Debates of Oct. 17th, 2013

Aboriginal Affairs

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, an astonishing 600 aboriginal women have been murdered or reported missing across Canada. The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Shawn Atleo, has called for a national inquiry. The UN rapporteur has called for a national inquiry.

If, in a city the size of Ottawa, 600 women were murdered or missing, there would not have to be protests in the streets to get a national inquiry; one would have been called a very long time ago. Why is the Prime Minister still refusing to hold a national inquiry into the national tragedy of 600 murdered and missing aboriginal women?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we have in fact been very focused on taking action with respect to support for the aboriginal community and specifically on this tragic issue of murdered and missing aboriginal women. For example, we recently passed legislation giving women living on first nations the same matrimonial rights as all Canadians, including emergency protections and protection orders for those living in violent situations.

That is real action. There has been massive consultation, and that will continue.

Government Priorities

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's throne speech talked about victims; well, victims' families are demanding a national inquiry, nothing less.

In the past 160 days, the Prime Minister has shown up to work exactly five times, in spite of the corruption in the Senate, the corruption within his own party, the corruption within his own caucus and even the corruption within his own office.

The Prime Minister went so far as to hide on the other side of the Atlantic to avoid speaking today. What is he afraid of—

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Minister of State for Democratic Reform.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, we all know why the Prime Minister is not here today. He is in Europe to secure access to 500 million new consumers for our businesses.

That would be 500 million new customers for Canadian businesses. That means 80,000 jobs for Canadians and a $1,000 increase in average family income. This is a government that is on the side of workers and consumers.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. I want to caution both sides of the House not to inadvertently point out the presence or absence of any member during debate.

Ethics

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, five senators appointed by the Prime Minister are accused of corruption. The Prime Minister's former parliamentary secretary, his former director of communications, and his former chief of staff are all either under investigation or already charged. These are chosen members of the Prime Minister's own inner circle who are implicated in scandal.

The Prime Minister needs to take responsibility for the climate of corruption that he created. Instead, the Prime Minister flies off to Brussels on Con Air.

When will the Prime Minister stand in the House and tell the truth to Canadians?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Leader of the Opposition attacks our Prime Minister for travelling abroad to conclude the biggest trade agreement since NAFTA. The NDP would simply like to build a big brick wall around Canada, a brick wall that would keep out 80,000 jobs, would keep away 500 million customers, would keep away $1,000 in increased income for the average family.

The Conservative Party supports free trade; the NDP supports no trade, and the Liberals support the drug trade.

Veterans

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the throne speech suggests that the Conservatives want to symbolically honour our veterans, but it is not propaganda that they need. They need meaningful action.

Today, veterans are protesting the closure of nine service centres. These men and women risked their lives for their country.

Instead of insulting them and using them, why do the Conservatives not help them by keeping these service centres open?

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian veterans who are injured in the service of Canada do not drive to visit government offices. We meet them at a place of their choosing. Canadian veterans need a nurse in the privacy of their own home or a doctor in the privacy of their own doctor's office. Only the opposition is calling for veterans to drive to a district office in the first place. We on this side of the House are working to make life easier for veterans while respecting their privacy.

Justice

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that is truly pathetic. The government thinks that closing nine service centres is somehow providing more service to veterans. We will keep them open when we form government in 2015.

If the Conservatives are sincere in their promises from yesterday's throne speech, here is a chance to prove it. In the last session, after the tragic death of Rehtaeh Parsons, my colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour proposed a bill on cyberbullying. In yesterday's throne speech, Conservatives promised action on exactly that issue. Well, we can act today.

I have a simple question for the Conservatives, who are all talk and no action. If they are serious, if they want to keep that promise, will they pass the bill today at all stages by unanimous consent?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin answering this question by expressing condolences again to the family of Rehtaeh Parsons, to the Todd family, and to all families who have suffered as a result of cyberbullying and victimization.

With respect to legislation, it is our intention to bring a bill before the House of Commons. There will be opportunity to debate the bill and to make it pass through the House very quickly. If the Leader of the Opposition is expressing his support for this legislation when the government produces it, then we will hold him to that promise to pass it quickly through the House.

Government Accountability

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, these past months I have travelled across this vast country, in particular spending a lot of time in Manitoba. Nobody has forgotten about Mike Duffy, Nigel Wright, and the scandal that has engulfed the Prime Minister, but the Conservatives obviously still do not think they did anything wrong.

Why was there not a single measure in the throne speech to raise the bar on openness and accountability?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the Liberal leader should have read the throne speech, because he would have seen very clearly listed there our plan to ask the Supreme Court for a legal instruction manual on reforming the Senate or eventually abolishing it if reform does not occur.

We have already brought in 12 tough new rules on Senate spending. We have invited the Auditor General to investigate that spending. We are seeking ways that we can transform that upper chamber into a democratic body that serves the Canadian people.

The Economy

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have been claiming for close to eight years that economic growth is their priority, but they have the worst economic record since R. B. Bennett during the depths of the Great Depression.

It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that their approach is not working.

Why then did they not propose any concrete solutions to deal with the debt or jobs in the Speech from the Throne?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that the hon. member certainly did not read the Speech from the Throne.

The throne speech clearly includes improvements for consumers to give them more options regarding their cellphone plans. It also highlights the tax cuts that our government has already brought in.

Today, the Prime Minister is in the process of concluding a free trade agreement that will create 80,000 jobs for Canadians. That is an impressive achievement. That is a huge gain for taxpayers, workers and families.

Government Accountability

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in places like Brandon and Steinbach I hear Canadians' frustration that they elected MPs to be their voice in Ottawa but instead received only the Prime Minister's voice in their communities.

Canadians, and I am sure many members of the Conservative caucus, want us to raise the bar on openness and transparency. It is a question of control versus trust.

Will the government allow its caucus members to join us in proactively disclosing their hospitality and travel expenses?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of State and Chief Government Whip]

Mr. Speaker, we are willing to work with our colleagues from all parties to develop improved reporting that applies to all parliamentarians. We believe that all parties should support measures to improve transparency. Until such a system is in place, Conservative parliamentarians will do it themselves.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, over the summer, documents filed in court by the RCMP completely contradicted claims made by the Prime Minister in the House. On June 5, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons and Canadians that the only person in his office who knew about the secret payoff deal to Mike Duffy was his chief of staff, Nigel Wright.

Therefore, does the minister now want to stand and correct that statement?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister said on a number of occasions, this was a matter that was handled directly by Mr. Wright, and the Prime Minister had no knowledge of this payment until after May 15.

What is truly clear and what we have heard over the summer is how important it is that the government continues to focus on jobs and the economy. That is why the Prime Minister today is en route to Europe to sign a new trade agreement that will see 80,000 new jobs created.

Again we are seeing that the NDP and the Liberals will be voting against new job creation measures. They vote against the small, medium, and large job creators in this country because they do not think they have the opportunity or the ability to compete with everybody. We do.

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

Mr. Speaker, the question was about the unprecedented situation of a police investigation into the very office of the sitting Prime Minister. That was the question. The claims that were made by the Prime Minister in the House on June 5 have been proven false by RCMP investigation witness statements, so I will give the new member in his new portfolio a second chance.

Does he still maintain on behalf of the shy Prime Minister that Nigel Wright was the only one in the Prime Minister's Office who knew about the hush money that was paid out, the $90,000? Is that the position he is going to continue to stand by?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said and as the Prime Minister has said on a number of occasions, and he has been very clear on this matter, Mr. Wright handled this file on his own. He had no knowledge of the payment until May 15.

Why does the opposition not start thinking about some of the things that were in the throne speech, some of those things that they have consistently voted against as we continue to talk about reducing taxes for Canadian families and making our communities safer?

Opposition members have no ideas. They have no plan. When it comes to economic growth, when it comes to keeping our communities safe, Canadians know one thing: they can trust Conservatives on both sides of the House to stand up for them and to stand up for the values that have made this country great, and this Prime Minister will continue to do that for a long time to come.

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

Mr. Speaker, from what I can see, the parliamentary lockout decreed by the Conservatives did not prevent them from going back to their old ways. They keep spouting nonsense, instead of doing the honourable thing and telling the truth.

When he talked to the RCMP, Nigel Wright clearly contradicted what the Prime Minister said in the House. Does the government continue to deny that David van Hemmen, Benjamin Perrin and Chris Woodcock were aware of the Wright-Duffy agreement?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat it again for the hon. member, because he is not listening.

Nigel Wright handled this on his own. The Prime Minister knew nothing about the payment until after May 15. Only the NDP would think it is nonsense to talk about creating jobs, only the NDP would think it is nonsense to talk about keeping our communities safe, and only the NDP would think it is nonsense that a Prime Minister and a government would focus on opening up a market of 500 million people to Canadian manufacturers and small, medium, and large business creators. Only New Democrats would say that is nonsense. Canadians understand that we will stand up for them and we will stand up for jobs.

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

Mr. Speaker, have they assigned me a new friend? He does not seem as fun as the last one.

Nigel Wright knew that some of his colleagues were aware of the agreement with Mike Duffy. That is what he told the police officers investigating the Conservatives' scheme. In fact, he handed over hundreds of pages of emails relating to this matter.

Why did the Prime Minister say the opposite on June 5? On the basis of what information did the Prime Minister answer our questions?