities.

[Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, NDP, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives and the Conservatives alone are responsible for the protests being organized by the Idle No More movement.

When the Conservatives imposed omnibus bills C-38 and C-45 without any consultation, they showed their arrogance towards all Canadians who support the aboriginal cause. The path to reconciliation begins with respecting the nation-to-nation relationship.

Will the Conservatives acknowledge what is happening outside or will they continue to pass legislation that does not respect treaties or the basic rights of aboriginal people?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the concrete actions we have taken to improve the lives of aboriginal people over the past years.

Since 2010, I have brought forward six pieces of legislation that will improve the living standards of aboriginal men, women and children across the country. Just this past month I announced funding for clean drinking water projects and economic development initiatives and a national initiative to improve first nation graduation rates.

I remain committed to working with aboriginal people and to taking concrete steps to enable them to become full participants in the economy.

Government Accountability

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, concrete steps? The fact is the Conservatives failed to consult with any Canadians before ramming through their budget bills.

The Minister of Finance claimed Conservative cuts would affect back operations and not front-line services. Now he has been proven wrong. The PBO reports that back office spending has gone up by 8%, where services Canadians rely on have been cut by 4%.

Will the minister just come clean and admit that his reckless cuts have been a mistake?

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

Mr. Speaker, actually I must inform the House that the budget officer has his definitions wrong and is ill-informed on these issues.

In fact, we stand by our commitment to ensure that the focus of our reductions are on back office operations. We are committed to delivering high-quality services to Canadians as we have done in the past. That is how we get the economic fundamentals right in our country, and we will continue to do so.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister had the gall to attack Kevin Page, claiming his reports were “wanting”.

What is left wanting is the Minister of Finance. He has been proven wrong on every major prediction. Just today, Moody's downgraded six Canadian banks.

It is clear the Conservatives want to gut the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer for one reason: sometimes the truth hurts. Will the minister just admit his plan is to turn the office of the PBO into a Conservative echo chamber?

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

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth.

As the Prime Minister indicated today, we created this office. We are committed to the office continuing to exist. We will ensure that Parliament has the opportunity to consider a credible replacement.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives already had no qualms about impeding the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, but now the Minister of Finance is downright hostile toward him. He is blatantly vindictive because the budget officer dared expose the countless Conservative financial abuses.

Instead of wasting his time publicly fighting an independent auditor, the minister should keep watch over his ranks to make sure that a fiasco like the F-35 boondoggle does not happen again.

Will they stop attacking the budget officer and this neutral institution and protect its long-term viability?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister already said, we created this office. We can say that it will be essential to keep it. We can assure the House that there will be a credible candidate in the future.

Employment Insurance

[Anne-Marie Day, NDP, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the new employment insurance rules have been in effect for three weeks and it is obvious that Canadians are paying for the Conservatives' irresponsible cuts.

The NDP has been condemning this reform since the beginning. We have been consulting in the field since the fall. These consultations attracted many disgruntled people. Removing access to benefits when people have paid EI premiums is a blatant attack on seasonal jobs and regional development.

Will the minister stop ignoring the demands of workers who pay for this insurance?

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

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning, the employment insurance system requires claimants to look for work. They always had to look for work, to make a reasonable effort to find work. The changes that we made clarify this responsibility, but they also help claimants find jobs. That is why we improved the system that helps them.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is ignoring the real problems with EI in the same way that she ignored the single mom protesting right outside of her ministry's doors. Under the minister's watch, Canadians are waiting longer and longer for their claims to be processed. They are being forced into lower paying jobs that do not match their skills, or they get cut off from benefits entirely.

Cuts to Service Canada have left provinces, businesses and countless workers all sounding the alarm. Why is the minister still refusing to fix the mess that she created?

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

Mr. Speaker, what we have given is an opportunity for those who are collecting EI to have access to even more information about jobs that are in their skill range and in their geographic area.

Our priority as a government is job creation, economic growth and the creation of long-term prosperity for all Canadians, and that means sometimes they need a hand up. That is why we are providing more job alerts to let people know about what opportunities exist to improve their lot and that of their families and their communities.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is the minister's department is an absolute mess. The loss of personal information for over half a million Canadians has left people wondering if they can trust the government at all. Victims are now on the hook for over $100 million a year to buy back the protection the government so recklessly squandered.

When will the Conservatives take responsibility instead of re-victimizing innocent Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The loss of this data was simply unacceptable. That is why the privacy commissioner's office was notified. An official investigation is being conducted.

We have changed the rules. I have instructed that the department to toughen up the rules and the procedures to ensure that this sort of thing does not happen again.

I am also pleased that HRSD is providing an opt-in system where those who were part of those lists can now opt in to Equifax protection for their credit.

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister obviously does not have a proper understanding of this issue.

Her department recommended monitoring victims' credit to protect them against identity theft, but she ignores her department's recommendation and proposes a mediocre solution while claiming it is the appropriate solution. Flagging files is not enough. Victims will pay for the government's incompetence. After all these losses of information, Canadians can no longer trust the Conservatives to protect their personal information.

Will the minister ensure that all costs incurred will be covered?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government feels that the loss of this information is totally unacceptable. That is why I brought the matter to the attention of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. I also asked the RCMP to conduct an investigation to find out what happened.

Fortunately, no fraudulent activities took place. We want to help Canadians and that is why we signed a contract with Equifax to protect these people's credit.