Debates of Jan. 30th, 2013

Consumer Protection

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the minister is going on about this tangible code of conduct, additional charges are popping up on seniors' phone bills. That is the reality.

If businesses are continuing to add surcharges for paper bills, then the code of conduct is not working. About half of seniors use the Internet, and even fewer of them are able to receive and pay their bills electronically.

Will the minister take effective action or will he continue to ignore these extra fees that are costing our seniors a lot of money?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the member that the government created the Broadband Canada program for wireless access in 2009. Now, 98% of Canadian households have access to high-speed Internet.

The NDP opposed this measure. If the New Democrats were consistent, they would tell seniors that they are opposed to measures that are in the best interest of consumers.

I remind members that the CRTC is working very hard to adopt a voluntary wireless code.

Ethics

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, some companies will be afraid of this voluntary code.

Sometimes the Conservatives should just admit they are wrong.

Since we are talking about the CRTC, let us review the facts. The Minister of Finance used his position to try to influence the CRTC in a matter involving a Conservative Party donor who lives outside his riding. This goes against the rules that should normally govern the conduct of ministers.

So, if he is no longer being muzzled by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities or the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, can he explain to us exactly how helping a donor from outside his riding forms part of the duties of a minister or MP?

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was reading letters and I found another one. This one says, “I want you to know that I support this initiative and encourage you to approve AVR's application at the hearing on June 19th, 2012”.

It is signed by the hon. member for Davenport, the NDP member of Parliament.

They are critical of Conservatives writing letters like this, but apparently it is okay for NDP MPs to write these kinds of letters.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the conflict of interest law exists for a reason.

For example, it should be fairly obvious why a minister of the Crown cannot intervene with a semi-judicial body on behalf of a financial interest. The finance minister did that, and he broke the law. Instead of coming clean on it, he is hiding behind the most dubious of loopholes.

Will the government explain to the House how a minister's writing on behalf of a Conservative Party donor, who does not live in his riding, somehow gets to be passed off as constituency work? It does not pass the smell test. Where is the ethical accountability?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay says, “It is all right to do as I say, but not as I do”. He appears to apply a different standard. Now he says it is because he is not prepared to assume the kinds of responsibilities that one takes on when one is in government, that government members should be treated differently from him.

I know we have always said the NDP are not ready for government. It is good to hear the NDP members admit they themselves do not feel they are ready for government.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they are going to have all the opportunity they want to be backbenchers in 2015.

However, right now, the hon. member is a minister of the Crown and he broke the law under section 9. That is the difference. Why is the hon. member refusing to stand up, refusing to be accountable? Is he trying to tell the Canadian public that writing on behalf of Conservative Party donors is somehow constituency work? It is not. That is why he broke the law, and he needs to be accountable. Why will he not stand up and explain himself?

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

Mr. Speaker, I read a letter yesterday from the member for Timmins—James Bay. He did not just write one letter; he seems to write a lot of letters to the CRTC, which is interesting because he—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. I will ask hon. members to hold off on the applause until the government House leader is finished answering the question.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

The NDP members are very proud, apparently, of writing to the CRTC as MPs and telling it how to do its job, something they are very critical of Conservative MPs for doing.

Here is another letter, May 18, 2012: “I am writing to express my deep support for Aboriginal Voice Radio (AVR) and to strongly encourage the Commission to grant their request for licence renewal at the June 19th hearing. ...Sincerely... M.P. Timmins—James Bay.”

Employment

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, young Canadians are losing hope and the reality is that, with record high youth unemployment, we risk losing a generation of potential in Canada.

We have Maclean's magazine referring to young Canadians as the new underclass. Today we have a report from TD Economics saying there are going to be massive economic and social costs long term, due to our high youth unemployment.

The government has not responded. It is ignoring this problem. When will the government recognize that we have a youth unemployment crisis in Canada, and when will it take action to ensure that young Canadians get the training and jobs of today and tomorrow?

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

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we also have a real shortage of skills and talent in this country. That is what employers are telling us.

That is why we have invested so heavily in helping young people get the skills, the training and the experience they need for today's jobs and those of tomorrow. That is why we have invested in helping more than 50,000 students each year through the youth employment strategy. We are investing in career focus, skills link and the apprenticeship incentive and completion grants because we want to help these young people succeed.

Sadly, the real question is: Why did the Liberals oppose every one of those initiatives?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last summer we had the worst student summer jobs numbers in the history of the tracking of these numbers, going back to the 1970s.

The reality is that the minister is not doing enough to create long-term opportunities or even summer jobs for students. In the future budget, in just a few weeks, will the government introduce a hiring credit dedicated to young Canadians and significantly expand the summer job program, and will it reopen the summer job centres that it has closed? Will the government admit that we should be freezing EI rates in Canada instead of increasing them? They are a tax on jobs.

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

Mr. Speaker, the real question is: Will the Liberals actually support the upcoming budget, which I am sure will include incentives and supports to help young people get the experience and skills they need?

Will they, this time, support apprenticeship completion grants? Will they support programs like pathways to education that help people in high-risk areas get through high school and get into university or college?

Will they support us in our efforts to help those who have troubled pasts, or who face multiple barriers to employment, get the experience they need to get the jobs of the future? Will they support us in supporting our young people?

Search and Rescue

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government plans to close the Quebec City marine rescue sub-centre and split the province down the middle, entrusting the western part to the centre in Trenton and the eastern part to the centre in Halifax, despite the safety problems caused by distance and the agents' questionable grasp of French. It is absurd and offensive and puts lives at risk.

Will the Minister of Veterans Affairs, who refuses to listen to common sense, at least listen to the members of his own Conservative association in Lévis-Bellechasse and join them in opposing his government's absurd decision?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are confident that changes in Quebec City will have no negative impact on our ability to respond to distress incidents on the water quickly, effectively and in both languages.

We are ensuring that the coast guard has the resources to do its job and save lives.

Foreign Investment

[Hélène LeBlanc, NDP, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that some Conservative MPs, like many Canadians, are worried about the blank cheque written by the Prime Minister in the Nexen file.

Selling off our natural resources to foreign interests behind closed doors, without consultation and without an explanation of the criteria used to make the decision is not in the best interests of Canadians.

Why did the Minister of Industry refuse to listen to his Conservative colleagues, who were only expressing the concerns of the vast majority of Canadians?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat yet again that my colleague knows that the net benefit criteria are clearly laid out in section 20 of the Investment Canada Act. Takeovers by foreign state-owned enterprises are the end of a trend, not the beginning. The rules have been clarified.

The Liberals, who would blindly approve any type of transaction, are at one end of the spectrum; the NDP, who want to block every transaction, are at the other end.

We are taking a balanced and pragmatic approach, and we approve foreign investments that are good for Canada.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not balanced at all. CNOOC has no obligation to protect Canadian jobs, and even the Prime Minister admitted that this type of deal is bad for Canada. Canadians deserve better than this.

Now we find out there are three more Conservative MPs raising their concerns. This deal is now undergoing extensive review in the U.S., while in Canada, Conservatives simply rubber-stamp the sellout.

Why are Conservatives dismissing Canadians' concerns, turning a blind eye to concerns in the U.S., and even ignoring the concerns from their own caucus?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, we brought clarity to the rules. When we talk about foreign takeovers by state-owned enterprises, we talk about the end of a trend, not the beginning of a trend.

We have the extremes of the spectrum. The Liberals would accept each form of signed deal without any scrutiny. At the other end of the spectrum, the other extreme, the NDP members would virtually block everything. They are even against NAFTA. They are anti-trade.

This is not responsible. We are open for foreign investment.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, after more than 10 years of negotiation, the Northwest Territories is on the edge of assuming jurisdiction over its lands, waters and immense natural resources.

In order to accomplish this devolution, the House must amend a number of laws, including the Northwest Territories Act, which is the basis of all the power we currently have.

As a courtesy to this House, can the minister give an indication of what other acts will have to be dealt with in order to provide the NWT with increased powers?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government shares a common vision with northerners, and that is to give them greater control over their economic and political destinies.

Concluding an agreement will be an important and positive step in the evolution of northern governance and will deliver economic benefits to the Northwest Territories.

We will continue to work with our partners in NWT to reach an agreement that creates a practical, innovative and efficient governance model for the territory.

The benefits of devolution are clear, as we have seen in the Yukon. We want the Northwest Territories to benefit from this as well.

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, representatives of the Northwest Territories are in Ottawa today. I am sure they would like to get an answer to at least one question, so here is another question.

As part of the devolution process, the NWT must enact a package of legislation mirroring current federal laws governing our lands, waters and environment.

Once this legislation has been enacted, will the NWT legislative assembly be able to amend these laws in order to improve them, or will we be stuck with what Ottawa dictates?

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

Mr. Speaker, I welcome him to the file. We have been negotiating with the government of the Northwest Territories for two years. Here is the member from NWT who suddenly woke up. This is the same member who voted against the Inuvik-Tuk highway. This is the same member who voted contrary to his constituents' wishes and his promise on the gun—